The Motets of Lassus

In the Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, Watson writes "I remember that during the whole of that memorable day {Sherlock} lost himself in a monograph which he had undertaken upon the Polyphonic Motets of Lassus." At the conclusion of the case, Watson says that "As to Holmes, he returned refreshed to his monograph upon the Polyphonic Motets of Lassus, which has since been printed for private circulation, and is said by experts to be the last word upon the subject."

What is a motet? A motet is an unaccompanied vocal composition that evolved from and used sacred Latin text in some form. Renaissance motets were sung entirely in Latin. There's a great Trifles podcast that discusses the motets of lassus: https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2019/12/episode-182-polyphonic-motets-of-lassus.html

But how did these motets sound? 

Well after my visit to Toronto we headed to Ottawa for two days, and visited the National Gallery of Canada. There we found the Rideau Chapel, transported from a nineteenth century convent slated for demolition. The Chapel itself was beautiful, but permeating the entire gallery was a sound sculpture hosted in the Rideau Chapel - a forty part motet. This motet involves forty voices, each recorded as individual tracks and played on forty speakers arrayed around the chapel. It was created by artist Janet Cardiff, adapted from "Spem in Alium" (Latin for 'Hope in any other') composed by Thomas Tallis, 'composed in c. 1570 for eight choirs of five voices each' (for more information see the Wiki page on the original work: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spem_in_alium ). The original motet was composed around the time that Lassus was active.

Through my two videos below, you can hear why Sherlock enjoyed their overpowering majesty, and would have been moved to write a monograph on the topic.

The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at the Toronto Public Library

I've previously posted about the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at Toronto Public Library, and the 'Friends' of that Collection (https://221bcooee.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-magic-door-newsletter-and-edinburgh.html). 

Well, I'm on a 'spring break' vacation visiting a couple of Canadian cities with the family. 'Spring' is misleading advertising as it's cold and snow. One upside of the trip is that I was lucky enough to visit the Toronto Public Library (on Mon 25th March), and received a tour from Jessie Amaolo (Services Specialist with the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection) and Peggy MacFarlane (who is the Senior Services Specialist, Collections). I met Jessie in January at her first BSI Weekend, and Peggy is well known for her contributions to the ACD Society and her talents include preparing jockeys and steeds for the annual Doylean Honors/Wessex Cup.

The history of the ACD Collection is well covered at both the TPL site (https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/books-video-music/specialized-collections/literature-genre-doyle.jsp) and the site for the Friends of the collection (http://www.acdfriends.org). Briefly, this remarkable collection totals over 25,000 items and is growing. It was formed around a library purchase of a few hundred books belonging to Arthur Vincent Baillie (of whom I can find nothing) in 1969 and it has never looked back. The Library receives donations, but also actively purchases items to fill out its collection, and some of the many gems include original Doyle manuscripts, notebooks, a copy of Beeton's Christmas annual, and an illustration by each of Paget and Dorr Steele!

The main room is beautiful (see above) and custom built with a design nod towards the 221B study. The walls are lined with books by Doyle, along with Doylean and Sherlockian publications. Matilda and Tessa joined me for the visit, and I spent some time learning about the collection. It's truly remarkable that the TPL is dedicated to maintaining and building the ACD Collection - one of the finest and largest in the world.

When I arrived, Jessie had pulled some items from the stored items to show me. What they were I did not know, and they were arranged in their storage boxes and packets on the desk.

While I can't show ALL these items on a blog post (and I'm not sure anyone wants that anyway), I do want to highlight some of the special things I was shown.

The first item opened absolutely floored me. Jessie opened a complex document box to lift out and reveal a beautiful copy of the 1887 Beeton's Christmas Annual complete - among other things the world's most expensive magazine. This copy has its original wrappers and advertisements. The cover was so bright and fresh, and 'A Study in Scarlet' can still be seen on the spine. According to Randall Scott, this was the copy used by Edgar W Smith to produce the 1960 BSI facsimile (www.bestofsherlock.com/beetons-christmas-annual.htm#R15). While I was too scared to touch or turn the pages, my hosts were happy to open the copy to the title page and reveal the facing illustration, and point out some of the quaint advertisements.

I was given the opportunity to hold the Beeton's for a photo. I was so amazed (probably evident in my dimpled face), but was too scared to hold the magazine much beyond the horizontal despite encouragement.

The next item was volume 1 of the original manuscript for ACD's Angels of Darkness. This was an early play that is NOT Sherlockian, but features a Dr. Watson and many of the names and Utah events from A Study in Scarlet. The manuscript was beautifully hand-written in an exercise book style notebook. The Baker Street Irregulars Press have published a facsimilie of part of this mansucript (bakerstreetirregulars.com/2001/12/30/angels-of-darkness) in 2001. I'm intrigued by the pages removed from the beginning. The TPL was bequeathed this manuscript by Anna Conan Doyle, Adrian Conan Doyle's widow, and the Library received the manuscript in 1992.

The next item is an absolute beauty - a UK first edition of the Hound of the Baskervilles. The cover design is absolutely beautiful, and while it's my favorite story, I've never held or leafed through a First Edition. If I accidentally found money, this is the book I'd buy. My favorite thing to do is try and trace previous owners of books, and so I want to know: who was Dollie Schiitze who received this book in April 1907. It's a UK print, but the name is solidly German, but Dollie suggests American. I had no luck looking in UK and US censuses. Anyway, the book is beautiful!!

Next is a piece of ephemera that was acquired relatively recently by the library. It is an undated letter from ACD to Sidney Paget on a single sheet of notepaper. The letter was written from Undershaw, Hindhead, Haslemere, and relates to payment for the acquisition of an illustration by Paget. It is presumably related to a Sherlockian illustration but it isn't explicitly stated. While it is undated, ACD lived at Undershaw from 1897-1907.

"My dear Paget. The picture has arrived and is much admired. Our arrangement was 50 guineas, but I was a note from you as to the expense of frame, carriage & incidentals of all sorts. With humblest regards... A Conan Doyle".

The next unexpected surprise was the autographed manuscript for ACD's short story 'The Parish Magazine'. This is likely the last short story Doyle wrote - it was first published in the Strand in August 1930 (after his death). The handwriting was not dramatically different to that from the 'Angels of Darkness' MS written almost fifty years earlier, and its amazing to think this collection enable these kind of comparisons. This is also a relatively recent acquisition, a gift from the Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection.

A small diversion was made when Peggy held up an item sitting by the fireplace (below) and asked if they knew what it was? They did not. It was demonstrated to them, but still they did not know. It was explained to the girls that it was in fact a set of bellows. Not just any bellows, but bellows that had belonged to ACD, and gifted by a distant family member! They were excited to learn, but also amazed to hold something that ACD himself had held! Bellow is a word used three times in the Canon - for example: "I heard a click of steel and a bellow like an enraged bull".

Next was a truly remarkable item - part ephemera, part book. It was a copy of the Hound of the Baskervilles, with the story enclosed within the toothy grin of the hound head. This item was designed, published and created in limited edition of 20 numbered and signed copies by Jan and Jarmila Sobota.Sobota (1939-2012) was a Czech-Swiss fine bookbinder, known for creating a book from a three-dimensonal work of art. The storage box itself is a work of art.

 

I also looked through several of Arthur Conan Doyle's notebooks, including from around 1923 when ACD visiting North America. The contents are highly varied, and include for example a listed set of dates and places visited. I've shown a couple of other pages below that include ideas for stories. It would be interesting to see whether any of these translated into short stories in the last few years of Doyle's life. A fun writing competition might be to ask authors to write short stories around a single ACD idea.

These story ideas are wonderful ; simply a quick concept, that could be evolved into a story idea, including an early idea for a snuff film???, along with a joke he may have been told.

Story of "To think my sister married one of them"

Story of "I am an Irishman and the son of the Parish Priest"

Story of "Room 15"

Story of the man who was to have 2 months good time and then do suicide for a cinema.

A weary Englishman said "I have heard so often that the Pilgrim Fathers landed on the Plymouth Rock that I heartily wish the Plymouth Rock had landed on the Pilgrim Fathers.

This intrigued me, and presumably a spiritualist comment: (In pencil) "They have made just one mistake - they have mistaken a wayside station for a terminus in the journey of the soul". I cannot find a direct literary quote.

This next item is a remarkable curiosity - a complete set of sixty Sherlock works as what I can only describe as tiny little books. This set of miniature books was created by Barbara Rehab - just look at the scale and detail! There's more information on Rehab's works here: http://www.lorsonbooksandprints.com/raheb.html including a $6500 price tag for a set!

This is awkward, but I'm really as much of a Doylean as anything, so Jessie casually pulled a first edition of The Lost World off the bookshelf to show me. Wow. First time I've seen a copy and I was amazed at how LARGE it was!

What an amazing visit. Peggy invited us to pose at the chair, with one as Sherlock and the other two as Watson and Lestrade. Tessa of course was Sherlock. Many non-serious photos, and one showing just how happy we were.

So with a collection like this, I asked, is there anything that TPL need to complete the collection? Perhaps a living collection like this is never complete, but Jessie hinted that a manuscript page from Hound of the Baskervilles would be a perfect addition to the collection. So if anyone out there.... 

Thank you to Peggy and Jessie for an educational and Doylean morning! And don't forget to join the Friends of the ACD Collection: www.acdfriends.org 

And with that, a shelfie-to-die-for that I snapped wandering past the shelves on the way out. 

Six Napoleons of Baltimore - 1st March 2024

The Six Napoleons of Baltimore switched to a new format for 2024, with two meetings each year, both held at the Maryland Club. The meeting had a wonderful group of out-of-town visitors, partly due to the memorial service being held the following day in Baltimore for John Baesch BSI.

Attendees dining at the Six Napoleons of Baltimore dinner, in the Ladies Room at the Maryland Club, Baltimore, 1st March 2024. Left side of table L-R: Greg Ruby, Matt Hall, S Brent Morris, Jacquelynn Bost Morris, X, Y, Monica Schmidt, Patrick Ewing, X, Y. Head of table: X. Right side of table L-R: Terry McCammon, X, Y, Andy Solberg, Bob Katz, Scott Monty, Ashley Polasek, Curtis Armstrong, Mickey Fromkin, Ira Matetsky, Karen Wilson.  (Please let me know names I'm missing!).

The Scion has a delightful agenda, with multiple toasts before dinner. During dinner, there is a presentation by a Postulant who has met all the qualifications for membership - the final being the presentation of a paper - followed by the installation of the Postulant as a Napoleon. The Postulant at this this meeting was Ira Matetsky of New York, who spoke about the first US  publication of some of the last Sherlock Holmes short stories in Liberty Magazine. Following his presentation, Ira was installed as a Napoleon (with all associated ceremony).

The dinner was a convivial affair, and was the first of a new tradition of dining at the Maryland Club.

The group 'Stood on the Terrace' for David A. Weiss, Napoleon XIV - in other words, the 14th member of the Six Napoleons! Karen Wilson read out the obituary and I wanted to include it here as a permanent record. Karen gave extensive credit to to Julie McKuras’ piece on Mr. Weiss in the Spring 2008 edition of the BSI Trust newsletter when creating the obituary. I also found a photograph of David A Weiss in the aforementioned issue that I've placed here.

David Ansel Weiss BSI (1922-2020)

David Ansel Weiss was born on January 29, 1922, in Cumberland, Maryland. His father, Harvey Weiss, was the city health official in Cumberland, and was described by his son as "an inveterate reader, [one of whose] favorite books was the Canon.” After graduating with a degree in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University in 1943, David worked as a chemist, then enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the War. After his discharge, he moved to Baltimore and took a position with the War Department to edit a volume on the history of the Corps of Engineers. It was during this period, he said, that his own interest turned to Sherlock Holmes. Having read copies of the Baker Street Journal at the Enoch Pratt Library, he wrote and submitted a story called “The Celestial Pastiche,” about a Sherlock Holmes pastiche contest held in heaven which was won by an Arthur Conan Doyle, referred to in the story only as “an author on earth of historical novels.” David later credited Edgar W. Smith’s enthusiastic response to the piece with emboldening him to leave the War Department and move to New York to become a freelance writer.

Around the same time, Napoleon Allen Robertson invited him to join the Six Napoleons of Baltimore; Weiss passed the admissions test to become Napoleon number XIV. In an interview for the BSI Trust in 2008, he recalled a Robertson-led Six Napoleons trip to Poe’s grave that was also attended by John Dickson Carr, “where, waving our lanterns, we recited the Musgrave Ritual and almost got arrested.”

David’s investiture in the Baker Street Irregulars was “Crosby, the Banker.” He enjoyed a friendship with Edgar W. Smith and remembered fondly his opportunities to meet other noted Sherlockians over the years.

His successful career as a writer, publicist, and market research company executive saw him listed in Marquis’ Who’s Who. Publications he authored included books on The Great Fire of London and The Saga of the Tin Goose: The Story of the Ford Trimotor (The Plane That Revolutionized American Civil Aviation). 

He was married, his wife predeceasing him in 1981, and was the father of two sons. David Ansel Weiss died on Mar. 24, 2020, at the age of 98.

Scowrers and Molly Maguires of San Francisco, March 2024

Today I joined the Scowrers and Molly Maguires of San Francisco scion meeting online. The meeting opened started by announcing that it was the 80th anniversary of the scion - quite remarkable, and it was noted that this scion is possibly "oldest scion west of the Mississippi". As the opening slide celebrating this achievement mentions, the Scowrers and Molly Maguires was the first scion to admit women to full and equal membership!

The presentation for the meeting was by Jim Hawkins, who spoke about John Bennett Shaw and the new life he created in New Mexico from 1970 to his death in 1994. The presentation included the debut of a 13-minute video Jim had created from photos, music tracks and sound bites of John Bennett Shaw to provide an overview of this life. Jim created and operates the website of  www.johnbennettshaw.com as a tribute to Shaw's importance as a Sherlockian collector, educator, scionist (??), and so much more.

This presentation coincided with the recent publication of the 2023 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual in memory of John Bennett Shaw, written by Jim Hawkins. The Christmas Annual features stories from members of the Shaw family and associates who worked with him in various settings. More information on this issue can be found at: bakerstreetirregulars.com/2024/02/17/bsj-2023-christmas-annual 

Of special interest was a brief video tour by John Bennett Shaw of his Santa Fe library recorded in 1991. The entire video ran for about 30 minutes and is available on Youtube and embedded below. Jim Hawkins played approximately 4 minutes of video starting at the 13th minute in the video, which can be accessed here at Jim's Youtube channel: youtu.be/K2rgyu2zYio?si=nAFWOUl_NqdZZtR- . While the video cannot be embedded in my blog post, I've taken a few stills here to get an impression of it.

A wonderful presentation and discussion led by Jim Hawkins, on one of the great Sherlockians of all time, and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!! 

My talk at the Legion of Zoom Scion meeting - Feb 2024

The Legion of Zoom Scion Society was launched during the height of the pandemic, as people missed their 'normal' face-to-face meetings, dinners, lunches, cocktail hours, and seminar series. As meetings switched over to virtual during the pandemic, people had a chance to see other Sherlockians from across the globe no a regular basis. Some (many!) became frequent attendees of many meetings a week - for me this was a wonderful to enter the Sherlockian world and learn an incredible amount.

And so, the Legion of Zoom was formed - learn more here https://www.dfw-sherlock.org/the-legion-of-zoom-scion-society.html. As the site explains:"In the Fall of 2021, 4 devoted Sherlockians determined it was time to organize and recognize those other Sherlockians around the world who have spent much of the 2 preceding years huddled in front of their laptop, IPad, or Smart Phone.  Daily, weekly, and monthly, these devout students of the great master have attended virtual meetings to listen to wonderful speakers from across the spectrum, take quizzes on that month's story from the Canon, listen to adapted radio plays, and numerous other activities surrounding Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and the literary agent, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, without whom, it would NOT always be 1895."

Membership of the society requires one to have attended 17 different society zoom meetings, and submit the list. I am proud to say that I'm a member. The Legion of Zoom also launched an annual 'Virtual Conference', the first being in 2022 and so on. The talks from 2022 and 2023 are recorded and available to watch - and are worth reviewing.

The agendas for the first two meetings were as follows:

2022 (along with toasts and a radio play)

• Scott Monty, BSI: “This Fantastic Business of Advertisement: Brands in the Canon”
• Barbara Roden, BSI: “That’s My Watson: Nigel Bruce and the Case of the Canonical Sidekick”
• Robert Katz, BSI: “A Long Afternoon”
• Ray Betzner, BSI: “Whatever Happened to Baby Rucastle: A Case of Canonical Lycanthropy”

2023 (along with toasts and a radio play)

• Cliff Goldfarb, BSI: “The Hunt for Colonel Sebastian Moran”
• Mark Jones, BSI: “What Possessed John Straker?”
• Anne Millar: "Haunted Holmes:  Sherlock Holmes and Horror"
• Catherine Cooke, BSI: "A Look at the Locations of Two Cases"
• Beth Gallego: "An Irresistible Fascination: Fact and Fiction Behind Baron Gruner's Post-Hypnotic Influence"
• Burt Wolder, BSI: "The Many Problems of Thor Bridge"

In late February 2024 the third Legion of Zoom Virtual Conference was held, and I was honored to have been invited by Edith Pounden to speak. 

I decided to expand on the topic of 'Australia and Australians in the Canon'. I'd previously talked on this topic at the The 44th Annual Enoch Pratt Saturday With Sherlock Holmes held in Baltimore MD in November 2023. My blog post on this event did not address the content of my first ever Sherlockian talk, but this Legion of Zoom meeting was recorded and thanks to Steve Mason it's available to view here: https://www.dfw-sherlock.org/2024-conference-summary---presentations.html 

2024 speaker list

• Shana Carter, ASH: 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box' as a Depiction of Intimate Partner Violence"
• Bob Coghill, BSI: “Serendipity and Sherlockiana”
• Steven Doyle, BSI: "Adelbert Grunner: The Most Misunderstood Villain in the Canon"
• Matt Hall: "Australian Inspirations in the Canon"
• Sonia Yazmadjian: “How a French Hero Saved Sherlock Holmes' Life”

Steve Mason was kind enough to provide my video directly to me so that I can also embed it in this blog:

My goal is to write up some aspects of this talk for a Sherlockian article (the central discussion of themes, influences, and historical context for Australia), but as you will see there are many opportunities for follow-up studies and specific aspects of the Holmes stories. One key approach for creating this article was that when I first started thinking about the study of Australia in the Canon, I found an incredible number of detailed articles on specific points in the 'Passengers' Log', but for my local American audience, I realized that 'zooming out' to provide overall context for Australian elements of the story was relatively unaddressed. Furthermore, an understanding of how the Victorian Britain viewed Australia, and how Australia was viewed had also been under-explored. And so I have spent time creating the talk you see recorded above!