The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Historical Performance in Music
- Submitting institution
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Royal College of Music
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
- Output identifier
- 20
- Type
- B - Edited book
- DOI
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10.1017/9781316257678.001
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- ISBN
- 9781107108080
- Open access status
- Out of scope for open access requirements
- Month of publication
- -
- Year of publication
- 2018
- URL
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https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/music/music-performance/cambridge-encyclopedia-historical-performance-music?format=HB
- Supplementary information
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-
- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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1
- Research group(s)
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-
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- Musicians actively pursuing historical performance have thus far lacked a single-volume scholarly reference tool to assist fulfilment of their ideals of rediscovering and recreating as closely as possible how musical works may have originally sounded. A similar void exists for listeners to historically informed performance. The Encyclopedia is intended to facilitate understanding and solution of problems encountered in performance and to provide a critical and rigorous appraisal of the latest thinking behind many current relevant issues. Building upon their monumental Cambridge History of Musical Performance (2012), the co-editors sought to represent a performer-centric view of history, focusing on specialist areas, while presenting an international perspective across practice and theory. Interpretative issues of musical execution remain a priority throughout the volume. The co-authored Preface makes a particular point of addressing the various challenges of the digital age in an environment which seeks to balance historical accuracy with practical expediency. Lawson’s article ‘Historically Informed Performance’ develops ideas from his many earlier publications, his editorship of the Cambridge series of books devoted to individual instruments and his practical involvement as soloist with such pioneers as Hogwood, Norrington and Rifkin. His organological articles ‘Clarinet’ and ‘Oboe’ are distinctive in attempting to indicate the tone-qualities of old instruments, while placing historical material in societal context. In tackling under-researched areas such as ‘Rehearsal’, Lawson has sought to portray the wide variety of evidence for historical practice that can prove uncomfortable and challenging to modern performers. He also contributed to collaborative articles such as ‘Vibrato’ to provide as comprehensive and panoramic view as possible of this historiographically elusive yet highly charged subject. Sixteen of the 111 contributors are colleagues from the Royal College of Music. The Enyclopedia won the 2019 IAML C.B. Oldman Award as an ‘outstanding work of music reference’.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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