What has the author Henry Playford written?

Henry Playford was an English composer and publisher. He was the son of John Playford, a successful music publisher, and was born in London in 1657. He succeeded his father as publisher in 1684 and continued to publish music until his death in 1706.

Playford's most important contribution to music was the publication of his collection of English country dances, _The English Dancing Master_. The first edition of this work was published in 1651, and it went through numerous editions until the end of the 18th century. _The English Dancing Master_ contains over 500 country dances, and it is an important source of information about the history of English folk music.

Playford also published other collections of music, including _The Whole Book of Psalms_ (1677), _The Divine Companion_ (1678), and _The Musical Companion_ (1672). He also wrote a number of theoretical works on music, including _An Introduction to the Skill of Musick_ (1654) and _A Brief Introduction to the Art of Descant_ (1660).

Playford was a prolific and influential musician, and his work played an important role in the development of English folk and traditional music.