2023 1-4955-1113-8 "Marc-Antoine Charpentier knew, or knew about, all the sitters in this imaginary portrait gallery. During my long pursuit of the composer in European archives and libraries, these same individuals have become my friends. ...I have constructed my portraits from historical evidence alone." Patricia Ranum (Preface)
2023 1-4955-1112-X "[Patricia Ranum] and I both believe in the inherent musicality of language itself and the necessity to treat music and written text on an equal basis. Words and their organization create melody, rhythm, and dynamics. ...Patricia Ranum's book reveals and explains to her readers this essential aspect of French musical art." -William Christie (Preface)
This book was originally published by Pendragon Press in 2001.