ABSTRACT
The first notice of Charles Babell is as a bassoonist in 'la troupe de Sa Majesté Britannique' at The Hague in 1697-8, for which he was paid at 21 sols p.d.. His main claim to fame is as a copyist and editor of other's music. A collection of recorder music, largely by composers resident in England (Gottfried Finger*, James Paisible*, William Williams*, etc.), is dated 1698. One of the keyboard manuscripts is dated London 1700; two others belonged to William Babell, almost certainly his son—one dated London 1701, the other 1702. Hawkins claimed that William's father taught him the rudiments of music, so perhaps the keyboard manuscripts had a pedagogical purpose.
