Thoscanello de la Musica di Messer Pietro Aaron Fiorentino Canonico da Rimini. Con Privilegio

Venice: Impressa in Vinegia per maestro Bernardino et maestro Mattheo di uitali fratelli Venitiani, 1523. Full vellum with title gilt to spine. 1f. (early manuscript on vellum with decorative initials in red ink and decorative penwork in red and blue, decorative pointers in black), 1f. (recto title printed in red within highly decorative woodcut border, verso privilege), 1f. (dedication to Sebastiano Michele) with historiated initial), 2ff. (contents and full-page woodcut portrait of Aron), 21ff. Libro Primo, 1f. (recto full page plate "Coligatio Notvlar," verso blank), 28ff. Libro Secondo, 1f. (early manuscript). With occasional decorative and historiated initials. With numerous finely-printed musical examples and diagrams throughout. Unpaginated, but 54ff. in total, with L4 blank, as issued. In Italian.

The fine full-length portrait of Aron depicts the author seated surrounded by his pupils, with a viol, lute, recorder and books on a table in the foreground, all within a densely floriated border incorporating small figures playing musical instruments.

Binding slightly worn and soiled; ties lacking. Minor internal wear and soiling; occasional foxing and staining; staining to many lower blank margins and gutters; title slightly trimmed and frayed at lower and outer edges; minor annotation to one page with inking to several notes on following page resulting in staining to preceding and following leaves. First Edition. This edition not in Cortot, Gregory-Bartlett, or Wolffheim. Cowden: A Collector's Journey: Notable Music Books Written Prior to 1800, no. 12. Davidsson: Bibliographie der Musiktheoretischen Drucke des 16. Jahrhunderts, p. 11. Gaspari 1, 185. Reese: Fourscore Classics of Music Literature, 36. Hirsch I, no. 2. RISM Écrits I, p. 97.

"Born in tenuous circumstances (Toscanello, preface), Aaron seems to have been largely self-taught; this may be the reason for his less systematic approach and questionable statements (especially in his first treatise), but also for his valuable insights into contemporary practice: from his first treatise onwards he promises to divulge 'many of the secret chambers of this art, never heretofore revealed'. He is especially informative on counterpoint and compositional process (distinguishing older and newer procedures), the modal system in polyphonic music, and the application of musica ficta. He is one of the first theorists to discuss mean-tone temperament. His Toscanello, among the earliest vernacular music treatises, was highly successful and ran to four editions." Bonnie J. Blackburn in Grove Music Online

First published in 1523, "Toscanello ... is probably the best general treatise of its generation, invaluable for its clever and progressive discussions of musical practice, particularly counterpoint. ... Aron wrote extensively about practice, scarcely ever touching on speculative theory. His ideas are derived from earlier writers, notably Tinctoris, Gaffurius and Spataro, but he frequently extended or modified traditions." TNG 6, Vol. 1. pp. 2-3.

"Aron's published works on musical theory comprise the Libri III de institutione harmonica (1516), the Trattato della natura e cognizione di tutti gli toni di canto figurato (1525), the Lucidario in musica (1545), and the Compendiolo di molti dubbi (without date). His chief writing, however, is the Toscanello in musica (1523, and four later editions), which contains the best exposition of contrapuntal rules to be found before Zarlino. Aron is the first theorist to recognize the practice of composing all voices of a composition simultaneously." Strunk: Source Readings in Music History, p. 205

The full-page woodcut of Aron instructing his pupils, with musical instruments in the foreground, represents a significant record of the history of the student/teacher relationship of the period. See Kinsky: A History of Music in Pictures, p. 109, no. 2.

An important work, and a fine example of a very early treatise in the vernacular.