Synopses & Reviews
In The Early Christian Period and the Latin Middle Ages, we witness the merger of musica, then an abstract academic enterprise, and cantus, or practical music. The volume spans a millennium of writings, ranging from scriptural commentaries by St. Jerome and other fourth-century Church Fathers to an excerpt from Speculum musicae, an extensive fourteenth-century treatise by Jacques of Liimp;quest;ge. Along the way we read from the works of St. Augustine, Boethius, Hildegard of Bingen, Guido of Arezzo, Franco of Cologne, and a score of others, all in impeccable English translations prepared or revised by James McKinnon.
Synopsis
Though traditionally labeled "Baroque," the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in music could as easily be termed "early modern," since many of the genres that are popular today--were established during that time.
Synopsis
'\'The Renaissance era saw a significant ferment under the banners of humanism, discovery, and reform, deeply affecting music and the way it was understood.\\n
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Synopsis
'\'\\\'Writers of the time explored its links with grammar and rhetoric, reported on the music of non-European peoples, and debated the role of music in religious and other spheres. The forty-five readings chosen for this volume by Gary Tomlinson cover a gamut that includes composers, theorists, poets, philosophers, courtiers, scholars, kings, and popes. Through the eyes of Bembo and Byrd, Du fay and Erasmus, Peacham and Palestrina, Charles IX and Gregory XIII, Calvin and Castiglione, Aaron, Tinctoris, Morley, and Zarlino, we see the many worlds of music in the Renaissance.\\\'\''
Synopsis
And as music itself was becoming more and more of a public affair, discussions and writings about music increased greatly. In , Margaret Murata presents twoscore readings from a constellation of personalities whose thoughts and opinions help define the period for us. We hear, of course, from the composers (Monteverdi, Schütz, Rameau, Bach) and the theorists (Artusi, Simpson, North, Mattheson), but we also find the words of nonmusicians, ranging from the famous (Joseph Addison, Lady Mary Montagu) to the unknown "Truthful Reporter."
About the Author
Leo Treitler, Distinguished Professor of Music at the City University of New York, is the author of Music and the Historical Imagination, as well as other books and articles on music historiography and medieval music.