Performance Practices of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
Frederick Neumann, Jane Stevens, New York: Schirmer Books, 1993, Hardcover with unclipped dust jacket
Music written before 1800 is performed today in the context of an ever-intensifying concern with historical sound and style, a concern that has led to an explosion of research on the performance practices of various periods. This encyclopedic study presents a synthesis of current knowledge about what Frederick Neumann calls the "tactical issues of interpretation" - tempo, rhythm, dynamics, articulation, phrasing, ornamentation - as applied to the music of the Baroque and Classical periods. Taking a descriptive rather than a prescriptive approach, Neumann provides a systematic account of what is known about performance practices during those times, indicates areas of controversy, and suggests possible solutions. His purpose is to provide today's performer with a foundation of historical insights as the basis for artistic decisions.
Includes notes, bibliography, and more than 300 musical examples and fascimiles.
Condition: a good hardcover with clean covers, no writing marks or notes. Jacket has no price clipping but shows some shelf wear. Some light soiling to the page ends. see photo
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