Music in Shakespeare: A Dictionary

Christopher R. Wilson · Michela Calore

Dec 2005 · Bloomsbury Publishing

About this eBook

Musical references, allusions to music, and music stage directions abound in Shakespeare, ranging from simple trumpet flourishes to sophisticated, philosophical allegory. Music in Shakespeare: A Dictionary identifies all musical terms found in the Shakespeare canon. An A-Z of over 300 entries includes a definition of each musical term in its historical and theoretical context, and explores the extent of Shakespeare's use of musical imagery across the full range of his dramatic and poetic work. Music in Shakespeare also analyses the usage of musical instruments and sound effects on the Shakespearean stage, providing descriptions of the instruments employed in the Elizabethan and Jacobean theatres. This is a comprehensive reference guide for scholars and students with interests ranging from the thematic and allegorical relevance of music in Shakespeare's works to the history of performance. It is also aimed at the growing number of directors and actors concerned with recovering the staging conditions of the early modern theatre.

About the author

Christopher R.Wilson is Professor in the Department of Music at the University of Hull, UK. He has published on English music/words topics from the late medieval period to the 20th century.

Michela Calore is an independent scholar who specializes in the staging conditions of the Elizabethan theatre. She has a particular interest in the Rose theatre and the repertoire of the Admiral's Men, and has published articles on the language and staging of plays written in the 1580s and the 1590s.