There is a striking similarity between Marian devotional songs and secular love songs of the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Two disparate genres-one sacred, the other secular; one Latin, the other vernacular-both praise an idealized, impossibly virtuous woman. Each does so through highly stylized derivations of traditional medieval song forms - Marian prayer derived from earlier Gregorian chant, and love songs and lyrics from medieval courtly song. Yet despite their obvious similarities, the two musical and poetic traditions have rarely been studied together. Author David Rothenberg takes on this task with remarkable success, producing a useful and broad introduction to Marian music and liturgy, and then coupling that with an incisive comparative analysis of this devotional form with the words and music of secular love songs of the period. The Flower of Paradise examines the interplay of Marian devotional and secular poetics within polyphonic music from c. 1200 to c. 1500. Through case studies of works that demonstrate a specific symbolic resonance between Marian devotional and secular song, the book illustrates the distinctive ethos of this period in European culture. Rothenberg makes use of an impressive command of liturgical and religious studies, literature and poetry, and art history to craft a study with wide application across disciplinary boundaries. With its broad scope and unique, incisive analysis, this book is suited for scholars, students, and general readers alike. Undergraduate and graduate students of musicology, Medieval and Renaissance studies, comparative literature, art history, Western reglious history, and music history-especially that of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and sacred music-will find this book a useful and informative resource on the period. The Flower of Paradise is also of interest to those with a particular dedication to any of its diverse subject areas. For individuals involved in religious organizations or those who frequent Medieval or Renaissance cultural sites and museums, this book will deepen their knowledge and open up new ways of thinking about the history and development of secular and sacred music and the Marian tradition.

It has become widely accepted among musicologists that medieval music is most profitably studied from interdisciplinary perspectives that situate it within broad cultural contexts. The origins of this consensus lie in a decisive reorientation of the field that began approximately four decades ago. For much of the twentieth century, research on medieval music had focused on the discovery and evaluation of musical and theoretical sources. The 1970s and 1980s, by contrast, witnessed calls for broader methodologies and more fully contextual approaches that in turn anticipated the emergence of the so-called 'New Musicology'. The fifteen essays in the present collection explore three interrelated areas of inquiry that proved particularly significant: the liturgy, sources (musical and archival), and musical symbolism. In so doing, these essays not only acknowledge past achievements but also illustrate how this broad, interdisciplinary approach remains a source for scholarly innovation.

It has become widely accepted among musicologists that medieval music is most profitably studied from interdisciplinary perspectives that situate it within broad cultural contexts. The origins of this consensus lie in a decisive reorientation of the field that began approximately four decades ago. For much of the twentieth century, research on medieval music had focused on the discovery and evaluation of musical and theoretical sources. The 1970s and 1980s, by contrast, witnessed calls for broader methodologies and more fully contextual approaches that in turn anticipated the emergence of the so-called 'New Musicology'. The fifteen essays in the present collection explore three interrelated areas of inquiry that proved particularly significant: the liturgy, sources (musical and archival), and musical symbolism. In so doing, these essays not only acknowledge past achievements but also illustrate how this broad, interdisciplinary approach remains a source for scholarly innovation.

The Oxford Anthology of Western Music, Volume One: The Earliest Notations to the Early Eighteenth Century, accompanies chapters 1-11 of The Oxford History of Western Music, College Edition*, by Richard Taruskin and Christopher H. Gibbs (9780195097627).
From ancient Greek music and Christian plainchant to the keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, this comprehensive volume includes a rich assortment of landmark musical scores. These include works found in many surveys as well as important pieces that are rarely anthologized, including Antoine de Fevin's Missa super Ave Maria; Adrian Willaert's Benedicta es; the Overture and Act 3 of Jean-Baptiste Lully's Atys; Dietrich Buxtehude's Durch Adams Fall; and an aria from Jean-Philippe Rameau's Castor et Pollux.
Designed with students in mind, this unique collection includes introductory essays at the beginning of each piece and an index of names and terms.
A corresponding set of recordings* (2 CDs) contains all musical examples from the anthology in high-quality MP3 format (9780199768288).
ALSO AVAILABLE*
Oxford Anthology of Western Music
Volume Two: The Mid-Eighteenth Century to the Late Nineteenth Century
Edited by Klara Moricz and David E. Schneider
V2 Print Anthology: 9780199768264
V2 Recorded Anthology (3 CDs): 9780199768295
Oxford Anthology of Western Music
Volume Three: The Twentieth Century
Edited by Klara Moricz and David E. Schneider
V3 Print Anthology: 9780199768271
V3 Recorded Anthology (2 CDs): 9780199768301
Oxford Recorded Anthology of Western Music
Concise Edition
Recorded Anthology (3 CDs): 9780199768318
The Oxford History of Western Music
College Edition
Richard Taruskin and Christopher H. Gibbs
Textbook: 9780195097627
* Sold separately"