The London Manuscript | Volume I

The London Manuscript by Silvius Leopold Weiss

The London Manuscript, preserved at the British Library under the shelfmark Additional MS 30387, is a 317-page collection of French tablature for the Baroque lute with 11, 12, or 13 courses. Composed primarily of works by Silvius Leopold Weiss, it contains 26 complete sonatas, as well as preludes, fugues, fantasias, tombeaux, and ensemble pieces, including three concertos for lute and transverse flute.

Annotations indicate that the manuscript was compiled in Prague between 1717 and 1723, a period during which Weiss maintained close ties with the local nobility and musicians. The presence of multiple copyists—including Weiss himself—suggests a gradual process of compilation. Research by Douglas Alton Smith and Claire Madl attributes the collection to Johann Christian Anthoni von Adlersfeld, a Prague merchant and music enthusiast.

Organized chronologically, the pieces reflect the evolution of the lute toward the galant style. From 1719 onward, they were conceived specifically for a 13-course lute. Since the 1980s, the works have been catalogued according to the WeissSW system, facilitating their identification. This manuscript remains a major source for understanding Weiss’s music and his influence on the eighteenth-century lute repertoire.

Jean-Daniel Forget – IT Specialist, Lutenist

Passionate about the Baroque repertoire, Jean-Daniel Forget is a self-taught lutenist who has been copying and distributing early music manuscripts for nearly twenty years. A professional IT specialist, he is proficient in music notation software adapted to tablature. In collaboration with Guy Grangereau, he shares tablatures on a dedicated website. He also assisted Miguel Serdoura in preparing his editions and his Baroque Lute Method.

Guy Grangereau – Guitarist, Lutenist

A professional musician, Guy Grangereau studied guitar in Paris with Turibio Santos before furthering his training at the Martenot school. He taught for twenty years and now performs on a 16-string hybrid instrument and a theorboed baroque lute. Since 2010, he has collaborated with Jean-Daniel Forget in transcribing and revising Baroque manuscripts, particularly those of Silvius Leopold Weiss.

Le Luth Doré Urtext Editions

Le Luth Doré Urtext Editions offer scores faithful to historical sources, optimized for musicians and musicologists. Our editions combine careful engraving, practical layout, durable materials, and detailed critical apparatus in multiple languages.

Each text is rigorously established note by note to ensure an authentic restitution of the works, including original fingerings and ornamentations, as well as relevant stylistic suggestions.

Created by experts, our editions provide clear readability and enlightened interpretation of early music repertoire.

• Editors: Jean-Daniel Forget & Guy Grangereau
• Musical period: Baroque
• Instruments: Baroque Lute 11c/13c
• Instrumentation: Baroque Lute solo
• Notation: French Tablature
• Modern edition: Urtext
• Publisher: Éditions Urtext Le Luth Doré
• Year of publication: 2021
• Collection: Lute and Theorbo Music Collection
• Pages: 300 pp.
• Dimensions: 230x310 mm
• Weight: 0.924 g
• Binding: Sewn perfect binding
• ISMN: 377-0-0017-8841-8

Sonata 1 (F Major): Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Minuet, Gigue, Minuet, Gavotte
Sonata 2 (D Major): Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Minuet, Gigue, Gavotte, Double
Sonata 3 (G minor): Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Minuet, Minuet 2do
Short fragment (B flat major): [Anonymous]
Sonata 4 (B flat major): Prelude, Overture (Allegro & Presto), Courante, Bourrée
Allegro 1 (G Major)* : Allegro
Courante 2 (G Major)*: Royal Current
Sonata 5 (G Major): Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Minuet, Gigue
Sonata 6 (B flat major): Concert for lute & transverse flute (Weis) – Adagio, Allegro, Grave, Allegro
Sonata 7 (C minor): German, Courante, Gavotte, Sarabande, Minuet, Gigue
Sonata 8 (B flat major): Concert for lute & transverse flute (Sigismundo Weis) – Andante, Presto, Andante, Allegro
Sonata 9 (F Major): Concert for lute & transverse flute (SL Weis) – Adagio, Allegro, Amoroso, Allegro
Bourrée 3 (D minor)* : Stuffed
Prelude 10.1 (E flat major): Prelude
Sonata 10 (E flat major): Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Minuet, Chaconne

Minuet 4 (G Major)* : [Anonymous piece]
Sonata 11 (D minor): German, Courante, Gavotte, Sarabande, Minuet, Gigue
Sonata 12 (A Major): Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Minuet, Chaconne, Gigue
Sonata 13 (D minor): Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Minuet
Largo 5 (D minor)* : Long
Fugue 6 (C Major)* : Fugue
Sonata 14 (G minor): Adagio, Gavotte, Sarabande, Minuet, Bourrée, Chaconne
Fugue 7 (D minor)* : Fugue
German 8 (A minor)* :The Unhappy Lover
Fantasy 9 (C minor)* : Fantasy
Minuet 10 (B flat major)* : [Anonymous piece]
Sonata 15 (B flat major):Mons Complaint: Weis– German, Common, Peasant, Sarabande, Minuet, Jig
Sonata 16 (A Major): German, Echo Air, Peasant, Sarabande, Minuet, Pastourelle
Sonata 17 (C Major): German, Common, Bourrée, Sarabande, Minuet, Peasant

Addendum
Fantasia 11.7 (D minor): Fantasia (Dresden Ms)
Prelude 12.8 (A Major): Prelude (Dresden Ms)
Bourrée 13.4 (D minor): Stuffed (Moscow Ms)