The Dow Partbooks (Christ Church, Mus. MSS 984–988) are a collection of five partbooks compiled by Robert Dow in Oxford around 1581–88. The collection includes mostly choral but also some instrumental pieces. At the end is an instrumental La gamba and a canon, both a 3 and apparently copied from Vincenzo Ruffo's book printed in Milan in 1564.

The partbooks are an important source for Tudor music, and the sole known source for some of the pieces. Robert Dow was a trained calligrapher and the books are unusually easy to read among manuscripts of the Tudor period. All works were copied by him, with the exception of numbers 53–4, which were copied by John Baldwin (a singing-man at St George's Chapel), and nos. 99–100, which were copied by an unidentified person. The numberings following no. 54 were added by several other people at a later time (19th century), in sequences that do not coincide perfectly.

The collection was acquired by Henry Aldrich and donated to Christ Church, Oxford as part of his bequest to the college following his death in 1710.

Contents

No. Title Composer Comments 1. Lamentations. Heth. Peccatum peccavit (Heth, Teth, Iod, Caph, Lamed, Mem) 2. Miserere mei Deus 3. Christe qui lux es et dies, I 4. Christe qui lux es et dies, II 5. Christe qui lux es et dies, III 6. Manus tuae fecerunt me 7. Portio mea, Domine 8. Justus es, Domine 9a. Ne irascaris, Domine 9b. Civitas sancti tui Part 2 of no. 9 10. O Domine, adjuva me 11a. Tribulationes civitatum 11b. Timor et hebetudo Part 2 of no. 11 11c. Nos enim pro peccatis Part 3 of no. 11 12. Domine, exaudi orationem 13. Domine, praestolamur 14. Ad te clamamus 15. Omnes gentes, plaudite manibus 16. Esurientes implevit bonis 17. Angelus ad pastores ait 18. Veni in hortum meum 19. O salutaris hostia 20. Salvator mundi, I 21. Candidi facti sunt 22. Dum transisset Sabbatum 23. Exaudiat te, Dominus 24. Tribulationem et dolorem inveni 25. Non me vincat, Deus meus 26. Dum transisset Sabbatum, I 27a. Tribulatio proxima est 27b. Contumelias et terrores Part 2 of no. 27 28. Appropinquet deprecatio mea 29. Christus resurgens 30a. O quam gloriosum est regnum 30b. Benedictio et claritas Part 2 of no. 30 31a. Tristitia et anxietas 31b. Sed tu, Domine Part 2 of no. 31 32. Apparebit in finem 33. Audivi vocem de caelo 34. In resurrectione tua 35. Retribue servo tuo 36. Fac cum servo tuo 37. Sive vigilem 38. Christe qui lux es et dies, IV 39a. Deus venerunt gentes 39b. Posuerunt morticinia Part 2 of no. 39 40. Domine, tu jurasti 41. Exsurge, quare obdormis 42. O sacrum convivium 43. Salvator mundi, II 44. Effuderunt sanguinem Part 3 of no. 39 45. Christe qui lux es et dies 46. Laetentur caeli 47. Facti sumus opprobrium Part 4 of no. 39 48. Ave Maria 49. Dum transisset Sabbatum Roose 50. Decantabat populus Anonymous 51. Mirabile mysterium 52. Miserere mei, Deus 53. O bone Jesu 54. Vestigia mea dirige 55. Lord, who shall dwell 56. The Lord bless us and keep us 57. O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth 58. Prevent us, O Lord 59. How long shall mine enemies 60. O that most rare breast 61. For thee both kings Part 2 of no. 60 62. The doleful debt Part 3 of no. 60 63. Come to me, grief, for ever 64. In fields abroad 65. Where fancy fond 66. Susanna fair (1588) 67. While Phoebus used to dwell 68. Why do I use my paper, ink and pen? 69. La virginella 70. I joy not in no earthly bliss 71. Ah, golden hairs 72. Lord, in thy wrath reprove me not 73. Care for thy soul 74. Browning (instrumental) 75. Browning (instrumental) 76. Miserere Mallorie (instrumental) 77. Ascendo ad Patrem attrib. Tye in MS 78. Rubem quem (instrumental) 79. Susanne un jour 80. Madonna somm'accorto attrib. Tye in MS 81. Pour vous aymer 82. De la court (instrumental) 83. De la court (instrumental), Part 2 of no. 82 84. Je fille quand Dieu 85. In nomine (instrumental) 86. In nomine, V (instrumental) 87. In nomine, I (instrumental) 88. In nomine, III (instrumental) 89. In nomine, II (instrumental) 90. In nomine (instrumental) 91. In nomine (instrumental) 92. In nomine "Follow me" (instrumental) 93. In nomine, I (instrumental) 94. If that a sinner's sighs 95. If women could be fair 96. Prostrate, O Lord, I lie 97. Even from the depth unto the Lord 98. When I was otherwise than now I am 99. In nomine, I Brewster (instrumental) 100. O God, wherefore art thou absent Anonymous 101. When I look back in Tenor partbook only (Mus. 986) 102. Come Holy Ghost / In nomine Anonymous 103. O Lord of whom I do depend / In nomine Anonymous 104. O Lord, turn not away thy face / In nomine Anonymous 105. When May is in his prime Anonymous 106. May makes the cheerful hive Anonymous Part 2 of no. 105 107. All ye that live on earth Anonymous Part 3 of no. 105 108. Ah, alas, you salt sea gods 109. You gods that guide Part 2 of no. 108 110. A doleful deadly pang 111. My little sweet darling Anonymous 112. Ah, silly poor Joas Anonymous 113. In terrors trapped Anonymous 114. The saint I serve Anonymous 115. How can the tree but waste Anonymous 116. Alas, alack, my heart is woe Anonymous 117. Lulla, lullaby, my sweet little baby (Refrain) 118. Be still, my blessed babe (Verse) 119. O Lord, how vain 120. My mind to me a kingdom is 121. Who likes to love 122. Enforced by love 123. Mistrust not truth Anonymous 124. The day delayed Anonymous 125. Come tread the paths Anonymous 126. Farewell, my lords Anonymous Part 2 of no. 125 127. Triumph with pleasant melody 128. What unacquainted cheerful voice Part 2 of no. 127 129. My faults, O Christ Part 3 of no. 127 130. Blessed is he that fears the Lord 131. Blame I confess 132. O Lord, within thy tabernacle 133. How shall a young man 134. Though Amaryllis dance in green 135. La gamba (instrumental, Mss. 984-6 only) attrib. "Francesco Mocheni" in MS. 136. Trinitas in unitate in Tenor partbook only (Ms. 987) 137. Hey down, sing ye now after me Anonymous in Bassus partbook only (Ms. 988)

N.B. pieces are numbered sequentially in the table above, rather than following the numbering of the MS, which contains some errors and is inconsistent between the partbooks.

References

Bibliography The Dow Partbooks, Oxford, Christ Church Mus. 984-988: facsimile with introduction by John Milsom (Oxford: DIAMM Publications, 2010) D. Mateer: Oxford, Christ Church Music MSS 984–8; an Index and Commentary, RMARC, no.20 (1986–7), 1–18

External links High quality, fully zoomable images of the Dow Partbooks are available at the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music (DIAMM) (free registration required): GB-Och Mus. 984 (Discantus) GB-Och Mus. 985 (Medius) GB-Och Mus. 986 (Altus) GB-Och Mus. 987 (Tenor) GB-Och Mus. 988 (Bassus)