Essay on the Origin of Languages and Writings Related to Music

Chronology of Works in Volume 7

Chronology of Works in Volume 7 1712 June 28: Jean-Jacques Rousseau born in Geneva. 1728 March 14: Rousseau runs away from Geneva; travels to Italy until Summer 1729 1729 Summer–Fall: Rousseau studies at the Lazarist Seminary and then begins to study music with M. Le Maître. 1730 Winter: Rousseau teaches music at Neuchâtel. 1731 Rousseau begins copying music as a trade. 1732 June: Rousseau begins to teach music at Chambéry. 1733 July: Rousseau travels to Besançon to study music with the Abbé Blanchard. (Date uncertain.) 1734 Fall: Rousseau acquires and studies Rameau’s Treatise on Harmony. Directs Mme de Waren’s musical evenings at Chambéry. 1737 June: Rousseau’s Wrst publication, a song, appears in the Mercure de France. 1741 End of December: Rousseau arrives in Paris with his new system for musical notation. 1742 August 22: Rousseau reads his Plan Concerning New Signs for Music to the Academy of Sciences. ix 1743 January: Publication of Rousseau’s Dissertation on Modern Music. July 10: Rousseau leaves Paris as secretary to the French Ambassador to Venice. Becomes reacquainted with Italian music. 1744 August 6: Rousseau leaves Venice and returns to Paris. 1745 July: Rousseau completes Les Muses galantes. September: Rousseau’s Les Muse galantes is presented at the household of La Poplinière, where Rameau accuses Rousseau of plagiarism. Fall: Rousseau works on Les Fêtes de Ramire, with libretto by Voltaire and music by Rameau. The work was presented at Versailles in December without Rousseau being credited. 1749 January–March: Rousseau writes articles on music for the Encyclopedia. October: The “illumination of Vincennes”: Rousseau reads the essay topic proposed by the Academy of Dijon. 1750 July: The First Discourse is awarded the prize by the Academy of Dijon. 1751 January: Publication of the First Discourse. February: Rousseau leaves his employment with the Dupin family and works as a musical copyist. July: Publication the Wrst volume of the Encyclopedia, containing the Wrst of Rousseau’s articles on music. 1752 Winter–Spring: Rousseau writes the Letter on French Music. March: Publication of Grimm’s Letter on “Omphale” and Raynal’s Remarks on Grimm’s Letter on “Omphale.” April: Anonymous publication of Rousseau’s Letter to Grimm on the Subject of the Remarks Added to His Letter on “Omphale.” Spring: Rousseau composes Le Devin du village. June: Performance of Rousseau’s Le Devin du village at Fontainebleau. Rousseau turns down pension oVered by Louis XV. August 1: Eruption in Paris of the “Quarrel of the BouVons” with the successful performance of Pergolesi’s La Serva padrona by a traveling Italian troupe. 1753 March 1: Performance of Rousseau’s Le Devin du village at the Paris Opera. September: Anonymous publication of Rousseau’s Letter from a Symphonist. x Chronology November: Publication of Rousseau’s Letter on French Music. Rousseau begins writing the Second Discourse. 1754 June 12: Rousseau dates the dedication to the Second Discourse. Anonymous publication of Rameau’s Observations on Our Instinct for Music. 1755 April 24: Publication of Rousseau’s Second Discourse. August:Anonymouspublicationof Rameau’sErrorsonMusicintheEncyclopedia. Fall: Rousseau writes the Wrst draft of his response to Rameau’s Errors on Music. 1756 March:Anonymous publication of Rameau’s Continuation of the Errors on Music in the Encyclopedia. May: Publication of Vol. VI of the Encyclopedia, containing a “Notice” in which Diderot and d’Alembert defend Rousseau against Rameau. 1758 Spring: Composition of Rousseau’s On Theatrical Imitation, written in preparation for writing the Letter to d’Alembert. 1761 September: Rousseau sends the Essay on the Origin of Languages to Malesherbes , who advises publication. 1762 June 9: A warrant is issued for Rousseau’s arrest after the publication of Emile; he Xees France for Geneva. Composition of the Levite of Ephraïm. 1763 Spring: Rousseau contemplates publishing On Theatrical Imitation, the Essay on the Origin of Languages, and the Levite of Ephraïm together but decides against it. 1764 Winter: Publication of Rousseau’s On Theatrical Imitation. 1765 Rousseau Wnalizes the text of his Examination of Two Errors, with the intention of using it as a preface to his Dictionary of Music. (Date uncertain.) 1768 Publication of Rousseau’s Dictionary of Music. 1770 May: First performance of Rousseau’s Pygmalion. December: Rousseau meets Charles Burney. Chronology xi 1774 February: Rousseau meets Gluck, who publicly places himself under Rousseau ’s patronage. August: Gluck’s Orphée debuts in Paris. Earliest date for drafting of...