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Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2022

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Summary

My interest in John Gunn began when researching my Ph.D. thesis on nineteenth-century cello performance practice. In Playing the Cello 1780–1930, I mentioned that Gunn was an interesting figure worth more detailed research, because a musical scholar of his period, nationality, and breadth of interests struck me as unusual. It also seemed that while he was often quoted in performance practice histories the publication dates given for his works varied wildly, and the scarce biographical facts of his life had not been clarified. More importantly, his intellectual approach and writing style were unlike those of other musicians. In just over twenty years, Gunn wrote books on the cello, the flute, the piano, the history of the harp in the Highlands, and on thorough-bass, and he planned many more. This study aims to amplify what is known about him, correct some biographical details, and contextualise his thinking.

John Gunn's biographical information is followed by chapters examining his publications, treated in chronological order apart from several shorter works from various dates which are grouped together in Chapter 4. In many cases earlier research, including my own, has given inaccurate publication dates, and these have now been clarified as far as possible, albeit with varying degrees of precision. Some of these errors, still circulating, originate in the early nineteenth century. I have noted such cases, but not every instance in more recent scholarship, thinking it both unnecessary and offering a risky hostage to fortune. Connections between Gunn's various works are identified in discussion; broader topics are held over until the concluding chapter which suggests some of the implications for historical performance research in the light of the awareness of a writer's orientation within the intellectual context of his time.

Gunn's biographical details and those of his wife Anne have been assembled from a range of sources, not without difficulty. It has been possible to gather some information about his social circles in London and Edinburgh, and his probable range of acquaintances, given that for most of his life we know his specific addresses in those cities. But, barring the emergence of entirely new documentary sources, his earliest years in Scotland and his time spent on the continent remain a biographical blank, and we know almost as little of his last years in London.

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John Gunn
Musician Scholar in Enlightenment Britain
, pp. xxiii - xxvi
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Preface
  • George Kennaway
  • Book: John Gunn
  • Online publication: 07 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781800103696.002
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  • Preface
  • George Kennaway
  • Book: John Gunn
  • Online publication: 07 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781800103696.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Preface
  • George Kennaway
  • Book: John Gunn
  • Online publication: 07 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781800103696.002
Available formats
×