Rudolf Westphal (1826–92) originally studied theology at the University of Marburg before turning to classical philology and comparative linguistics. He learnt Sanskrit and Arabic and took a keen interest in Indo-European languages and Semitic grammar. In the late 1850s and early 1860s he joined his friend and fellow philologist August Rossbach (1823–98) at the University of Breslau (Wrocław). This multi-volume work on ancient Greek metre and music resulted from their collaboration. Reissued here is the revised third edition published in four parts between 1885 and 1889. Part 1 of Volume 3 (1887), which features the input of classical scholar Hugo Gleditsch (1837–1913), discusses the distinction drawn by Aristoxenus between singing and speaking. The volume also focuses on prosody and different types of verse feet.