Enlarged edition of one of the most popular Dutch songbooks of the 18th century, containing songs for weddings, funerals, and other events where people traditionally sang together. Songbooks such as these are also known as mopsjes. This name is probably reminiscent of Mopsus, the shepherd who appears in many of the poems in Virgil's Bucolica, as several songs about him appear in the songbook. The earliest works with songs from Hoorn date from the first quarter of the seventeenth century. Collective editions soon appeared, with songs from two or more cities, so that it could be sold in multiple locations. The present example contains songs from Hoorn, Enkhuizen, and Alkmaar. The first part mainly consists of wedding songs, but also includes musical discussions, drinking songs, and even the odd more risqué item. Most of the songs are anonymous, only a few of them are signed with the author's name. The first edition by Pieter van Ryschooten, printed in 1696, is one of the earliest collective editions. The present copy is the second, enlarged edition.
The joints are somewhat weakened, but the structural integrity of the binding is still intact. The leaves are somewhat browned. Otherwise in good condition. Goovaerts, Typographie Musicale, 970; Scheurleer, p. 185; STCN 184562813; Welsh, a bibl. of miniature books, 3179; cf. Bondy, pp. 28-29.