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GLAREAN (HEINRICH) Dodekachordon, FIRST EDITION, Basle, H. Petri, 1547 image 1
GLAREAN (HEINRICH) Dodekachordon, FIRST EDITION, Basle, H. Petri, 1547 image 2
GLAREAN (HEINRICH) Dodekachordon, FIRST EDITION, Basle, H. Petri, 1547 image 3
Lot 69

GLAREAN (HEINRICH)
Dodekachordon, FIRST EDITION, Basle, H. Petri, 1547

29 March 2023, 13:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £7,650 inc. premium

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GLAREAN (HEINRICH)

Dodekachordon, FIRST EDITION, illustrated throughout with type-set music, woodcut thematical diagrams and tables, a full-page woodcut of a 24-string zither, historiated and decorative initials, 5-page errata at end with printer's device on verso of final leaf, first and final sections with some light browning and damp-staining and occasional stains (D6-7 with small hole causing loss of 2-3 letters), a1-2 with faint remains of old ownership inscription, these and last 3 leaves remounted at gutter, small hole in V2 with loss of one letter and note, X4 and Y6 cropped with loss of signature mark and catchword, occasional early annotations in black ink (and a couple of amendments, crossings through and some smudges), early calf, sides with gilt rule borders, repaired and rebacked preserving much of original spine [Adams G765; Hirsch, i 226; RISM, Ecrits p.366; USTC 659884], folio (302 x 203mm.), Basle, H. Petri, 1547

Footnotes

ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL TEXT BOOKS OF THE MUSICAL RENAISSANCE, with over 120 compositions by Josquin des Pres, Obrecht, Ockeghem, Mouton and many others.

The Dodekachordon is the work of Heinrich Glarean (1488–1563), the poet and musical theorist described by his friend Erasmus as "the champion of Swiss humanism". In it, the author set out his revolutionary system of twelve modes, four of which were newly identified, including the major (Ionian) and minor (Aeolian) modes. These he incorporated into the traditional scheme, and he trumpeted his innovation by listing them on the title-page. The book is divided into three parts, beginning with a study of Boethius, going on to trace the use of the musical modes in plainsong and monophony, and concluding with an extended study of polyphony. It was instrumental in spreading the concept of the emotional appeal of composers such as Josquin, and influenced theorists from Merulo to Morley and Zacconi. Glarean's explanation of the musical modes is still largely accepted today.

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