Richard Eastcott facts for kids

Richard Eastcott (born around 1740, died 1828) was an English clergyman who also wrote about music. He was baptised in 1744.

He was born in Exeter and went to Oriel College, Oxford, but he didn't finish his degree. In 1767, he became a priest in the Church of England. He lived in the Devon area and spent a lot of time on his musical interests. When he passed away in 1828, Eastcott was a chaplain in Livery Dale, Devonshire.

His Book on Music

Eastcott wrote a book called Sketches of the Origin, Progress, and Effects of Music, with an Account of the Ancient Bards and Minstrels. It was published in Bath in 1793. People liked the book, and it used information from other music historians like Charles Burney and John Hawkins.

One part of his book talked about church music in England. Eastcott didn't like how some church music was written. He thought that when voices sang in a "fugal" style (where different parts sing the same melody at different times), it made it hard to understand the words.

His book was reviewed in a magazine called the Monthly Review. Eastcott also advertised other books he had written at the end of his music book.