It is now nearly a century since the two General Histories of Music from the earliest times, by Sir John Hawkins and by Charles Burney, Mus. Doc, F.R.S., were first published. The subsequent minor histories by Dr. Busby, by Stafford, by George Hogarth, and by others, were not offered as original, but are avowedly derived, either wholly or mainly, from the works of their predecessors.

The following is a really new History of the Art and of the Science of Music from the earliest records. The study was undertaken as an amusement, without any intention of writing; but the inducements to publish have been threefold. First, that I am now able to clear away difficulties which have hitherto been reputed as insurmountable; secondly, that this solution will afford a clue to many passages in the classics as to the interpretation of which learned men have been doubtful; and, thirdly, because I trust to be able to explain the whole system of ancient music, theoretical and practical, so that any reader may understand it. Besides this, I can give the reasons for so many things hitherto unexplained, that I hope to make a book which will be useful for any one interested in music. The most ancient music is extremely simple; for the only difference between the musical notes sounded even in ancient Egypt and those of a well-tuned scale of to-day is the introduction of minor tones alternating with major, and they differ but by the eighty-first part of a string. This change made the intervals of major Thirds consonant, as from C to E on the pianoforte.