MUSIC.

The earliest specimen of music-type occurs in Higden’s Polychronicon, printed by De Worde at Westminster in 1495. The square notes appear to have been formed of ordinary quadrats, and the staff-lines of metal rules imperfectly joined. In Caxton’s edition of the same work in 1482 the space had been left blank, to be filled up by the illuminator or scribe. In other countries music was occasionally shown, but not in type. The plain chant in the Mentz Psalter of 1490, printed in two colours, was probably cut on wood. Hans Froschauer of Augsburg printed music from wooden blocks in 1473, and the notes in Burtius’ Opusculum Musices, printed at Bologna in 1487, appear to have been produced in the same manner149; while at Lyons, the Missal printed by Matthias Hus in 1485 had the staff only printed, the notes being intended to be filled in by hand, {77} either with a pen or by means of an inked stamp or punch. About 1500 a musical press was established at Venice by Ottavio Petrucci, at which were produced a series of Mass-books. In 1513 he removed to Fossombrone, and obtained a patent from Leo X for his invention of types for the sole printing of figurative song (cantus figuratus). Petrucci’s notes were lozenge-shaped, and each was cast complete, with its correspondent proportion of staff-lines. Before 1550 several European presses followed Petrucci’s example, and music-type, among other places, was used at Augsburg in 1506 and 1511, Parma in 1526, Lyons in 1532, and Nuremburg in 1549. In 1525 Pierre Hautin cut punches of lozenge-shaped music at Paris. Round notes were used at Avignon in 1532, and Granjon cut this kind at Paris about 1559. In 1552, Adrian Leroy, musician to Henri II of France, and Robert Ballard were appointed King’s printers for music. Their types are said to have been engraved by Le Bé. In England, after its first use, music-printing did not become general till 1550, when Grafton printed Marbecke’s Book of Common Prayer, “noted” in movable type; the four staff lines being printed in red, and the notes in black. There are only four different sorts of notes used,—three square and one lozenge. The appearance of the music is very bold and distinct. Day, Vautrollier, and East, all printed with music-type, which was of the kind generally used during the sixteenth century in Italy, Germany and France. Vautrollier was the printer for Tallis and Bird, who obtained a patent from Elizabeth for the sole printing of music. After the expiration of their patent, and another granted to Morley in 1598, music-printing was exercised (as Sir John Hawkins states) by every printer who chose it. A larger variety of founts appeared, and in some works two or more founts of music appear mixed in the same work. About 1660 the detached notes hitherto used began to give place to the “new tyed note,” by which the heads of sets of quavers could be joined. But at the close of the seventeenth century music-printing from type became less common, on account of the introduction of stamping and engraving plates for the purpose. There was music-type in Aberdeen in 1666 at the press of Forbes. Oxford University possessed music matrices, some apparently presented by Dr. Fell about 1667, and others cut by Walpergen. The punches and matrices of the latter are still preserved,150 and are very curious; many of the matrices being without sides in the copper, and justified so that the mould shall supply the side, and the lines thus be cast so as to join continuously in the composition. Grover’s foundry also had a Great Primer music, and Andrews had matrices of several sizes of the square-headed or plain chant character. Caslon possessed a set {78} of round-headed matrices in two sizes, which came to him from Mitchell’s foundry. In 1764 Breitkopf of Leipsic succeeded in casting a music-type, in which the notes were composed of several pieces, which were “built up” by the compositor. Fleischman cut an improved music on the same principle for the Enschedés at Haarlem. Rosart of Brussels, and Fournier of Paris, succeeded in reducing the number of pieces of a fount to three hundred and one hundred, respectively. Henry Fought, in our own country in 1767, invented sectional types, which divided so as to admit the staff lines. The principal improvements after Fought’s time aimed at overcoming the hiatus caused by the joining of the lines. Attempts were made to cast the notes separately from the lines, or to adopt a logographic system of casting several notes in one piece. After the beginning of the present century the production of music-type was left in the hands of specialists, amongst whom Mr. Hughes, as late as 1841, had the reputation of possessing the best founts in the trade. Of the plain chant and psalm music, both Dr. Fry and Hughes had matrices in several sizes.