The Interpretation of Early Music (1963, first edition)
This copy from the library of pianist Alexander Kelly (1929–1996)
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
First edition. Hardback in dustwrapper. 25.5 × 16cm, 605pp.
This copy is from the library of Alexander Kelly (1929–1996), pianist and professor at the Royal College of Music, with his address label to the ffep. He gave his debut under Sir Thomas Beecham, and as a teacher his pupils included Peter Jacobs, David Owen Norris, Iain Burnside, and Jonathan Plowright.
From the dustwrapper, "Our performance of early music can be improved, often to an astonishing degree, by a judicious application of the methods of performance used by its contemporaries. ‘Authenticity’ of style can only be achieved by combining the results of exact research with those of practical musicianship. Almost half the present book, an eagerly awaited major work of scholarship upon which the author has been engaged for many years, consists of quotations from authorities of the period which Mr Donington studies. The remainder is a lucid survey of the problems which may arise in the course of rehearsal, when the performer has to reconcile theory and practice.
Robert Donington, the founder of the Donington Consort and a leading specialist in the music of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, makes a lively story of his complex subject. Scholars and musicians will undoubtedly find much to fascinate and perhaps surprise them in a book which must be regarded as Mr Donington's chef d'oeuvre."
Condition
The book is in very good condition. The dustwrapper is creased with slight loss to the corners and top edge but has not been price-clipped and is now within a protective sleeve.
Books are currently zero-rated for duty (as of January 2026), so the price shown is the price you pay.
Price
£30.00
