Project Gutenberg's Observations on the Florid Song, by Pier Francesco Tosi

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Title: Observations on the Florid Song
or Sentiments on the Ancient and Modern Singers

Author: Pier Francesco Tosi

Translator: Johann Ernest Galliard

Release Date: August 29, 2008 [EBook #26477]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OBSERVATIONS ON THE FLORID SONG ***

Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed
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[The spelling of the original has been retained.]

OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

Florid Song;

OR,

SENTIMENTS

ON THE

_Ancient_ and _Modern_ SINGERS,

Written in _Italian_

By PIER. FRANCESCO TOSI,

Of the _Phil-Harmonic_ Academy

at _Bologna_.

Translated into _English_

By Mr. _GALLIARD_.

Useful for all PERFORMERS, _Instrumental_
as well as _Vocal_.

To which are added

EXPLANATORY ANNOTATIONS,

and Examples in MUSICK.

_Ornari Res ipsa negat, contenta doceri._

_LONDON_:

Printed for J. WILCOX, at _Virgil's_ Head, in
the _Strand_. 1743.

_Note_, By the _Ancient_, our Author
means those who liv'd about thirty
or forty Years ago; and by the
_Modern_ the late and present Singers.

N.B. _The Original was printed at_
Bologna, _in the Year_ 1723.

_Reprinted from the Second Edition by_
WILLIAM REEVES Bookseller Ltd.,
1a Norbury Crescent, London, S.W. 16

1967

Made in England

[Illustration]

TO ALL

Lovers of MUSICK.

LADIES and GENTLEMEN,

Persons of Eminence, Rank, Quality, and a distinguishing Taste in any
particular Art or Science, are always in View of Authors who want a
Patron for that Art or Science, which they endeavour to recommend and
promote. No wonder therefore, I should have fix'd my Mind on You, to
patronize the following Treatise.

If there are Charms in Musick in general, all the reasonable World
agrees, that the _Vocal_ has the Pre-eminence, both from _Nature_ and
_Art_ above the Instrumental: From _Nature_ because without doubt it was
the first; from _Art_, because thereby the Voice may be brought to
express Sounds with greater Nicety and Exactness than Instruments.

Th