Dictionnaire de musique

First edition illustrated with 13 folding plates engraved by Mad. De Lusse, unsigned portrait of the author on the frontispiece.

Contemporary binding in full calf, spine in five compartments with double compartments and gilt fleurons, red morocco title label, triple gilt fillet border on the boards, double gilt fillet highlighting the leading edge, marbled endpapers, all gilt edges.
Joints, heads, leading edges and corners skillfully restored, a marginal water stain on the frontispiece (without damaging the illustration), as well on the upper margin of some quires.
An ink-written ex-libris, hand-written notes and ex-libris “vicecomitis de Orsanna” glued on the reverse side of the title page.
This Dictionnaire de musique is representative of the key position that music occupies in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's life, whether it be through theoretical writings or through the composition of musical works that earned him a certain level of success at the court of Louis XV. A music lover before being a philosopher, Rousseau was entrusted, by Diderot and d'Alembert in 1749, with articles from the Encyclopédie dealing with music; a key experience in the writing of this Dictionnaire that in 1754 was first thought of as a means to rectify the encyclopaedic entries that had been written in haste.
The entries, developed according to Rousseau's encyclopaedic and philosophical concerns, are marked by the author's critical reflections and are embellished with engraved illustrations at the end of the volume, allowing a parallel reading of the definitions. This organisation relates to the simplicity advocated by Rousseau in music. Although the author defends himself in the preface, this book takes part in the Querelle des Bouffons, a debate between Rousseau and Jean-Philippe Rameau (1653-1764) on the evolution of music in France, Rousseau being a supporter of the influence of Italian opera and Rameau defending French lyric tragedy.
As the very first music dictionary, this work is fully in keeping with the encyclopaedic approach, whilst translating the rigor with which Rousseau enriches his previous writings.