The Histories of Charles Burney and John Hawkins: A Cultural Context A thesis submitted for the degree of M.Litt., 2018 Tess Conway Declaration I declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university and it is entirely my own work. I agree to deposit this thesis in the University’s open access institutional repository or allow the Library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library conditions of use and acknowledgement. ___________________ _______________ i Acknowledgements I am very much indebted to my supervisor Simon Trezise, who facilitated the completion of this thesis with his encouraging support and guidance. As well as academic advice, his help in administrative matters is appreciated, and his unfailing availability for meetings. The research, and the early writing of the thesis, was carried out under the supervision of Martin Adams, who also read the final draft and offered valuable critical comment. From the outset, I benefitted greatly from Martin’s wide-ranging scholarship in the area of my research. His initial enthusiasm for my choice of topic was inspiring, and in much thought-provoking discussion the broad cultural canvas of the eighteenth century context was explored in its relevance to my subject. I am deeply grateful. The music librarian, Roy Stanley, has been most helpful and generous with his time and expertise. The Berkeley library counter staff were ever pleasant and helpful. Four memorable, enriching undergraduate years (1992–1996) in the then Trinity School of Music opened up the world of musicology to me and provided the impetus to continue at post-graduate level. For this I am very grateful. I also acknowledge the support of my brother, Brendan, whose encouragement to climb mountains continues. This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my parents. ii Summary The Histories of Charles Burney and John Hawkins are examined with reference to the observation by Carl Dahlhaus (1983) and Warren Dwight Allen (1939/62) that written history reflects the culture of the age in which it is written, and also reflects the backgrounds and conditioning of its authors. To test that theory the following methodology is used to identify the culture in question and establish the background of the authors. Music in its social context is examined with reference to eighteenth-century perceptions of music as they pertained to Charles Burney and John Hawkins as historians of music. Conditions, intellectual and practical, that shaped the writing of their Histories are investigated. The influence of Enlightenment philosophy is examined in its manifestation in English life and letters, as is the contribution of historiographical theory and practice. Previous histories of music are tabulated to facilitate an appraisal of such works and to contextualise the vacuum that Burney and Hawkins aimed to fill. In tracing relevant developments within larger, influential historical movements, significant influences in the seventeenth century and earlier are considered. Practical conditions which played a part in facilitating the writing of the Histories of Burney and Hawkins are examined. In particular, print culture is explored, and, arising from it, the culture of criticism which facilitated comment on the subject of music. Biographies of these two historians are summarised in aspects relevant to their approaches to the history-writing task they undertook. This research finds an ambiguous attitude to music in eighteenth-century society which both authors identified and sought to correct; evidence of Enlightenment values in a humanist approach to historiography and in the empirical approach of both historians; and evidence of the growth of historical consciousness. Ideological differences between the two historians are revealed, with Burney defining music as an entertaining art, and Hawkins insisting on its identity as a science. The ancient/modern music debate fundamentally divides the two authors: Burney was a modernist and Hawkins championed ancient music. In this they reflect different facets of the cultural values of their time, both of which were essential to the establishment of a timeless canon of musical classics. Their divergences of opinion also reveal the influence of the backgrounds of the historians: Burney the socially ambitious professional musician and Hawkins the lawyer and antiquary. iii Table of Contents Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Summary iii List of Tables vi List of Abbreviations and Short Titles vii Introduction 1 Chapter 1. Music and musicians in their social context 6 1.1 The place of music in eighteenth-century English society 6 1.2 Music education 11 Chapter 2. Conditions that shaped the writing of a history of music 22 2.1 Intellectual conditions 22 2.1.1 Prevailing philosophical theory: the Enlightenment 22 2.1.2 Enlightenment in England, empiricism 25 2.1.3 Theories of history, historical consciousness 35 2.1.4 Ancient versus modern 40 2.2 Practical conditions 51 2.2.1 Book and manuscript collecting 51 2.2.2 Print culture 54 2.2.3 The means to publish and promote, patronage 56 Chapter 3. Music histories and historians 61 3.1 Previous histories of music 70 3.2 The historians: Burney and Hawkins 74 Chapter 4. Ideological views in the histories of Burney and Hawkins 87 4.1 Expression of ideological views: criticism and music history 87 4.2 Music: old and new 94 4.3 Instrumental music 100 4.4 Music: art or science? 102 iv 4.5 Opera 109 Chapter 5 The reception of the histories 116 Conclusion 123 Bibliography 127 v List of Tables Eighteenth-century writings on music and their antecedents 62–68 vi Abbreviations and Short Titles GMO Grove Music Online JAMS Journal of the American Musicological Society MGG Die Musik in Gesichte und Gegenwart NG New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Note: Where multiple publication dates are given, the latest edition has been consulted. Burney’s Writings Burney, Tour 1 The Present State of Music in France and Italy, 1771. Burney, Tour 2 The Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands, and United Provinces, 1773; 2nd edn 1775. Burney GH 1, GH 2 A General History of Music from the Earliest Ages to the Present Period, 1776–1789; Frank Mercer (ed.), 1935, 1957, 2 vols. Burney, Memoirs Memoirs of Dr. Charles Burney, 1726–1769, Slava Klima, Garry Bowers and Kerry S. Grant (eds.), 1988. Burney, Letters The Letters of Dr. Charles Burney, vol. 1, 1751–1784, A. V. F. Ribeiro (ed.), 1991. Hawkins’s Writings Hawkins, Steffani ‘Life of Signor Agostino Steffani,’ Gentleman’s Magazine xxi, 1761. Hawkins, An Account An Account of the Institution and Progress of the Academy of Ancient Music, 1770, Christopher Hogwood (ed.), 1998. Hawkins, GH 1, GH 2 A General History of the Science and Practice of Music 1776; repr. of 1853 edn, 2 vols., 1963. vii Other Works Allen, Philosophies of Warren Dwight Allen, Philosophies of Music History: A Music History Study of General Histories of Music, 1600–1960, 1939; repr. 1962. Altick, The Eng. Common Richard D., Altick, The English Common Reader, A Reader Social History of the Mass Reading Public 1800–1900, 1957. Avison, Musical Espression Charles Avison, An Essay on Musical Espression, 1752; 1775. Bacon, Learning Sir Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning, 1605; G.W. Kitchin (ed.), 1973. Black, The British Abroad Jeremy Black, The British Abroad: The Grand Tour in the Eighteenth Century, 1992, 1997. Boethius, Fundamentals Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, Fundamentals of of Music Calvin M. Bower (trans.), 1989. Breisach, Historiography Ernest Breisach, Historiography, Ancient, Medieval and Modern, 1994. Brewer, English Culture John Brewer, The Pleasures of the Imagination: English Culture in the Eighteenth Century, 2013. Buelow, ‘The “loci topici”’ George J. Buelow, ‘The “loci topici” and Affect in Late Baroque Music: Heinichen’s Practical Demonstration,’ The Music Review, 1966. Casella, ‘Charles Burney Lorraine Ann Casella, ‘Charles Burney the Pedagogue: A The Pedagogue’ Critical Evaluation of the Great Historian as Music Educator,’ 1979. Chambers Melanie Parry, Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 1997. Dahlhaus, Foundations of Carl Dahlhaus, Foundations of Music History, J. B. Music History Robinson (trans.), 1983. Davis, Life of Hawkins Bertram H. Davis, A Proof of Eminence: The Life of Sir John Hawkins, 1973. Eggington, Advancement Tim Eggington, The Advancement of Music in of Mus. Enlightenment England: Benjamin Cooke and the Academy of Ancient Music, 2014. Evans, In Defence of History Richard. J., Evans, In Defence of History, 1997. viii F. G. E[dwards], ‘Hawkins, F. G. E[dwards], ‘Sir John Hawkins, 1719–1789, A A Biog. Sketch’ Biographical Sketch,’ The Musical Times, 1904. Fubini, Aesthetics Enrico Fubini, The History of Music Aesthetics, Michael Hatwell (trans.), 1990. Fubini, Music and Culture Enrico Fubini, Music and Culture in Eighteenth-Century Europe: A Source Book, Wolfgang Freis, Lisa Gasbarrone, Michael Louis Leone (trans.), 1994. Gardiner, Theories Patrick Gardiner (ed.), Theories of History: Readings of History from Classical and Contemporary Sources, 1959. Gent. Mag. Gentleman’s Magazine. Goff, Newspapers Moira Goff, ‘The Burney Newspapers at the British Library,’ 17th–18th-Century Burney Collection Newspapers, 2007. Grant, Burney as Critic Kerry Scott Grant, Dr. Burney as Critic and Historian of Music, 1983. Heartz, ‘Enlightenment’ Daniel Heartz ‘Enlightenment,’ NG. Hogwood, ‘Thomas Christopher Hogwood, ‘Thomas Tudway’s History of Tudway’s History of Music’ Music,’ in Music in Eighteenth-Century England, Essays in Memory of Charles Cudworth, Christopher Hogwood and Richard Luckett (eds.), 1983. Hogwood, “‘Gropers into Christopher Hogwood, ‘“Gropers into Antique Musick” Antique Music’” or “A Very Ancient and Respectable Society”? Historical Views of the Academy of Ancient Music,’ in Coll’ astuzia, col giudizio: Essays in Honor of Neal Zaslaw, Cliff Eisen (ed.), 2009). Johnstone, ‘Westminster H. Diack Johnstone, ‘Westminster Abbey and the Abbey and the Academy’ Academy of Ancient Music: A Library Once Lost and now Partially Recovered,’ Music and Letters, 2014.