Hanover royal music archive

The Hanover Royal Music Archive consists of printed and manuscript music, printed books about music, and related materials assembled by Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, and his successors. A significant component originated in England and concerns musical activity of several children of George III, circa 1770-1837, particularly Ernest Augustus, then Duke of Cumberland, and Princess Augusta, as well as Prince George of Cumberland, son of Ernest Augustus and later Georg V, King of Hanover. These materials moved to Hanover, apparently circa 1837 when Ernest Augustus succeeded William IV as King of Hanover. In Hanover, the collection was expanded by Ernest Augustus and Georg V, and much of the present content relates to music in the Hanoverian court through the mid-nineteenth century. While most materials date circa 1770-1870, a few items extend this span from the seventeenth through the mid-twentieth century.

Contents include manuscript and printed music used in performance; manuscript music books and bound collections; music in presentation bindings, inscribed or accompanied by letters from composers to Ernest Augustus, Georg V, or other royal family members; and books about music theory and pedagogy. Many genres of music are present, with concentrations in song, collections of national songs of Great Britain and Ireland, solo keyboard, chamber ensemble parts, sacred vocal music scores and parts, opera in vocal score, military band parts, and keyboard and ensemble music for marches, waltzes, and other social dance. Music of a wide range of both major and lesser-known composers active in England, Germany, and elsewhere in Europe during the eighteenth through mid-nineteenth century is present, including early printed editions of Johann Christian Bach, Haydn, Clementi, Mozart, Beethoven, Weber, Rossini, Berlioz, Johann Strauss, Sr., Mendelssohn. Many items bear marks of ownership, including presentation inscriptions, signatures, annotations, shelf mark labels, stamps, personalized and presentation bindings, and accompanying correspondence.

Among materials originating in England are manuscript music books of Princess Augusta and other royal family members, containing holograph music of Johann Christian Bach and Charles Frederick Horn, and an extensive archive of music performed by a private band employed by Ernest Augustus while Duke of Cumberland. Most material added in Hanover consists of presentation copies of music dedicated to Georg V; Hanoverian and Prussian military band music; literary papers, music drafts, and published music of Georg V; and music performed by the Hof- and Kirchenchor, including an archive of manuscript liturgical music. Later additions to the collection include music dedicated to Ernst August (1845-1923) and to members of the Prussian royal family. Additions dated circa 1860s-1910s are predominantly sacred music, indicating that the collection may have remained in use by church musicians during that period.

The archive documents music of the British and Hanoverian royal courts during the period of its accumulation, and is a resource for study of individual music manuscripts and rare publications. Materials originating in Great Britain are related to content dating from the same time period in the British Library’s Royal Music Library of Great Britain, and may be found to fill gaps in that larger collection. Several strengths of the Hanover collection are the smaller archives contained within it, particularly music of the Duke of Cumberland’s band, Hanover liturgical manuscripts, and music and literary papers of Georg V. Aspects of broad research value include: Johann Christian Bach and his circle; other individual composers and their published and unpublished work; music in the royal courts of Great Britain and Hanover; members of the British and Hanoverian royal families; composition, music education, and professional and amateur performance and employment of musicians in England and Germany; and manuscript copying, music printing, binding practices, and the music trade.

Notes on Folder Description

Folder titles for music are in a standardized format, consisting of the following as appropriate: truncated transcribed title; type of score and list of parts; holograph, manuscript, or print; and place and publisher. Contents not listed individually by Sotheby’s have been described briefly, usually as “music,” either manuscript or print. For all contents, full names and birth/death dates in headings have been supplied, if found in the Library of Congress Authority File or The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, or in materials in the collection. While these names are generally of composers or authors, some materials are listed under arrangers, editors, or compilers, in conformance with original folders or shelfmark labels.

Much of the manuscript material is copyist’s manuscript; some holograph manuscripts have been identified, and others are likely present. Most printed music is engraved, unless noted as typeset or lithograph. Full or partial uniform titles have been added to some folder titles, and some see/see also references have been supplied. Vocal and instrumental parts are listed as found, with no attempt to determine if sets are complete. The following abbreviations have been used in lists of parts:

v (voice), vv (voices) SATBarB (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass)
kbd (keyboard), pf (piano), hpd (harpsichord)
picc (piccolo), fl (flute), ob (oboe), cl (clarinet), bn (bassoon), spt (serpent)
hn (horn), tpt (trumpet), trbn (trombone)
timp (timpani)
hp (harp)
vn (violin), va (viola), vc (violoncello), db (double bass)
b (bass)