Charles Burney

Charles Burney (7 April 1726, Shrewsbury, Shropshire — 12 April 1814, London), FRS, was an English composer, organist, and music historian. He was the father of Frances Burney (1752—1840) and a close friend and avid supporter of Joseph Haydn. Burney studied organ and composition in his early teenage years, debuting as a composer at nineteen. In 1749, he became an organist at St. Dionis Backchurch on Fenchurch Street in London. Charles continued his education at the University of Oxford, earning his Doctor of Music degree in June 1769. The following year, Burney embarked on the European journey to collect material for a general history of music. Charles traveled to Paris, Geneva, Turin, Milan, Padua, Venice, Bologna (where he met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his father), Florence, Rome, and Naples. In 1771, Burney compiled his detailed travel diary in a critically acclaimed book, "The Present State of Music in France and Italy." Encouraged by the successful publication, Burney went on a second journey, resulting in "The Present State of Music in Germany, The Netherlands, and United Provinces," published in 1773 (which included Burney's encounter with C.P.E. Bach and the visit to his mother's house). Both works were well received, reprinted several times, and subsequently translated into several languages. In 1773, Burney became a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1776, the first volume of Burney's magnum opus, History of Music, came out, followed by the second part six years later. In 1789, volumes III and IV were published, ending on the birth and development of the opera and British classical music scene. The History of Music mostly received favorable reviews but had a few vocal critics, including Johann Nikolaus Forkel and Spanish ex-Jesuit Vincenzo Requeno, who called Charles lo scompigliato Burney ("confused Burney"), particularly skeptical of his account of ancient Greek music.