Rudolf Westphal (1826-92) originally studied theology at the University of Marburg before turning to classical philology and comparative linguistics. He learnt Sanskrit and Arabic and took a keen interest in Indo-European languages and Semitic grammar. In the late 1850s and early 1860s he joined his friend and fellow philologist August Rossbach (1823-98) at the University of Breslau (Wroclaw). This multi-volume work on ancient Greek metre and music resulted from their collaboration. Reissued here is the revised third edition published in four parts between 1885 and 1889. Part 1 of Volume 3 (1887), which features the input of classical scholar Hugo Gleditsch (1837-1913), discusses the distinction drawn by Aristoxenus between singing and speaking. The volume also focuses on prosody and different types of verse feet.
