Ancient Musings of Historical Roots of Music

But of all the ancient musical writers, the name of no one is come down to us, of whose works one would be in greater want than those of the younger Dionysius Halicamassensis, who flourished, .according to Suidas, under the emperor Adrian, and who wrote twenty-six books of the History of Musicians, in which he celebrated not only the great performers on the Flute and Cithara, but those who had risen to eminence by every species of poetry. He was, likewise, author of five books, written in defence of Music, and chiefly in refutation of what is alledged against it in Plato's Republic. Aristides Quintilianus has, also, endeavoured to soften the severity of some animadversions against Music in the writings of Cicero but though time has spared the defence of this author, yet it does not indemnify us for the loss of that which Dionysius junior left behind him ; as testimonies are still remaining of his having been a much more able writer than Arist. Quintilianus. But though all the musical histories of the ancients are lost, yet almost every country ki Europe that has cultivated the polite arts, has, since the revival of learning, produced a history of Music, , except our own, Italy can boast of two works under that title; one written in the latter end of the last century by Bontempi, and that of Padre Martini, in this. France has likewise two, one by Bone and one by M. de Blainville and Germany has not only produced two histories of Music in its own language, by Caspar Printz.