Raban’s Psalter of 1633 is one of the jewels of the collection on display. Raban established a strong reputation for the printing of music and its inclusion in the Psalter is one of the key aspects of the work. Andrew Melvill, the brother of David (the Aberdeen bookseller and Raban’s close associate) was Master of the Song School in Aberdeen.
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Close examination of Raban’s Psalter is a rewarding experience not simply because of the quality of the printing (it is one of his finer volumes) but because of it being an early example of Scottish music printing.
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It also includes a number of tone settings as used in various North-East towns. These include Bon Accord, but there are also tones for Montrose and Elgin amongst others.
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Elgin Tune (this image courtesy of National Library of Scotland).
