Institution harmonique divisée en deux parties. En la premiere sont monstrées les proportions des intervalles harmoniques, et en la deuxiesme les compositions dicelles.

Folio: [4]-23-[1 bl.] ff. (somewhat browned, sl. spotting, occ. ms. annot.).

Sewn (slipped into a contemp. vellum cover, soiled and without pastedowns).

First part only of this original edition of the treatise of music by de Caus (1576-1626), French engineer and architect, friend of letters and music. Ill. with a finely engraved title and numerous woodblocks representing musical graphics. Our copy presents the same variant (no imprint on title) as the unique copy preserved at the Herzog-August-Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel (VD17). Were these copies reserved for the author, which he could sell on his own account? This text, dedicated to Anne of Denmark, wife of James I of England, condenses in a very clear manner the musical theories of the Renaissance. According to the author, the art of music "doibt estre colloquee au-dessus de toutes les sciences humaines". De Caus also decorated the royal residences of England with marvelous inventions and built palaces in Germany before returning to France and obtaining the title of architect and engineer to the king.
Ref. VD17 23:296856P (copy with variant), 23:644464S (copy without variant). - BL STC German 1601-1700 C413 (copy without variant).