Records for H 659 manuscript from Bibliothèque Nationale de France are online

Records edited by Matteo Giannelli related to the seven calligraphic manuscripts commissioned by James III Stuart, son of James II Stuart and Mary of Modena, and pretender to the English throne in exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France) after the Glorious Revolution (1688), are now available online.

These manuscripts were compiled by Innocenzo Fede, maestro di cappella of the Stuart court, between 1703 and 1705. They contain 254 works, organized alphabetically by incipit and grouped into regular categories: cantata, cantatas and arias, and sonata. The manuscripts include 179 arias, 55 cantatas, and 20 sonatas. The division by letters across the volumes is as follows: A-B (Vol. I, record 12966), C-D (Vol. II, record 12389), E-F-G-H (Vol. III, record 12482), I-L-M (Vol. IV, record 12520), N-O-P-Q (Vol. V, record 12601), R-S (Vol. VI, record 12873), T-U-V (Vol. VII, record 12932). 

The arias are taken from operas performed in Venice, Rome, Naples, Bologna, Amsterdam, London, and Paris during the late 17th century. Although it is not possible to determine the precise reason behind the selection of this repertoire—except for the arias originally performed in London and Paris—much of it likely reflects Fede’s continuing connection with the Italian operatic world, which remained active after he left the Italian Peninsula in 1686 to enter into service at the English court of James II Stuart.

These manuscripts are of particular importance: not only do they offer insight into the musical life of the Stuart exile court, but they also bear witness to its role as a hub for Italian music in France during the reign of Louis XIV.