THE OXFORD HISTORY OF ENGLISH MUSIC Volume 1: From the Beginnings to c.1715 Volume 2: c.1715 to the Present Day John Caldwell Oxford University Press, 1991, 2000 ISBN: 0-19-816129-8 (Vol. 1)/0-19-816288-X (Vol. 2) £80.00 each or £125.00 as a set

It is odd to think that, until recently, it was a commonly-held view that decent English-born composers neither preceded nor succeeded Purcell until at least the early 20th century and the rise of the Bloomsbury set. Although this might appear somewhat narrow-minded, it is hardly surprising, since English music has been continually subjected to a number of internal strifes and external influences that have had decisive effects on its development. The Reformation was, in many respects, disastrous for ecclesiastical music; the Civil War, only a century later, more so. Foreign composers were also influential, and the history of English music is littered with examples of imports that were assimilated and adapted by home-grown musicians. For example, the 1588 publication of Musica Transalpina was profoundly influential on the development of a whole generation of madrigalists; Caccini's Nuove Musiche (1602) had a great effect on the rise of the English declamatory song; the vogue for things French at the restored Carolean Court was a musical taste against which Purcell rebelled, with his advocacy of the 'grave and serious' music of the Italians. Perhaps our most famous import was George Frederick Handel, whose settling in London in the early years of the eighteenth century was to cause a revolution in terms of operatic entertainment and a later counter-revolution, the results of which produced ballad operas, pasticcios and ultimately, the oratorio.

The above exemplifies only a taste of a rich and varied tradition that is covered in Caldwell's excellent two-volume The Oxford History of Music. Volume 1, written some ten years ago and subtitled From the Beginnings to c.1715, is one of only a few recent publications that dare to investigate the somewhat murky area of the pre-Reformation, especially in its earliest days. This is a remarkable volume in which the scholarship cannot be faulted and one cannot hope to find such a knowledgeable and accessible approach elsewhere. For example, it seems clear that, rather than relying on an examination of second-hand material, Caldwell goes straight to original sources to provide new perspectives in both an erudite and user-friendly manner. His commentary is almost seamless, one which places the music in both social and historical contexts in a well-structured and orderly manner. This is particularly noticeable when dealing with his own specialist period, the music of the early Baroque, a subject that is rarely covered so deftly: often, others' approaches are more sectionalized, providing a 'snapshot' rather than a detailed overview. Thus, composers with long-standing careers often suffer. Neither Gibbons nor Tomkins, for example, fall into a particular camp, having both outlived the Elizabethan and Stuart period, but few books that deal with their music know quite how to address their individual styles, and one has frequently to resort to more specialized monographs for even the most basic information.

The long-awaited Volume 2, published in 1999, covers the period from 1715 to the present day, beginning with Handel's reign and working towards an account of the younger generation of English composers that graces the scene today. A plenary chapter apologetically puts English music into its cultural context within a European sphere, suggesting that, as with the Euro, we have tended to sit on the fence before adopting new ideas. Caldwell's authority and erudite manner captivate the reader, but although his discussion of a range of genres provides a comprehensive overview of most areas of English music, one feels that the space provided is too restricted to deal with the subject properly. It feels as if the reader has been taken on a whirlwind tour of a history that is too large and diverse to deal with sufficiently in 600 or so pages. For example, Chapter 8, 'Folk Music and Popular Music', which contains a section dealing with 'Popular Music since 1700' is sadly lacking in content. With only a single paragraph devoted to jazz and popular music, one feels also that Caldwell is slightly out of his depth, especially when dealing with anything other than mainstream art music. In contrast, his analysis of the complexities of theatrical music in the 18th century, in particular the demise of opera seria, and the rise of the ballad opera is handled with a convincing authority. He is kind to the quagmire that arose from the Oxford Movement, the aping of Mendelssohn and the ensuing pedantry of the Victorian composers, but his commentary provides little other than thumbnail sketches of a large portion of composers whose efforts were nevertheless decisive in the direction music was to take in the early 20th century. He deals with 20th-century art music with slightly more perception, in particular his assertion that members of the so-called 'Manchester School' of composers, Goehr, Birtwistle and Maxwell Davies have failed to attract a significant school of supporters from overseas. From any viewpoint, however, one feels that the second half of this volume is little more than a compendium, a constant problem with monographs that try to deal with too much in too little space. Given that, Caldwell has presented a valuable overview of a complex and difficult subject that is not to be taken too lightly.

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John Woodford