bridge, in electrical measurement, instrument for measuring electrical quantities. The first such instrument, invented by British mathematician Samuel Christie and popularized in 1843 by Sir Charles Wheatstone, measures resistance by comparing the current flowing through one part of the bridge with

crane: Bridge cranes comprise another important class of cranes in which the pulley system is suspended from a trolley that moves on tracks along one or two horizontal beams, called the bridge, that are supported at both ends. In most cases, the bridge itself can move…

Euclid’s fifth proposition in the first book of his Elements (that the base angles in an isosceles triangle are equal) may have been named the Bridge of Asses (Latin: Pons Asinorum) for medieval students who, clearly not destined to cross over into more abstract mathematics, had difficulty

Samuel R. Delany: …Flight from Nevèrÿon [1985]; and The Bridge of Lost Desire [1987]) is set in a magical past at the beginning of civilization. These tales concern power and its abuse while addressing events contemporary to their publication, such as the AIDS epidemic.

Armand Guillaumin: , The Bridge of Louis Philippe (1875) and The Port at Charenton (1878). His passionate feeling toward nature both impressed and influenced Vincent van Gogh; they became friends during van Gogh’s residence in Paris in 1887. His execution is direct, bold, and sometimes vehement, and his…

The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Thornton Wilder, published in 1927. Wilder’s career was established with this book, in which he first made use of historical subject matter as a background for his interwoven themes of the search for justice, the possibility of altruism,

Steven Spielberg: The 2010s and beyond: …directed the Cold War drama Bridge of Spies (2015), which was written by the Coen brothers and Matt Charman. Depicting historical events, the film featured Tom Hanks as civilian lawyer James B. Donovan, who in 1957 was called upon to defend Soviet spy Vilyam Genrikhovich Fisher, known by the code…

immortality: …Zoroaster accepted the notion of Chinvat peretu, or the Bridge of the Requiter, which was to be crossed after death and which was broad for the righteous and narrow for the wicked, who fell from it into hell. In Indian philosophy and religion, the steps upward—or downward—in the series of…

Ivo Andrić: …and Na Drini ćuprija (1945; The Bridge on the Drina)—are concerned with the history of Bosnia.

The Bridge on the River Kwai, British-American war film, released in 1957 and directed by David Lean, that was both a critical and popular success and became an enduring classic. The movie garnered seven Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as three Golden Globe Awards and four

Pierre Boulle: …best known for his novel Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï (1952; U.S. title, The Bridge over the River Kwai; U.K. title, The Bridge on the River Kwai), dealing with a company of British soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II. An ambiguous moral fable, it presents…

Paul Simon: Simon and Garfunkel: …Simon’s inspirational gospel-flavoured anthem “Bridge over Troubled Water,” which showcased Garfunkel’s soaring semi-operatic tenor.

Simon and Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water and breakup: …to be their final album, Bridge Over Troubled Water. Released in January 1970, it went on to become one of the best-selling albums of the 1970s, ultimately selling some 25 million copies and winning six Grammy Awards, including album of the year. The title track proved an evergreen classic, while…

Sam Mendes: Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road, and James Bond: For the Bridge Project (2009–12), a series of collaboratively produced plays that were performed in multiple international cities, he served as artistic director and staged The Cherry Orchard and four of Shakespeare’s dramas. He returned to filmmaking with Skyfall (2012), a particularly well-received installment in the long-running…

Bridgeton, city, seat (1749) of Cumberland county, southwestern New Jersey, U.S. It lies along Cohansey Creek, 38 miles (61 km) south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The site was settled by Richard Hancock in 1686, and its first name was Cohansey Bridge, for a bridge (1718) that spanned the creek.

bridge whist, card game popular from the 1890s through 1910, and the second step in the historical progression from whist to bridge whist to auction bridge to contract bridge. See

Frank Bridge was an English composer, viola player, and conductor, one of the most accomplished musicians of his day, known especially for his chamber music and songs. Bridge studied violin at the Royal College of Music, London, but changed to viola, becoming a virtuoso player. After a period in

Millville, city, Cumberland county, southwestern New Jersey, U.S. It lies at the head of navigation on the Maurice River, 45 miles (72 km) south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Union Lake, formed by a dam (1806), is to the northwest. The earliest settlers were woodcutters who built cabins along the

Die Brücke, organization of German painters and printmakers that from 1905 to 1913 played a pivotal role in the development of Expressionism. The group was founded in 1905 in Germany by four architectural students in Dresden—Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, who gave the group its name, Fritz Bleyl, Erich

Hart Crane: The Bridge: Kahn, Crane completed The Bridge, which had taken him years to compose. He also received support from the publishers Caresse and Harry Crosby, whom he had met in Paris. Inspired in part by the Brooklyn Bridge and standing for the creative power of humanity uniting the present and…

marble: In bridgeboard, or nineholes, a board with several numbered arches is set up, and players try to shoot their marbles through the arches. A Chinese marble game consists of kicking a marble against an opponent’s to make the latter rebound in a specified direction. Local, regional,…

John Avery was one of Britain’s most renowned pirates of the late 17th century, and the model for Daniel Defoe’s hero in Life, Adventures, and Pyracies, of the Famous Captain Singleton (1720). Avery reputedly served in the Royal Navy and on merchantmen, as well as on buccaneer and slave ships,

Milwaukee Bucks: …guard Sidney Moncrief, and guard-forward Junior Bridgeman began in 1979–80 a streak of 12 straight playoff appearances for the franchise. The team advanced to two consecutive conference finals in 1982–83 and 1983–84 but was beaten by the Philadelphia 76ers and the Celtics, respectively. Moncrief and forward Terry Cummings were the…

Bridgend, county borough, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), southern Wales. Bridgend county borough extends from the mining valleys of Ogmore, Garw, and Llynfi in the north to the arable lowlands and an extensive coastline in the south. The town of Bridgend is the administrative centre of

Bridgend, town and urban area (from 2011 built-up area), Bridgend county borough, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), southern Wales. It is situated on the River Ogmore, a short distance upstream from the Bristol Channel, and is the administrative centre of the county borough. The town has

Bridgeport, city, coextensive with the town (township) of Bridgeport, Fairfield county, southwestern Connecticut, U.S. The city, the most populous in the state, is a port on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Pequonnock River. Settled in 1639, it was first known as Newfield and later as

University of Bridgeport, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Bridgeport, Conn., U.S. The university is composed of the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies (including the schools of arts, humanities, and social sciences; business; general studies; education and human

Jim Bridger: In 1843 he established Fort Bridger, in southwestern Wyoming, as a way station for emigrants traveling westward on the Oregon Trail and as a fur-trading post. (The fort later served the U.S. Army, and it was not abandoned until 1890.) When Mormon “settlers” took over the fort, Bridger entered…

Jim Bridger was an American fur trader, frontiersman, scout, the “mountain man” par excellence. In 1812, Bridger’s father, a surveyor and an innkeeper, moved his family to an Illinois farm near St. Louis, Mo. The young Bridger joined his first fur-trapping expedition in 1822 (that of William H.

Jim Bridger was an American fur trader, frontiersman, scout, the “mountain man” par excellence. In 1812, Bridger’s father, a surveyor and an innkeeper, moved his family to an Illinois farm near St. Louis, Mo. The young Bridger joined his first fur-trapping expedition in 1822 (that of William H.

Bridgerton, blockbuster Netflix romance drama series (2020– ) created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rhimes’s production company, Shondaland. The show, inspired by the eight-book historical fiction series written by author Julia Quinn, follows each of the eight close-knit Bridgerton

road: The master road builders: …engineering school in Europe, the School of Bridges and Highways, was founded in Paris in 1747. Late in the 18th century the Scottish political economist Adam Smith, in discussing conditions in England, wrote,

Mark Robson: Films of the 1950s: The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), from a Michener novel, was a popular Korean War tale starring William Holden as a navy bomber pilot recalled to active duty, much to the dismay of his wife (played by Grace Kelly). Robson next made A Prize of Gold…

Robert James Waller: …than two weeks he penned The Bridges of Madison County. Set in the mid-1960s, it told the story of a middle-aged Italian war bride and farm wife, Francesca, whose passion is ignited by an itinerant photographer, Robert Kincaid. The pair have an intense four-day affair before she chooses duty to…

Clint Eastwood: Films of the 1990s of Clint Eastwood: The Bridges of Madison County (1995) was Eastwood’s effective mounting of the enormously popular novel by Robert James Waller. Eastwood was excellent as a photographer traveling through Iowa for a magazine piece on its historic covered bridges, and Meryl Streep played a farmer’s wife who,…

degu: Bridges’s degu (O. bridgesi) dwells in forests along the base of the Andes from extreme southern Argentina to central Chile. The Mocha Island degu (O. pacificus) is found only in forest habitat on an island off the coast of central Chile; it was not classified…

Harry Bridges was an Australian-born American labour leader, president of the San Francisco-based International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union (ILWU) from 1937 to 1977. Bridges left home to become a maritime seaman at the age of 16 and in 1920 legally entered the United States, where he

Michael Ritchie: Later work: …a homicidally overprotective mother, and Beau Bridges and Swoosie Kurtz also submitted strong performances.

Calvin Blackman Bridges was an American geneticist who helped establish the chromosomal basis of heredity and sex. The year after he entered Columbia University (1909), Bridges obtained a position there as laboratory assistant to the geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan. He and Morgan designed experiments

Ludacris is an American rapper and actor who exemplified the Dirty South school of hip-hop, an exuberant profanity-laden musical style popularized by artists in the southern United States. Ludacris’s magnetic larger-than-life rapping persona propelled him to stardom. Though born in Illinois, Chris

Elton John: Later career and albums: … (2010; a duet album with Leon Russell), Wonderful Crazy Night (2016), and Who Believes in Angels? (2025, with country performer Brandi Carlile). He also contributed soundtracks to the animated movies The Road to El Dorado (2000) and Gnomeo & Juliet (2011).

Harry Bridges was an Australian-born American labour leader, president of the San Francisco-based International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union (ILWU) from 1937 to 1977. Bridges left home to become a maritime seaman at the age of 16 and in 1920 legally entered the United States, where he

Styles Bridges was a U.S. senator from New Hampshire (1937–61), a leader of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. He became controversial for criticizing the policies of Pres. Harry S. Truman’s second administration (1949–53). He attacked Secretary of State Dean Acheson’s foreign policy,

James Bridges was an American actor, screenwriter, and director who was best known for The China Syndrome (1979) and Urban Cowboy (1980). Bridges began his career in entertainment as an actor, and early credits included bit parts on a number of television shows and a starring role as Tarzan in Andy

Jeff Bridges is an American actor known for his good looks, laid-back personality, and versatility. Bridges, son of actor Lloyd Bridges, made his acting debut at age eight in Sea Hunt (1958), a television series in which his father starred. After graduating from University High School in Los

Jeff Bridges is an American actor known for his good looks, laid-back personality, and versatility. Bridges, son of actor Lloyd Bridges, made his acting debut at age eight in Sea Hunt (1958), a television series in which his father starred. After graduating from University High School in Los

Robert Bridges was an English poet noted for his technical mastery of prosody and for his sponsorship of the poetry of his friend Gerard Manley Hopkins. Born of a prosperous landed family, Bridges went to Eton College and then to Oxford, where he met Hopkins. His edition of Hopkins’ poetry that

Robert Bridges was an English poet noted for his technical mastery of prosody and for his sponsorship of the poetry of his friend Gerard Manley Hopkins. Born of a prosperous landed family, Bridges went to Eton College and then to Oxford, where he met Hopkins. His edition of Hopkins’ poetry that

Ruby Bridges is an American activist and leader who became a symbol of the civil rights movement and who was, at age six, the youngest of a group of African American students to integrate schools in the American South. Bridges was the eldest of eight children, born into poverty in the state of

Ruby Bridges is an American activist and leader who became a symbol of the civil rights movement and who was, at age six, the youngest of a group of African American students to integrate schools in the American South. Bridges was the eldest of eight children, born into poverty in the state of

Styles Bridges was a U.S. senator from New Hampshire (1937–61), a leader of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. He became controversial for criticizing the policies of Pres. Harry S. Truman’s second administration (1949–53). He attacked Secretary of State Dean Acheson’s foreign policy,

Gary Coleman: …his on-screen brother, Willis (Todd Bridges), and the businessman’s daughter, Kimberly (Dana Plato). “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?,” spoken often by Coleman’s character, became a popular catchphrase in the 1970s and ’80s.

Ruby Bridges is an American activist and leader who became a symbol of the civil rights movement and who was, at age six, the youngest of a group of African American students to integrate schools in the American South. Bridges was the eldest of eight children, born into poverty in the state of

Jim Broadbent: …Edge of Reason (2004) and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016). In the musical Moulin Rouge! he appeared as Harold Zidler, the dancing and singing owner of the fantastic Moulin Rouge theatre. Finally, Broadbent starred opposite Judi Dench as Iris Murdoch’s husband, John Bayley, in Iris (2001), a film that chronicled the…

Jane Austen: Notable adaptations: Helen Fielding’s 1996 novel Bridget Jones’s Diary, which follows the ups and downs of a single thirtysomething woman in London, was based on Pride and Prejudice; in 2001 it was adapted into a movie starring Renée Zellweger and Austen adaptation veterans Firth and Grant. The series The Lizzie Bennet…

Taylor Jenkins Reid: Early years: …that changed when she discovered Bridget Jones’s Diary (1996) by Helen Fielding at age 13. “Page one and I was in!” she told The Guardian in 2019. “I could not get enough of it. It’s hard to remember now what a breath of fresh air it was when it first…

Hugh Grant: Later roles: …and as Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025).

Jim Broadbent: …he reprised the role in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016). In the musical Moulin Rouge! he appeared as Harold Zidler, the dancing and singing owner of the fantastic Moulin Rouge theatre. Finally, Broadbent starred opposite Judi Dench as Iris Murdoch’s husband, John Bayley,…

St. Brigid of Ireland ; feast day February 1) was an abbess who founded an important monastic community at Kildare in the 5th century and is revered as one of the three patron saints of Ireland, along with St. Patrick and St. Columba (Colmcille). Little is known of Brigid’s life but from legend,

St. Bridget of Sweden ; canonized October 8, 1391; feast day July 23, formerly October 8) was the patron saint of Sweden, founder of the Bridgittines (Order of the Most Holy Savior), and a mystic whose revelations were influential during the Middle Ages. In 1999 Pope John Paul II named her one of

Bridgeton, city, seat (1749) of Cumberland county, southwestern New Jersey, U.S. It lies along Cohansey Creek, 38 miles (61 km) south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The site was settled by Richard Hancock in 1686, and its first name was Cohansey Bridge, for a bridge (1718) that spanned the creek.

Bridgetown, capital and port of the island-state of Barbados, in the West Indies, southeastern Caribbean Sea. It is on the southwestern end of the island, on the wide curve of Carlisle Bay. A built-up coastal strip stretches for several miles on each side of the town. The town, which was founded in

Mount Holly, township (town), seat (1795) of Burlington county, south-central New Jersey, U.S. It lies along Rancocas Creek, 19 miles (31 km) east of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established by Quakers in 1677 and incorporated in 1688, it was known successively as Northampton and Bridgetown until it

Bridgettine, a religious order of cloistered nuns founded by St. Bridget of Sweden in 1344 and approved by Pope Urban V in 1370. Bridget believed that she was called by Christ to found a strictly disciplined religious order that would contribute to the reform of monastic life. She went to Rome to

Bridgewater Canal, British canal now extending from Worsley to Liverpool. An engineering masterpiece of the 18th century, the Bridgewater Canal was executed by James Brindley, a brilliant self-taught mechanic and engineer in the service of Francis Egerton, 3rd duke of Bridgewater. The canal

evolution: Charles Darwin: In 19th-century England the eight Bridgewater Treatises were commissioned so that eminent scientists and philosophers would expand on the marvels of the natural world and thereby set forth “the Power, wisdom, and goodness of God as manifested in the Creation.”

Francis Egerton, 3rd duke of Bridgewater was the founder of British inland navigation, whose canal, built from his estates at Worsley to the city of Manchester, is called the Bridgewater Canal. His father, who was created duke in 1720, was the great-great-grandson of Lord Chancellor Ellesmere.

Francis Egerton, 3rd duke of Bridgewater was the founder of British inland navigation, whose canal, built from his estates at Worsley to the city of Manchester, is called the Bridgewater Canal. His father, who was created duke in 1720, was the great-great-grandson of Lord Chancellor Ellesmere.

spider: Size range: …fecundity in females and “bridging” locomotion in males. Bridging is a technique used by spiders for orb web construction; the spider produces a silk thread that is carried by the wind and becomes attached to an object, forming a bridge. Small, light males can build and traverse silk bridges…

Laura Dewey Bridgman was the first blind and deaf person in the English-speaking world to learn to communicate using finger spelling and the written word. Predating Helen Keller by nearly two generations, Bridgman was well known for her ability to exchange conversation with teachers, family, peers,

Percy Williams Bridgman was an American experimental physicist noted for his studies of materials at high temperatures and pressures. For his work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1946. Bridgman was the son of a journalist. He entered Harvard University in 1900, receiving his M.A. in

Percy Williams Bridgman was an American experimental physicist noted for his studies of materials at high temperatures and pressures. For his work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1946. Bridgman was the son of a journalist. He entered Harvard University in 1900, receiving his M.A. in

crystal: Growth from the melt: The Bridgman method (named after the American scientist Percy Williams Bridgman) is also widely used for growing large single crystals. The molten material is put into a crucible, often of silica, which has a cylindrical shape with a conical lower end. Heaters maintain the molten state.…

Bridgnorth: former district, administrative and historic county of Shropshire, western England. The Bridgnorth region covers a rural area encompassing many small agricultural villages in the southeastern part of the county.

Bridgnorth, town and former district, administrative and historic county of Shropshire, western England. The Bridgnorth region covers a rural area encompassing many small agricultural villages in the southeastern part of the county. The town of Bridgnorth lies mainly on a high red sandstone rock

Bridgwater, Bristol Channel seaport, Sedgemoor district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, southwestern England. The town lies to the east of the Quantock Hills, mainly on the right bank of the River Parrett, and is the administrative centre for the district. The first of several

Francis Egerton, 3rd duke of Bridgewater was the founder of British inland navigation, whose canal, built from his estates at Worsley to the city of Manchester, is called the Bridgewater Canal. His father, who was created duke in 1720, was the great-great-grandson of Lord Chancellor Ellesmere.

James Bridie was a Scottish playwright whose popular, witty comedies were significant to the revival of the Scottish drama during the 1930s. Trained at the University of Glasgow’s medical school, Bridie maintained a successful general practice (until 1938) and served as a physician in World War I

kite: Aerodynamics: …from blowing away, and a bridle to direct the kite face at the proper angle to the wind. A bridle consists of two or more lines attached directly to the kite face. The bridle lines are connected to each other, forming a tow point adjustable for the prevailing wind conditions.…

beard worm: Form and function: …a structure known as a bridle, also called a frenulum, a pair of oblique cuticular ridges that extend backward to meet in the midventral line. The bridle supports the protruding worm on the edge of its tube. The metasome is divided into two sections by a pair of parallel ridges…

bridle, headgear by which a horse or other burden-bearing or pulling animal is governed, consisting of bit, headstall, and reins. The bit is a horizontal metal bar placed in the animal’s mouth and held in place by the headstall, a set of straps over and around the head. Component bits of bone and

murre: Atlantic populations include the so-called bridled, or ringed, murre, a mutation that shows, in breeding season, a ring around the eye and a thin, white stripe behind the eye. This characteristic is nearly absent in murres of Portugal but increases toward the northwest and is seen in 70 percent of…

Burlington, county, central New Jersey, U.S., bounded by Pennsylvania to the west (the Delaware River constituting the border) and the mouth of Great Bay in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mullica River to the southeast and south. It consists of a coastal lowland drained by the Bass, Batsto, Mullica,

Burlington, city, Burlington county, western New Jersey, U.S. It lies along the Delaware River (bridged), opposite Bristol, Pennsylvania. Settled (1677) by Quakers, it was known as New Beverly, then Bridlington (for a village in Yorkshire, England), and later Burlington (an alternate spelling of

horsemanship: Origins and early history: …leading directly to the jointed snaffle bit of the present day.

Alma Bridwell White was an American religious leader who was a founder and major moving force in the evangelical Methodist Pentecostal Union Church, which split from mainstream Methodism in the early 20th century. Alma Bridwell grew up in a dour family of little means. She studied at the

Brie, soft-ripened cow’s-milk cheese named for the district in northeastern France in which it is made. The preliminary soft curd of Brie is molded in flat, pancakelike rounds 9–15 inches (23–38 cm) in diameter and 1–1.5 inches (2.5–3.8 cm) in thickness. After the curd becomes firm, the cheese is

Brie, natural region of northern France between the Seine and Marne valleys. It occupies most of Seine-et-Marne département and parts of adjacent départements. The region was historically divided between the king of France (the Brie Française) and the duke of Champagne (the Brie Champenoise) from

brief, in law, a document often in the form of a summary or abstract. The term is used primarily in common-law countries, and its exact meaning varies across jurisdictions. In the United States a brief is a written legal argument that is presented to a court to aid it in reaching a conclusion on

diplomatics: The papal chancery: …of the 14th century, the brief (breve), used for the popes’ private or even secret correspondence. Written not in the chancery but, instead, by papal secretaries (an office dating from about 1338), the briefs were sealed on wax with the imprint of the papal signet ring.

Robert Brown: …Brown published a pamphlet, A Brief Account of Microscopical Observations…, about his observations of the “rapid oscillatory motion” of a variety of microscopic particles. He recorded that, after noticing moving particles (now known to be amyloplasts, organelles involved with starch synthesis) suspended within living pollen grains of Clarkia pulchella, he…

Franz Kafka: Kafka and his father: …an den Vater (written 1919; Letter to Father), a letter that never reached the addressee, Kafka attributed his failure to live, to cut loose from parental ties and establish himself in marriage and fatherhood, as well as his escape into literature, to the prohibitive father figure, which instilled in him…

George Saunders: His novella The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil was released in 2005. The Braindead Megaphone (2007) is a book of essays. The environmentalist fable Fox 8 was first published in 2013 and then republished as an illustrated book in 2018. Congratulations, by the Way (2014) is…

Richard Dawkins: A second volume of memoir, Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science (2015), recorded episodes from the latter part of his career.

Brief Encounter, British film drama, released in 1945, that pivots on the subject of forbidden love, as set against the strictures of suburban British life. The film, based on Noël Coward’s play Still Life, was one of director David Lean’s first great successes. At an English train station,

mental disorder: Brief focal psychotherapy: This is a form of short-term dynamic therapy in which a time limit to the duration of the therapy is often established at the outset. Sessions lasting 30 to 60 minutes are held weekly for, typically, five to 15 weeks. At the…

12 Contemporary Black Authors You Must Read: Marlon James: He won for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings, which tells a fictionalized account of the attempted murder of reggae legend Bob Marley in 1976. Winning the Booker was a major career triumph for James, whose first novel, John Crow’s Devil, had been rejected about 80 times before…

Philip Glass: and the Errol Morris documentaries A Brief History of Time (1991) and The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003).

David Foster Wallace: Other books: …Girl with Curious Hair (1989), Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (1999), and Oblivion (2004). He was also an acclaimed nonfiction writer, using his signature digressive, footnote-heavy prose to produce elaborate essays on such seemingly uncomplicated subjects as the Illinois state fair, talk radio, and luxury cruises. His essay collections include…

John Playford: His Brief Introduction to the Skill of Musick, a handbook on music theory and practice, went into many editions between 1654 and 1730 and was revised in 1694 by the composer Henry Purcell. An elegy on Playford’s death, “Gentle shepherds, you that know,” by Nahum Tate,…