Complete Encyclopaedia of Music/A/Avison, Charles

Avison, Charles, organist at Newcastle and pupil of Geminiani, was the author of an essay on musical expression, published in the year 1752. He assisted in the publication of Marcello's music to the Psalms, adapted to English words. Of his own compositions there are extant five collections of concertos for violins, and two sets of sonatas for the harpsichord and two violins. (Clementi's Cat.) The music of Avison is light and elegant, but it wants originality. In his essay on musical expression, he was the encomiast of Marcello and Geminiani, frequently to the prejudice of Handel. His work was answered by Dr. Hayes of Oxford, who proved Avison to have been by no means a profound contrapuntist. Soon after Avison republished his book, with a reply to Dr. Hayes, and a letter containing many detached particulars relative to mu-sic. This last edition of Avison's work is now very scarce.