BURNEY, Charles, Doctor of Music (1726-1814), was born in the ancient city of Shrewsbury, the capital of Shropshire, on the 7th of April 1726. He received his earlier education at the excellent free school of that city, and was afterwards sent to the public school at Chester. His first music master was Mr Baker, organist of Chester Cathedral, and a pupil of Dr John Blow. Returning to Shrewsbury when about fifteen years old, he continued his musical studies for three years under his half-brother, Mr James Burney, organist of St Mary’s Church, and was then sent to London as a pupil of the celebrated Dr Arne, with whom he remained three years. In 1749 he was appointed organist of a church in the city, with a salary of £30 a year; and he was also engaged as conductor of a concert established at the King’s Arms, Cornhill. In that year and the next he composed the music of three dramas for Drury Lane theatre— Alfred, Robin Hood, and Queen Mab. Being threatened with a pulmonary affection he went, on the advice of his physician, in 1751 to Lynn, in Norfolk, where he was elected organist, with an annual salary of £100, and where he resided for the next nine years. During that time he began to entertain the idea of writing a general history of music. In 1760 he returned to London in good health, and with a young family; the eldest of whom, a girl of eight years of age, surprised the public by her attainments as a harpsichord player. In 1766 he produced, at Drury lane, a free English version and adaptation of J. J. Rousseau’s operetta Le Devin du Village, under the title of The Cunning Man, which was favourably received. The university of Oxford conferred upon him, on 23d June 1769, the degrees of bachelor and doctor of music, on which occasion he presided at the ...