Book contents
- Reprints and Revivals of Renaissance Drama
- Reprints and Revivals of Renaissance Drama
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Notes on Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Text
- Introduction
- Part I The Logic of Renewal
- Part II Agents of Renewal
- Part III The Appeal of the Old
- Part IV Making It New: Frames and Forms
- Chapter 10 New Worlds, Old Plots
- Chapter 11 Musical Reinventions for the King’s Men
- Chapter 12 Frames without Pictures
- Works Cited
- Index
Chapter 11 - Musical Reinventions for the King’s Men
from Part IV - Making It New: Frames and Forms
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 May 2026
Book contents
- Reprints and Revivals of Renaissance Drama
- Reprints and Revivals of Renaissance Drama
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Notes on Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Text
- Introduction
- Part I The Logic of Renewal
- Part II Agents of Renewal
- Part III The Appeal of the Old
- Part IV Making It New: Frames and Forms
- Chapter 10 New Worlds, Old Plots
- Chapter 11 Musical Reinventions for the King’s Men
- Chapter 12 Frames without Pictures
- Works Cited
- Index
Summary
When the King’s Men took over the residency of the Blackfriars indoor theatre in 1609, they embarked upon a period of conscious reinvention of company identity, combining their existing resources and reputation with a new playing space, audience, financial approach, and performative sensibility. The company made music a key part of this reinvention, drawing on its new assets to increase the presence and variety of original music in its plays. By 1642 they still held a reputation for musical innovation, performing newly written music for both new and older plays in the repertory; their musical settings were still newly circulated in manuscript and print into the 1650s. This chapter explores these musical reinventions, examining dramatic impacts of altered lyrics, melody, harmony, accompaniment, and performance style.
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- Reprints and Revivals of Renaissance Drama , pp. 200 - 217Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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