ABSTRACT

First published in 1963.

When originally published this book was the first to treat at full length the contribution which music makes to Shakespeare's great tragedies, among them Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear. Here the playwright's practices are studied in conjunction with those of his contemporaries: Marlowe and Jonson, Marston and Chapman. From these comparative assessments there emerges the method that is peculiar to Shakespeare: the employment of song and instrumental music to a degree hitherto unknown, and their use as an integral part of the dramatic structure.

chapter II|30 pages

The Willow Song

chapter III|26 pages

Ophelia's Songs

chapter IV|19 pages

Magic Songs

chapter V|28 pages

Adult Songs and Robert Armin

chapter VIII|15 pages

Instrumental Music: Part One

chapter IX|48 pages

Instrumental Music: Part Two

Stringed versus Wind Instruments