Author: HOLDER (William):
Title: A Treatise of the Natural Grounds, and Principles, of Harmony. To which is Added, by way of Appendix: Rules for Playing a Thorow-Bass; with Variety of Proper Lessons, Fuges, and Examples to Explain the said Rules. Also Directions for Tuning an Harpsichord or Spinnet. By the late Mr. Godfrey Keller. With several new Examples, which before were wanting, the better to explain some Passages in the former Impressions. The whole being Revis'd, and Corrected from many gross Mistakes committed in the first Publication of these Rules.
Description: London: Printed by W. Pearson...for J. Wilcox...and T. Osborne..., 1731. 8vo, pp. [vi], 156, 159 - 174, 179 - 203, 42 - 43, 206, with penultimate leaf signed R and paginated 203/42 and final leaf signed G2 and paginated 43/296, folding engraved plate of scales opposite p. 118, music illustrations in text, neatly rebound in quarter calf, morocco label, marbled boards; inner margin of title-page repaired, very faded library stamp in lower margin of verso of title-page, but a very good copy. William Holder (1616 - 1696) exhibited remarkable skills as mathematician and musician at an early age; he also expressed an interest in speech and speech therapy, and his first book was The Elements of Speech (1669). The above work was first published in 1693 (date on title-page is 1694), and, according to New Grove, "praised by Burney and Hawkins for its clarity..," adding that "its preoccupation with the physical basis of music is typical of the growing spirit of scientific inquiry of the period and of the Age of Reason that brought the arts as well as the sciences within the scope of such inquiry." Holder added further lustre to his reputation with his publication in 1694 with the publication of his A Discourse concerning Time. Godfrey (or Gottfried) Keller (d. 1704) was preparing his Compleat Method for Attaining to Play Thorough Bass just before his death, and it was published posthumously in 1705 and reprinted in 1706 and 1717. This is the first appearance of Holder's work and Keller's work in the same volume, and it is the second revised edition of Keller's work. The pagination and signing of the last two leaves of text are different from another copy in my stock, though the musical text appears to be the same; I leave it to those with more energy and more bibliographic skills than I possess to explain what has happened.

Keywords: music prose


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