Galilei, Vincenzo

first edition, folio (332 x 210mm), [4], 149 & [11] pages, title within woodcut allegorical border, two engraved musical examples, type-set musical examples, many woodcut diagrams (some full-page), including illustrations of Ancient Greek lyres, device at end, eighteenth-century mottled calf, flat spine gilt in compartments, lacking the folding overslip (diagram) on p.120, short tear to F3 & F4 repaired, tear to upper corner of K4, last leaf extensively repaired, stain to M5, a few tears and holes in the margins, browning to title, binding worn, joints weak

Censimento 16 CNCE 20220; Gregory and Bartlett, p.103; Hirsch I, 201; RISM, Écrits, p.344; A. Hyatt King, Four Hundred Years of Music Printing (1968), p.16 and plate 12b; O. Strunk, Source Readings in Music History (1950), pp. 302-322; N. Pirotta, Music and Theatre from Poliziano to Monteverdi (1982); C.Palisca, Humanism in Italian Renaissance Musical Thought (1985).

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This is an important work in the early history of Baroque melody and opera, and contains the first example of musical engraving in a book.

Vincenzo Galilei (late 1520s-1591) was an accomplished composer, lutenist, singer and composer, whose rejection of polyphony paved the way for Opera.  The present work was the first published musical manifesto of the Florentine camerate. Galilei's rejection of his teacher Zarlino's ideal of seamless polyphony and his call for a return to the dramatic power of Ancient Greek melody, accompanied solely by lyres, lead eventually to the expressive arias of Baroque operas and cantatas.  Vincenzo Galilei was the father of the astronomer Galileo.   This book contains the earliest musical illustrations printed from engraved plates. Apart from some engraved lute tablature published in 1536, these are the earliest known examples of engraved music.  See the illustration on the preceding page.