THE FIRST AUTHORIZED DANISH/NORWEGIAN HYMN BOOK

THOMISSØN, HANS.

Den ny Danske Psalmebog/, met mange Christelige Psalmer: Ordentlig tilsammenset/formeret oc bedret/ Aff Hans Thomissøn. Oc nu paa ny Prentet igen/ alle Gudfryctige Christne till Nytte Gaffn oc Gode.

Kiøbenhaffn, Henrich Waldkirch, 1611.

12mo (ca. 10 x 5,5, cm). Near contemporary black full calf with brass clasps. All edges beautifully and elaborately chiselled. New end-papers and title-page re-enforced et edges, from verso, no loss of text. 2nd leaf and 2nd leaf of Register with small marginal restorations, no loss of text. Apart from the small restorations, an exceptionally well preserved copy. Title-page printed in red and black, and many woodcut musical notes throughout. Title-page + pp. (XIII) - (XXX) (i.e. lacking the first three leaves of the preface - "Fortalen"), 653, (11) pp. (= register). - I.e. a lovely copy only lacking the first 6 leaves (ff. (A)1-6) of the preface.

Withbound at the end are the 18 first text-pages of "En Bøn at bede om Morgenen" (presumably also by Thomissøn, ca. 1600) - these 9 leaves are not in particularly good condition.

Extremely scarce first 17th century-edition of the first authorized Danish hymn-book. This seminal collection of the scattered psalms of the Reformation, the very first of its kind in Denmark, was originally printed in 1569 and remained the authoritative hymn-book for Danmark and Norway for a century and a half, until Kingo's in 1699. All editions of the book are extremely scarce - the 16th century ones are known in 1-2 copies each, and most of them are incomplete; the 17th century-editions are also of the utmost scarcity, with ab. 5-7 copies known of each, and almost all being incomplete. Most copies known are in institutional holdings, and only very few remain on private hands. The present copy is one of the more complete copies known, as most copies lack several leaves of the text itself, musical notes, title-page, register etc.

Thomissøn's hymn-book constitutes an invaluable source to Scandinavian musical life of the Reformation, and ab. 200 of the 269 hymns are put to music and supplied with musical scores.

Bibl. Danica I:326. - Thesaurus II: 637. - Åke Davidsson: 34.

Order-nr.: 58820