Charles Burney

Pat Rogers (University of South Florida)

Ed. by Nicholas Seager, University of Keele
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

Born 17 Apr 1726
Died 12 Apr 1814
Activity c. 1745-1814

Places

Active in United Kingdom

Activities

Primary

Music critic or historian

Other

Biographer
Letter-writer/ Diarist

Resources

Burney's Works

Save to Bookshelf

Charles Burney (1726–1814) has several claims on our attention in literary study. A musicologist and author, he made himself into one of the most prominent figures in the world of the arts at the end of the eighteenth century. The first instalment of his great

History of Music

carried an eloquent dedication to the queen composed by the author’s friend Samuel Johnson. It appeared in the momentous year of 1776, when events across the Atlantic failed to obscure a rush of major publications in England – we have only to name the initial volume of Edward Gibbon’s

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

; Adam Smith’s

Wealth of Nations

; and the rival music history of Sir John Hawkins. These went along with significant items by James Beattie, Lord Hailes, Hannah More, and the recently…

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1547 words

Citation: Rogers, Pat. "Charles Burney". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 April 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14721, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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