The flageolet occupies a unique niche in musical history, and this book traces its history from its beginnings to its peak of popularity in the nineteenth century.. The flageolet is a recorder-like instrument whose history may be traced back to the seventeenth century. Predominantly an instrument of the amateur, the flageolet seldom featured in the orchestra but nevertheless occupied a smallbut unique niche in musical history. MacMillan traces the history of the instrument from its origin through to its heyday in England in the nineteenth century. The book is centred on an organological study of the flageolet, coupled with discussion of its repertoire, pedagogy, and place in musical society. It will be of interest to woodwind organologists, players of the flute and recorder, and to those who study the integration of musical instruments and their repertoire in relation to societal aspects of musical practice.

The Revd Murdoch Campbell was a pastor in Glasgow and the Highlands from 1930 until 1968. This reprint of one of his best-loved books remembers an affectionate and spiritually exercised people whose words and deeds give wonderful insights into Christian experience. They felt awe at God's tender condescension, and joy in His presence, whether in day-to-day prayer or, for some, in rapt converse with Him. Yet without a written record they would soon be forgotten, just as their psalmody, the only instance in Europe of its musical form, has now all but vanished. The book is full of incident and atmosphere, and people you feel you know. The editor has retained from earlier editions J. Douglas MacMillan's biographical notes and historical overview, written to help readers understand 'a very definite period and a very specific culture ...and absorb its atmosphere'.