Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Editorial conventions
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Childhood and Early Career
- Chapter 2 From Church Musician to Entrepreneur
- Chapter 3 The Market for Recreational Music
- Chapter 4 The Establishment of Music Printing in London
- Chapter 5 Morley's Monopoly
- Chapter 6 Morley's Publishing Business
- Chapter 7 Morley's Printing Business
- Chapter 8 Morley and the Madrigal
- Chapter 9 Morley's Other Publications
- Chapter 10 Music Publishing after Morley
- Chapter 11 Morley's Legacy
- Appendices
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 6 - Morley's Publishing Business
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2014
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Editorial conventions
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Childhood and Early Career
- Chapter 2 From Church Musician to Entrepreneur
- Chapter 3 The Market for Recreational Music
- Chapter 4 The Establishment of Music Printing in London
- Chapter 5 Morley's Monopoly
- Chapter 6 Morley's Publishing Business
- Chapter 7 Morley's Printing Business
- Chapter 8 Morley and the Madrigal
- Chapter 9 Morley's Other Publications
- Chapter 10 Music Publishing after Morley
- Chapter 11 Morley's Legacy
- Appendices
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
In his letter to Sir Robert Cecil in July 1598, Thomas Morley claimed that he had made little money from publishing his music in print:
as for printinge of songes uppon my creditt I can avoutche it for suche thingis as I have haud imprinted of myne owne workes I have hade so smalle beneffitt of them, that the bookes which I dedicattid to your honnore, the bountiouse reward of your honore to me, was more worthe to me, then anny book or bookes what so ever.
Although he may well have played down the value of his publishing activities in pursuit of a more inclusive monopoly, Morley's view has generally been accepted at face value and consequently it has been assumed that music publishing in late sixteenth-century England was unprofitable. However, enough evidence survives from England and Europe to examine the costs of, and potential profits from, publishing printed music around 1600, and to construct a speculative model of Thomas Morley's publishing business.
Publishing in the sixteenth century, as now, involved the participation of several people, each taking on one or more distinct roles and all of them hoping to make a profit from the process. The author or composer provided the text, the printer printed it, one or more booksellers distributed the book, either to other booksellers or to retail customers, and in a variety of formats ranging from collated and folded sheets to fully bound copies. Making the whole process possible was the publisher, who funded the production and took the final profit after the other participants had received their fees and profits. With the exception of the publisher, all the roles required specialist skills or trades; in contrast, anyone who could find the money and was prepared to take a risk could be a publisher.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Thomas MorleyElizabethan Music Publisher, pp. 98 - 109Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2014