Inventory of lute solos composed or arranged by Joachim van den Hove.

This is a copy of an index published in the Lute Society (England) Lute News No. 44, Dec 1997, by John Robinson.

All pieces for lute in vieil ton tuning except: tuning 1, efdef, 'D major'; tuning 2, fhfhf; tuning 3, fefhf - intervals measured in frets beginning with the first course. Tablature for the eleven pieces marked with an asterix are included in The English Lute Society's Lute News No. 44, December 1997.

Minor corrections to the tablature have been made without comment:

Eleven lute solos composed by Joachim van den Hove

Joachim van den Hove, the South Netherlands lutenist, composer, intabulator and teacher, was born in Antwerp in 1567 and died in The Hague 1620 [cf. biography in New Grove by Mindert Jape]. He published two anthologies of lute music drawing on current vocal models, popular tunes and works of contemporary composers such as Diomedes Cato, John Dowland, Anthony Holborne, John & Robert Johnson and Jacob Polak, often adding divisions and variations of his own. However, around a hundred lute solos ascribed to him survive in these two anthologies and a third print devoted to his work, as well as three manuscript sources. Two manuscripts [Hamburgh, Stadt- und Universitäts-bibliothek, Ms. M B/2768, inscribed Ernest Schele Anno 1619, and Berlin, Staatsbibliothek, Mus.ms.autogr. Hove-1 c.1615] contain many pieces ascribed to Hove. Some of the Berlin pieces were composed by Hove in honour of his friend and patron Adam Leenaerts, and others, including farewells, marking occasions of their departing from Leyden [cf. inventory below]. Many of the pieces in Schele have dates [1614-1616] and place names [e.g. Metz, Frankfurt, Venice and Naples] presumably indicating when and where they were collected whilst the scribe was travelling through Europe. It is traditionally claimed, without any direct evidence [e.g. New Grove article], that both manuscripts were copied by Hove, but on close examination, the two hands are not very similar. Thus it remains to be established whether he copied either.

The Album studiosorum academiae of Leyden University records that several of the dedicatees of pieces by Hove, such as Mons.Vander Lynden, Vander Burgk and Martin Dalem, as well as Monsieur Tvenhuysen to whom a few pieces in Schele are ascribed, and one Daniel Schele Hamburgensis, were students at Leyden University, all matriculating between 1611 and 1613 [thanks to Peter Kiraly for this information]; also Rodolphus ab Echten Drechtinus matriculated in 1611, aged 18 [thanks to Jan Burgers for this information] [cf. inventory below]. I am grateful to Jan Burgers, University of Amsterdam and Gerard Venema, University of Groningen for translating the Dutch titles and Donald Hill, Department of Classics, Newcastle University, for translating the Latin titles. A third manuscript source, a contemporary copy of the lute book of Christoph Herold [Private Library of Hans von Busch, c.1602, facsimile: Tree Edition, München, 1991] contains a few pieces by Hove. Herold matriculated in 1598 in Leiden and studied in Padova in 1601-3. Inventories for the three manuscripts can be found in Sources en Manuscrit. Luth et Theorbe c.1500-c.1800, vol.II, by Christain Meyer, Editions Valentin Koerner, Baden-Baden & Bouxwiller, 1994. Hove's three published books [cf. title pages on pp.i & iii of the tablature] are: Florida (Utrecht, 1601), containing 7 Fantasias, 58 vocal intabulations, 72 dances etc., copies in Den Haag, Oxford CC, Wien NB and Wroclaw; Delitae Musica (Utrecht, 1612), containing 6 preludes, 43 vocal intabulations, 67 dances etc., copies in London BL, Mainz, München BS, Stockholm, Uppsala, Vicenza, Wien NB and Wroclaw, [19 pieces in facsimile in Delitae Musicae, Utrecht, 1612, ed. A. Reyerman, Tree Edition, (München, 1991)]; and Praeludia Testvdinis, ad Symphoniam duarum vocum duarum[q]ve violarum accommodata (Leiden, 1616/R1617), containing 19 preludes, 2 pavans and an Echo, copies in Brussels BR, Elbing [missing] and Wroclaw [facsimile edition: Van Den Hove, Praeludia Testudinis, with introduction by G. Spiessens, Fontes Musicae Bibliothecae Regiae Belgicae, Bruxelles, 1982]. The title of the latter alludes to viol parts to the lute music, but a second part book is not known to have been published.

The present selection shows Hove to be a competent if not highly original composer compared with other contemporary lute composers of the Netherlands: Nicolas Vallet and Emmanuel Adriaenssen. Hove's style is closest to Adrianssen which tempts speculation that Adrianssen may have been his teacher.