`a very useful contribution in the depth of the discussions. The scholarship is serious and thoughtful' Speculum `The clearly headlined sections, ... facilitate use for quick reference ... The balance between describing historical development and understanding the music is well kept.' Early Music News 'the Oxford History volumes are among the most heavily used of all books on music ... they have held their place as the first point of reference' Early Music 'It is pleasant to be able to recommend so weighty a tome, not only to specialists and students of music, but also to mediaevalists more generally, and indeed to anyone to whom the technical study of the subject is not a priori a closed book.' Medium Aenum 1991