Excerpt from Programme Music in the Last Four Centuries: A Contribution to the History of Musical Expression As the subject of programme music is almost always treated controversially, or at least with a parti pris, it may not be an unnecessary precaution to state that the present book is neither a defence nor an attack, but simply an historical account. I entered on my task as an impartial inquirer. The proof of my having kept true to my purpose may be found in the fact that the results of the inquiry modified to some extent my previous notions and judgments. If there was one matter to which I gave my attention more than to any other, it was the views of the composers themselves. And it was a great satisfaction to me to find that materials of this kind were much more plentiful, interesting, and instructive than I had expected. I am sure that the harvest here garnered will cause not a little surprise, and give not a little pleasure. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.