Reviews by the editorial staff of Early Music America. Have a new recording or book? Submit it for consideration.


Need to Arrange and Edit Early Music? Now There's a How To Guide

Need to Arrange and Edit Early Music? Now There’s a How To Guide

Stewart Carter
All early musicians, at some point, will need to edit or arrange music for practice or performance. Finally, there's a sensible how-to guide that covers the basics and beyond, from making the most of historical sources to making interpretive decisions about modern critical editions and more.
Music of Pure Joy: Amanda Forsythe Sings Bach with Apollo's Fire

Music of Pure Joy: Amanda Forsythe Sings Bach with Apollo’s Fire

Thomas May
Radiant soprano Amanda Forsythe and Apollo's Fire continue their fruitful relationship in music by Bach, with two cantatas and two arias. Proof, as artistic director Jeannette Sorrell puts it, of Bach's love affair with the soprano voice.
Composer in the news: Vicente Lusitano, ahead of his time and ready for rediscovery

Composer in the news: Vicente Lusitano, ahead of his time and ready for rediscovery

Karen M. Cook
Described as a "pardo" -- of mixed race -- Vicente Lusitano might be the first published composer of African descent. This new recording shows a composer of high imagination and style, with a daring approach to chromaticism.
Recording Review: The Occasional Sound of German Brass

Recording Review: The Occasional Sound of German Brass

David Smith
Music for solemn occasions has long called for the dark gravitas of a brass ensemble. With its latest recording, Belgium-based period-instrument ensemble InAlto focuses on an especially rich period in the genre's history.
Rediscovering Beethoven's 1803 Erard Fortepiano

Rediscovering Beethoven’s 1803 Erard Fortepiano

Andrew Willis
Anyone who has realized new musical insights while playing a historical instrument will learn much from this new book, examining a French pianoforte that changed Beethoven's writing style.
Galileo's Daughters Explore Renaissance Science through Music

Galileo’s Daughters Explore Renaissance Science through Music

Aaron Keebaugh
A deluxe new film and CD explores Galileo's scientific achievements through music of his time. The visuals can be hit-and-miss, but "the performances exploring religious themes are simply gorgeous."
It's a Woman's World on Infusion Baroque's 'Virtuosa'

It’s a Woman’s World on Infusion Baroque’s ‘Virtuosa’

Anne E. Johnson
In their recent recording 'Virtuosa,' Infusion Baroque proves there is always more to be discovered about women in music. This two-disc set revisits a few familiar names and presents others that will be new to many listeners. The strong performances are enthusiastic and convincing.
The Great Isabella Leonarda, Discovered Anew

The Great Isabella Leonarda, Discovered Anew

Karen M. Cook
She spent most of her life in the convent and composed prolifically. Suor Isabella Leonarda's sacred and instrumental music is given deluxe performances in this terrific new recording.
Fortune Favors the Old: Machaut from Blue Heron and Les Délices

Fortune Favors the Old: Machaut from Blue Heron and Les Délices

Jacob Jahiel
Machaut’s narrative poem and music for 'The Remedy for Fortune' is a collaborative recording between two of America’s leading ensembles, Blue Heron and Les Délices. The results is musically compelling and makes for cohesive storytelling.
Listening to the Fur Trade in British North America

Listening to the Fur Trade in British North America

Elizabeth Rouget
The Indigenous peoples of British North America did the trapping and skinning of animal pelts and traded them to European settlers. To keep these mutually beneficial exchanges flowing, the disparate cultures used music, dance, and sound as a vital means of communication. This fascinating book explores how music helped forge cross-cultural trade.
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