A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Meibom, Marcus

MEIBOM (in Latin MEIBOMIUS), Marcus, learned historian of music, born early in the 17th century at Toenningen in Schleswig Holstein. Nothing is known of his studies, but his great work, 'Antiquæ musicæ auctores septem græce et latine' (Amsterdam, Elzevir), was published in 1652, and as in those days eminence was rarely attained in early youth, the date of his birth can hardly have been either 1626 or 1630 as commonly stated. The work was dedicated to Queen Christina of Sweden, at whose court he resided for some time. On one occasion however, while singing at the Queen's request his version of an ancient Greek melody, the whole court burst out laughing, and Meibom imagining that the Queen's physician Bourdelot was the instigator of this unseemly mirth gave him a box on the ear, and was in consequence dismissed. He took refuge with Frederic III. of Denmark, who gave him a professorship at Upsala, but he soon returned to Holland. Having endeavoured in vain to find a capitalist who would carry into execution his scheme of restoring the ancient triremes, he came to England in 1674 with the view of making arrangements for a new edition of the Old Testament. This project also failed, and returning to Holland, he died at Utrecht in 1711 . The book already mentioned is one of the most valuable sources of information on ancient music, and may be considered a precursor of Gerber and Coussemaker. For his numerous works on music and geometry the reader is referred to Fétis.

[ F. G. ]