Overview

The fundamental changes that resulted in the development of the Baroque style around the turn of the seventeenth century also had a profound effect on music theory. As musicians began to adopt new approaches to composition, authors gradually became aware that the theories on which they relied, some of which dated back to medieval times, were largely obsolete. Thus, over the course of the seventeenth century, there occurred a complete transformation in almost every aspect of theory: by the 1720s, many of the principles being described bore close relation to those still used today. Nowhere was this metamorphosis clearer than in England where, because of a traditional emphasis on practicality, there was much more willingness to accept and encourage new theoretical ideas than on the continent. By tracing the progress of both rudimentary and more advanced compositional theories in English treatises, Dr Herissone provides a detailed and comprehensive commentary on musical developments during the period.

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9780198167006

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On every page a complex network of filiations is traced among many English authors. It is this kind of meticulous research in which Herissone excels, and to which subsequent generations of scholars will gratefully refer ... Her meticulous account is unusually lucid ... There is no comparable account in the English language that offers such a comprehensive and detailed overview of English music theory from the seventeenth century, and her book will surely become the standard reference work on this subject. Journal of the American Musicological Society This welcome survey covers a great deal of ground ... Clarity of organization is only the most immediately obvious of the book's strengths. The author scrutinizes all her materials with a critical eye, and charts an astonishing number of disagreements, confusions and self-contradictions. Early Music A full and invaluable account of English theoretical writing over the period ... A particularly valuable contribution of the book to English music history is the four full appendices. Musical Times

On every page a complex network of filiations is traced among many English authors. It is this kind of meticulous research in which Herissone excels, and to which subsequent generations of scholars will gratefully refer ... Her meticulous account is unusually lucid ... There is no comparable account in the English language that offers such a comprehensive and detailed overview of English music theory from the seventeenth century, and her book will surely become the standard reference work on this subject. Journal of the American Musicological Society This welcome survey covers a great deal of ground ... Clarity of organization is only the most immediately obvious of the book's strengths. The author scrutinizes all her materials with a critical eye, and charts an astonishing number of disagreements, confusions and self-contradictions. Early Music A full and invaluable account of English theoretical writing over the period ... A particularly valuable contribution of the book to English music history is the four full appendices. Musical Times

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