Music Entries at Stationers' Hall, 1710–1818: from lists prepared for William Hawes, D.W. Krummel and Alan Tyson and from other sources - Hardcover

Kassler, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0754634582 ISBN 13: 9780754634584

Publisher: Routledge, 2004

Synopsis

The British Copyright Act of 1709 protected proprietors of books and music printed after 10 April 1710 who gave copies to the Company of Stationers in London. Upon receipt of a copy, usually within days of its first publication, the Stationers' Hall warehouse keeper entered details into a register. They included the date of registration, the name of the work's proprietor (its author or, if copyright had been transferred, its publisher), and the work's full title, which normally named the composer and the writer of any text and often named the work's performers and dedicatee. Although some publishers put the words 'Entered at Stationers' Hall' on title-pages without actually depositing copies, the information in the registers about the many works that were registered has significant bibliographic value. Because the music entries have not previously been printed and access to them has been difficult, they generally have been ignored by cataloguers and scholars, with the consequence that numerous musical works of this period have been misdated in libraries and reference books. This book makes available, for the first time, the full text of the music entries at Stationers' Hall from 1710 to 1810 and abbreviated details of works entered from 1811 to 1818. Its value is enhanced by the inclusion of locations of copies of most works, together with indexes of composers, authors, performers and dedicatees, and an explanatory introduction by the compiler.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Kassler, Michael Kassler and Associates, Australia with a foreword by D.W. Krummel, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Review:

'Clarity at last in dating music published in eighteenth-century Britain! By extracting copyright dates from Stationers' Hall registrations Michael Kassler has provided an essential tool. The wonderful indexes will open up many areas of enquiry into musical life of the time.' Professor John Tyrrell, Chair, The Music Libraries Trust '... the publication of this admirable and useful volume [is] well-presented in an easily accessible format and with a very useful collection of indexes... This is an essential reference work for any library supporting research in 18th and 19th century music, and for any library cataloguing music or with significant holdings from this period. As a quick reference for dating music, a research tool for finding information on performers, dedicatees and other persona, and for an overview of music publishing in Britain in the Georgian period, I commend this book.' Brio 'The book tells us much about how British musical taste was being served by music publishers in the Georgian era.' Reference Reviews 'The ledger entries are of particular value to librarians and dealers seeking to date extant copies... leafing through the volume allows one to get a real sense of the variety and breadth of British music publishing in the period...' The Library '... an indispensable service to those wishing to authenticate the publication of music in England between 1710 and 1818.' The Consort '... especially useful to bibliographers and historians of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century culture in England.' The Beethoven Journal 'For those looking for exact publication information on music publications in the British Georgian era, or how musical taste during this time period was created and encouraged by music composers and music publishers, this book is an excellent starting point.' Music Reference Services Quarterly 'We get a wonderful snap-shot of London's theatre life: English and Italian operas (serious and comic), musical plays, pantomimes, the theatres where they were performed, their most popular songs... Here too are oratorios and church music... We can trace the changing fashions in dance music, the growing popularity of Scottish and Irish pseudo-folksong, and the repertoire of the increasingly popular glee clubs... Suitably substantial paper has been employed for a volume which should get heavy use. This and its elegant binding make the book a delight to handle.' Journal of the Printing Historical Society 'In sum, this is a handy reference volume for scholars of diverse interests: those who need dates or particular editions, who are working on the history of published music or the development and impact of copyright law, and those who are studying musical life and taste in Georgian England, to name but the most obvious potential users.' Musicology Australia 'This volume enriches our knowledge of music publishing in the period, adding details not previously available from other sources, especially author identifications... much remains to be learned about the publication of music in England prior to 1818, and Kassler's book provides a very valuable foundation for such study.' Script and Print

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0754634582
• ISBN 13: 9780754634584
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 768