The Letters of Dr Charles Burney

This book contains Charles Burney's letters from the age of 74 to 80, a period during which he retired from teaching but, far from slowing down despite frequent bouts of illness, continued to write, publishing his last book, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the Abate Metastasio, and writing 1,752 general music articles and musical biographies for Rees's Cyclopaedia in a mere four years. Discussions of musical matters in these range from deliberations of foreign instruments to theoretical concerns such as the doctrine of the Trinity applied to music, to the history of dramatic music in Italy, and to more mundane technical matters such as the origins of ledger lines and the staff. Although he was his time's preeminent scholar of older music, Burney was a staunch defender of new music by contemporary composers against the sneers of the English Handelians. Of special interest is his heart-felt defence of Haydn's The Creation against the disparagements of the critic Willam Crotch.

In contrast to his progressive views on music, Burney was a political conservative. A self-proclaimed 'alarmist', he had much to worry about in these years. His fears included the possibility of not living to finish the Cyclopaedia articles and the loss of GBP2,000 worth of books owing to the bankruptcy of his publishers. The Napoleonic Wars and their effects on domestic politics are of special concern throughout the volume illuminating Burney's hatred of the French Revolution and deep-rooted distrust of Napoleon and the Peace of Amiens.

Nonetheless, despite his labours, the eminently clubbable Burney found time for travel. The letters detail jaunts to Bristol and Wells Cathedrals, visits to Quarley in Hampshire; stays at Bulstrode Park in Buckinghamshire, and holidays in Cheltenham. Highlights are a hiking accident on Worcestershire Beacons in which Burney falls and injures his hip and a holiday with a granddaughter in Clifton where he describes the Parade, the assembly rooms, the hot wells, riverside walks, and ladies riding donkeys. Whether working at home in Chelsea, visiting friends, or travelling throughout the countryside, the indefatigable Burney was never still for long.