The ability to read music was a form of literacy, a sign of distinction in leisure and skill increasingly popular among middling men and women, who also sometimes owned and displayed lavish instruments like virginals in their homes. As such, keyboard manuscripts like this one show amateur players compiling sources from professional musicians and combining religious and secular song. Elizabeth Rogers’ book is particularly advanced, showing skill nearing professional levels, and includes music for both voice and keyboard. It is possible the book was first owned when Elizabethan was unmarried, as the name Elizabeth Fayre and her initials were replaced by her married name in a forceful claim of woman’s book ownership: “Elizabeth Rogers hir virginal booke.”<br /> <br /> Little is known about her life. Tuition could begin from an early age: when Bristolian cutler and playhouse proprietor Nicholas Woolfe passed away in 1614, his young son inherited “two pairs of virginals” on which he learned music for two years. Another manuscript held at the British Library (Add. MS 15117) is recorded as John Strickland his Book, which combines horse-related expenses, dinner costs at Newcastle, and costs for “my Lord,” alongside well-laid out notation for songs. His virginal book combines financial and musical literacy, indicating the overlap between professional duty and leisure time, between service and learning. As with emblem books, playing the virginal represents an overlap between forms of reading and recreation—a key aspect of middling leisure experiences.
Elizabeth Rogers’ Virginal Book (Music Book), 1656

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Elizabeth Rogers’ Virginal Book

Elizabeth Rogers’ Virginal Book (Music Book), 1656

The ability to read music was a form of literacy, a sign of distinction in leisure and skill increasingly popular among middling men and women, who also sometimes owned and displayed lavish instruments like virginals in their homes. As such, keyboard manuscripts like this one show amateur players compiling sources from professional musicians and combining religious and secular song. Elizabeth Rogers’ book is particularly advanced, showing skill nearing professional levels, and includes music for both voice and keyboard. It is possible the book was first owned when Elizabethan was unmarried, as the name Elizabeth Fayre and her initials were replaced by her married name in a forceful claim of woman’s book ownership: “Elizabeth Rogers hir virginal booke.”

Little is known about her life. Tuition could begin from an early age: when Bristolian cutler and playhouse proprietor Nicholas Woolfe passed away in 1614, his young son inherited “two pairs of virginals” on which he learned music for two years. Another manuscript held at the British Library (Add. MS 15117) is recorded as John Strickland his Book, which combines horse-related expenses, dinner costs at Newcastle, and costs for “my Lord,” alongside well-laid out notation for songs. His virginal book combines financial and musical literacy, indicating the overlap between professional duty and leisure time, between service and learning. As with emblem books, playing the virginal represents an overlap between forms of reading and recreation—a key aspect of middling leisure experiences.

Object Type Music Book
Year 1656
Material Manuscript
Owned By BL MS 10337
Keywords playing; listening; reading; learning; education; leisure; music; print
Image Credit Elizabeth Rogers’ Virginal Book (1656), British Library MS 10337. Shared with permission from British Library. © British Library Board (MS10337, fo. 5).

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