Reformation studies can be a demanding field for new students. Its historiography is segmented along ecclesiastical and political boundaries, often demanding a wide range of cross-disciplinary knowledge and expertise. The study of Reformation music is not immune to these challenges. Whether navigating the music of the Lutherans, Zwinglians, Calvinists or of the Roman Catholic Church, the music scholar must also be aware of the theological, historical and political influences that shaped those traditions. These extra-musical influences must be paired with an understanding of a musical language that was transitioning from the modal constructs of medieval period to the tonal ones that would influence music from the seventeenth century onwards. So complex is this task that in the 500 years since Martin Luther posted his theses, there has not been an attempt to bring together the competing religious musics of the Reformation into a single in-depth narrative. Reforming music seeks to fill that lacuna, providing students and enthusiasts with an introduction to the various religious and societal influences on Reformation music and its various manifestations across Europe.

Bertoglio prefaces this piece arguing that music historiography has been ‘heavily conditioned by confessional belongings’ and continued efforts ‘to demonstrate the (musical) superiority of one tradition over another’. As a result, scholars have focused on the innovative elements of each tradition, emphasising the diverse and revolutionary nature of Reformation music at the expense of its continuities and commonalities (p. xxvii). Throughout Reforming music, then, Bertoglio presents readers with both the similarities and differences between music traditions. One other point from the preface that is worthy of mention is the problem that a confessional approach presents to Reformation studies. Bertoglio acknowledges that recent scholarship has challenged confessional analyses due to the many variations that existed within each confessional boundary. The point is well made, however, that such categories are nevertheless helpful in organising such a broad topic (i.e. all of Reformation music), particularly to those who may be new to the field (the stated audience of this book). Nevertheless, Bertoglio frequently reminds readers that the music and belief within every confessional boundary was subject to variation.

The first three chapters in Reforming music introduce sixteenth-century society and music. Chapter i begins by providing a brief introduction to sixteenth-century culture and society. It discusses some of the more significant theological debates and considers the influence of humanism and its effects on art, literature, politics and science. This is accompanied by a brief introduction to the forms and genres that characterised sixteenth-century music. The first chapter then closes with a brief outline of the significant events of the Reformation. Chapter ii expands discussion of the impact of humanism introduced in the first chapter, focusing more particularly on its influences on music. An introduction to the debates surrounding the aesthetics of religious music follows in which Bertoglio considers text setting, ornamentation, instrumental accompaniment, polyphonic composition and issues surrounding music's potential as a rhetorical device and as a seducer towards impurity. Chapter iii examines the music of the Roman Catholic Church at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It identifies many of the areas of criticism that existed before the Reformation, and it discusses the ways in which those criticisms were being handled (or ignored) by the Church.

Chapters iv–ix examine how music was employed by various individuals and Churches in the sixteenth century. A discussion of the musical commonalities between the various reformers and Churches appears at the beginning of chapter iv. This is followed by a brief introduction to the musical views of Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, Martin Bucer, Jean Calvin, the English national Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Some of these topics are then expanded in the following chapters: chapter v explores Lutheran music and its Strasbourg and Bohemian relatives, chapter vi turns to Calvin's metrical Psalms and their influence in Basel and the Netherlands, England and Scotland are the focus of chapter vii, and chapters viii–ix examine the Roman Catholic response.

Reforming music concludes with two chapters on confessionalisation and one on the role of women in music composition and performance during the Reformation. In chapter x, Bertoglio explores the ways in which music was used to delineate confessions. Metrical Psalms, hymns and other sacred musical settings were often used polemically to illustrate the evil of the opposition. Chapter xi focuses on the more positive uses of confessional music. It discusses how music was used to teach people the basics of their Christian faith. As a result, the songs of the Reformation became devotional tools for cultivating piety, and they became a source of comfort and encouragement for many individuals during times of severe sickness and death. The final chapter is dedicated to the ways in which women contributed to religious music-making in the sixteenth century, exploring many exemplars in the Lutheran, Calvinist, Anabaptist and Catholic traditions.

The task of writing a complete history of Reformation music is insurmountable. In addition to the sheer amount of information that has to be covered, the scholarly landscape of Reformation studies is replete with political and religious biases that have influenced even the most experienced scholars. As a practising Catholic and scholar of Catholic music, Bertoglio is clearly more comfortable discussing Roman Catholic topics, but her writing is not demonstrably biased against Protestant views and practices. The breadth of Reforming music is impressive. Whether it is Lutheran hymns, Calvinist metrical Psalms or post-Trent Catholic practice, Bertoglio has successfully woven the latest research with the magisterial scholarship on each topic. That being the case, greater care could have been taken in organising the study to consolidate some of the discussions and to avoid repetition. Moreover, Bertoglio's apologetic tone, frequently admitting that her discussions are only summaries of much more complicated realities, also borders on undermining the credibility of the good scholarship that she has undertaken in writing Reforming music. Nevertheless, Reforming music is a valuable resource for students, researchers and enthusiasts looking to learn more about the Reformation and its impact on music.