Where Sight Meets Sound

Reviews / Votes

One of the great strengths of this book is the way in which it contextualizes these individual pieces-which are often thought of as isolated notational curiosities-in a coherent history extending from the 13th to the 16th century. * Helen Deeming, Early Music * This is an outstanding book on the development, aesthetics, and historical context of medieval musical notation.... Essential. * CHOICE * A fascinating examination of the notation of polyphonic works, showing how seemingly recondite formulas serve musical purposes. * Alex Ross * With the invention of the ars nova notational system in the early fourteenth century, composers could explore a vast array of previously unavailable rhythmic possibilities. Zazulia's groundbreaking book gives the first detailed account of how this played out in musical practice for the next two hundred years, coming up with new ideas and observations on virtually every page. A major achievement in the history of early music! * Anna Maria Busse Berger, Distinguished Professor of Music, University of California - Davis * A masterful exploration of how late-medieval music notation works and why it matters. Bridging periods too often kept apart and illuminating repertoire both famous and little-known, Zazulia takes us inside a musical world in which writing could carry as much aesthetic weight as sound. Don't miss this terrific book. * Jesse Rodin, Associate Professor of Music, Stanford University; Director, Cut Circle; Director, Josquin Research Project * This book is a must-read for early-music specialists and a worthwhile investment for any student of music history. * William Watson, Early Music America * Emily Zazulia's inaugural monograph offers a detailed account of late medieval music notation....Zazulia provides a convincing case that music notation and its associated transformational impulse were some of the most novel technologies of fifteenth century musical creativity. * Jason Stoessel, Speculum 99/1 * A virtuosic investigation of the relationship between music as sound and music as text. * James J. Blasina, Journal of the American Musicological Society *