ABSTRACT

The expression and control of the passions were central to John Gregory’s discourse on music. This chapter discusses three issues: first, the proper relationship between music and philosophy; secondly, music’s role in the civilizing process, including its harmful as well as beneficial effects; and thirdly, music’s association with national identity, especially in relation to Scotland. The fact that Gregory wrote about music and was also an accomplished musical amateur has received almost no attention from medical historians. Independently from historians of science and medicine, musicologists have developed a parallel narrative explaining the remarkable ‘musical renaissance’ of the late eighteenth century. The Aberdeen Music Society was initially limited to thirty people, who were entitled ‘to meet for their mutual Entertainment in Musick once a Week’ for a private two-hour concert. The overall thrust of Gregory’s lecture is that music can play a valuable role in social and personal development.