The London Manuscript | Volume 2

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 publishes scores that remain faithful to historical sources, carefully designed for both musicians and musicologists. Our editions combine meticulous engraving, practical layout, durable materials, and detailed critical commentary in multiple languages.

Each score is rigorously prepared, note by note, to ensure an authentic rendering of the works, including original fingerings, ornamentation, and stylistically relevant suggestions.

Produced by experts, our editions provide clear readability and support an informed and insightful interpretation of the early music repertoire.

• Editor(s): Jean-Daniel Forget & Guy Grangereau
• Musical period: Baroque
• Instrument(s): 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: 304 pp.
• Dimensions: 230x310 mm
• Weight: 0.930 g
• Binding: Sewn square spine paperback
• ISMN: 377-0-0017-8842-5

• Sonata 18 (D Major) : Allemande, Courante, Angloise, Sarabande, Menuet, Passacaille

• Tombeau 11 (E♭ minor)* : Tombeau on the Death of M: Cajetan Baron d’Hartig – Adagio assai

• Bourrée 12 & Menuet 13 (C Major)** : Bourrée, Menuet

• Sonata 19 (F Major) : Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Menuet, Gigue

• Sonata 20 (D minor) : Prelude, Un poco andante, La Badinage, Le Sicilien, Menuet, Gigue

• Gavotte 14 & Menuet 15 (D minor)** : Gavotte, Menuet

• Sonata 21 (F minor) : Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bourrée, Tempo di Menueto, Gigue

• Sonata 22 (G Major) : Prelude, Toccata & Fugue, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Menuet, Allegro

• Sonata 23 (B♭ Major) : Divertimento à Solo – Prelude, Entrée, Bourrée (x2), Gavotte (x2), Sarabande, Menuet (x2), Saltarella

• Sonata 24 (C Major) : Overture, Bourrée, Aria, Menuet, Trio, Gigue

• Menuet 16 (F Major)* : Menuet

• Sonata 25 (G minor) : Andante, Passepied, Bourrée, Sarabande, La Babilieuse en Menuet, Gigue

• Sonata 26 (D Major) : Prelude, Marche, Gavotte, Aria, Menuet, Musette, Echo Rondeau

• Bourrée (D Major) : Comment Sçavez-vous? (J. M. Pichler)

• Sonata 27 (C minor) : Prelude, Allemande, Gavotte, Rondeau, Sarabande, Menuet, Rigaudon, La Belle Tiroloise

• Sonata 28 (F Major) : Le Fameux Corsaire – Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Menuet, Presto

• Sonata 29 (A minor) : L’infidèle – Entrée, Courante, Sarabande, Menuet, Musette, Paysanne

• Sonata 30 (E♭ Major) : Prelude, Allemande, Rigaudon, Sarabande, Gavotte, Menuet, Le Sans Soucie

• Prelude & Fugue 17 (E♭ Major)* : Prelude and Fugue (S.L. Weiss)

• Menuet 18 & Trio 19 (G Major)** : Menuet, Trio

• Sonata 31 (F Major) : Allemande, Allegro, Bourrée, Menuet (x2), Gigue, Bourrée

• Tombeau 20 (B♭ minor)* : Tombeau on the Death of Mur Comte d’ Logÿ (1721) – Adagio

• Prelude 21 (C Major)* : Prelude (Weiss)

• Menuet 22 & Gavotte 23 (C Major)** : Menuet, Gavotte

• Fantaisie 24 (C Major)* : Fantaisie

• Capriccio 25 (D Major)* : Capriccio

• Menuets 26 & 27 (D Major)** : Menuet, Menuet 2

• Paysanne 28 (D Major)* : Mademoiselle Tiroloise

• Sonata 32 (F Major) : Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Sarabande, Menuet (x2), Gigue

Addendum

• Allegro 91.2 (D Major) : Allegro (from Grüssau PL-Wu2003 Ms)