Charles Burney

The Present State of Music in France and Italy (2nd, corrected edition)

London: T. Becket and Co., 1773

Padua

Dr. Marsili, the worthy professor of botany
here, to whose friendly offices, during my
stay at Padua, I have innumerable obliga-
tions, did me the favour to introduce me
to this eminent master. He is esteemed
one of the first composers for the church
in Italy; and in the frequent conversa-
tions which I had with him, I found him
to be a good theorist as well as practical
musician *. He is a churchman, of the order
of St. Francis, near seventy years of
age; is in possession of several scarce and
valuable books on the subject of music,
from which he permitted me to make
extracts: and was so obliging as to shew
me two large book-cases filled with the
scores of his own compositions; some for
voices only, and some for voices and in-
struments, among which is the funeral