Which early writer-musicians helped develop musical criticism in France, Germany, and England?

The development of musical criticism as a systematic discipline in the 17th and 18th centuries was driven by several influential writer-musicians who helped establish the practice across Europe.1

Key Figures in Early Musical Criticism

• France: Jean-Jacques Rousseau was among the first to make systematic contributions to the field.1
• Germany: Johann Mattheson was a pivotal figure who founded Critica Musica in 1722, the first journal entirely devoted to music criticism. He was later succeeded by figures such as Johann Adolph Scheibe, who published the weekly Der critische Musicus.1
• England: Charles Avison and Charles Burney were instrumental in the early development of English musical criticism. Burney, in particular, became the foremost music historian of his time, with his General History of Music providing essential insights into contemporary musical taste.12

These early writers often focused on the theoretical rules of music, frequently judging practice against established theoretical precepts. This approach eventually evolved during the 19th century into more descriptive and later analytical methods, influenced by figures such as Robert Schumann and Eduard Hanslick.1