Abstract
This book is a great resource for musicians wishing to explore historic performance practice for music from the Middle Ages (roughly 450 A.D. to the beginning of the Renaissance, about 1450). Other applications might include music for special historically based events, or instrumental accompaniments to an early vocal music ensemble. The book contains 40 essays on various topics, written by specialists in scholarship and performance. The essays are organized into three broad categories: Repertoire, Voices & Instruments, and Theory & Practice. They are accessible but not simple to read, and you may wish to keep a music dictionary handy if you are rusty on terminology. One could read cover to cover, but readers may prefer turning to a specific chapter on their particular interest. The “Repertoire” section includes discussions of the major genres of music from this period, how they evolved, and where they were found. “Voices & Instruments” has several chapters devoted to various stringed instruments, including harps, guitar-like instruments, and bowed instruments (the violin family had not yet been invented at this time). Essays discuss improvisation, ornamentation, accompaniment, and other information relevant to historically informed performance. The “Theory & Practice” section explains modes, notation, proportions, musica ficta, and tuning systems. This is fairly advanced information, but useful if you are interested in historic performance practice. Teachers wishing to present a survey of stringed instruments throughout history will find the discography worthwhile.