Thomas Forrest Kelly, Early Music: A Very Short Introduction

In this recent addition to the Very Short Introduction series (Oxford University Press), Thomas Forrest Kelly weaves much of the story of early music and its revival. Kelly’s slim volume is notable for its detailed overview of genres, idioms, and prominent composers of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras; he also provides a reasonable approach to performance practice as well as an extensive account of the early-music revival. While not necessarily appropriate as a stand-alone text in a music history survey course, the book could function most effectively as an additional source for graduate seminars in performance practice or early-music performance.