Although Boracchi's Manual of 1842 is fairly well known, it seems writers and researchers up to now, probably from a lack of knowledge of Italian and basing themselves on poor translations, have dismissed his inventive efforts without considering the Manual as a whole where details emerge that shed more light on his aims. Therefore, I have undertaken this translation and added three appendices explaining his improvements and inventions, also additional illustrations including photos of actual Boracchi instruments, and copious annotations regarding the instructive text, social and musical commentary, and proper names.
After beginning work on Boracchi's Manual I realized that a mere translation would not only be quite boring, but sometimes puzzling because it contains so much that deals not only with playing techniques, but also mid - 19th century Italian musical life and its protagonists. As a result, I began annotating the text and collecting supplementary material with the idea of bringing those times and Boracchi himself closer to the reader.
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