Syntagma Musicum, Volume Two: De Organographia - First and Second Parts [PRE-PUBLICATION "PROOF" COPY] by Praetorius, Michael - in an English Translation by Harold Blumenfeld - 1949

New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University, 1949. Advance Reading Copy . Spiral Bound Stiff Covers. Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Praetorius (1571-1621) was likely the most renowned German musician of the early 17th century, and his encyclopedic three-volume "Syntagma Musicum" represented a compendium of all musical knowledge of the time as well as an exhaustive source on musical instruments, new performance practices and their theoretical formulation. Volume II first appeared in 1619. This Yale University "in house" printing does not include the 42-woodcut "Theatre of Instruments" which appeared in the original, though subsequent editions do (e.g., Barenreiter & Da Capo Press). CONTENTS: Preface (Blumenfeld); Dedication/Foreword (Praetorius); Part I: The Nomenclature of Musical Instruments; Part Two: The Range and Properties of Musical Instruments; Technical Remarks on the Translation; ca. 120 pages, with numerous musical examples, its text in typescript. CONDITION: an unmarked copy with worn/sunned/soiled covers and compromised binding. *** When I found this item, its plastic comb binding was crushed and incomplete, with the cover holes torn. I soon discovered that the present-day standard plastic-comb-binding "teeth" were too far apart to fit the holes in this 1949 book. I tape-repaired the binding edge of the covers and inserted a metal spiral to hold everything together (although the purchaser might choose to remove it and simply deal with a set of loose pages). This quite acceptable and useful copy is now in a clear, protective polypropylene bag with archival backing board.