Special Collections / Music Treatises

RISM B/VI, v. 1, pp. 70–41. Published in 1529 (and reprinted in 1530, 1532, and 1542, and revised in 1545), this work concerning musica instrumentalis, as distinct from musica plana and musica figuralis, was modeled both in its text and woodcut imagery on Sebastian Virdung (c. 1465 – after 1511), Musica getutscht (Basel, M. Furter, 1511). Like Virdung, Agricola presented his text in the vernacular rather than Latin.

In 1510, Luscinius met Sebastian Virdung (b.1465) at the Reichstag in Augsburg. Eight years later he completed this work of music theory which, like that by Agricola, is indebted to Virdung, Musica getutscht (Basel, 1511). Here the text is given in scholastic Latin, unlike Virdung’s vernacular, and is illustrated with numerous woodcuts of instruments.

Written in Latin and German, this work is widely regarded as the single most important music treatise of the pre-Classical period.

Musick’s monument is among the most quoted English language music treatises of the 17th century. It includes instructions for playing lute, viol, and organ.

The work was first published in 1746, and the third edition in 1756. In four books, it includes instructions for organ, harpsichord, bass-viol, violin, oboe, flute, and bassoon. It also includes instructions in music theory and a dictionary of important musical terms.

This work highlights the design, construction, tuning, and musical function of many now-obscure stringed keyboard instruments and thus illuminates unfamiliar aspects of baroque instrumentation.

This work, a lavishly-illustrated four-volume book on musical instrument construction, includes a highly detailed description of French classical organ construction and performance practice.

Includes brief instructions for playing keyboard, organ, violoncello, guitar, flute, trumpet, and many other instruments.

Translation of the German work, Musicale instrumentum reformatum. Heiden describes his invention of the Geigenwerk, a bowed keyboard instrument.

This work highlights the design, construction, tuning, and musical function of many now-obscure stringed keyboard instruments and thus illuminates unfamiliar aspects of baroque instrumentation.

RISM B/VI, v. 1, pp. 70–41. Published in 1529 (and reprinted in 1530, 1532, and 1542, and revised in 1545), this work concerning musica instrumentalis, as distinct from musica plana and musica figuralis, was modeled both in its text and woodcut imagery on Sebastian Virdung (c. 1465 – after 1511), Musica getutscht (Basel, M. Furter, 1511). Like Virdung, Agricola presented his text in the vernacular rather than Latin.

In 1510, Luscinius met Sebastian Virdung (b.1465) at the Reichstag in Augsburg. Eight years later he completed this work of music theory which, like that by Agricola, is indebted to Virdung, Musica getutscht (Basel, 1511). Here the text is given in scholastic Latin, unlike Virdung’s vernacular, and is illustrated with numerous woodcuts of instruments.

This work describes the sambuca lincea, an eight-manual harpsichord (also known as a pentecontachordon), invented by Colonna that divided the octave into seventeen parts.

Includes a basic set of instruction manuals for voice, recorder [flute], flute [German flute], oboe, violin, and harpsichord.

This work was one of the first to be written for non-amateur performers. Along with Mozart’s Violinschule (1756), it is the most important source for violin performance practice of the first half of the 18th century. Geminiani famously opposed Mozart on several issues, including bow hold, use of vibrato, and the so-called "rule of the down-bow", which states that the first beat of every bar must be played with a down-stroke.

A short didactic method for the harpsichord.

A reworking of Prelleur, Modern musick-master, divided into parts: a collection of English and Italian songs, instructions for voice and several instruments, a music dictionary, and a collection of songs from the British Isles.

The work was first published in 1746, and the third edition in 1756. In four books, it includes instructions for organ, harpsichord, bass-viol, violin, oboe, flute, and bassoon. It also includes instructions in music theory and a dictionary of important musical terms.

While focusing on the harpsichord and organ, this work also includes brief instructions for flute, oboe, and bowed strings, including the first printed instructions for the modern tuning of the double bass.

Originally printed in 1711, this work describes the newly invented fortepiano, illustrated with an engraving of the hammer mechanism that differentiated it from its predecessor, the harpsichord.

3 v. of music; 34 cm. Vol. 1 includes pref. (p. i-xv) by the author on choice of instruments, position of the body and hand (with engraved illustration), fingering, classification of movements, as well as table of contents of the set. Each vol. has its own t.p. and table of contents.

Apparently modelled after C.P.E. Bach, Versuch, this treatise remained popular throughout the 19th century.

1 score (79 pages); 32 cm. Short pieces by Mozart, Reil, Haydn, Diabelli, Leidesdorf, Salieri, Gyrowetz, Cramer, Dussek, Starke, Türk, Clementi, Paer, Steibelt, C.P.E. Bach, J.S. Bach, Mosel, Förster, Beethoven, and Hummel.

xvi, 252 p.: ill., 7 pl. (fold.), 2 tables (fold.); 22 cm. Includes “table analytique” of contents p. [247]-252. Provenance: bookplate of Caroli de Hoffman, Bruxelles on t.p. verso.

3 p. 1., [v]-vi p., 1 ℓ., [9]-96 p., 1 ℓ. : ill, music; 34 cm. Added title-page, engraved.

64 p.

64 p.

96 p.: ill., music; 19 cm. “New edition with appendix containing Czerny’s Letters to a young lady”—Cover.

165 p. of music; 31 cm. “Foreign fingering”—Cover.

The most extensive of all piano methods written in the 19th century, this work went through ten publications between 1861 and 1922.

xiv, 166 pages: music; 28 cm.

192 p.: ill.; 20 cm. The Schumann and Czerny translated from the German.

2 preliminary leaves, [3]–69, [1], 16 pages; 33 cm. Includes 2 engravings: “Correct position of the hands” and “Correct position of the body”—p. [1]. Gift of the Lorain County Historical Society (03-19-59); boards, cloth spine.