The early msic revival a history
Haskell Harry

“Wide-ranging, entertaining, well informed.”—Christopher Hogwood

To what extent is it possible, or even desirable, to perform music from an earlier era as its composer intended it to be performed? This is the central question underlying the
historical performance movement. However one answers the question, there is no denying the wide interest today in early music, with performer/scholars such as Christopher Hogwood, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and John Eliot Gardiner establishing worldwide reputations.

The present volume, by American music critic and writer Harry Haskell, offers the first comprehensive historical study of the early music revival, tracing its origins back beyond nineteenth-century antiquarianism to the eighteenth century. Written in a lively and entertaining style, yet displaying great erudition, the book covers such topics as Mendelssohn’s critical role, in 1829, in the “rediscovery” of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion; the impact of the Schola Cantorum of Paris, founded by Vincent d’Indy and others to promote the study and performance of early religious
masterworks; the work of period instrument builders and manufacturers; the influence
of such outstanding performers as harpsichordist Wanda Landowska and countertenor Alfred Deller; plus controversial issues of authentic performance philosophy that continue to be hotly debated.

Based on extensive original research, and on interviews with leading artists and scholars in Europe and the United States, this rich account of personalities and events will delight and inform any musician or music lover interested in early music and its revival. Forty-six illustrations, mostly photographs, enhance the text.

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