Ranking & evaluation the greatest music composers. Handel Purcell Corelli 1776
£130
SKU: P-6-109592
[Article ranking and evaluating the greatest composers of the era]
The “Scale to Measure the Merits of Musicians,” published under the pseudonym “Justice Balance” in the December 1776 issue of The Gentleman’s Magazine, stands as an early precursor to today’s “Best of” listicles—structured rankings of talent that have become a cultural staple in modern entertainment and media. Long before the rise of BuzzFeed or Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Albums,” 18th-century intellectuals were already engaging in comparative judgments, albeit in more formal, philosophical tones. This chart ranks 24 composers, both then living and historical, on a 20-point scale across seven categories: original melody, imitated melody, expression, knowledge, contrivance, performance, and quantity of work published. Handel tops the list with an impressive 102 points, reflecting his towering popularity and print saturation in Britain. Corelli scores 79, lauded for melodic brilliance and technical clarity, while Purcell earns a solid 68, credited with lasting originality despite shifting stylistic tides. “John Bach,” likely Johann Christian Bach—the so-called “London Bach”—is included but fares modestly, suggesting a waning reputation in 1776 London. Changing tastes are reflected in high scores of others who are obscure today, notably William Jackson of Exeter, fourth on the list with 75, but - as far as we can tell - without any recorded works on Spotify today. The scale’s structure is both ambitious and flawed: certain categories, like “imitated melody,” are poorly defined. What’s most revealing is the emphasis on “quantity published,” an early nod to cultural reach and market saturation—concepts that underpin today’s album sales, streaming stats, and box office charts. Notably absent are composers now considered indispensable: J.S. Bach, Mozart (in spite of the fact that he had played before the Royal Court in London in 1764 and 1765 - the 18th century equivalent of playing Wembley Stadium), Haydn, and Vivaldi. Their omission underscores how the canon evolves and how value, in 1776 as now, is filtered through fashion, access, and national taste. While Justice Balance draws inspiration from earlier artistic rankings like those of Roger de Piles, the format foreshadows modern listicles—quantified, comparative, digestible—showing that the urge to weigh and rank genius long predates the age of the internet.
Size 20 x 13 cm | 8.0 x 5.0 inches
Date Published: December 1776
Type: Three antique copperplate pages, on two sheets
Author: Balance, Justice
Publication: Gentleman's Magazine
Condition: Good |
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