• Description of Collection
• Description of Series
• Inventory
• Series 1: Manuscript Vocal Music
• Series 2: Manuscript Instrumental Music
• Series 3: Printed Music
• Appendix I: Minor Composers in the Viner Collection
• Appendix II: Citations on William L. Viner

William L. Viner Collection (1814-1863; bulk 1830s, 1852-1863)
Location: M1A 3,3
5", manuscripts and printed music

William Letton Viner was born on 14 May 1790 in Bath, England. Viner studied organ with Charles Wesley jr. (1757-1834) and became organist of St. Michael's Church in Bath in c. 1810. Past editions of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians record that he became organist at St. Michael's in 1820. An autograph note on the manuscript in folder 8 reads, however, "Recollections of my old parish church St. Michaels Bath, of which I was organist 25 years. W.L.V. Elected organist March 1810." While in Bath he built a reputation as a gifted keyboard teacher. Between 1835-59, Viner served as organist at St. Mary's in Penzance. Most of the manuscripts in this collection were produced while Viner worked in Bath and Penzance. During his years in Penzance, Viner published a number of compositions which were sold at "Viner's Musical Repository." He was also the editor of One Hundred Psalms and Hymn Tunes in Score (London, 1838), A Useful Selection from the Most Approved Psalms (London, 1846), and The Chanter's Companion (1857). Viner emigrated to the United States in 1859. He died in Westfield, MA on 24 July 1867.

This collection of manuscripts and printed music is the result of William L. Viner's work as a church musician. Dates on the manuscripts range from 1814 through 1863. The collection was purchased by the Sibley Music Library from T.D. Mahony prior to 1986; no additional information is available.

The collection contains two bound manuscript volumes, one consisting of organ music copied and compiled by Viner, the other containing vocal service music composed by Viner. The rest of the collection consists of keyboard and vocal music in individual autograph manuscripts, or smaller unbound manuscript collections, as well as ten imprints. The majority of this material was composed by Viner. The collection is of special interest to those researching (a) Anglican service music of the first half of the nineteenth century; (b) the reception history of German keyboard music in England; (c) cycles of keyboard pieces in all the major and minor keys.

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

The Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections of the Sibley Music Library contains numerous printed volumes of English church music from the seventeenth, eighteenth, and early nineteenth centuries, including works by Purcell, Boyce, Croft, and Samuel Wesley. In addition, the Sibley Library owns various nineteenth-century Anglo-American hymnals.

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The William L. Viner Collection has been organized into three major series: Manuscript Vocal Music, Manuscript Instrumental Music, and Printed Music. These are further divided into sub-series as described below.

Sub-series A: Bound manuscript volume
This volume includes numerous compositions for use within the Anglican church service. Most of the music is composed for SATB choir. Sub-series B: Service music
This section includes single manuscripts of extended works, like the Kyrie Eleison and the Sanctus of c. 1830, as well as small manuscript collections of service music. These smaller collections contain compositions with coordinating key schemes, suggesting that some of the compositions were intended to be performed together. The manuscript that begins with a Te Deum (Folder 7) contains a complete Service. Sub-series C: Anthems on Psalm and Gospel texts
These anthems are typically set for a four-part choir, although a few are for solo voice. Several of the choral anthems employ sections for soloists and have fully independent organ parts. Sub-series D: Miscellaneous vocal compositions
This section includes three vocal compositions that share many of the stylistic features of the anthems but have non-biblical texts.

Sub-series A: Bound manuscript volume
This volume contains organ or keyboard music copied and compiled by Viner. Most of the music was written by composers a generation or two older than Viner. It includes none of his own organ music. Sub-series B: Interludes and Organ Voluntaries
This section contains manuscripts of short interludes and several voluntaries for organ. Viner probably used the interludes to accompany liturgical actions or to fill the time between such actions. Only one of the three voluntaries is an extended composition. Sub-series C: Preludes for the Piano Forte
This section consists of short preludes for the piano written in all the keys of the octave. Similar short didactic keyboard pieces were composed by other musicians, including Cramer, Clementi, and Samuel Wesley, in England in the early nineteenth century. Sub-series D: Other compositions for keyboard
This section includes Marches for the piano, the piano part (only) to an overture for a chamber ensemble, several manuscripts with various keyboard parts (only) to vocal compositions, and Psalm tones for organ.

This section includes the printed music in the collection. All but one imprint is of music composed by Viner, and most were published by his company, Viner's Musical Repository, Penzance.

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Sub-series A: Bound manuscript volume

Box 1

Sub-series B: Service music

Sub-series C: Anthems on Psalm and Gospel texts

Sub-series D: Miscellaneous vocal compositions

Sub-series A: Bound manuscript volume

Sub-series B: Interludes and Organ Voluntaries

Sub-series C: Preludes for the Piano Forte

Sub-series D: Other compositions for keyboard

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The following biographical notes are included to identify the less well-known composers represented in the collection, and in particular those composers included in Viner's manuscript book of organ music.

Albrechtsberger, Johann Georg (1736-1809):

Austrian composer, theorist, organist, and teacher. For many years Albrechtsberger served as an organist in a number of Austrian provincial churches. From 1793 until his death, Albrechtsberger was Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral, the highest church music post in the Empire. He was well-known as a teacher of counterpoint and composition and wrote over 240 fugues for various instruments, including the organ. The first six compositions in Viner's organ book by Albrechtsberger are copies of Albrechtsberger's set of six preludes and fugues published as his Opus Six.

Baumgarten, Karl Friedrich (c.1740-1824):

German organist, violinist and composer active in England. Baumgarten was born in Lubeck where he received his earliest training. He moved to England when he was about 18 and thereafter served as the organist of the Lutheran Church of the Savoy. He was also the "leader" of the orchestra at Covent Garden.

Bennett, John (c. 1725-1784):

Probable identification. John Bennett was an English organist and composer known for his competent contrapuntal writing. He was organist at St. Dionis Backchurch in London and in 1758 published his Ten Voluntaries for the Organ or Harpsichord. Other English organists of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries with the name "Bennett" include Charles Bennett (c. 1740-1804), Robert Bennett (1788-1819), Saunders Bennett (d. 1809), Thomas Bennett (1779-1848), and William Bennett (1767-c.1830).

Boyce, William (1711-1779):

English organist and composer. Boyce was one of the most important English composers of the late Baroque. He was a pupil of Charles King and J. C. Pepusch, held several organ posts, and in 1755 became Master of the King's Musick. Boyce's interest in early music culminated in the publication of Cathedral Music (1760, 1768, 1773), an anthology of early English service and sacred music.

Clifton, John C. (1781-1841):

Probable identification. English musician. Clifton was born in 1781, received his earliest musical training as a chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, and later studied with Charles Wesley. His first musical appointment was as the conductor of the Harmonic Society of Bath. He later spent several years in Ireland and eventually settled in London where he gained a reputation as a fine teacher of harmony.

Costa, Michael [Michele Andrea Agniello] (1808-1884):

Italian-born conductor and composer active in England. He directed a number of the leading London musical organizations during the 1840s-1880s, including the Philharmonic Society and the orchestra at Covent Gardens. He wrote his oratorio Eli for the provincial choral festivals popular in England throughout the nineteenth century.

Cramer, Johann Baptist (1771-1858):

Probable identification. Composer, pianist, and publisher active in England. The Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections owns a number of early editions of his keyboard works.

Dupuis, Thomas Sanders (1733-1796):

English organist and composer. He received his earliest musical eduction as a child in the Chapel Royal. Dupuis served as organist at the Charlotte Street Chapel in London (1773) before becoming organist of the Chapel Royal upon the death of Boyce (1779). On 26 June 1790 he was awarded the degrees of BMus and DMus at Oxford. He was well- known as an improvisor.

Herschel, William (1738-1822):

German-born musician and astronomer active in England. Herschel became organist of the Octagon Chapel in Bath in October 1766 and director of the Bath orchestra in 1776. In 1782 he was made Royal Astronomer; for the rest of his life he devoted his time to the study of astronomy and to amateur music-making.

Kelner, Johann Christoph (1736-1803):

German organist and composer. Kelner served as court organist and Kantor in the Lutheran church at Kassel. He wrote one Singspiel, various chamber music, and a substantial amount of keyboard music. The first six fugues in Viner's organ book were published by B. Hummel. See Vault M 10 K29.

Nares, James (1715-1783):

English composer, organist and teacher. In 1756 he became one of the organists and composers of the Chapel Royal and he took his MusD degree from Cambridge in 1757. A copy of his treatise A Treatise on Singing... is owned by the Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections [MT 830. N226].

Novello, Vincent (1781-1825):

Novello is best-known for his activities as a publisher in England, although he was also a capable organist. He and Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) gave some of the earliest performances of the keyboard music of J.S. Bach in England. The Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections holds numerous volumes of his publications of sacred English music.

Rode, Jacques Pierre Joseph (1774-1830):

French violinist and composer. He was the finest French violinist of his day, although his single appearance in London was unsuccessful, and he was exiled from the country for political intrigue in 1798. He was professor of violin at the Paris Conservatoire and made numerous concert tours throughout Europe. The Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections contains several early imprints of his music.

Wesley, Charles jr. (1757-1834):

English organist, composer, and son of the Methodist hymn writer and Anglican priest Charles Wesley (1707-88). He studied organ with Joseph Kelway and composition with William Boyce. Wesley was organist at several dissenting parishes before finally becoming organist at St. Marylebone parish. He was William Viner's organ teacher.

Winter, Peter (1754-1825):

Probable identification. Peter Winter was born in Mannheim and received his earliest musical education there. In 1778 he became director of the orchestra of the electoral court in Munich, later became Kapellmeister in 1798, and enjoyed some success as an opera composer. Several of his operas were staged in London between 1803-05.

[These biographical notes were drawn principally from the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (London: MacMillan, 1980), Brown and Stratton's British Musical Biography (London: William Reeves, 1897), William Bingley's Musical Biography (London: Henry Colburn, 1834), and the Dictionary of Musicians edited by John Sainsbury (London: Sainsbury, 1825, reprinted New York: De Capo Press, 1966).]

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Brown, James Duff and Stephen S. Stratton. "Viner, William Letton," British Musical Biography: A Dictionary of Musical Artists, Authors and Composers Born in Britain and its Colonies. London: William Reeves, 1897.

Kidson, Frank. "Viner, William Letton," Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 3rd ed. H. C. Colles, ed. London: MacMillan, 1928. see also reprint in 5th ed. Eric Blom, ed. (1954).

Sainsbury, John, ed. "Viner, William Letton," Dictionary of Musicians. London: Sainsbury, 1825. Reprinted New York: De Capo Press, 1966.

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This page is created and maintained by Sam W. Tooley. Last updated 25 April 1997.