Early Music History

Publisher description

From Gregorian chant to Bach's Brandenburg Concerti, the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods is both beautiful and intriguing, expanding our horizons as it nourishes our souls. In this Very Short Introduction, Thomas Forrest Kelly provides not only a compact overview of the music itself, but also a lively look at the many attempts over the last two centuries to revive it. Kelly shows that the early-music revival has long been grounded in the idea of spontaneity, of excitement, and of recapturing experiences otherwise lost to us--either the rediscovery of little-known repertories or the recovery of lost performing styles, with the conviction that, with the right performance, the music will come to life anew. Blending musical and social history, he shows how the Early Music movement in the 1960s took on political overtones, fueled by a rebellion against received wisdom and enforced conformity. Kelly also discusses ongoing debates about authenticity, the desirability of period instruments, and the relationship of mainstream opera companies and symphony orchestras to music that they often ignore, or play in modern fashion.

First comprehensive historical study, going back to 18th century. Influence of Schola Cantorum; instrument builders; performers such as Wanda Landowska, Alfred Deller, others. Includes 46 illustrations. "Well informed" -- Christopher Hogwood.

Explores the meanings of the term 'author' for seventeenth-century German musicians, examining how compositions were made and used.

Musical history from the early Middle Ages to the end of the seventeenth century.

Early Music History is devoted to the study of music from the early Middle Ages to the end of the seventeenth century. It demands the highest standards of scholarship from its contributors, all of whom are leading academics in their fields. It gives preference to studies pursuing interdisciplinary approaches and to those developing novel methodological ideas. The scope is exceptionally broad and includes manuscript studies, textual criticism, iconography, studies of the relationship between words and music and the relationship between music and society. Articles in volume seven include: Music, ritual and patronage at the Church of Our Lady, Antwerp; Instrumental music in urban centres of Renaissance Germany; and the fourth-century origin of the gradual.

The first substantial study of Victoria's Requiem, among the most prominent Renaissance musical works, encompassing its genesis, style, and impact.

Features 50 compositions from early Middle Ages to mid-18th century, including a Gregorian hymn, English lute piece, operatic arias, instrumental and vocal motets; works by Vivaldi, Telemann, Scarlatti, and others. Features commentary.