A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Brossard, Sebastien de

BROSSARD, Sebastien de, author of the first musical dictionary, published under the title of 'Dictionnaire de musique contenant une explication des termes grecs et latins, italiens et français les plus usités dans la musique,' etc. (Paris, Ballard, 1703, folio). There were two later editions, the second at Paris in 8vo., and the third by Roger of Amsterdam. The work contained a catalogue of 900 authors on music. Brossard was born in 1660, and was a priest at Strassburg, and chapel-master to the cathedral from 1689 to 1698. In 1700 he was appointed grand chaplain and musical director of the cathedral at Meaux, where he died Aug. 10, 1730. Janowka, a Bohemian, brought out a musical dictionary two years before Brossard's, but it was in Latin, like all such works at that time. Brossard's book being in French brought musical subjects within the range of the general reading public, and thus rendered an important service to art. It is not without faults, but contains an enormous amount of information to have been amassed by one man. Brossard also wrote 'Lettre à M. Demotz sur sa nouvelle méthode d'écrire le plain-chant et la musique' (Ballard, 1729). As a composer of church music he made his mark. He gave his valuable library to Louis XIV in consideration of an annuity of 1200 francs. His MSS. and notes for a universal history of music are preserved in the national library in Paris. [App. p.566 "he prefixed a short Dictionary of Musical Terms to his 'Prodromus Musicalis,' published as early as 1701."]

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