This text investigates the stylistic evolution and technical requirements of keyboard compositions written in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Ferguson provides a comprehensive examination of the virginalist school, analyzing how these composers adapted continental influences to create a distinct national idiom. The work utilizes primary source manuscripts and historical performance practice to establish a framework for understanding the transition from early polyphony to the more virtuosic styles of the late Baroque.

Musicologists and performers frequently cite this work as a foundational reference for understanding the nuances of early English keyboard literature. The text is noted for its scholarly rigor and remains a standard resource for students and professionals interested in historical performance practice.