Full title as appears in the t.p. of vol.2: "Storia della musica, tomo secondo. A sua Altezza Serenissima Elettorale di Carlo Teodoro Conte Palatino del Reno, Arcitesoriere ed Elett. del Sac. Rom. Imp., Duca di Baviera, Giuliers, Cleves, e Bergen, Prencipe di Moeurs, Marchese di Bergen Opzoom, Conte di Veldenza, Sponheim, della Marca, e Ravensberga, Signore di Cavenstein, ec. ec. ec."
This is a copy of the second of three volumes of "Storia della musica" (Music History) by Giovanni Batista Martini. Each volume bears a different dedicatee: v.1: alla Sacra reale cattolica Maestà Maria Barbara; v.2: All'Altezza serenissima elettorale di Carlo Teodoro; v.3: a sua Altezza reale Don Ferdinando di Borbone.
The t.p. of this volume is printed in red and black ink and decorated with a border that depicts various musical instruments. It also features an illustration of a minotaur and a young boy (presumably, the god Apollo) holding a lyre. This volume is divided in nine chapters and three dissertations. The start of each chapter and each dissertation features, within an ornamented oval-shaped frame, the notated music of a canon in a five-line staff with underlaid text taken from works by Hesiod, Homer, Anacreon, and Sophocles. The book contains maps of Greece and Asia Minor, as well as a table that summarizes the divisions of the breve and prolations translated to 18th century musical notation practice.
Chapter 1 discusses the origins of music according to precepts passed down from antiquity and Greece as well as the theory of musical intervals. Chapter 2 discusses several Greek mythological figures and a history of the invention of the lyre per Homer. It also mentions Greek authors and use of instruments in Greek festivities. Chapter 3 presents stories of Greek gods and demigods by Ovid and Homer, among others. Chapter 4 includes Virgil's story of Orpheus (the son of Apollo) and his attempted rescue of his dead wife Eurydice from Hades. The chapter contains references to the role of music in that story. Chapter 5 is about the role of music in the cult of Cybele (in Greek mythology, the mother of all gods). It also mentions names of people mentioned by Plutarch in connection with several musical instruments--e.g., the flute by Janus. The chapter includes a musical staff that explains the Greek chromatic, enharmonic, and diatonic genres. Chapter 6 continues the stories of Greek mythological and heroic characters mentioned in the previous chapters and their involvement with music. Chapter 7 discusses Greek poets (e.g., Homer, Hesiod and Plato) and includes some of their verses alluding music. Chapter 8 discusses the function of music in Greek sacrifices, festivities, weddings and funerals. Chapter 9 discusses the function of music in the celebration of games and competitions.
The first dissertation, argues about the influence of Greek music and discusses theoretical concepts such as Pythagoras tuning and the theory of music proportions taken from treatises such as "Armonia" by Quintilian. The second dissertation argues about the unique properties of Greek music and treatment of music according to rules of rhetoric. It contains a table of rhythmical division of notes, and discusses the principles of singing syllables properly. The third and last dissertation argues about the wonderful effects produced in humans by Greek music and the "Theory of Affects."
