A solid grounding in musical techniques of the 17th and 18th centuries is essential to a complete understanding of Baroque music. As scholar Denis Stevens says in his introduction to this work, "Full enjoyment will come only when the soloist learns the gentle art of tasteful embellishment of a melodic line, and when continuo players learn that their role is perhaps the most important in the entire ensemble." Arnold's legendary work is a comprehensive survey of its topic, covering every issue of significance to today's performer. The text is fully amplified with numerous musical examples, authoritative citations, scholarly interpretations and syntheses, and the author's own conclusions. An inexhaustible collection of source material for the musicologist as well as an indispensable companion for conductor, editor, or performer.
Reprint of the Oxford University Press, 1931 edition.
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