This collection of studies proclaims to break new paths in the relatively untrodden field of “music and religious education in early modern Europe.” Whereas the editor, in her introduction, puts perhaps too much emphasis on the novelty of such enterprise (the use of songs in catechesis, the musical inculturation in extra-European missions, and the soundscapes of the various confessions are not as unexplored as the reader might be induced to think), the book contains nine fine essays by interdisciplinary scholars dealing with different confessions, locales, and problems. The ambitious goal is to sound the “intersections of music, education, liturgy, and theology in the era of the Reformation and Renaissance humanism” (7). The main focus is de facto placed on reformed confessions, and one cannot help wondering about the complete absence of reflections on the role of Catholic orders, notably the Society of Jesus. (On the other hand, the editor’s clever suggestion that further research should examine Eastern Europe, bringing Orthodox Christianity into the picture, is surely welcome). The first part of the volume scrutinizes music-pedagogical “Concepts and Theories,” while the second concentrates on “Contexts and Practices.” Some contributions elucidate known themes in a clear and informative way (for instance, Wursten’s treatment of Clement Marot’s Psalms and their liturgical and “cultural” reception, or O’Regan’s discussion of music and education in Roman charitable institutions); others survey less familiar areas (for example Kim’s account of the “humanist pedagogy of Hebrew Biblical chant,” or O’Connor’s surprising analysis of Lefèvre d’Étaples’s “defence of the unintelligible” in Christian musical worship); and others yet focus on secondary figures and case studies. This results in a certain imbalance: several chapters might belong to a systematic handbook, accessible to a wider public, while others are more decidedly specific and tend to presuppose a knowledge of the broader picture. Having said that, the volume provides a wealth of information and valuable suggestions for further readings; it will surely be of interest to students of many disciplines, from musicology, to the history of education, to religious studies. Hopefully, it will encourage further interdisciplinary conversation about these themes, which sit at the crossroads between distinct scholarly agendas and discourses, and require multiple expertise to be properly addressed.
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