The music articles in Rees's Cyclopaedia were written by Charles Burney (1726–1814), with additional material by John Farey Sr. (1766–1826), and John Farey Jr. (1791–1851), and illustrated by 53 plates as well a numerous examples of music typset within the articles.
Charles Burney was well known as the author of a General History of Music, 4 vol 1776–1789 and two travel diaries recording his musical tours collecting information in France and Italy, and later Germany, 1+2 vol, 1771 and 1773, as well as the Commemoration of Handel, 1785 and his Musical Memoirs of Metastasio, 1796. John Farey Sr. was a polymath, well known today for his work as a geologist and for his investigations of the mathematics of sound, and the schemes of tempermant used in tuning musical instruments then. His son, John Farey Jr., was also polymathic in his interests. He contributed numerous drawings for the illustrations of mostly technological and scientific topics in Rees's Cyclopaedia.
Burney's music biographies range from antiquity to the first decade of the nineteenth century. He wrote 756 articles, and while great number of the names, such as Mozart, were featured in his earlier writings, others are unique to the Cyclopaedia. These mainly concern minor London musicians and singers, whom Burney had known personally in his young days. Some are known through modern reference books, but others, often with only surname, only have their memory recorded in the pages of the Cyclopaedia. In a few cases Burney has anglicised Christian names — John Frederick Reichardt, instead of Johann Friedrich, for example.Rees's Cyclopaedia, vol 29
In his biographies Burney mirrored the Lives of the Poets by Samuel Johnson, namely: a short summary of the subject's reputation, with a summary of his career, a list of his works and an account of his genius and his contribution to music.
Lonsdale has commented that a handful of Burney biographical articles are misplaced in the alphabetical sequence.Lonsdale, Roger, 'Dr Burney's 'Dictionary of Music' ',Musicology Australia, vol. 5, no. 1, p. 162, 1979 These occur mostly under the letter A, and were missed in the early stages of writing, when Burney was trying to overtake the press, for he did not start composing the texts until the summer of 1801, when the work was already underway. One, Jacques Arkadelt in Vol 2, appears twice, as Giacomo Arkadelt in Vol, 16 where he is listed in the middle of the Gs, but with a shorter article.
Alphabetisation of articles
The work followed the then common practice of conflating the letters I and J and U and V into single sequences. The topics included in this list therefore follow the sequence they appear in the original volumes.
Annotation
The articles are annotated to Mercer's edition of Burney's History (1935) and Scholes's edition of Burney's Travels (1959). Where a page reference is given the text can be found there. Where a book is cited, but with no page, index entries were found, and Burney is presumed to have written his article using the information there. Where there is no annotation, the article must be unique to the Cyclopaedia
Vol 1 A-Amarathides NameCenturyCountryOccupationColumnsContributor/notesABEL, CHARLES FREDERICK18thGermanyComposer0.5Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's ed ADAMI, ANDREA18thItalyMaestro di capella to the Pope0.1Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's edAGOSTINO, PAULO, DA VALERONA17thItalyComposer0.2Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. under AgostiniALBERTI, DOMENICO18thItalyComposer0.6Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's ed ALCMANAntiquityGreeceComposer0.6Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.ALESSANDRI, FELICE18thItalyComposer0.2Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, p 874 of Mercer's ed.ALLEGRI, GREGORIO17thItalyComposer2.0Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's edALYPIUSAntiquityGreeceWriter on music0.6Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. Cross-referenced to GREEK MUSIC and NOTATION.
Vol 2 Amarantus-Arteriotomy NameCenturyCountryOccupationColumnsContributor/notesAMATI FAMILY17thItalyInstrument makers0.1Burney. Cross-referenced to STRADUARIUS and STEINERAMOREVOLI, ANGELO18thItalySinger0.2Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.ANTIGENIDESAntiquityGreeceMusician0.9Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.ARIONAntiquityGreeceMusician0.4Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.ARIOSTI, ATTILIO17-18thItalyComposer0.4Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.ARISTOXENUSAntiquityGreeceWriter on music2.5Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.ARKADELT, JACQUES16thHollandComposer0.3Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. See also article GIACOMO ARKADELT in Vol 16ARNE, THOMAS AUGUSTINE18thEnglandComposer3.0Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.ARNE, MICHAEL18thEnglandMusician0.2Burney. Son of the preceding.ARNOLD, SAMUEL18thEnglandComposer2.0Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.
Vol 3 Artery-Battersea NameCenturyCountryOccupationColumnsContributor/notesARTUSI, GIOVANNI MARIA16thItalyWriter on music0.8Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.ASAPHAntiquityIsraelMusician0.2Burney.AVISON, CHARLES18thEnglandOrganist and composer0.4Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BABBINI, MATTEO18th-19thItalianSinger0.2Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BABEL, WILLIAM18thEnglishMusician0.6Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2 p 996 of Mercer ed.BACCHIUS, SR.AntiquityGreeceWriter on Music0.2Burney.BACH, SEBASTIAN17th-18thGermanyComposer1.3Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BACH, CHARLES PHILIP EMMANUEL18thGermanyComposer1.0Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's ed BACH, JOHN CHRISTIAN18thGermanyComposer2.2Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's edBAGLIONI, CONSTANZA18thItalySinger0.1Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's edBAÏF, JOHN ANTHONY16thItalyComposer0.5Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BALTAZARINI DI BELGIOIOSO16thItalyComposer & Choreographer0.3Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. Cross-referenced to BALET de la RoyneBALTZAR, THOMAS17thGermanyViolinist and composer1.0Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, p 337 of Mercer's ed.BANTI, BRIGIDA GEORGI18thItalySinger1.3Burney.BARBELLA, EMANUEL18thItalyViolinist0.9Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, pp 451–2 of Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's ed Cross-referenced to CORELLI and GEMINIANI.BARBIER, MISTRESS [JANE]18thEnglandSinger1.0Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, pp 678–9 of Mercer's ed.BASSANI, GIOVANNI BATISTA17th-18thItalyComposer0.5Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BATES, JOAH18thEnglandMusician2.6Burney. See Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's ed. Cross-referenced to COMMEMORATION OF HANDEL and HANDEL.BATESON, THOMAS17thEnglandMadrigalist0.2Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. under Batson.
Vol 4 Battery-Bookbinding NameCenturyCountryOccupationColumnsContributor/notesBEARD, JOHN18thEnglandSinger0.4Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BENEVOLI, ORAZIO17thItalyMaestro da capella to the Pope0.8Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's edBERARDI, ANGELO17thItalyWriter on music0.2Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, p 430 of Mercer's ed.BERNABEL, ERCOLE17th-18thItalyChurch composer1.0Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, pp 418–9 of Mercer's ed.BERNACCHI, ANTONIO18thItalySinger0.3Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's edBERNASCONI, ANDREA17thItalyComposer0.1Burney. BERNASCONI, la Signora [Antonia]18thItalySinger0.2Daughter of the preceding. Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BEVIN, ELWAY17thEnglandChurch composer0.7Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, p 263-4 of Mercer's ed. Cross-referenced to MICHELI and VALENTUINIBEZOZZI, ALEXANDER & JEROM18thItalyMusicians1.3Burney. See Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's edBIRD, WILLIAM16thEnglandComposer3.8Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, pp 74–82 of Mercer's ed. With example of notation.[de] BLAINVILLE, CHARLES-HENRI18thFranceComposer and writer on music1.4Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's edBLAVET, MICHEL18thFranceFlautist0.4Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BLOW, JOHN18thEnglandComposer of church music2.5Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, pp 350–352, 356 of Mercer's ed.BOCCHERINI, LUIGI18thItalyComposer0.2Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, pp 449, 455 of Mercer's edBONNET, JAQUES18thFranceWriter on music0.7Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, p 223 note (h) of Mercer's ed.BONONCINI, GIOVANNI MARIA17thItalyWriter on music0.7Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. With example of notation.BONONCINI, JOHN18thItalyOpera composer3.2Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. Son of the precedingBONONCINI, ANTONIO18thItalyOpera composer0.3Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. Brother of the preceding.BONTEMPI, ANGELINI17thItalyHistorian of Music0.5Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.
Vol 5 Book-keeping-Calvart NameCenturyCountryOccupationColumnsContributor/notesBOYCE, WILLIAM18thEnglandOrganist & Composer1.4Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, pp 492–494, of Mercer's ed.BRENT, MISS [CHARLOTTE]18thEnglandSinger0.2Burney. Burney, HistoryVol 2, p 865 of Mercer's ed.BROSSARD, SEBASTIAN17th-18thFranceWriter on music0.5Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BROWN, ABRAHAM18thEnglandViolinist0.2Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, pp 1012–1013, of Mercer's ed.BRUMEL, ANTHONY15th-16thFranceComposer0.2Burney. See Burney's History, vol 1, pp 765–6, of Mercer's ed.BRYENNUIS, MANUEL14thGreeceMusical writer0.8Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BULL, DR JOHN16thEnglandComposer3.6Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.BURTON, JOHN18thEnglandHarpsichordist0.3Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, p 1018, of Mercer's ed.BUTLER, CHARLES17thEnglandWriter on singing0.3Burney. See Burney's History. vol 2, p 317, of Mercer's ed.BUTLER, ----18thEnglandHarpsichordist and organist0.2Burney.BUXTEHUDE, DIET[E]RICH17th-18thDenmarkOrganist0.3Burney. See Burney's History. vol 2, p 458, of Mercer's ed.CACCINI, GUILIO ROMANO16thItalyComposer and singer1.1Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. Cross-referenced to RECITATIVE and OPERA.CAFFARELLI, stage name of GAETANO MAJORENO18thItalyCastrato1.4Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed. and see Burney's Musical Tours, Scholes's edCALDARA, ANTONIO17th-18thItalyComposer0.5Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.CALMET, DON AUGUSTINE17thFranceBible commentator1.1Final paragraphs, by Burney, comment on Calmet's writings on Hebrew music.
Vol 6 Calvary-Castra NameCenturyCountryOccupationColumnsContributor/notesCAMBERT, [ROBERT]17thFranceOpera composer0.4Burney. See Burney's History. vol 2, p 317, of Mercer's ed.CAMPRA, ANDREW17th-18thFranceComposer0.2 Burney. After Moreri. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.CANNABICH, [JOHANN CHRISTIAN INNOCENZ BONAVENTURA]18thGermanyComposer0.1Burney.APRILE GIUSEPPE18thItalyOpera Singer0.5Burney. Forgotten by Burney, but added here since the precious article, CANTARE, mentions him.CAPELLA, MARTIANUS MINEUS FELIX1stItalyWriter on music1.0Burney. CAPORALE, CAESAR18thItalyCellist0.1Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.CARBONELLI, STEFFANO18thItalyViolinist0.5Burney. See Burney's History of Mercer's ed.CARESTINI, GIOVANNI18thItalySinger0.8Burney. See Burney's History, vol 2, p 782, of Mercer's ed.CAREY, HENRY18thEnglandPoet and composer2.3Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.CARISSIMI, GIACOMO17thItalyComposer2.0Burney. See Burney's History, Mercer's ed.
Vol 7 Castramentation-Chronology NameCenturyCountryOccupationColumnsContributor/notesCASTRUCCI, PIETRO18thItalyViolinist1.0Burney. See Burney's History. Mercer's ed.