Medieval and Renaissance Music: A Performer's Guide (Paperback)

by Timothy J. McGee (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Over the past twenty-five years Europe and North America have witnessed an enormous revival of interest in early music. Since the late 1950s numerous professional and amateur ensembles have delighted audiences with the vocal and instrumental music of the twelffth to the sixteenth centuries, while scholars have addressed themselves to the many problems involved in its authentic re-creation. This book unites the two fields; it is both a summary of the most recent scholarly investigations into the subject and a practical guide to the performance of early music based on the experience of the author and others who have performed a sizable portion of the early repertory.

McGee lays out clearly the foundation and background of each of the performance problems, presenting the most recent research and pointing out areas of incomplete knowledge and controversy, and then introduces practical solutions based on the scholarship.

All the topics necessary for a historical performance of early music are discussed: tempo, rhythmic flow, instrumentation, ornamentation, articulation, improvisation, style, and singing technique, along with some practical hints for selecting a program and shoosing substitute instruments. The final chapters is a reference guide to modern editions of the music and an introduction to the scholarly literature on early music performances.

At the time of publication, this book was the first to address the problem of how to perform medieval and Renaissance music. It is intended for both the amateur performing musician and the serious student.

Product Details

• Paperback: 303 pages
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press (October 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802067298
• ISBN-13: 978-0802067296
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,345,054 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference for performers, July 13, 2001

By	Tan A. Summers "tanasay" (Bountiful, UT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Timothy McGee's Performer's Guide was recommended to me by Therese Honey, who performs, records, and teaches medieval harp technique. I am very impressed with it and greatly appreciate her recommendation. This is a practical book, and could be used by someone new to early music as well as someone with a deeper background. A good index makes it possible to pick out sections related to a particular instrument. Good writing by a knowledgeable author makes it enjoyable to read the whole book.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Performer's Companion, June 27, 2000

By	Ryan Pagenkopf (Irving, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Renaissance music was a key aspect of my high school experience as I sang under the direction of a man who has received his Masters Degree in its components and has a compelling love of its applications. From sacred to secular and serious to silly, Renaissance music covered a breadth of ideas and ideals, many of which modern performers without depth of knowledge or experience cannot relate or understand. This book serves to quell those absences of information on such an important period of musical history. I think of this as a necessary tool for any performer in studying the intricacies of this period's collaborative parts. Notice the title does not mention EXPERIENCED performer's guide to Renaissance music. This is a tool for any musical performer to enhance themsleves as musicians and as people. It is for the layman and the scholar to enjoy, and enjoy they will. Renaissance music established a firm foundation for all modern methods of musical ideology. It is only reasonable to presume that the modern musical mind should want to discover its artistic roots through such a resource as this.