List of music plates in Rees's Cyclopaedia explained

This article is a list of music plates in Rees's Cyclopaedia. They were written by Charles Burney (1726–1814), with additional material by John Farey, sr (1766–1826), and John Farey, Jr (1791–1851). There are 53 plates as well a numerous examples of music typeset.

Music plates

Charles Burney was well known as the author of a General History of Music, 4 vol 1776–1789 and two travel diaries recording his Musical Tours collecting information in France and Italy, and later Germany, 1+2 vol, 1771 and 1773, as well as the Commemoration of Handel, 1785 and his Musical Memoirs of Metastasio, 1796. John Farey, sr was a polymath, well known today for his work as a geologist and for his investigations of the mathematics of sound, and the schemes of temperament used in tuning musical instruments then. His son, John Farey, jr, was also polymathic in his interests. He contributed numerous drawings for the illustrations of mostly technological and scientific topics in Rees's Cyclopaedia.

The index to plates in Vol 39 of the work notes that plates XXXIV — XLIV were intended to include selections from the works of Haydn and Mozart, and also various National Airs. Since they were readily accessible elsewhere they were omitted to save expense.[1] Plate XLV was also omitted.

Wilson Lowry engraved a number of the general plates in Miscellany and with John Farey Jr, the draughtsman, those on the Hawkins's Claviole and the set on the Organ.[2] The examples of music notation in the Music section must be presumed to have been originally written out by Burney, and were engraved by a Jno [John] Lee.[3] All the plates of musical instruments were also engraved by Lee. A number were drawn by a T. Webster. One was drawn by Edward Francesco Burney, Charles Burney's nephew, and another by an artist named Strange.

Vol III of plates Hydraulics — Naval Architecture

MISCELLANY

Publication datePlate NoFigure NoTitleLink to digitised plate in the Internet Archive
1820I8 and 9Chinese musical instruments, Ching and Kinghttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n96/mode/1up
1809IXWhole plateDramatic Machineryhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n105/mode/1up
1810XWhole plateDramatic Machineryhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n106/mode/1up
1816XIVWhole plateHawkins's Claviole or Finger Keyed Violhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n112/mode/1up
1819XXV1, 2, 4Aeolus's Harp; Crowth; Marine Trumpethttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n123/mode/1up

MUSIC

Publication datePlate NoFigure NoTitleLink to digitised plate in the Internet Archive
December 1, 1806I*Whole plateModern time-tablehttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n135/mode/1up
December 1, 1808II*Whole plateMusical charactershttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n136/mode/1up
January 1, 1803IWhole plateArpeggio; Ancient Musical Characters; [Keyboard layout]https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n137/mode/1up
November 1, 1804IIWhole plateThorough base or accompanimenthttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n138/mode/1up
December 1, 1804IIIWhole plateThorough basehttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n139/mode/1up
November 1, 1804IVWhole plateThorough base; Dissallowances in thorough basehttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n140/mode/1up
November 1, 1804VWhole plateThorough basehttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n141/mode/1up
June 1, 1805VIWhole plateCounterpointhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n142/mode/1up
September 1, 1805VIIWhole plateCounterpointhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n143/mode/1up
May 1, 1806VIIIWhole plateCounterpointhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n144/mode/1up
May 1, 1806IXWhole plateMusic. Answers to the regular Fugues ...https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n145/mode/1up
June 2, 1806XWhole plateMusic. Introduction to the manner of ...https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n146/mode/1up
June 2, 1806XIWhole plateCounterpointhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n147/mode/1up
July 1, 1806XIIWhole plateCounterpointhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n148/mode/1up
1806XIIIWhole plateCounterpointhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n149/mode/1up
1806XIVWhole plateCounterpointhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n150/mode/1up
February 12, 1813XVWhole plateCounterpointhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n151/mode/1up
February 12, 1813XVIWhole plateCounterpointhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XVI/mode/1up
No dateXVIIWhole plateDouble counterpoint in the octavehttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XVII/mode/1up
July 1, 1806XVIIIWhole plateContrappunto doppio in genere Cromaticohttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XVIII/mode/1up
April 11, 1808XIXWhole plateContrappunto doppio in genere Cromatico (cont.)https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XIX/mode/1up
July 1, 1806XXWhole plateContrappunto doppio in genere Cromatico (cont.)https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XX/mode/1up
April 11, 1808XXIWhole plateModulationhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXI/mode/1up
April 11, 1808XXIIWhole plateMusic. Modulation from a given note ...https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXII/mode/1up
July 1, 1806XXIIIWhole plateMusic. Rousseau ...; Kirnberger ...https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXIII/mode/1up
April 11, 1808XXIVWhole plateMusic. Product of the chord ...[etc.]https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXIV/mode/1up
April 11, 1808XXV and XXVI. On one plate numbered XXVWhole plateMusic. Example of the Pathetic Genus ...[etc.]https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXV/mode/1up
November 3, 1818XXVIIWhole plateMusic. Fingering on keyed instrumentshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXVII/mode/1up
November 5, 1818XXVIIIWhole plateMusic. Iteration in Fingeringhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXVIII/mode/1up
November 5, 1818XXIXWhole plateMusic. Fingering of semitonic or chromatic divisionshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXIX/mode/1up
November 5, 1818XXXWhole plateMusic. Shakeshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXX/mode/1up
February 2, 1807XXXI and XXXII. On one plate numbered XXXIIWhole plateMusic. Scale of the bassoonhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXX/mode/1up
March 2, 1807XXXIIIWhole plateFacsimile of an Air on three notes by Rousseauhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXXIII/mode/1up
[XXXIV — XLIV]Plates omitted from the work to save expense. (see Introduction)
Date croppedXLVWhole plateMusic. Original melodies to the tune of Ossian in Temorahttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XXXIV/mode/1up
[XLVI]Plate omitted from the work
April 11, 1808[XLVII]Whole plateEuclidis sectio canonishttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n169/mode/1up
April 11, 1808XLVIIIWhole plateMusic. Canon in ogni modo: ... [etc.]https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XLVIII/mode/1up

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Publication datePlate NoFigure NoTitleLink to digitised plate in the Internet Archive
January 1, 1803IWhole plateAncient musical instrumentshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n171/mode/1up
June 1, 1803IIWhole plateAncient musical instruments & Maskshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n172/mode/1up
May 1, 1804IIIWhole plateAncient musical instrumentshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n173/mode/1up
Date croppedIVWhole plateAncient musical instrumentshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n174/mode/1up
September 2, 1805VWhole plateInstruments of music:Indian musical instrumentshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/V/mode/1up
December 1, 1806VIWhole plateInstruments of music: Pandean minstrels, in performance at Vaux-Hallhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n176/mode/1up
April 11, 1808VIIWhole plateMusical instruments: Welsh harpshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n177/mode/1up
April 11, 1808VIIIWhole plateMusical instruments: Origin of the bowhttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n178/mode/1up
April 11, 1808IXWhole plateRussian musical instrumentshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n179/mode/1up
Aug 1, 1808XWhole plateMusical instruments: Harpshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n180/mode/1up
October 11, 1811XIWhole plateMusical instruments: Flutes, Hautboys [etc.]https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n181/mode/1up
November 1, 1811XIIWhole plateMusical instruments: Horns, Serpent [etc.]https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n182/mode/1up
December 1, 1811XIIIWhole plateMusical instruments: Arch-lute [Theobro], Mandolineshttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/n183/mode/1up
January 1, 1813XIVWhole plateMusical instruments: Violin, Cello, Kit, Viol da Gambahttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XIV/mode/1up
December 21, 1811XVWhole plateMusical instruments:Viol d'Amour. Mandore, Spanish Guitar, Lutehttps://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002007406#page/XV/mode/1up

Vol IV of plates. Navigation — Writing by cipher

ORGAN

Publication datePlate NoFigure NoTitleLink to digitised plate in the Internet Archive
1814IWhole plateOrgan https://archive.org/stream/cyclopaediaplates04rees#page/n54/mode/1up
1814IIWhole plateOrgan: Interior Profile of an English Church Organhttps://archive.org/stream/cyclopaediaplates04rees#page/n56/mode/1up
1814IIIWhole plateOrgan: Made by Messrs Flight and Robson for the Earl of Kirkwallhttps://archive.org/stream/cyclopaediaplates04rees#page/n58/mode/1up
1817IVWhole plateOrgan: [Detail of the Flight and Robson organ]https://archive.org/stream/cyclopaediaplates04rees#page/n60/mode/1up

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rees. Abraham. Rees's Cyclopaedia. 1819. Longmans. London. 26 April 2015.
  2. Woolrich, A. P., "John Farey, Jr., technical author and draughtsman: his contribution to Rees's Cyclopædia". Industrial Archaeology Review, 20, (1998), 49-68 AIA Abstracts 1998.
  3. Lee has not been identified, but there was a wood engraver of that name, who died in 1804.