The Musical Guide • Parts 1 (1700⁄10), 2 (1721) and 3 (1717) 1-3

This is the first complete English translation and edition of Niedt's Musicalische Handleitung (Musical Guide). The first volume, a treatise on thorough-bass (1700) and the only one generally available at the time, attracted the attention of J.S. Bach who apparently modelled his teaching onit. The second volume (1706), revised and edited in 1721 by the music theorist Johann Mattheson, is on variation and includes a chaconne and two complete suites as models, as well as a dictionary of musical terms, one of the first published in the eighteenth century. The third volume, assembled byMattheson and published in 1721, discusses counterpoint, canon, motets, chorales, recitative style, and cantatas. These volumes, presented here in one volume with an Introduction and Explanatory Notes by Professor Poulin, provide valuable insights into the music, theory, and practice of the earlyeighteenth century. Friederich Erhardt Niedt - The Musical Guide, Part 1 (1700/10), Fundamental Instruction ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS INTRODUCTION TO THE TRANSLATION Title-page of 1700 Edition Title-page of 1700 Edition (Translation) Title-page of 1710 Edition Title-page of 1710 Edition (Translation) [Preface] KIND READER! INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I. On the Etymology of the Thorough-bass or Why It Is So Named CHAPTER II. On the Definition or Description of the Thorough-bass CHAPTER III. On Clefs Occurring in the Thorough-bass CHAPTER IV. On Time or Metre [Signatures] CHAPTER V. On the Harmonic Triad CHAPTER VI. Some General Rules to Observe When Playing the Thorough-bass CHAPTER VII. How One Should Play a Simple Thorough-bassWhich Requires No Figures CHAPTER VIII. On the Figured Thorough-bass CHAPTER IX. A Few Remarks on the Seventh, Ninth, Eleventh, andOthers Appearing With These CHAPTER XI. How One May Go Smoothly From One Key to Another CHAPTER XII. [On Key Signatures, Manuscript Copying, and Omissions Occurringin the Current Notation of Thorough-bass] Friederich Erhardt Niedt - The Musical Guide, Part 2 (1721), Guide to Variation Title-page of 1706 Edition of Guide to Variation: Musical Guide: Second Part [PREFACE TO THE 1706 EDITION] Titli-page of 1721 Edition of Musical Guide: Second Part Titli-page of 1721 Edition of Musical Guide: Second Part (Translation) [Dedication to the 1721 Edition] PREFACE [TO THE 1721 EDITION] CONTENTS OF THE APPENDIX [ON ORGAN SPECIFICATIONS] GIVEN IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY CITY ON THE VARIATION OF THE THOROUGH-BASS ON THE VARIATION OF THETHOROUGH-BASS CHAPTER I. On the Necessity and Grace of Variation in General CHAPTER II. On Change or Variation of Notes in the Thorough-bass in Particular CHAPTER IV. On Other Kinds of Variations That Can Be Devised With the Aid of the Previous Ones CHAPTER V. On Other Variations Which Arise From the Previous Ones CHAPTER VI. On Variation of the Main Chord in the Right Hand CHAPTER VII. On Variation of the Figures Written Above the Thorough-bass, With a Repetition of Our General Rules From Part I CHAPTER VIII. On the Skilful Application of the Preceding Figured Variations into a Definite and Complete Example in the Thorough-bass CHAPTER IX. On the Further Application of Variations According to the Rules of Part I of This Guide CHAPTER X. On the Explanation of Several Musical Terms CHAPTER XI. On Preludes and Chaconnes and How They May Be Made From a Simple Thorough-bass CHAPTER XII. On Allemandes, Courantes, Sarabandes, Minuets, and Gigues and How They May Be Invented From a Simple Thorough-bass Allemande Courante Double §. 40. In addition to these important remarks, there still exist several Bei-Wörter [musical terms] and expressions. Sarabande Minuet Gavottes, Bourrees, Rondcaux Gigue [CLOSING] APPENDIX On the Specifications of Some Sixty (Mostly) Famous Organs of Today EUROPE, 1721 - Cities Included in Mattheson's Organ Appendix (also, Jena and Copenhagen) 1. The organ in the city of Bergen on the island of Riigen 2. The organ at St Petri in Berlin 3. The organ in rhe Cathedral at Bremen 4. The organ at Sr Ansgarii in Bremen 5. The organ at St Stephani in Bremen 6. The organ at Unserer lieben Frauen [Our Lady] in Bremen 7. The organ at St Martini in Bremen 8. The organ in the parish of Biitzfleth near Stade 9. The organ in Buxtehude 10. The organ of the Heilige Geist Kirche [Church of the Holy Spirit] m Colberg 11. The organ in Cosslin [Koszalin, Poland] 12. The organ at the Parish Church in Danzig [Gdansk, Poland] 13. The middle organ at the Parish Church in Danzig 14. The organ at Heilige Dreyfaltigkeit [Holy Trinity] in Danzig 15. The organ at St Johannis in Danzig 16. T he organ at St Bartholomaei in Danzig 17. The organ at St Catharinen in Danzig 18. The organ at the Creutz-Kirche [Church of the Cross] in Dresden 19. The Old Dresden Organ 20. The Castle Organ at Dresden 21. The Old City Organ in the Lutheran Church in Elbingen [Elblag, Poland] 22. The organ at Elmshorn 23. The Castle Organ at Grüningen [the Court at Halberstadt] 24. The large organ at St Nicolai in Hamburg 25. The small organ at St Nicolai in Hamburg 26. T he organ at St Jacobi in Hamburg 27. The organ at St Catharinen in Hamburg 28. The organ at St Petri in Hamburg 29. The new Michaelis Organ in Hamburg 30. The Cathedral Organ in Hamburg 31. The organ at St Johannis in Hamburg 32. The organ at St Maria-Magdalena in Hamburg 33. The organ at St Gertrudis in Hamburg 34. The organ at Insterburg [Chern' achovsk, USSR] in Prussia 35. T he organ at the Cathedral in the Kneiphoff in Königsberg [Kaliningrad, USSR] 36. The Old City Organ in Königsberg 37. The organ in the Lobenicht at Königsberg 38. The Royal Castle Organ in Königsberg 39. The Haberberg Organ in Königsberg 40. The Steindamm Organ in Königsberg 41. The Sackheim Organ in Königsberg 42. The Parish Organ (in the Neu-Marek) in Königsberg 43. The New Organ in Leipzig 44. The organ at St Marien in Lübeck 45. The organ at St Johannis in Lüneburg 46. The organ at St Michaelis in Lüneburg 47. The organ at S1 Lamberti in Lüneburg 48. The organ at Mühlhausen (in Thuringia) 49. The organ at Ottendorff (in Lande Hadeln) 50. The organ at St Dominico in Praga 51. The New St Nicolai Organ in Rostock 52. The City Organ at Rudelstadt [Rudolstadt] 53. The organ at Sendomir [Sandomierz, Poland] 54. The organ at St Cosmi in Stade 55. The organ in Stockholm 56. The Parish Organ in Stolpe [Stupsk, Poland] (in-Pommern) 57. The organ at St. Nicolai in Stralsund 58. The Cloister Organ at St Johannis in Stralsund 59. The organ at the Maritn Church [(Lutheran)] in Thoren [Torun, Poland] 60. The organ in the New City [Lutheran] in Thoren 61. The organ in Tilse [Sovetsk, USSR] (in Brandenburg, Prussia) 62. The organ at the Cathedral in Upsala [Uppsala, Sweden] 63. T he organ at the Convent in Würzen ANNOUNCEMENT Friederich Erhardt Niedt - The Musical Guide, Part 3 (1721), On Counterpoint, Canon, Motets, Chorales, Recatative-Style, and Cavatas Title-page of 1717 Edition ofMusical Guide: Third and Last Part [Preface] CHAPTER I. On Counterpoint CHAPTER II. On Canon CHAPTER Ill. On Motets or Mutets CHAPTER IV. On Church Style CHAPTER V. On Chorale Singing CHAPTER VI. On Recitative Style CHAPTER VII. On Cavatas FINIS INDEX This is the first complete English translation of F. E. Niedt's influential Musicalische Handletung . The first volume, a treatise on thorough-bass, attracted the attention of J. S. Bach, who apparently modelled his teaching after it. The second and third volumes, both revised and edited by Johann Mattheson, deal with, respectively, variation (including a chaconne and two complete suites as models and a musical term dictionary) and counterpoint. These volumes, bound together here in one volume, together with an introduction and explanatory notes by Professor Poulin, provide valuable insights into the theory and practice of eighteenth-century music. Musical Guide Or Fundamental Instruction (hamburg, 1700/10) -- Musical Guide On The Variation Of The Thorough Bass (hamburg, 1721; With Reference To The Guide To Variation, Hamburg, 1706) -- Musical Guide On Counterpoint, Canon, Motets, Chorales, Recitative Style, And Cavatas (hamburg, 1717) Friedrich Erhardt Niedt ; Translated By Pamela L. Poulin And Irmgard C. Taylor ; Introduction And Explanatory Notes By Pamela L. Poulin. Translation Of: Musicalische Handleitung. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This is a complete English translation and edition of Niedt's "Musicalische Handleitung". These volumes, here presented in a single volume with introduction and notes, provide insights into the music, theory and practice of the early 18th century.