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The systematic academic study of music gave rise to works of description, analysis and criticism, by composers and performers, philosophers and anthropologists, historians and teachers and by a new kind of scholar - the musicologist. This series makes available a range of significant works encompassing all aspects of the developing discipline.

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178 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Music

Page 2 of 9

Beethoven's Letters
  • A Critical Edition with Explanatory Notes
  • Volume 2
  • Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Translated by J. S. Shedlock
  • Edited by Alfred Christlieb Kalischer
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    06 November 2014
    First published in:
    1909
  • Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was a prolific letter writer. Often written in great haste - he regularly signed off 'in der Eile' - his correspondence allows us to follow his anxieties and preoccupations. From his first letter, written at the age of thirteen, wherein he declared his lifelong commitment to the craft of music, through the poignant 'Heiligenstadt Testament', up to the final codicil to his will, these documents reveal the human figure behind some of the greatest music ever written. In this two-volume English translation of 1909, John South Shedlock (1843–1919) retains as far as possible the idiosyncratic and error-ridden texts as written by the great composer. Spanning the period 1816–27, Volume 2 finds Beethoven concerned over his financial situation and the poor printing of his music, and includes the final codicil to his will, written just three days before his death.

Student and Singer
  • The Reminiscences of Charles Santley
  • Charles Santley
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1892
  • Sir Charles Santley (1834–1922), the English baritone whose career spanned more than fifty years, embracing both the operatic and concert stages, ranked among the foremost singers of his generation. After studying in Italy, he returned to England, where he was soon in great demand on the concert platform and in operatic roles, singing with the Pyne-Harrison, Mapleson and Carl Rosa opera companies, the Sacred Harmonic Society, the Philharmonic Society, and at the major English music festivals. His name is linked inseparably with the lavish Handel festivals at the Crystal Palace, and with the prophet in Mendelssohn's great oratorio Elijah. Santley's memoirs, first published in 1892 and reissued here in the third edition of that year, concentrate almost exclusively on his operatic career (a further volume on his concert experiences had been planned). His genial and informative anecdotes underpin the overriding message that hard work and perseverance win the day.

Richard Wagner's Letters to his Dresden Friends
  • Theodor Uhlig, Wilhelm Fischer, and Ferdinand Heine
  • Richard Wagner
  • Translated by J. S. Shedlock
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2014
    First published in:
    1890
  • Richard Wagner (1813–83) grew up in Dresden and served as Kapellmeister to King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony there from 1843 until he was forced to flee the country after the 1849 uprising. His operas Rienzi and Der fliegende Holländer received their first performances at the Dresden Court Theatre. During his time in the city, Wagner became firm friends with the composer and violinist Theodor Uhlig, the stage manager and chorus master Wilhelm Fischer, and the comedian and costume designer Ferdinand Heine. This collection of letters from the composer to his three great friends covers the period 1841–68. First published in 1888, the letters are reissued here in the 1890 English translation by the pianist and Beethoven scholar John South Shedlock (1843–1919). They offer an intimate and compelling insight into Wagner's personal and professional life and his forthright views on many contemporary musicians and public figures.

Wagner as I Knew Him
  • Ferdinand Praeger
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2014
    First published in:
    1892
  • The German composer, performer and critic Ferdinand Praeger (1815–91) moved to London in 1834, and served as the London correspondent of the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik from 1842. A lifelong devotee of Wagner, he helped engage the composer to conduct eight concerts at the Philharmonic Society in 1855. His enthusiasm for Wagner led to the publication of this work in English in 1892, although it was soon claimed that he had greatly overplayed his role in the composer's career. There were accusations of invented stories, distorted facts and altered letters, subsequently supported by evidence obtained by biographers such as William Ashton Ellis, and also by Houston Stewart Chamberlain's comparison of original letters with those featured in this biography. Such negative publicity caused the publishers of the German edition to withdraw the book. Nonetheless, it contains personal impressions which remain of interest, and is now considered less exaggerated than previously thought.

Songs of the Nativity
  • Being Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern
  • Edited by William Henry Husk
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2014
    First published in:
    1864
  • This collection of Christmas carols was published in 1864 by William Henry Husk (1814–87), a solicitor's clerk and amateur singer who was librarian of the Sacred Harmonic Society in London. He wrote many entries for the first edition of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, and in 1875 published An Account of the Musical Celebrations on St Cecilia's Day (also reissued in this series). He organises some eighty carols (some of which are familiar, others less known in these versions, and others no longer in common use) in two groups, religious and 'festive'. Each has a headnote explaining its origin, and the general introduction describes Christmas customs, including carol-singing, which Husk fears may be in decline. The songs range from 'A babe is born' and 'Here comes holly', to several variants of 'The boar's head carol', and Husk provides musical settings for twelve of them.

Hindu Music from Various Authors
  • Edited by Sourindro Mohum Tagore
  • Published online:
    05 February 2015
    Print publication:
    27 June 2013
  • Sourindro Mohan Tagore (1840–1914), musicologist, educationist and patron of Indian music, was a member of a highly influential family in nineteenth-century Calcutta that was renowned for its support of the arts. His work to generate understanding in the West of music's role in Indian culture and heritage was recognised worldwide and he is remembered today through his extensive writings, donations of musical instruments to leading institutions, and the Royal College of Music's prestigious Tagore gold medal. His valuable compilation of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century English writings on Indian music by learned Europeans was first printed for private circulation in 1875. It includes a catalogue of Indian musical instruments, illustrated notes by the orientalist William Ouseley (1767–1842), and a pioneering essay by Sir William Jones (1746–94), the Enlightenment polymath whose collected works are also reissued in this series.

The Present State of Music in France and Italy
  • Or, the Journal of a Tour through those Countries, Undertaken to Collect Materials for a General History of Music
  • Charles Burney
  • Published online:
    05 February 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2014
    First published in:
    1771
  • Although a well-connected music teacher by profession, Charles Burney (1726–1814) gained greatest recognition for his writings on music. First published in 1771, this work recounts the 1770 journey that Burney undertook as one of two research trips for his General History of Music (1776–89). Eager to meet key composers of the day and to hear the latest music, Burney arrived in Paris in mid-June, soon moving on to Italy, where he spent the majority of his time. Naples, long a centre of musical excellence and then the focus of the new galant style, received particular attention. The whole account provides an invaluable first-hand insight into European musical life in the eighteenth century. Burney's General History and the record of his second tour, The Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands, and United Provinces, 2nd edition (1775), are also reissued in this series.

The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Volume 1
  • Alexander Wheelock Thayer, Hermann Deiters, Hugo Riemann
  • Edited and translated by Henry Edward Krehbiel
  • Published online:
    05 February 2015
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • This authoritative biography of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was a landmark in its meticulous research and use of source material. For the American author Alexander Wheelock Thayer (1817–97), it represented a lifelong labour of love, yet it remained unfinished at his death. His friend Hermann Deiters (1833–1907) edited and translated Thayer's work into German, publishing three volumes which covered Beethoven's life to 1816. Since Deiters also died before the biography could be completed, musicologist Hugo Riemann (1849–1919) was called upon to conclude the work. The final German volumes appeared in 1907 and 1908. It was the American critic Henry Edward Krehbiel (1854–1923) who prepared the present work, the first and considerably revised English version, published in three volumes in 1921. Volume 1 covers Beethoven's career through to 1802, the year of the Heiligenstadt Testament.

The Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands, and United Provinces
  • Or, the Journal of a Tour through those Countries Undertaken to Collect Materials for a General History of Music
  • Volume 2
  • Charles Burney
  • Published online:
    18 December 2014
    Print publication:
    22 May 2014
    First published in:
    1775
  • Although a well-connected music teacher by profession, Charles Burney (1726–1814) gained greatest recognition for his writings on music. In this 1773 work, reissued here in its 1775 second edition, Burney recounts the 1772 journey that he undertook as one of two research trips for his General History of Music (1776–89). Throughout his travels, he was welcomed by the leading musicians of the day and heard many performances of the latest music. The whole account provides an invaluable first-hand insight into European musical life in the eighteenth century. Burney's General History and The Present State of Music in France and Italy (1772), the record of his first tour, are also reissued in this series. Volume 2 includes his visit to Potsdam to hear Frederick the Great's flute playing, and to Hamburg where he was welcomed by C. P. E. Bach.

Wagner as Man and Artist
  • Ernest Newman
  • Published online:
    18 December 2014
    Print publication:
    22 May 2014
    First published in:
    1914
  • Ernest Newman (1868–1959) was undoubtedly the greatest Wagnerian critic of his age. (His magisterial four-volume Life of Richard Wagner is also reissued in this series.) In this 1914 work, he attempts 'a complete and impartial psychological estimate' of a complex and frequently misinterpreted genius. He notes that such an attempt would have been impossible before the publication in 1911 of Wagner's autobiographical Mein Leben, but in his opening chapter he also warns against a naïve reading of that work, and of others by people 'who combine the maximum of good intentions with the minimum of critical insight'. He is clear-sighted about the strengths of Wagner the artist, not least his need to be 'the central sun of his universe', which of course led to Wagner the man behaving pettily, selfishly and frequently as a tyrant. This lucid account richly deserves its place in the history of Wagner studies.

The Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands, and United Provinces
  • Or, the Journal of a Tour through those Countries Undertaken to Collect Materials for a General History of Music
  • Volume 1
  • Charles Burney
  • Published online:
    18 December 2014
    Print publication:
    22 May 2014
    First published in:
    1775
  • Although a well-connected music teacher by profession, Charles Burney (1726–1814) gained greatest recognition for his writings on music. In this 1773 work, reissued here in its 1775 second edition, Burney recounts the 1772 journey that he undertook as one of two research trips for his General History of Music (1776–89). Throughout his travels, he was welcomed by the leading musicians of the day and heard many performances of the latest music. The whole account provides an invaluable first-hand insight into European musical life in the eighteenth century. Burney's General History and The Present State of Music in France and Italy (1772), the record of his first tour, are also reissued in this series. Volume 1 includes his visits to Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt, and to Vienna where he spent considerable time with the librettist Metastasio and the composers Hasse and Gluck.

The Annals of Covent Garden Theatre from 1732 to 1897
  • Volume 1
  • Henry Saxe Wyndham
  • Published online:
    05 December 2014
    Print publication:
    21 November 2013
  • Commissioned by the enterprising actor-manager John Rich, Covent Garden's Theatre Royal first opened its doors in December 1732. Principally a playhouse during its first century, the venue has had an eventful history involving two disastrous fires and riots over ticket prices. Most notably, it hosted Handel's incomparable operas and oratorios, and was where he presented regular seasons from 1735 until his death in 1759. Not until 1847, under Michael Costa, did the theatre dedicate itself to opera, and in 1892 it received the name by which it is known today: the Royal Opera House. Secretary of the Guildhall School of Music from 1901 to 1935, Henry Saxe Wyndham (1867–1940) published this richly illustrated two-volume account in 1906, celebrating the venue's legendary personalities and productions. Volume 1 covers the period 1732 to 1819 and includes discussion of John Rich, John Philip Kemble, Sarah Siddons, and Handel's operas.

Anecdotes of George Frederick Handel, and John Christopher Smith
  • With Select Pieces of Music, Composed by J. C. Smith, Never Before Published
  • William Coxe
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    13 February 2014
    First published in:
    1799
  • The author and clergyman William Coxe (1748–1828), noted for his travel works, was the stepson of Handel's amanuensis, German-born John Christopher Smith (1712–95). First published in 1799, the present work is a valuable source of first-hand information about two men at the heart of eighteenth-century English music: George Frideric Handel (1685–1759), whose inventive and sensitive melodic genius and exuberant brilliance in depicting the spectacular are best displayed in his Messiah and Zadok the Priest, and Smith, a composer of attractive and fashionable music, who settled in London in 1720, took lessons with Handel and later supported the great composer as his eyesight failed. Smith was also organist at the Foundling Hospital until 1770. This publication, profits from which were intended to support Smith's family, draws on the works of John Hawkins and Charles Burney, and on anecdotes claimed to be 'derived from unquestionable authority'.

Leaves from the Journals of Sir George Smart
  • George Smart
  • Edited by H. Bertram Cox, C. L. E. Cox
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    17 July 2014
  • Sir George Smart (1776–1867), conductor, composer, singing teacher and organist, was a central figure in nineteenth-century British musical life. He is best remembered as one of the founder members of the Philharmonic Society, for which he often conducted. Notably, in 1826 he presided over the first performance in England of Beethoven's ninth symphony. Smart was also much in demand as a conductor at the major English musical festivals and on royal occasions. These edited journal entries, first published in 1907, provide insightful accounts of concert life at the time, and they are particularly valuable for Smart's detailed observations - gathered during his extensive tour of 1825 - on musical practice in Europe, including conducting methods and performing speeds. The journal extracts end in 1845 with an account of Smart's visit to Bonn for the unveiling of Beethoven's statue.

Substance of Several Courses of Lectures on Music
  • Read in the University of Oxford, and in the Metropolis
  • William Crotch
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
  • 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, which first appeared in 1831, made his expertise available to a wider audience. Based on popular lectures given in Oxford and London, the book includes a penetrating assessment of contemporary musical taste and a list of Crotch's sheet music. His Elements of Musical Composition (1812) is also reissued in this series.

The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Volume 2
  • Alexander Wheelock Thayer, Hermann Deiters, Hugo Riemann
  • Edited and translated by Henry Edward Krehbiel
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • This authoritative biography of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was a landmark in its meticulous research and use of source material. For the American author Alexander Wheelock Thayer (1817–97), it represented a lifelong labour of love, yet it remained unfinished at his death. His friend Hermann Deiters (1833–1907) edited and translated Thayer's work into German, publishing three volumes which covered Beethoven's life to 1816. Since Deiters also died before the biography could be completed, musicologist Hugo Riemann (1849–1919) was called upon to conclude the work. The final German volumes appeared in 1907 and 1908. It was the American critic Henry Edward Krehbiel (1854–1923) who prepared the present work, the first and considerably revised English version, published in three volumes in 1921. Volume 2 covers the period 1803–18, including the custody wrangles over Beethoven's nephew.

A General History of Music, from the Earliest Times to the Present
  • Comprising the Lives of Eminent Composers and Musical Writers
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Busby
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    27 June 2013
    First published in:
    1819
  • 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 2 covers the period from the sixteenth century to Busby's own time, with a particular emphasis on England.

Six Lectures on Harmony
  • Delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, before Easter 1867
  • G. A. Macfarren
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    27 June 2013
  • One of the most prolific composers of the nineteenth century, Sir George Alexander Macfarren (1813–87) produced operas, symphonies, and instrumental and choral works, and is remembered today for the overture Chevy Chace. Son of the London impresario George Macfarren, he studied composition with Cipriani Potter at the Royal Academy of Music, becoming a professor there in 1837. Despite encroaching blindness, which became total in 1860, he remained at the centre of British musical life, continuing to compose, lecture, write and teach. Following the death of William Sterndale Bennett in 1875, he became professor of music at Cambridge and principal of the Royal Academy of Music. Reissued here is the 1882 third edition of a series of lectures on harmony delivered at the Royal Institution in 1867, intended to enhance the amateur listener's musical appreciation. They are based on Alfred Day's controversial Treatise on Harmony (also reissued in this series).

Some Ancient Christmas Carols, with the Tunes to Which They Were Formerly Sung in the West of England
  • Davies Gilbert
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    12 December 2013
    First published in:
    1822
  • A significant figure in the scientific community of his day, and a mentor to the chemist Sir Humphry Davy and his successor as president of the Royal Society, Davies Gilbert (1767–1839) also represented his native Cornwall in Parliament for almost thirty years. His love of his county and his concern to preserve its customs led him to publish in 1822 this collection of eight Christmas folk carols, the first of its kind, drawing on Cornwall's rich oral tradition. In his preface, Davies paints a heartwarming picture of the Christmas Eves of his childhood when, 'in the evening, cakes were drawn hot from the oven; cyder or beer exhilarated the spirits in every house; and the singing of Carols was continued late into the night'. From 'The Lord at first did Adam make' to 'Let all that are to mirth inclined', these simple ballads reflect the West of England's festive heritage.

Life of Mozart
  • Volume 3
  • Otto Jahn
  • Translated by Pauline D. Townsend
  • Preface by George Grove
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • In terms of musical composition, all but the first five of his thirty-five years were astoundingly productive for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91). A stream of glorious symphonies, piano concertos, chamber music, operas and the sublime but unfinished Requiem poured from his pen. German philologist and archaeologist Otto Jahn (1813–69) was inspired to write a scholarly biography of Mozart following a conversation at Mendelssohn's funeral in 1847. He immersed himself in intensive research on the composer and his music, publishing the first edition of this landmark work in four volumes between 1856 and 1859. A second edition followed in 1867, incorporating new material and making use of Köchel's 1862 catalogue of Mozart's works. It is from this edition that Pauline D. Townsend made her three-volume English translation, first published in 1882. Volume 3 discusses the Mozart–Da Ponte operas and the Requiem, and also includes a list of his works.

Page 2 of 9