The Italian School of Florid Song, By Pier Francesco Tosi. Imported by Charles Scribner’s Sons. $1.75 net.
On my desk are two books, identical in text, in orthography, and as nearly as possible identical in the character of type and adornments. But in another particular there is a striking difference. Nearly one hundred and sixty years have elapsed since one of the books was printed, the other bears the date of 1905. The original work was written in Italian in 1723, and was translated and published in England in 1743. It was while rummaging through some old book stalls in London that I stumbled upon the old English edition, and no find has ever given me a keener satisfaction than “The Italian School of Florid Song,” by Pier Francesco Tosi.
The readers of The Etude have frequently been treated to quotations from this remarkable work. It is not surprising that an English publisher saw in the book enough to warrant the expense of reproduction in fac-simile. To the teacher and student of singing it has a peculiar message. It stands for all that is sound and final in the philosophy of singing, and shows that the esthetics and moral of the art are changeless. Those who need a healthful mental stimulus should read this reprint of a work that represents the best thought and practice of the old Italian singers and singing masters.
