imprimis.uk

22/06/2024

After yesterday afternoon in the Weston Library with a C17th MS, today has been a brilliant day at the Bodleian Bibliographical Press learning about the practicalities of letterpress printing, and printing my final version of the Latin text of the Magnificat on a Harrild & Sons Albion Press made in 1877. The text was set in 14pt Caslon, with an initial decorative capital at 24pt.

The photos show, in order, a single line of text in the composing stick, the first draft in the galley, the first printed draft, the final forme in a chase, and the final printed version.

21/06/2024

A lovely afternoon in the Bodleian working with a restricted access C17th manuscript. I had to sit in the middle of the Reading Room so I could be watched, and photos were forbidden...

Although this is still referred to as Batten's Organ Book (because it was originally thought to have been copied by Adrian Batten), its authorship is now less certain. Nevertheless, it remains the only source of many of the organ parts for the music contained in the Barnard Part Books and it is a remarkable insight into the music of the time.

20/06/2024

The text 'Almighty and most merciful Father' is the final prayer of Dr Samuel Johnson, one of 's most famous sons, and it has been set to music several times. Today, a setting of the words by Ambrose Porter, the Organist of Lichfield Cathedral from 1925-1959, has been added the catalogue and it is available to download from https://imprimis.uk/download.php?s=porter_almighty_20240520

13/06/2024

It is fantastic to be working with the estate of the legendary composer and broadcaster Antony Hopkins (1921-2014), and to be able to publish a previously unpublished short setting of the text "Gloria in excelsis, Deo! Alleluia!" which he wrote as a Christmas present for the choir of Lichfield Cathedral in 1946.

It is now available for download from https://imprimis.uk/download.php?s=hopkins_gloria_20240524 and it is hoped that this will be the first of several of Antony's compositions to be added to the catalogue.

09/05/2024

A beautiful setting of words from the Song of Songs by Gioseffo Zarlino has been added to the catalogue today. 'Ego rosa Saron' is a five part motet, which was first published in 1549, and I only discovered both Zarlino and the motet when someone commissioned me to prepare an edition! I hope it will be possible to add more of Zarlino's work in due course, but for now, the first one can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

03/05/2024

Another set of evening canticles by John Alcock, a former Organist of Lichfield Cathedral, has been added to the catalogue today. Dating from 1788, his Third Service in F can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

24/04/2024

A new edition of John Farmer's 'Lord's Prayer' has been added to the catalogue today. It is based on the Thomas Este's 1592 edition, which was published in Farmer's lifetime, unlike many other editions which are based on C17th sources. The new 1592 edition can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

29/03/2024

Very kind words to accompany a donation which is gratefully received, and goes towards funding the costs of running imprimis.uk.

If you also want to make a donation to support our publishing and increase the availability of a range of lesser known music, you can do so via PayPal at https://tinyurl.com/imprimisdonation. The catalogue of music to download freely can be found at https://imprimis.uk/content.php.

24/03/2024

As proof that descants are not just for Christmas, it is great to be able to add an initial set of six descants to the catalogue today (just in time for the Easter ones to get an outing!). It is also very exciting to be able to welcome their composer - Martyn Rawles, Organist of Lichfield Cathedral - to our books. Download the descants freely at

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

22/03/2024

Another four-part motet from the Wode Partbooks has been added to the catalogue today. Robert Johnson's setting of 'Deus misereatur nostri' can now be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

15/03/2024

The final motet from Duarte Lobo's Liber Missarum of 1621 has been added to the catalogue today: 'Vidi aquam' is now available from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

14/03/2024

A cut and paste correction to what was presumably a printing error in a Palestrina canticle from 1588.

06/03/2024

Duarte Lobo's motet 'Asperges me, Domine' has been added to the catalogue today, and can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

26/02/2024

Another motet by Duarte Lobo has been added to the catalogue today: Audivi vocem de cælo can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

16/02/2024

Another motet by the Scottish composer, David Peebles, taken from the Wode Partbooks has been added to the catalogue today. His setting of Psalm 3, 'Quam multi, Domine', can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

14/02/2024

To mark the start of Lent, a new edition of a motet by Duarte Lobo, 'Pater peccavi', first published in 1621 has been added to the catalogue today. It can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

02/02/2024

Wonderful to be working with Lobo's 1621 'Liber Missarum' in the Bodleian yesterday in preparation for some new additions to the catalogue.

21/01/2024

Sung at Evensong at Lichfield Cathedral today, Richard Shakeshaft's Preces and Responses, published by imprimis.uk, can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZUXDkl0Doc&t=65s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZUXDkl0Doc&t=1132s, and can be downloaded from https://imprimis.uk/download.php?s=shakeshaft_responses_20220115

Welcome to this Choral Evensong on Sunday.You can find resources to help join in by clicking here: https://www.lichfield-cathedral.org/together Please consid...

19/01/2024

In 1902, the Lichfield Cathedral's Organist, John B Lott, edited and published a collection of three seventeenth century settings of the Litany "as sung in Lichfield Cathedral". The settings, by William King, Henry Loosemore and Thomas Wanless, have been republished today, using Lott's editions with updated texts.

The three new editions of the Litanies can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

17/01/2024

An anonymous addition to the catalogue from the sixteenth century Wode partbooks today: 'Descendi in hortum meum' is a text from the Song of Songs for SATB and is available to download from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

09/01/2024

Another polyphonic setting of a metrical psalm by Andrew Blackhall from the Wode partbooks has been added to the catalogue today. A version of Psalm 43, 'Judge and revenge my cause, O Lord' can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

05/01/2024

An additional edition of Thomas Tomkins' 'O God the proud are risen' which includes an organ accompaniment from the 'pars organica' partbook has been added to the catalogue today, and will be used at Hampton Court Palace later this month. It can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

04/01/2024

Another anthem from the Wode partbooks by the Scottish composer Andrew Blackhall has been added to the catalogue today. The text of 'Of mercy and of judgement both' is a paraphrase of psalm 101 and it can be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

01/01/2024

As 2024 dawns, the top 20 downloads of last year can be found at

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

25/12/2023

Happy Christmas to everyone who has browsed the catalogue or downloaded some music this year!

08/12/2023

An anthem - Blessed art thou that fearest God - by the Scottish composer Andrew (or Andro) Blackhall has been added to the catalogue today: https://imprimis.uk/download.php?s=blackhall_blessed_20231205. The anthem is from the Wode partbooks (sometimes also known as the St Andrew's Psalter), a historically significant collection of Scottish music copied by Thomas Wode in the late C16th as vicar of St Andrew's Reformed Church.

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

05/12/2023

Following on from feedback, a webpage has been added to confirm that Richard is able to typeset/engrave any scores and/or arrange them, or create parts. Engraving and arranging is not limited to choral music. Please message or email to discuss your requirements.

28/11/2023

If you have licensed any copies this you, you will have received an email inviting you to complete a short survey at https://forms.gle/rF5sj9rGbYACiDzf7 to help shape the future of imprimis.uk.

As imprimis approaches its second birthday, and nearly 6000 downloads from around the globe of the 126 editions in the ever-growing catalogue, I want to understand how people use the site, and how to move the site and the catalogue forward. As someone who has licensed at least one piece of music fro...

22/11/2023

It's fantastic to welcome a new composer to imprimis, and to add an anthem they wrote for a BBC broadcast in 2006 to the catalogue today. Frikki Walker's lovely 'A Prayer for Peace' can now be freely be downloaded from

An online publisher of digital editions of music.

03/07/2023

A new edition of Thomas Tomkins' anthem 'O God, the proud are risen', first published in 1688, has been added to the catalogue today: https://t.co/B7ceOJU6tx