General History of Music, from the Earliest Times to the Present: Volume 1

The writer, composer and organist Thomas Busby (1754-1838) first published this two-volume work in 1819. It proved controversial as it was alleged that Busby had plagiarised the histories of Burney and Hawkins. In fact, acknowledging his indebtedness to them, Busby provided a popular interpretation of their work for the general reader.