“Art thou that she than whom no fairer is?”: Three Versions from 17th Century Manuscript Sources
The anonymous song ⏵︎ “Art thou that she” is found in a simple setting in British Library, Add. MS 24665. However, British Library, MS Egerton 2971 and Christ Church Library, MS Mus 439 feature settings with written-out embellishments, with MS Mus 439 also including a chordal accompaniment for the lyra viol.
British Library, Add. MS 24665, f.52v.
British Library, Add. MS 24665, titled "Giles Earle his booke," is a rich collection compiled between 1615 and 1623. It presents treble and bass parts on facing pages rather than in score format. Although the composers are not identified, the manuscript is a valuable resource featuring arrangements of songs by prominent lutenists of the era, including John Dowland, Campion, Thomas Morley, and Daniel Batchelar, among others. Many of these pieces include written-out embellishments.
British Library, MS Egerton 2971, f. 9v.
British Library, MS Egerton 2971, and Christ Church Library, MS Mus 439, are also collections of songs for voice and continuo and are important sources of 17th-century vocal ornamentation in England.
Oxford, Christ Church Library, MS Mus 439, p.36.
In the following comparative edition, I have presented the three settings of "Art thou that she." The bass lines in these settings are notably similar, with only minor rhythmic differences. MS Egerton 2971 doubles the whole note D in both measure 9 and the penultimate measure to accommodate diminutions. Whenever corrections were necessary, small notes above the staff indicate the original note values, and editorial accidentals are enclosed in brackets.
The lyrics are anonymous Elizabethan verses from the sixteenth century. MS Egerton 2971 includes four stanzas, MS Mus 439 features two, and Add. MS 24665 includes only the first stanza.
Some secondary sources suggest that Thomas Campion might be the author. However, in all three primary sources, the song is unattributed.
A set of performing editions of the three versions is available for purchase in our online shop.
Reference:
Jorgens, E. B. (1986). English song 1600–1675: Facsimiles of twenty-six manuscripts and an edition of the texts. Garland.
