A handwritten statement (now pasted on the initial leaf) by Edward Jones (1752–1824) states: This Book was Purchased from the Collection of the Late Dr. Wm.

(The current owner, the New York Public Library, had the volume rebound in 1937 and no evidence of previous bindings exist.

Jones believed the manuscript was copied by or for William Hayes (1706–1777), which would mean the work dates from the mid-18th century.

While acknowledging that Hayes might have owned the manuscript, Musicologist Peter Holman strongly cast doubt on the 18th century dating based on three reasons.

First, Holman described the very orderly progression of works by key as being typical of the Restoration period; such organization had ceased by 1700.

[5] The following page also contains an inscription by Jones which Holman identified as a title: The Rare Theatrical, & other Compositions by Mr. Matthew Lock, transcribed in Score from various M.S.

Overtures, Symphonies, Brawles, Gavotts, Fantasticks, Corants, act Tunes, Curtain Tunes, Sarabands, Almands, Galliards, Lilks, Hornpipes, & other Compositions.Holman observed that the title "The Rare Theatrical" was written in Edward Jones's hand and that in this case, Jones's use of the word "rare" refers not to scarcity, but to unusually high quality.

[5] Conventional symbols such the type of clefs, the shape of the notes and double bars are characteristic of the Restoration.

His support for this hypothesis is based on a uniform watermark throughout the manuscript, that of a seven-pointed foolscap, typically found in French and Dutch paper of the late seventeenth century.

[14] Based on a contemporary document, Holman explained that this scoring would result in six violins, six countertenors, six tenors and six basses.

Holman surmised that the manuscript was probably derived from the repertory of the Twenty-Four Violins who played both theatrical and non-theatrical music.

(Similar works by Henry Purcell, Locke's successor at court, are primarily for two violins and viola, indicating the transition was nearly completed.

)[16] Whether continuo instruments (harpsichord and theorbo) accompanied the theatrical music, Holman found sources with somewhat conflicting information.

Noting that Drexel 3976 does not contain any figured bass, Holman concludes that the Twenty-Four Violins did not play with continuo players, even when they were available.

"[17] Locke was known to have written music for at least eleven and possibly as many as twenty dramatic works, which would have resulted in over 100 instrumental movements.

[20] Homan noted that many of Locke's "curtain tunes" functioned like overtures and were to be played prior to the stage action.

In terms of their structure, Holman noted that many of them resemble the typical form found in French overtures (consisting of two contrasting parts).

[21] Of the title, the meaning of the word "theatrical" refers to a collection music from the theatre, perhaps characteristic of grammatical irregularities sometimes found in the Restoration period.