The Modern Musick-Master (1730)
About
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Peter Prelluer's The Modern Musick-Master is a compilation six instructional methods for different instruments from various authors, as well as "A Large Collection of Airs and Lessons," "A Brief History of Musick," and "A Musical Dictionary." The first edition of the work was published in 1730. The sixth edition, published in 1738, is the most readily available version through the Library of Congress website (linked below).
For our purposes, the areas of greatest interest are the second instructional method, "Directions for Playing on the Flute;" the third instructional method, "The Newest Method for Learners on the German Flute;" and the final section of the book, "A Musical Dictionary." Peter Prelluer (1705-1741) was an English writing master, organist, harpsichordist, and composer. He is best known for music educational works, including his Introduction to Singing, which is included as the first of the six instructional methods in The Modern Musick-Master. |
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Terminology
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The terminology used in reference to the vertical and transverse flute within The Modern Musick-Master varies between the different books contained within the collection. There are three sections in The Modern Musick-Master that make reference to flutes: "Directions for playing on the Flute" (Book II on the Table of Contents [see right]), "The Newest Method for Learners on the German Flute" (Book III on the Table of Contents [see right]), and "A Musical Dictionary" (final listing on the Table of Contents [see right]).
The first of these sections, "Directions for Playing on the Flute," is an instructional method book for vertical flute (as evidenced by the book's frontispiece drawing, which clearly depicts a man playing a vertical flute [see top far right]). Throughout the text, the vertical flute is only referred to as a "flute" with no additional terminology utilized. Conversely, in "The Newest Method for Learners on the German Flute" (a method for the transverse flute as, yet again, evidenced by the frontispiece [see bottom far right]), the terminology is somewhat switched. Here, the transverse flute is referred to as a "German Flute" and "Flute" interchangeably while the vertical flute is only referred to as a "common flute." Finally, it is worth noting that the brief music dictionary simply specifies that the term "Flauto" is a foreign term used to refer to flutes, thus showing that it was not a term commonly used in London at the time. |
The table of contents in The Modern Musick-Master
Retrieved from The Library of Congress |
Top: Frontispiece for "Directions for Playing on the Flute"
Retrieved from The Library of Congress Bottom: Frontispiece from "The Newest Method for Learners on the German Flute" Retrieved from The Library of Congress |
