Reviews

`exhaustive study ... His diligence is impressive ... There is so much here of interest - from footnote comments to fundamental issues of interpretation ... One of the fascinations of this book is that by purporting to concentrate on rubato, it actually shows how much we have still to discover about the beat'
Musical Times
`full of valuable discussion of all sorts of temporal displacements...a stimluating book, with much information'
Early Music Review
`This is the best and most comprehensive study of rubato to date...provides a very comprehensive bibliography, a thorough index, and many musical examples. Highly recommended'
Choice
`...this book does contain a wealth of documentary material, much of it unpublished in modern times. Scholars will therefore be grateful to Professor Hudson.'
Times Literary Supplement
`His style is measured and scholarly, with an exceptionally wide range of references and quotations ... performers and scholars alike will find in this book a wealth of information on the history of tempo rubato and on various related topics ... The book is very well presented.'
J. Donald Cullington, Music and Letters, Vol. 77, No. 2, May '96
`Many of us are a bit hazy as to exactly what 'tempo rubato' means and where and how to use it, so this book, which carefully traces its history from 1700 to the present day is very welcome ... the language is approachable and Hudson does not fight shy of suggesting detailed realisations from the major composers. One can only hope it will be read carefully and taken to heart by future performers.'
Kenneth van Barthold, BBC Music
`Richard Hudson's book is the first to deal with the subject in comprehensive fashion, and it is a most impressive study. I have attempted here to summarize some of the main points of the book in the hope of piquing of the reader to explore it in detail. It is a work of extraordinary richness, brilliantly researched, and well written. For his elusive topic the author has found documentation of many kinds ... His evidence is interpreted with scholarly and
musical sensitivity. There is much more to reward a careful reading ... one can only applaud Professor Hudson's accomplishment and recommend his book highly. It belongs in every music library and on the
shelf of every performer.'
Barton Hudson, Performance Practice Review, V.9 No.2, Fall 1996
`Richard Hudson's book is the first to deal with the subject in comprehensive fashion, and it is a most impressive study. It is a work of extraordinary richness, brilliantly reserched, and well written. His evidence is interpreted with scholarly and musical sensitivity. There is much more to reward a careful reading ... one can only applaud Professor Hudson's accomplishment and recommend his book highly. It belongs in every music library and on the shelf of
every serious performer.'
Barton Hudson, Performance Practice Review, Volume 9, Number 2, Fall 1996