Cynthia's Revels and Music for a Choir School: Christ Church Manuscript Mus 439

In two articles, dated 1958 and 1960, A.J. Sabol discussed a setting of Hedon's song ‘The Kisse’ in Cynthia's Revels (IV.iii.242) which occurs in Christ Church MS. Mus 439 and suggested convincingly that this setting was that intended for the first performance of the play at court in 1600. So far as is known the version of Hedon's song in the Christ Church manuscript does not occur elsewhere. The Christ Church manuscript was further brought to the attention of musicologists by J. P. Cutts in his discussion of the songs in Everie Woman in her Humor, for the manuscript contains the only known setting of a song which is referred to twice in that play: ‘Here's none but only I’.The Christ Church manuscript was further brought to the attention of musicologists by J. P. Cutts in his discussion of the songs in Everie Woman in her Humor, for the manuscript contains the only known setting of a song which is referred to twice in that play: 'Here's none but only I'. It now seems profitable to look more closely at this Christ Church manuscript as a possible source for even more music in children's drama in particular, and more generally, as representing children's music at court. If we are to suggest that the collection may even represent the repertoire of the Children of the Chapel Royal then the ambiguities surrounding the performance of Everie Woman in her Humor are also highlighted.