IRIARTE’S LA MUSICA, 1789

IRIARTE, Tomas de. La Musica. Poema. Venezia: Nella Stamperia di Antonio Curti Q. Giacomo, 1789. Quarto, later paper wrappers, uncut. $1200.

Italian edition of Iriarte’s popular didactic poem, illustrated with an engraved frontispiece and five engraved plates.

Spanish poet Iriarte’s most well-known work. “His very popular didactic poem La musica was first published in Madrid in 1779. Numerous reprints followed, and it was translated into French, Italian, German and English. Its five cantos begin with a treatment of the elements of music-scales, melody, harmony, rhythm and tempo; canto II discusses expression-the styles of music which invoke or depict joy, tranquility, militancy, sadness or terror… In the last canto, which describes social music, the symphonic and chamber forms, he gave special praise to Haydn, notably for his string quartets. The work is followed by explanatory footnotes and an essay on the merits of Spanish as a language for musical settings” (New Grove 9:327).

Interior fine, wear to spine of paper wrappers.