Item Info

Creation Date: 5/15/1821
Scripts/Text: Fraktur; German script
Language: German
Weiser Number: 853
Physical Description: 108 p.; 18mo; oblong format
Material: wrapper; wove paper; watercolor; tempera; ink; leather; thread
Category: Tune Booklet (Notenbüchlein)
Media Type: Manuscripts
Source: Rare Book Department
Notes:

Binding:

Quarter leather with paper wrapper

Biographical Note:

The decorator/scrivener of Borneman Ms. 47 remains unknown to us. However, it is worthwhile noting that unlike Johann Adam Eyer, the writer includes no rudimentary musical instruction in this tune booklet. Titles and melodies to hymn tunes are taken from the Marburg Hymnal, and  Die kleine geistliche Harfe der Kinder Zions.

Full Title Translation:

Lerne Wie du kanst Allein Singer Buch und Tembel seÿn

Learn how you yourself can be singer, book and temple.

Dieses Harmonische Melodeÿen Büchlein gehöret David Angene. Sing schuler in der hilltauner Schule Geschrieben d 15ten Maÿ Im Jahr unseres Herrn AD 1821

This Harmonious Tune Booklet Belongs to David Angene, Singing Scholar in the Hilltown School Written the 15th of May in the Year of Our Lord AD 1821.

N. B. See also FLP B-18.

N. B. The Angenes were French Huguenots who immigrated in 1736 and settled in the Deep Run area of Bucks County, PA. A Mennonite relationship existed through David Angene's grandmother Elisabeth Wismer and his mother Barbara Gehman. Additional Fraktur made for the Angene family includes a Bible bookplate/ birth record for Samuel Angene in 1830 (FLP B-160), and a Bible bookplate and birth record for Barbara Angene in 1835 (Amsler, 330).

Physical Description:

[1-2] 3 [4-6] 7 [8] 9 [10] 11 [12] 13 [14] 15 [16] 17 [18] 19 [20] 21 [22] 23 [24] 25 [26] 27 [28] 29 [30] 31 [32] 33 [34] 35 [36] 37 [38] 39 [40] 41 [42] 43 [44] 45 [46] 47 [48] 49 [50] 51 [52-108]

Notes:

Scope and Content:

This tune booklet was made for David Angene by his teacher on May 15, 1821 while he was a student and singing scholar in the Hilltown School, Hilltown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His name is inscribed in the upper right corner of page [1] as David Angene.

There are 88 unnumbered hymn titles with their music incipits. Most are formatted 4 to a page. Hymn numbers 81 ( Freu Dich sehr O meine Seele), 82 ( Komt Kinder Laßt uns gehen) as well as 87 (O Süsser stand O Seligs leben), and 88 (Von grund aus hertzens mein) are formatted 2 to a page. All are notated in soprano clef, and key and time signatures are indicated for most. The majority of music incipits are copied in whole and half note values. There are a few instances where quarter note and eighth note values indicate passing notes and/or a melodic flourish. The manner in which this tune booklet is notated is reminiscent of Johann Adam Eyer's method of entering hymn titles and music incipits.

Title Page:

Hand-drawn; hand-colored; hand-lettered. This title page strives to include all the decorative elements David Kulp would have used, but lacks his clarity and natural artistic flow of work. It is a series of panels: The center panel is divided by a colored yellow horizontal line into two spaces. The upper space contains two phrases in Fraktur—Lerne wie du kanst Allein Singer Buch und Tembel seÿn—taken from the first verse of a poem found on page one of the Marburg Hymnal. The lower space contains the Tune Booklet title in a combination of Fraktur and German script. The text is flanked on each side by two vertical spaces. In the left panel is a straight leafy stem with one single bloom, and in the right panel a curved leafy stem with three blooms. A highly decorative border frames both text and floral panels.

Tunebooks in General:

The idea of creating such a booklet to teach children the rudiments of musical notation so that they could learn to sing the melodies used in the hymns at church service seems to have been Johann Adam Eyer’s (1755-1837), David Kulp’s teacher. The hymnals used by their parents contained no music, but only the hymn verses with the indication “Mel.” and the title of the hymn tune to which the congregation would sing the text. The metrics, and topic of the poetry usually determined which melodies were chosen.

Eyer’s concept was a practical and useful one, and inspired many other teachers to create tune booklets for their students in which only the melody line of frequently used hymn tunes was written out. Each scholar had a booklet, usually 10.2 x 16.5 cm in size. The teacher created a title page describing the purpose of the booklet, and containing the name of the student, the school attended, and the date of the title’s creation. The empty spaces on the title page were filled in with flowers, birds, and other elements common to Pennsylvania German decorated Fraktur. These titles are absolutely beautiful, and probably inspired the singing scholar to greater endeavors as he learned how to read music and sing the tunes that either the instructor or he would copy into the booklet.

The “singing schools” or singing classes flourished in Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, Chester and Berks Counties, Pennsylvania from about 1787 to 1845. Singing became a part of the school curriculum, and “singing schools” became popular.
 

Associated Names: Wismer, Elisabeth
Provenance: Angene, David
Borneman, Henry S., 1870-1855

Bibliography:

Joel D. Alderfer. “ ‘David Kulp, His Hand and Pen, Beet It if You Can’: The Bucks County Brown Leaf Artist Identified” in Cory M. Amsler, ed., Bucks County Fraktur. Kutztown, Pa.: Pennsylvania German Society, 1999, 151-165.

Henry S. Borneman. Pennsylvania German Bookplates. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania German Society, 1953, published as plate 23.

Die kleine geistliche Harfe der Kinder Zions, oder auserlesene geistreiche Gesänge allen wahren heilsbegierigen Säuglingen der Weisheit, insonderheit aber allen Christlichen Gemeinden des Herrn zum Dienst und Gebrauch mit Fleiss zusammen getragen, und in gegenwärtiger Form und Ordnung gestellt, nebst einm dreyfachen Register. Erste Auflage. Auf Verordnung der Mennonisten Gemeinde. Germantaun: Gedruckt bey Michael Billmeyer, 1803.

Mary Jane Lederach Hershey. “The Notenbüchlein Tradition in Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Community Schools, in an Area Known as the Franconia Conference, 1790 to 1845” in Cory M. Amsler, ed., Bucks County Fraktur. Kutztown, Pa.: Pennsylvania German Society, 1999, 137.

“Hilltown Artist” in Russell D. and Corinne P. Earnest’s Papers for Birth Dayes: Guide to the Fraktur Artists and Scriveners. East Berlin, Pa.: Russell D. Earnest Associates, 1997. 2nd ed., v. 1, 394.

Marburger Gesang=Buch zur Uebung der Gottseligkeit in 649 Christlichen und Trostreichen Psalmen und Gesängen Hrn. D. Martin Luthers. und anderer Gottseliger Lehrer, Ordentlich in XII. Theile verfasset, Und mit nöthigen Registern auch einer Verzeichniß versehen, unter welche Titul die im Anhang befindlichen Lieder gehörig: Auch zur Beförderung des so Kirchen= als Privat= Gottesdienstes, Mit erbaulichen Morgen= Abend = Buß= Beicht= und Communion=Gebätlein vermehret. Germanton, Gedruckt und zu finden bey Christoph Saur, 1762.

Creation Place Town/Township: Creation Place Note:As per title page inscription
Region/County:Bucks
City/Town/Township:Hilltown School, HIlltown Township
State/Province:Pennsylvania

Image Dimensions Width: 9.7 cm
ShelfMark: FLP Borneman Ms. 47
Creator Name: Anonymous - Decorator
Anonymous - Scrivener