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.
Contents
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.
Printer friendly version