Part history, part explanation of early music, this book also plays devil's advocate, criticizing current practices and urging experimentation. Haynes, a veteran of the movement, describes a vision of the future that involves improvisation, rhetorical expression, and composition. Written for musicians and non-musicians alike.

• List of Musical Examples
• List of Recorded Excerpts
• Preface: If this Muses Come to Call
• Acknowledgements
• Part I: Performing Styles
• One: Performing Style: When You Say Something Differently, You Say Something Different
• Two: Mind the Gap: Current Styles
• Three: Mainstream Style: "Chops, but no Soul"
• Part II: How Romantic Are We?
• Four: Classical Music's Coarse Caress
• Five: The Transparent Performer
• Six: Changing Meanings, Permanent Symbols
• Part III: Anachronism a...