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For your consideration:

“The Grammarian Must Either Associate with,
or Submit Himself to, the

Musician”

Steele, Joshua. Prosodia rationalis: Or, an essay towards establishing the melody and measure of speech, to be expressed and perpetuated by peculiar symbols. The second edition ... London: Pr. by J. Nichols for T. Payne & Son, B. White, and H. Payne, 1779. 4to (29.2 cm, 11.5"). vi, [2], vii–xvii, [1], 243, [1 (blank)] pp.
$475.00

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• Second, “amended and enlarged” edition of Steele’s treatise on the rhythm and accent patterns of English speech, comparing spoken language to music. Steele’s innovative, complex system of recording qualities of speech drew much attention in its time: Garrick, who had a snippet of one performance immortalized herein, was among the curious regarding the potential practical uses of Steele’s work in theatre, rhetoric, and other areas. The volume is illustrated with a number of in-text depictions of markings and symbols, as well as brief sections of music.