Essays in Honor of Christopher Hogwood

In Essays in Honor of Christopher Hogwood: The Maestro's Direction, Thomas Donahue has collected several essays from authors who have been motivated and inspired by the distinguished keyboard player, music editor, writer, and conductor, Christopher Hogwood, in honor of his 70th birthday in 2011. As is clearly shown in the assembled articles, Hogwood has had considerable influence in the latter half of the 20th century in advocating the historically informed performance of early music. Contributions from such scholars as Yo Tomita, Richard Troeger, Sabine K. Klaus, Bridget Cunningham, and Annette Richards pay tribute to this major musician of the 20th century, one of the strongest advocates for the performance of early music.The volume begins with a foreword by Bernard Brauchli, followed by a chronology of Hogwood's education and career, including his publications and awards. The succeeding essays cover a variety of subjects associated with Hogwood's approach to early music, including the interpretation of composers' notations, discussions of musical instrument construction and use, elucidation of performance traditions and conventions of the past, and analysis of the music itself. The essays provide insights on the music of Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and J.S. and C.P.E. Bach and consider various keyboard instruments such as the clavichord, square piano, spinet, and claviorgan. An afterword by Hogwood himself completes this well rounded collection.

Some of the contributors are acknowledged scholars, there is one essay from a young PhD student, and two from seasoned performers whose profiles and abilities match those of Hogwood himself. The book is nicely produced in hard covers and is fully illustrated... This book will be of primary interest to keyboard players and to keyboard organologists in particular; indeed for serious scholars of that subject it is a 'must buy.', This book joins many another Festschrift in gathering together a potpourri of essays on highly specialized, if largely unrelated, topics....Illustrations are generous and, as befits the diversity of subjects and approaches, they include many musical examples and photographs as well as drawings, charts, and tables. A useful index and biographies of the contributors round out a volume that is likely to include something of interest for almost anyone devoted to early music.

Thomas Donahue is a musician and instrument builder. He is the author of Gerhard Brunzema: His Work and His Influence (1998), Anthony Newman: Music, Energy, Healing Spirit (2000), A Guide to Musical Temperament (2005), and A Style and Usage Guide to Writing About Music (2010), all published by Scarecrow Press.