Book Review
May. 9th, 2020 04:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariByrd
by Kerry Robin McCarthy
This biography of English Renaissance composer William Byrd was just right. Just the right amount of detail, the right mix of musical analysis and biographical information, and the right kind of intelligent yet readable prose for a more academic book. I also very much appreciated that McCarthy chose to integrate the biography and the musical description and analysis rather than sequestering them in separate sections. It's much more enjoyable to read that way and gives a more holistic picture of a composer and their work. McCarthy also gave plenty of attention to the most interesting aspects of Byrd's life and work: his status as a Catholic in Elizabethan England, and his work's role in the development of Tudor music.
by Kerry Robin McCarthy
This biography of English Renaissance composer William Byrd was just right. Just the right amount of detail, the right mix of musical analysis and biographical information, and the right kind of intelligent yet readable prose for a more academic book. I also very much appreciated that McCarthy chose to integrate the biography and the musical description and analysis rather than sequestering them in separate sections. It's much more enjoyable to read that way and gives a more holistic picture of a composer and their work. McCarthy also gave plenty of attention to the most interesting aspects of Byrd's life and work: his status as a Catholic in Elizabethan England, and his work's role in the development of Tudor music.
