17th Century
The division-violist : or an introduction to the playing upon a ground : divided into two parts, the first directing the hand with other preparative instructions, the second laying open the manner and method of playing ex-tempore or composing division to by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT337 .S46 1659Publication Date: 1669The most important English work on the viola da gamba.Chelys, minuritionum artificio exornata: sive, Minuritiones ad basin, etiam ex tempore modulandi ratio. In tres partes distributa. The division-viol, or, The art of playing ex tempore upon a ground. Divided into three parts by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT49 .S42 1667Publication Date: 1667This second edition of The division-violist includes a Latin translation alongside the original English, "to make it useful at home as well as abroad."
A brief introduction to the skill of musick : in two books--to which is added a third book, entitled, The art of descant or Composing musick in parts by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT7 .P72 1660Publication Date: 1660First printed in 1654, the work went through twenty editions, the last being in 1730. Oberlin's copy is the third edition from 1660. In addition to being broadly regarded as the most significant English theoretical treatise of the late 17th century, Brief introduction also contains practical instructions for performing on the bass viol and the treble violin.Musick's monument by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT640.2 .M23 1676Publication Date: 1676Among the most quoted English language music treatises of the 17th century. It is a conservative defense of the English style that, Mace believed, had reached its zenith in the early 17th century.Traité de la viole, qui contient une dissertation curieuse sur son origine. une deḿonstration generale de son manche en quatre figures, avec leurs explications. L'explication de ses jeux differents, & particulierement des pieces par accords, & de l'accomp by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT338 .R7 1687Publication Date: 1687Separate sections of this work explore the history of the viol, ornamentation, transposition, and different approaches to playing the instrument.
Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española : y metodo de susprimeros rudimentos, hasta tañerla con destreza : con dos laberintos ingeniosos, variedad de sones, y danças de Rasgueado, y Punteado, al estilo Español, Italiano, Francès, y Inglès : con u by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT582 .S2 1697Publication Date: 1697This second edition from 1697 followed the work's original publication in 1674. It focuses on the five-course, double-strung guitar typical of the era.
Leopold Mozart's Violonschule
Leopold Mozart's Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule is a landmark treatise in the history of violin playing. It stands alongside C.P.E. Bach's 1753 Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen and Johann Joachim Quantz's 1752 Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen as a key work for understanding performance practice and musical style of the 18th century.
The first printing was in 1756 (Augsburg), and the work proved to be so popular that other editions appeared in 1769/70 (Augsburg), 1787 (Augsburg), 1791 (Frankfurt and Leipzig), 1800 (Augsburg), 1804 (Leipzig), 1806 (Vienna), and 1817 (Leipzig). The work's popularity inspired multiple translations, including a Dutch version from 1766 and a French version from 1770. The work first appeared in English in 1948 (with a preface by Albert Einstein), and a facsimile of the 1756 edition first appeared in 1922.
Oberlin holds copies of the following editions and translations:
18th Century
The modern musick-master : or The universal musician, curiously adorn'd with cuts representing the manner of performing on every instrument, finely engrav'd on above 320 plates by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT6.P744 M6 1730Publication Date: 1730Includes a basic set of instruction manuals for voice, recorder [flute], flute [German flute], oboe, violin, and harpsichord.- The art of playing on the violin : with a new scale shewing how to stop every note, flat or sharp, exactly in tune, and where the shifts of the hand should be made ; to which is added a collection of the finest rigadoons, almands, sarabands, courants, & o byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262 .P88 1731Publication Date: 1730Part 5 of Prelleur's The modern musick-master (London, 1730) which is a paraphrase of Nolens Volens (London, 1695).
Defense de la basse de viole contre les entréprises du violon et les prétentions du violoncel by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl ML760.V565 L42 1740Publication Date: 1740This work is one of the few sources of information about style and technique in 18th century French viol playing, as few treatises appeared in France after Rousseau’s Traité de la viole of 1687.
The art of playing on the violin : containing all the rules necessary to a perfection on that instrument, with great variety of compositions, which will also be very useful to those who study the violoncello, harpsichord &c, Opera IX by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262.P49 I6Publication Date: 1751
The Muses delight : an accurate collection of English and Italian songs, cantatas and duetts, set to music for the harpsichord, violin, German-flute, &c. : with instructions for the voice, violin, harpsichord or spinnet, German-flute, common-flute, hautbo by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl M1619 .M93 1754Publication Date: 1754A reworking of Prelleur's Modern musick-master.A new musical grammar, and dictionary : or, A general introduction to the whole art of musick, in four books--the whole is extracted from the best authors, both ancient and modern, and methodically digested to every capacity by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT6 .T17 1756Publication Date: 1756The work was first published in 1746, and Oberlin's copy is the third edition from 1756. 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.
The Compleat tutor for the violin : containing the best and easiest instructions for learners to obtain a proficiency to which are added a choice collection of the most celebrated Italian, English and Scotch tunes by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262 .C58 1760Publication Date: 1760A slight revision of Prelleur's The art of playing on the violin (London, 1730)The compleat tutor for the violoncello : containing the best & easiest instructions for learners, to which is added a favourite collection of airs, marches, minuets, song-tunes & duetts by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT305 .C89 1760zPublication Date: 1760One of the first tutors for the cello, the work contains the earliest reference to using a wooden peg (i.e. an endpin) as a learning aid to support the cello while seated.
A letter from the late Signor Tartini to Signora Maddalena Lombardini (now Signora Sirmen) Published as an important lesson to performers on the violin. by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl ML410.T18 A42 1913Publication Date: 1760This letter explains Tartini’s methods of violin playing and practice techniques, particularly those concerning the mastery of the bow. Oberlin’s copy is a reprint from 1913, featuring an English translation opposite the original Italian.
Guitarra española, y vandola en dos maneras de guitarra, castellana, y cathalana de cinco ordenes, la qual enseña de templar, y tañer rasgado, todos los puntos naturales, y b, mollados, con estilo maravilloso : y para poner en ella qualquier tono, se pone by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT582 .A54 1761Publication Date: 1761This is among the earliest and most influential works describing Spanish guitar techniques. No copies of the original edition from the late 16th century have survived. Oberlin's copy is from a 1761 reprinting.- An introduction to the art of playing on the violin : on an entire new plan, calculated for laying a regular foundation for young beginners, explained by such easy rules and principles as will enable a scholar to acquire a proper method for performing on byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262.P49 I6Publication Date: 1767Based on a simplified version of Geminiani’s Art of playing on the violin, this tutor was intended for children or young beginners. Oberlin’s copy is a first edition bound with Geminiani’s Rules for playing in a true taste of 1748 and Art of playing on the violin of 1751.
An accurate method to attain the art of playing ye violin : with graces in all the different keys, how to make proper cadences, and ye nature of all ye shifts with several duets and lessons for that instrument ... to which is added six favorite minuets in by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262 .T295 1770Publication Date: 1770This work is an English translation of Tessarini’s Grammatica di musica of 1741. When initially published, Grammatica di musica was the first Italian violin method, a predecessor to Geminiani’s Art of playing on the violin of 1751.
19th Century
L'art du violon by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262 .C28 1801Publication Date: 1801This comprehensive work examines the violin schools of France, Italy, and Germany and consists of both a method and a sizable anthology of 17th and 18th century compositions. Cartier included little original material but quoted accepted authorities such as Geminiani, Mozart, and L'abbé le fils instead.- The instrumental assistant : containing instructions for the violin, German-flute, clarionett, bass-viol, and hautboy byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT170 .H65 1801Publication Date: 1801The first comprehensive American tutor for musical instruments, including the violin, flute, clarinett, bass viol, and oboe.
Méthode simple et facile, par demandes et par réponses, pour apprendre rapidement et sans confusion la musique by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT7 .F12 1804Publication Date: 1804Tentatively attributed to F. Marcou or Pierre Marcou by Heron-Allen
Méthode elementaire pour le violon by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT265 .M37 1810Publication Date: 1810One of the few pedagogical works written by Martinn, who was active as a composer and violinist in and around Paris.The theory and practice of the violin by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT260 .J68Publication Date: 1812The work was intended for amateurs and primarily quotes Prelleur’s The art of playing on the violin of 1730, Geminiani’s Art of playing on the violin of 1751, and Philpot’s An introduction to the art of playing on the violin of 1767.
The theory and practice of fingering the violoncello, 2nd ed. by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT302 .G86 1790Publication Date: 1817This work includes a 36-page section on cello fingering that attempts to establish a simple and uniform approach.Saggio teorico-pratico-musicale by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT55 .C6 1819 vol. 1Publication Date: 1819This work is primarily a treatise on counterpoint and composition, but it includes a section of lessons on a variety of instruments.- A new and complete directory to the art of playing on the patent dital-harp byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT542 .L55 1819Publication Date: 1819This was one of a group of experimental instruments that were popular in England and France at the beginning of the 19th century.
- A treatise on the violin, 3rd ed. byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262 .P13 1820Publication Date: 1820Written as a dialogue between a fictional master and pupil, the work contains instructions on shifting, bowing, intonation, and transposition.
- Traité général sur l'art de jouer de la harpe byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT542 .D48 1812Publication Date: 1825This treatise on harp performance includes sections on notation and technique, along with a series of progressive studies.
- Vollständiges, theoretisch-praktisches auf Grundsätze der Akustik, Tonkunst und Mathematik byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl ML802 .W52 1828Publication Date: 1828This work was one of the earliest production manuals for violin, guitar, and bow making in Germany. It includes detailed descriptions of luthier techniques, materials, tools, and equipment and contains information on acoustics and composition. Oberlin’s copy is a first edition.
- The instrumental director, 4th ed byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT172 .I59 1836Publication Date: 1836Includes instructions for flute, clarinet, bassoon, serpent, French horn, trumpet, oboe, violin, viola, bass-viol or violoncello, double bass, trombone, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, and bass-drum.
Violinschule [Louis Spohr's celebrated violin school] by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262.S6 V5 1843Publication Date: 1843First published in 1832, Spohr’s Violinschule was arguably the most influential German violin method after Mozart’s Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule of 1756. It contains innovative instructions on bowing, shifting, vibrato, playing chords, and using chinrests. Oberlin’s copy is an English translation from the original German.A complete system for the violin by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT265 .H16 1846Publication Date: 1846Written while Hanks was active in the Cleveland, Ohio area, this violin method contains introductory instructions intended for amateurs. It quotes prominent European works by Spohr, Baillot, Rode, and Kreutzer.Essai sur le doigté du violoncelle et sur le conduite de l'archet by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl 787.3 D928EEPublication Date: 1852Initially published in 1806, this tutor is immensely important in the evolution of the cello as it radically transformed cello technique and established the modern system of fingering. Oberlin's copy is an English translation from 1852.- Winner's improved method for the violin byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262 .W56 1854Publication Date: 1854The work was the first of twenty-three violin methods written for amateurs by Winner and was widely dispersed throughout the United States during the 19th century.
Nouvelle méthode de la mécanique progressive du jeu de violon by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT262 .C19313 1856Publication Date: 1856First published in 1824, the work documents violin technique during the transitional period between the Baroque and Classical eras. Oberlin's copy is an English translation from 1856.- Methodischer Leitfaden für Violinlehrer : zu seiner Elementar-Violinschule nebst Elementarstudien byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT260 .H485 1857Publication Date: 1857An elementary violin method written by Hering, who worked as a composer and violinist in Germany.
- Ueber Rudolph Kreutzer's Etüden : eine methodische Anweisung für Violin-Lehrer byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT260 .H49 1858Publication Date: 1858This work serves as an introduction and companion to Kreutzer’s 42 études ou caprices of 1796.
- Das Büchlein von der Geige, oder, Die Grundmaterialien des Violinspiels byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT260 .T75 1864Publication Date: 1864Oberlin holds both a first edition (1864) and a sixth edition (ca. 1910).
Führer durch den Violinunterricht by Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl ML128.V4 T7 1886Publication Date: 1886An annotated guide to the violin literature, which includes descriptions and information on the relative difficulty of select works.- Katechismus des Violinspiels byCall Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT260 .S38 1889Publication Date: 1889This treatise consists of a practical guide for students, with supplementary writings on taste, expression, and phrasing. A list with short biographies of celebrated players of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries is included.
Katechismus des Violoncellspiels by
Call Number: Con Spec Coll Kohl MT300 .S382 1893Publication Date: 1893Originally published in 1890, this English translation of 1893 contains information concerning the history, design, development, technique, and performance style of the cello.