Elements of Musical Composition
Comprehending the Rules of Thorough Bass, and the Theory of Tuning

An 1812 primer on music theory, composition and figured bass by one of the pre-eminent musical figures of his day.

William Crotch (Author)

9781108065177, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 October 2013

218 pages, 4 b/w illus. 479 music examples
25.4 x 17.8 x 1.2 cm, 0.39 kg

An exceptional child prodigy at the keyboard, the organist and composer William Crotch (1775–1847) attracted the attention of both George III and Charles Burney, going on to become one of the most eminent musical figures of his day. Following a period of study in Cambridge, at the age of fifteen he was appointed organist at Christ Church, Oxford. At twenty-one he assumed the university's chair of music, a post he retained until his death. The first principal of the Royal Academy of Music between 1822 and 1832, Crotch is remembered today for his oratorio Palestine. The present work, first published in 1812, made his expertise available to a wider audience. A clearly written primer on music theory, composition and figured bass, it includes an abundance of musical examples. Crotch's Substance of Several Courses of Lectures on Music (1831) is also reissued in this series.

Preface
1. Of notes, intervals, scales and keys
2. Of concords
3. Of discords
4. Of melody
5. Of music in parts
6. Of modulation
7. Of canon, fugue and imitation
8. Of vocal and instrumental music
9. Of the derivation of the scale, tuning, temperament, the monochord, etc.

Subject Areas: Music reviews & criticism [AVC]