From Renaissance to Baroque

Bol Partner

A selection of 12 essays examining the work of respected poets from the 16th and 17th centuries. The two main themes which are developed analyze the context of religious controversy within which this poetry developed, and the relationship of poetry to the visual arts. From Renaissance to Baroque continues in the fine tradition of the highly respected critic, as Louis L. Martz addresses some of the central concerns in current studies of English poetry from the 16th and 17th centuries. ""From Renaissance to Baroque"" presents a selection of 12 essays examining the poetry of Marlowe, Spenser, Shakespeare, Donne, Herbert, Carew, Herrick, Marvell, Crashaw, and Vaughan, along with a study of ""Vergil's ""Eclogues"" and an exploration of the nature and function of pastoral poetry. As a whole these essays develop two themes: the context of religious controversy within which this poetry developed, and the relationship of poetry to the visual arts, especially those of Mannerism and the Baroque. In pursuing the latter theme the book includes 40 illustrations, one in full colour, drawn from Leonardo, Raphael, El Greco, Tintoretto, Vermeer, Bernini, Rubens, Rembrandt, and others. Of special interest is the discussion, with eight illustrations, of all the known portraits of John Donne. The final essay, ""The Protestant Baroque"", published here for the first time, presents the author's latest views on religious poetry and art of the seventeenth century. This suite of essays reflects Martz's breadth of understanding, as he reminds us that poetry is still an art, not merely a reflection of political oppression or coercion stuffed into meter and rhyme. The collection will be of major importance to all students of Renaissance poetry, especially those concerned with English religious poetry and with the relationship between poetry and the visual arts.

Bol

Historians of instruments and instrumental music have long recognised that there was a period of profound change in the seventeenth century, when the consorts or families of instruments developed during the Renaissance were replaced by the new models of the Baroque period. Yet the process is still poorly understood, in part because each instrument has traditionally been considered in isolation, and changes in design have rarely been related to changes in the way instruments were used, or what they played. The essays in this book are by distinguished international authors that include specialists in particular instruments together with those interested in such topics as the early history of the orchestra, iconography, pitch and continuo practice. The book will appeal to instrument makers and academics who have an interest in achieving a better understanding of the process of change in the seventeenth century, but the book also raises questions that any historically aware performer ought to be asking about the performance of Baroque music. What sorts of instruments should be used? At what pitch? In which temperament? In what numbers and/or combinations? For this reason, the book will be invaluable to performers, academics, instrument makers and anyone interested in the fascinating period of change from the 'Renaissance' to the 'Baroque'.