A General History of Music, from the Earliest Times to the Present: Volume 1
Comprising the Lives of Eminent Composers and Musical Writers

Intended for the general reader, this two-volume work, first published in 1819, is a concise, popular interpretation of musical history.

Thomas Busby (Author)

9781108061742, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 27 June 2013

570 pages, 25 music examples
21.6 x 14 x 3.2 cm, 0.72 kg

The writer, composer and organist Thomas Busby (1754–1838) is best remembered for his highly entertaining Concert Room and Orchestra Anecdotes (1825), which paints a vivid picture of musical life at the time. The son of a coach painter, Busby was originally articled to the composer Jonathan Battishill, but found the experience unrewarding. His compositions (many now lost) include songs, theatre music and oratorios. His literary output included journal articles and monographs, among them A Grammar of Music (also reissued in this series) and A General History of Music. First published in 1819, this two-volume work proved controversial as it was alleged that Busby had plagiarised the great histories of Burney and Hawkins (also available in the Cambridge Library Collection). However, acknowledging his indebtedness to them, Busby provided a popular interpretation of their work for the general reader. Volume 1 covers the period from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Renaissance and the invention of printing.

Preface
1. Origin, and early progress of music
2. The ancient melopoeia
3. Disputed counterpoint of the ancients
4. Reputed effects of the ancient music
5. Egyptian and Hebrew music
6. Ancient music, as connected with the Grecian mythology
7. Musicians and poets, subsequent to Hesiod and Homer
8. The Grecian games
9. The ancient musical theorists, and their works
10. Practical view of the ancient music, vocal, and instrumental
11. Music of the ancient Romans
12. Music of the early Christians to the time of Guido
13. State of music from the time of Guido to the formation of the time table
14. Invention of the time table
15. Minstrels, troubadours, etc.
16. General state of music, from the beginning of the fourteenth century to the time of Hambois
17. State of music, from the time of Hambois to the invention of printing
18. State of music, from the invention of printing to the time of Josquin del Prato
19. Josquin del Prato
20. State of music from the early part of the sixteenth century, to the reign of Elizabeth.

Subject Areas: Music [AV]