Today, Bach is one of the most revered and studied figures of classical
music, despite there being a time in which he was almost forgotten.
Divided into two sections, this volume explores research on J.S. Bach
and more broadly examines the topics of music and performance studies;
with the latter focusing on composers active today, such as Marco
Alunno, or those from the recent past who are lesser-known and
performed, such as Pietro Cimara and Leo Ornstein.
Following from Nones's (ed.) previous publication Music as
Communication: Perspectives on Music, Image and Performance (ABE, 2018),
this work provides a rather unique contribution as a choral attempt at
exploring performance today. The intention of this book and the attached
CD, with live recordings of the music explored at the conference from
which the volume originated, is to inspire fresh approaches to the study
of a monument like Bach, while also encouraging original research of
modern composition and performance. Recordings of the performances given
over the two days of the conference serve either to clarify arguments
made in the papers or to attest to the music explored more generally.
This volume is founded on the belief that the history of music is
comprised of many figures, some of whom are undeservedly forgotten, and
that our understanding of and approach to music is simultaneously shaped
by the past and directed by the continual evolution of sounds and
attitudes of the present. Examining music styles from baroque (Bach) to
contemporary (Alunno), Forms of Performance will be of particular
interest to Bach and performance studies scholars, as well as advanced
researchers and PhD students in this field.
