This volume investigates the challenges and methodologies of historical musicology. The seventeen contributors, all specialists in their respective musical eras from the Renaissance and Baroque through the twentieth century, utilize diverse source materials to examine a broad spectrum of musical works and practices. The essays explore issues central to reconstructing and reinterpreting the music of the past, considering its relevance to contemporary musical life.

The essays in this collection are by renowned specialists in their respective repertoires, utilizing diverse source materials to probe issues pertaining to a cross-section of musical works and musical life from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. The collection is designed to be welcome to anyone fascinated by the problems of reconstructing and reimagining the evanescent musical art of the past and pondering its implications for musical life today and in the future. The contributors' expertise suggests a scholarly and in-depth exploration of historical musicological methods and findings. The book aims to bridge the gap between historical inquiry and contemporary musical understanding.