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Already in the preface does Burton make clear that the purpose of this book is to inform the
reader of historical music practice in a non-specialist manner. What becomes clear when reading
the book, is that the book has been written especially for contemporary musicians who wish to
play baroque music on their modern instruments. An organist or lutenist could better look
elsewhere for information on performance practice. Burtons objective seems to be to underline
the importance of contemporary sources, both of music and music practice. Time after time do
the writers give examples of what contemporaries wrote about music playing, like Rameau in De
la mechanique des doigts sur le clavessin, p. 51 (1724). Other times they use paintings or
engravings to read off differences, such as the portrait of Francesco Maria Veracini on p. 73 by J.
June after F. F. Richter (1744), where he is shown holding the violin on his collar bone instead of
the shoulder as is now the norm. Other references include anecdotes of teachers, performers, and
composers, and also newer editions of works which are often crucially different from the
original.
Very nicely does George Pratt work through the historical background of the Baroque
period. Italy, Germany, France, and England each have an elaborate passage on their national
style and genres. The developments are more or less in chronological order, and he goes back
and forth between Italy and England, and pays extra attention to Handel and Bach. This chapter
gives a good overview of the development of different musical ideas such as opera and
instrumental music, as well as granting the opportunity to see the music in relation to its history.
More discussion on the Florentine Camerata and Claudio Monteverdis prima pratica and
seconda pratica is desirable, however. There also seems a lack of detailed information on
Renaissance practice, which I believe is necessary to fully understand the Baroque music.
The chapter by Peter Holman, Notation and Interpretation, is by far the most useful
chapter of this book. Here he discusses matters such as instrumentation, keys, temperaments, and
pitches, as well as rhythm, time signatures sharps and flats, and tempo. Perhaps the most
important part of this chapter is the in depth explanation of the various dances for which music
has been written. He distinguishes the French courante from the Italian corrente, as well as many
other dances and their difference between countries and throughout time itself, for example how
the minuet slowed down significantly from the middle of the seventeenth century to the middle
of the eighteenth century. It is in this chapter that a very important aspect of Baroque music is
emphasized, through a quote from Quantz: that (baroque) music can be very well likened to the
delivery of an orator, for they both aim to move the passions of the listener. (p. 32, paraphrased).
Holman properly underlines the notions of dynamics, note length, articulation, notes ingales,
passagi, and most importantly, ornaments. Fortunately, Holman notes that vibrato was an
available ornament, but should only be used on long notes, like the messa di voce, and not in
orchestra.
An important point made by Davitt Moroney in the keyboard chapter is that much of the
repertoire is shared by all the keyboard instruments, though they will be played differently
depending on the instrument. He uses contemporary literature to explain proper playing
techniques such as hand and arm position, and fingering. Ornaments are discussed with a table of
ornaments by J. H. dAnglebert (Pieces de clavecin, 1689). There are some interesting

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paragraphs on organs, harpsichords, and the clavichord. He stresses how important the touch is,
how the wind blows differently into the pipe of an organ depending on the touch, and how the
attack of the harpsichord can also be adjusted with touch. Figured bass is explained, but lacks
depth and would have been much clearer with a visualization and realization of a basso continuo
line, ideally with a recording on the CD. Lastly, he elaborates on the three solo keyboard styles:
counterpoint, dances, and the fantastic style. A very thoughtful statement by Morony says:
While a piano can perfectly well play Bachs ideas in an effective musical way, Bachs music
can never play the piano itself as effectively as it can play the harpsichord. With which he
means that the music is written for both the advantages and shortcomings of an instrument. The
chapter ends with the implication that the harpsichord displaced the lute around 1600, which to
me seems very inaccurate. It is true that for the elite the harpsichord became more popular than
the lute, but lutes were still being played all across Europe, both solo and in ensemble, and the
lute enjoyed quite some excellent composers.
What disappointed me the most about the Strings chapter by Andrew Manze, was that
there was very little information on historically correct instruments. The vast majority of the
chapter discusses the baroque violin and how to play baroque music on a modern violin. Only
the existence of the lute, harp, guitar, and viola da gamba is mentioned, but nothing about their
practice.
Stephen Preston lists the popular wind instruments from the Baroque period and explains
some of their techniques and gives a guide on how to interpret the music on modern instruments.
The information, as with the violin chapter, seems hardly sufficient for a wind instrument player
wanting to play baroque music correctly, though the chapters are interesting as to see with which
aspects these instrumentalists struggle when playing. Knowledge of wind instrument practice
would certainly come in handy when one would play a piece like Sound the Trumpet by H.
Purcell, where two voices imitate trumpets by using long notes with messa di voce and
trumpetesque ornamentations.
Interestingly, John Potter explains that Baroque singing was much more speech-like and
full of ornamentation. There was no interest in tone-colour, and the voices were praised for their
individual sound. Baroque music is very rhetorical and singing too would then be like speaking.
Vibrato is not mentioned in sources and is not part of speech.
In the last chapter, Clifford Bartlett makes clear the importance of autograph and
manuscript editions and warns against modern editions with many editorial changes. Some
editions dont indicate their changes, and sometimes even leave out the source of the music,
which is important when there are multiple sources for a piece. Bartlett gives tips on finding the
right editions for music, as well as the names of publishers who do good work. Lastly, there are
some important notes on the use of different cleffs, beams, key signatures and accidentals, bar
lines, repeats and accidentals. Manuscripts and autographs especially are excellent sources to
play music from, and I wish more musicians did this. It is the closest we can get to the
composers intention and gives some security that the notes are correct, and if they are wrong, at
least the first users of the manuscript played the same mistakes. It has happened to me that a

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certain note sounded off, and it was very interesting to see that a different manuscript had
another note.
This book, edited by Anthony Burton, does what it promised: presenting reliable
information about the interpretation of the music of the past in a general, non-specialist way. (p.
x). I would rather have seen the keyboard, strings, and wind instruments sections be removed and
have their useful information presented more generally. The book has made me more aware of
singers practice, and I hope to use this knowledge later on when accompanying singers who use
continuous vibrato. There is much useful information, but I am not really sure for whom this is
written. The specific instrument practices is too little to be of much use for an aspiring
instrumentalist, but could be suitable for an amateur. I am sure there are better books available
with instrument-specific information, but it gives a good overview of the practice of Baroque
music in general. This book is certainly worth the money if one is looking for general practical
information on the Baroque, rather than wishing to learn e.g. how to realize a figured bass line.
The following chapters can be found in the book:
Preface (Anthony Burton)
Introduction (Christopher Hogwood)
C. 1 Historical Background (George Pratt)
C. 2 Notation and Interpretation (Peter Holman)
C. 3 Keyboard (Davitt Moroney)
C. 4 Strings (Andrew Manze)
C. 5 Wind Instruments (Stephen Preston)
C. 6 Singing (John Potter)
C. 7 Sources and Editions (Clifford Barlett)
The CD includes 25 tracks, each track with information about the recording, the performers, and
the piece itself. Some descriptions refer to pages in the book, where sheet music can be found.
What is surprisingly pleasant, is that the tracks feature full-length pieces, instead of short
fragments, as is often the case with e.g. music history or theory books by WW Norton &
Company.