Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This little book is an excellent introduction to the early music of Europe written with a great deal of knowledge worn very lightly. Those new to the world of early music will be able to follow and enjoy Lucien Jenkins' narrative and those with more experience will be able to pick up some fascinating facts and react to some interesting opinions. In addition to a nicely presented paperback book there are more than two and a half hours of music available on a special website (and, dear reader, if you want to know the secret password you will have to spend £5-99 and buy the book). Even without the music the book is a good buy but the wide-ranging compilation is the proverbial icing on the cake. All the obvious composers are included: Josquin, Dufay, Landini, Taverner, Tallis, Obrecht, Victoria, Byrd, Palestrina, and not forgetting our old friend Anonymous together with others who may be new to many. All the performances come from releases on the super-budget Naxos label but there are some outstanding names on the credits, such as Jeremy Summerley's Oxford Camerata and Tonus Peregrinus, directed by Antony Pitts so we will not quibble. Most of the pieces are sacred, reflecting the survival rate of written music from the period, and although one may wonder where certain favourites have got to the unexpected discoveries more than compensate.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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