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The writer, composer and organist Thomas Busby (1754–1838) is best remembered for his highly entertaining Concert Room and Orchestra Anecdotes (1825), which paints a vivid picture of musical life at the time. The son of a coach painter, Busby was originally articled to the composer Jonathan Battishill but found the experience unrewarding. His compositions (many now lost) include songs, theatre music, The Divine Harmonist, and the oratorios The Prophecy and Britannia. Throughout his working life he continued his extensive literary activities, musical and otherwise, contributing to journals such as the Monthly Magazine and Public Characters, and publishing several books, among them A General History of Music (also reissued in this series). First published in 1818, the present work is a primer on music theory and the principles of composition. Busby intended it to be 'a compendium … modern and amusing in its style … to impart knowledge and facilitate execution'. Reissued here is the second edition of 1826.
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