NEW OXFORD HISTORY OF MUSIC VOLUME II EDITORIAL BOARD J.A.WESTRUP(Chairman) GERALDABRAHAM (Secretary) EDWARDJ.DENT DOMANSELM'HUGHES BOONWELLESZ THE VOLUMES OF THE NEW OXFORD HISTORY OF MUSIC I. AncientandOrientalMusic ii. EarlyMedievalMusicupto1300 in. ArsNovaandtheRenaissance(c. 1300-1540) iv. TheAgeofHumanism(1540-1630) v. OperaandChurchMusic(1630-1750) vi.TheGrowthofInstrumentalMusic(1630-1750) vn.TheSymphonicOutlook(1745-1790) VIIL TheAgeofBeethoven(1790-1830) ix. Romanticism(1830-1890) x. ModernMusic(1890-1950) XL ChronologicalTablesandGeneralIndex - - ' SACRED AND PROFANE MUSIC (St.John'sCollege,Cambridge, MS.B. 18.)Twelfthcentury EARLY MEDIEVAL MUSIC BOO UP TO EDITED BY DOM ANSELM HUGHES GEOFFREY CUMBERLEGE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON NEWYORK TORONTO 1954 OxfordUniversityPress,AmenHouse,LondonE.C.4 GLASGOWNEWYORKTORONTOMELBOURNEWELLINGTON BOMBAYCALCUTTAMADRASKARACHICAPETOWNIBADAN GeoffreyCumberlege,Publishertothe University PRINTEDINGREATBRITAIN GENERAL INTRODUCTION THEpresentworkis designedto replacethe OxfordHistoryofMusic, first published in six volumes under the general editorship of Sir Henry Hadow between 1901 and 1905. Five authors contributed to thatambitiouspublication thefirst ofits kindto appearin English. Thefirsttwovolumes, dealingwiththeMiddleAgesandthesixteenth century, were thework ofH. E. Wooldridge. In the third SirHubert Parry examined themusic ofthe seventeenthcentury. Thefourth, by J. A. Fuller-Maitland, was devoted to the age ofBach and Handel; the fifth, byHadowhimself, to theperiodboundedby C. P. E. Bach andSchubert. InthefinalvolumeEdwardDannreutherdiscussedthe Romantic period, with which, in the editor's words, it was 'thought advisable to stop'. The importance ofthe work particularly ofthe first two volumes was widely recognized, and it became an indis pensablepartofamusician'slibrary.Theschemewasfurtherextended in the new edition issued under the editorship of Sir Percy Buck between 1929 and 1938. Anintroductoryvolume, theworkofseveral hands, was designed to supplement the story ofmusic intheancient world and the Middle Ages. New material, including two complete chapters, was added to volumes i andii,whilethethirdvolumewas reissued with minor corrections and a number of supplementary notesbyEdwardJ. Dent. Thehistorywas also broughtnearerto the twentieth century by the addition of a seventh volume, by H. C. Colles, entitled Symphony andDrama, 1850-1900. Revision ofanhistoricalworkis always difficult. Ifitis tobefully effective,itmaywellinvolvechanges so comprehensivethatverylittle ofthe original remains. Such radicalrevisionwasnotthepurposeof thesecondeditionoftheOxfordHistoryofMusic. Tohaveattempted it in a third edition would have been impossible. During the first halfofthepresentcenturyanenormous amountofdetailedworkhas been done on every period covered by the original volumes. New materialshavebeendiscovered,newrelationshipsrevealed,newinter pretationsmadepossible. Perhapsthemostvaluableachievementhas been the publication in reliable modern editions ofa mass ofmusic whichwas previously available onlyinmanuscript or inrare printed copies. These developments have immeasurably increased the his torian's opportunities, but they have also added heavily to his re sponsibilities. To attempt a detailed survey of the whole history of GENERAL INTRODUCTION vi music is no longer within the power ofa single writer. It may even be doubted whether the burden can be adequately shouldered by a team offive. The New Oxford History ofMusic is therefore not a revision of the older work, nor is it the product of a small group ofwriters. It has beenplanned as an entirelynew survey ofmusicfromtheearliest times down to comparatively recent years, including not only the achievements ofthe Western world but also the contributions made by eastern civilizations and primitive societies. The examination of this immense field is the work of a large number of contributors, English andforeign. Theattempthas beenmadeto achieve uniform itywithoutanyloss ofindividuality. Ifthis attempthas been success ful,theresultisduelargelytothepatienceandco-operationshownby the contributors themselves. Overlapping has to some extent been avoided by the use of frequent cross-references; but we have not thought it proper to prevent different authors from expressing dif ferent views about the same subject, where it could legitimately be regarded as fallinginto more than one category. The scope ofthe work is sufficiently indicated by the titles ofthe several volumes. Our object throughout has been to present music not as an isolated phenomenon or the work of a few outstanding composers but as an art developing in constant association with every form ofhuman culture and activity. Thebiographies ofindivi duals arethereforemerelyincidental to themainplan ofthehistory, and those who want detailed information of this kind must seek it elsewhere. Nohardandfastsystemofdivisioninto chaptershas been attempted. The treatment is sometimes by forms, sometimes by periods, sometimes also by countries, according to the importance whichoneelementoranothermayassume. Thedivisionintovolumes has to some extent been determined by practical considerations; but painshavebeentakento ensurethatthebreaks occuratpointswhich are logically and historically justifiable. The result may be that the work of a single composer who lived to a ripe age is divided be tween two volumes. The later operas of Monteverdi, for example, belong to thehistory ofVenetian opera andhence find their natural place in volumev, notwith the discussion ofhisearlieroperas to be found in volume iv. On the other .hand, we have not insisted on a rigid chronological division where the result would be illogical or confusing. If a subject finds its natural conclusion some ten years afterthedateassignedforthe end ofaperiod, itis obviouslyprefer able to complete it within the limits of one volume rather than to GENERAL INTRODUCTION vii allow it to overflow into a second. An exception to the general scheme of continuous chronology is to be found in volumes v and vi, which deal with different aspects of the same period and so are complementary to each other. The history as a whole is intended to be useful to the professed student of music, for whom the documentation of sources and the bibliographies are particularly designed. But the growing interest in themusicofallperiods shownbymusic-loversin generalhas encour aged us to bear their interests also in mind. It is inevitable that a work ofthis kind should employ a large number of technical terms and deal with highly specialized matters. We have, however, tried to ensure that the technical terms are intelligible to the ordinary reader and that what is specialized is not necessarily wrapped in obscurity. Finally, since music must be heard to be fully appreciated, we have given references throughout to -the records issued by His Master's Voice (R. C. A. Victor) under the general title The History ofMusic in Sound. These records are collected in a series of albums which correspond to the volumes of the present work, and have been designed to be used with it. WESTRUP J. A. GERALD ABRAHAM EDWARD DENT J. ANSELM HUGHES EGON WELLESZ B352 A.2