to be later expanded by Joachim Burmeister and Mattheson. Some of the devices named are: (passing note dissonances), (melodic imitation of varying kinds), (the repetition of a section for dramatic effect), climax (passages in parallel thirds or tenths), (the reprise of an opening passage at the end to make a cohesive statement), (the dramatic use of silence by inserting a sudden rest for rhetorical effect) (in this Nucius is one of the first music theorists to recognize the powerful musical use of silence, an idea which was to attain fame in modern times in the work of John Cage), and (syncopation, for rhythmic enhancement). All of these devices are presented with suggestions for their employment, with examples of texts they can set effectively. Nucius, though he represented an aspect of early Baroque practice, looked mainly to the past—and sometimes the distant past—for his examples of rhetorical devices in music. He considered John Dunstaple to be the earliest composer of expressive music (though earlier music may not have been available to him), and other composers he wrote about included Gilles Binchois, Antoine Busnois, Johannes Ockeghem, Heinrich Isaac, Ludwig Senfl, Josquin des Prez, and of course Lassus. While some of his book is based on previous writings by Heinrich Glarean and Franchinus Gaffurius, the section on the rhetorical devices in music is original, and signifies the rapidly changing practice during the transitional period between Renaissance and Baroque styles. References and further reading George Buelow: "Johannes Nucius" and "Rhetoric and Music," in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. German music theorists Renaissance composers German Baroque composers People from Görlitz 1550s births 1620 deaths 17th-century classical composers German classical composers German male classical composers 17th-century male musicians