PREFACE. 



Contrary to the advice of my friends, who caution me 

 to avoid all appearance of singular! Ly, I venture upon 

 introducing a practice, the expediency of which I will 

 submit to the judgment of the reader. It is one 

 which has been adopted by musicians for more than a 

 century — to the great convenience of all who are fond 

 of music — and I observe that within the last few years 

 two such distinguished painters as Mr. Alma-Tadema 

 and Mr. Hubert Herkomer have taken to it. It is 

 a matter for regret that the practice should not have 

 been general at an earlier date, not only among painters 

 and musicians, but also among the people who write 

 books. It consists in signifying the number of a piece 

 of music, picture, or book by the abbreviation " Op." 

 and the number whatever it may happen to be. 



No work can be judged intelligently unless not only 

 the author's relations to his surroundings, but also the 

 relation in which the work stands to the life and other 

 works of the author, is understood and borne in mind ; 

 nor do I know any way of conveying this information 

 at a glance, comparable to that which I now borrow 

 from musicians. When we see the number against a 

 work of Beethoven, we need ask no further to be 

 informed eoncerning the general character of the 



