Broderip, Wilkinson and the first English edition of the '48'

Musical Times, Summer 2006 by Kassler, Michael

1. This article supplements information in Michael Kassler, ed.: The English Bach Awakening: knowledge of J. S. Bach and his music in England, 1850-1830 (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004). In particular, the 1502 publication date ot Book I of the Broderip & Wilkinson edition of the '48' was not known when that book was prepared.

2. Simrock's brother Henri Simrock taught horn at the Conservatoire from 1800 to 1802 (see Constant Pierre: Le Conservatoire National de Musique et de Déclamation: documents historiques et administratifs (Paris, 1900), pp.229-230 and p.76); he subsequently acted as the Paris agent of his brother's publications. Presumably the dedication of Nicolaus Simrock's edition to the Conservatoire was influenced by Henri Simrock's presence there. It is not known how Simrock's edition of the '48' was used at the Conservatoire.

3. The dates of the Simrock and the two other continental editions of the '48' that began publishing in 1801 are discussed in Yo Tomita: 'The Bach competition of 1801', paper presented to the 10th Biennial Conference on Baroque Music, La Rioja, Spain, 2002. I am grateful to Dr Tomita for giving me a copy of this paper.

4. See Yo Tomita: 'The dawn of the English Bach Awakening manifested in sources of the "48"', in Kassler, ed.: up. cit., pp.35-167, at p.118.

5. The first entries that this firm made at Stationers' Hall were on 13 November 1798. see Michael Kassler: Music entries at Stationers' Hall, 1710-1818 (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004), p.381.

6. I am grateful to nne Crawford, archivist, Wells Cathedral, for information about Broderip's entries in the Cathedral register.

7. Documents uncovered by David Rowland show that Muzio Clementi lent money to both Longman and Broderip so that they could be released from prison and continue to work.

8. The last entry that Longman & Broderip made at Stationers' Hall was on 16 October 1798. Kassler: Music entries at Stationers ' Hall, p-378.

9. The Times, 21 September 1807, p.3, reported that the final dividend would be paid on the following day.

10. Charles Burney letter to Samuel Wesley, 17 October 1808, Yale University Beinecke Library Osborn mss 3, Box 5, folder 319, summarised in Michael Kassler & Philip Olleson: Samuel Wesley (1766-1833): a source book (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2001) pp.242-43.

11. The dispute concerned the copyright of compositions by JC Bach that Longman, Lukey & Co. had published. A full transcript of the legal proceedings is printed in Ernest Warburton, ed.: The collected works of John Christian Bach, 1735-1782, vol.48 part 2 (New York: Garland, 1999), pp.557-82.

12. Kassler: Music entries at Stationers ' Hall, p.403.

13. Kollmann: An essay on practical musical composition (London, 1799) p.98.

14. Henry Broadhurst Wilkinson: Souvenir of the Broadhurst Wilkinsons: descendants of Joseph Edmondson, Esq., F.S.A., Mowkray Herald Extraordinary, 1764 (Manchester, 1902), p.22. The copy of this privately printed book in the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, can be viewed on the Internet at http://patriot.lib.hyu.cdu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/ FH8&CISOPTR=72450&REC-13. Charles Sr's wealth is demonstrated by the circumstance that lie invested and subsequently lost an additional £12,000 in the piano-manufacturing business that his son George established with Robert Wornum about 1810 (ibid., p.25). Even after this loss, Charles Sr stated in his will written on 14 March 1818 (court copy at National Archives, PROB 11/1825) that his assets included more than £6,000 in bank stock and thousands of pounds in Globe Insurance and Royal Exchange stock. For genealogical information about the Wilkinsnn family I am indebted to Thelma Birrell and Neil Kobertson. Henry Broadhurst Wilkinson (1824-1915) was George Wilkinson's youngest son.