The Baroque era, stretching from 1600 to the 1750s, is a truly beloved time in the history of classical music, featuring works of Bach, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, and many more. However, critical details about the performance of music during this extraordinary time have been lost to generations of re-interpretation, opinionated colorings, and changes in fashion and taste.

In this remarkable book, a companion to Performance Practices in the Classical Era, noted scholar and choral conductor Dennis Shrock brings together in one place treatises, primers, tutorials, letters, prefaces, and essays from the period to paint a detailed and informative portrait of this wonderful music as it was originally intended and experienced.

The primary sources represent the entire time period of the Baroque era spanning all across Europe. Dr. Shrock expertly organizes these writings and music examples according to musical context: sections devoted to sound, tempo, articulation and phrasing, metric accentuation, rhythmic alteration, ornamentation, and expression.

What emerges is an insightful, colorful, and comprehensive portrait, certain to assist anyone who seeks to better understand the music of the great Baroque composers. Performance Practices in the Baroque Era is a vital resource for any conductor, performer, or aficionado of Baroque music.

Dennis Shrock is Director of Choral Activities at Texas Christian University and a frequent lecturer, guest conductor, and clinician.

The cover artwork is a painting by William Henry Pyne of the chapel in the Foundling Hospital, London, the site of annual Messiah performances beginning in 1750.