A Sketch of the History of Music-Printing, from the Fifteenth to The
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A Sketch of the History of Music-Printing, from the Fifteenth to the Nineteenth Century ( Continued) Author(s): Friedrich Chrysander Source: The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, Vol. 18, No. 413 (Jul. 1, 1877), pp. 324-326 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3355495 Accessed: 17-01-2016 05:24 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Musical Times Publications Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 130.240.43.43 on Sun, 17 Jan 2016 05:24:14 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL 324 TIMES.--JuLY I, 1877. is only the shallow water that foams and rages. Judging him by this standard of his own, we must Farther out the "blue profound" merely rises in unfortunatelycancel a considerable part of his book. obedience to force and then sinks again to rest upon Poor Schmid! Too much learning often dulls the the spot from which it rose. So with the effect of spirit, if there is not on the other side a little his- fashion on a nation's music. There may be disturbing torical common sense to hold the tongue of the results, but they are transient; and as Handel, with balance upright. However, I am not to speak here his grand artistic qualities, has remained the musician of Schmid, but of Petrucci. of the people through the changes of near upon 150 Ottaviano dei Petrucci is in fact the firstnoteworthy years, so he is likely to remain. Well for England personality, and to this day the most prominent that she has such a sheet-anchor to steady her " when name, that we encounter in the history of music- the stormywinds do blow " and cross-currents vex printing. He is the only one connected with music the waters! whom we could in any sense put by the side of Gutenberg, the great inventor of book-printing; and their histories were similar. Petrucci was born at A SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF MUSIC- Fossombrone, a town in the duchy of Urbino, PRINTING, FROM THE FIFTEENTH TO June 18, 1466, of noble but not wealthy parents. As THE NINETEENTH CENTURY printer he naturally turned to Venice, which was in his day the central point that art. In the years BY FRIEDRICH CHRYSANDER. for of his best powers, towards the end of the fifteenth (Continuedfrom page 268.) century, he succeeded in discovering a process men had often SECOND PERIOD: TYPOGRAPHY. "which many inventive attempted, without able to overcome the difficulties,"by words of the article direct being THE concluding previous which he to perfection" a thing as welcome to the manner in which we must now trace this brought us as it was difficult,and of public utility." Thus he second Our course is dif- period. present entirely speaks himselfin the preface to the firstwork printed ferentfrom that to which we have kept hitherto. a collection of for several is by him, ninety-sixsongs What has now to be described to us only the entitled " Harmonice musices Odhecaton," of an known on new voices, employment already process that in Venice in 1501. The Privilege of the to the view which has appeared ground; whereas, according of Venice, dated May 1498, confirms it was a new invention without municipality 25, prevailed hitherto, this in the words, " Petrucci has with great expenses There is a learned book on any preparatory stages. and labour executed what many before him, both in this Anton late Custos of the subject by Schmid, and elsewhere, had long attempted in vain." at which bears the title Italy Imperial Library Vienna, Now what had these many attempted so long in vain ? " Petrucci of the first Ottaviano dei Fossombrone, The of the tells us quite distinctly with movable Privilege Signoria inventor of music-printing metallic that it was an easier method of printingflorid-song and his successors in the sixteenth types, century." In consequence of this, the Privilege It is a and I should not desire more (canto figurato). large book, space on to the Gregorian (canto fermo) a work which I sometime to on all goes say, plain-song for hope publish also would be able to be printed with much greater the five It clear fromthe periods together. appears ease. From this expression it has been inferredthat of Schmid's book that he allows of the very title also were thenceforth actually printed by but before Pe- they existence of nothing block-printing Petrucci's method, which was not the case. In the trucci's time. And he after " Not says shortly (p. 3), above words the were only repeating the of the fifteenth after Signoria till the last few years century, which Petrucci had in his request for of hope expressed long pondering, did any one hit upon the invention the but which was not fulfilled,as I showed and privilege, movable types ofmetal forflorid, song, subsequentlyin the article. Petrucci requested and and lute and previous for plain-song also, organ tabulatures, received the for twentyyears, solely for the for the to privilege available printing-press." According this, music in many for singing,organ, and of was an not a printingof parts the printing plain-song imitation, lute.* This makes the matter perfectlyclear. of that of the of forerunner, florid-song, very opposite The earliest works published by Petrucci were what I in the and shall explained previous number, three books of strictly secular compositions. The still furtherdemonstrate in the In Schmid's sequel. firstbook on the of June, 1501. In the which has hitherto been taken all writers on appeared i8th view, by next year he began to publish church music, of the who of the very subject, betray great ignorance pre- which in course of time a great quantity was printed. Petrucci's invention fell down, as ceding fiftyyears, He began with a collection of Motetts, also in three it were, from heaven. He asks pathetically (p. 3), books. In he commenced a collection of " 1504 large Who was the happy man who invented the art of Italian secular in nine books, entitled" Frottole." and works of music means of songs printing multiplying by This forms a to his first publication, which metal ? To whom the pendant movable types belongs glory contains almost pieces by composers of which was so at its out- exclusively of an invention perfect very the Low Countries. To an idea of the great so sound in its and so in its give set, progress, enjoyable which he showed at the very beginning, I to all who were fondof the art ? " The learned activity effects a list of his in the firstfour years, of Vienna assures us in his give publications Custos naively preface, with the dates of printing,and a notice of " As I was anxious to state in book what is together my only the libraries in which copies are preserved. The i.e. facts historical true, guaranteed by documents, Museo Filarmonico at Bologna possesses the greatest I considered myselfbound to treat my subject in the simplest style, and to forego all rhetorical ornament . Octaviano-dei Petrucci . cum molte sue spexe ed vigi- lantissima cura ha trovado quello che molti non solo in Italia ma and superfluous diffuseness, which in many books etiandio de fuora de Italia za longamente indarno hanno investigato wastes so much of our time; but on the other hand che e stampare commodissimamenteCanto figurado. Et per consequens cosa a la I to be conscientious in search molto piu facitmenteCanto fernso: precipue Religon Chris- sought especially my tiana de grande ornamento et maxime necessaria: pertanto el sopra- for historical truth and bibliographical exactitude." scripto supplicante recorre a li piedi de vostra Illustrissima Signoria, quella . se degni concederli de gratia special chome supplicando ... de Vostra * " Ottaviano dei Petrucci da Fossombrone, der erster Erfinder des a primo inventore che niuno altro nel dominio Signoria Intaboladure d' et de mit beweglichen Metalltypen, und seine Nachfolger possi stampare Canto figurado ne Organo liuto the Signoria, May 1498, in Schmid, M]Vusiknotendruckes,im X6nJahrhunderte." Vienna, x845. PP. 342, 8vo, with an Appendix per anni vinti."--Privilege of 25, of Music, Printers' Devices, &c. p. I0. This content downloaded from 130.240.43.43 on Sun, 17 Jan 2016 05:24:14 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES.-JULY I, 1877. 325 number; but Vienna, Munich, and Berlin also have to improve. That invention had been made with precious and generally very well-preserved specimens exclusive regard to florid-song,i.e. highly elaborate of the printing in this earliest age:- vocal music for many voices, and was of the greatest Date of Librariespossessing importance for this. As regards its notation and dis- Printing. 1501. Copies. semination, this kind of music was then in a helpless June 18 ... I. Harmonice musices Odhe- position; indeed, as far as its progress was concerned, caton, A ... ......Bologna. Feb. 5* .. 2. Canti B, numero cinquanta Bologna. the art of printing was of no' service, for what 1502.