Praise God with the sound of the trumpet, with the psaltery and harp, with the timbrel and dance, with stringed instruments and the organ, with high-sounding cymbals and cymbals of joy. Psalm 150. original: "In sono tubæ, in psalterio & cithara..." Buy the truth, and do not sell wisdom, instruction, and understanding. Proverbs 23. original: "Veritatem eme, & noli vendere sapientiam..."

Here begins the book called the

Explanation of Musical Instruments, dedicated to the most illustrious lord, the

Lord Don Francisco de Zúñiga, Count of Miranda, Lord of the

Houses of Avellaneda and Bazán, etc. Composed by the very reverend father

Friar Juan Bermudo of the Order of Friars Minor The Franciscans: in which will be found

everything desired in music. It contains six books, as will be seen on the

following page. Examined and approved by the eminent

musicians Bernardino de Figueroa and Cristóbal de Morales. 1555. Morales was one of the most famous Spanish composers of the Renaissance; his approval served as a high-level endorsement of the book's quality.

With Royal Privilege. A 16th-century form of copyright protection granted by the Crown.