The production of medieval church music-drama

This inquiry considers sixteen of the music-dramas that remain from the repertory of the medieval church. In order to determine how these plays might have been produced, Collins has spent many years searching the entire realm of medieval visual art. Here he presents the results of his research and explains the production of medieval drama as it is enlightened by contemporary visual arts. Many illustrations of the art works on which Collins has based his conclusions are included. His comprehensive interpretations allow modern productions of the plays to fulfill as closely as possible the original intentions of their authors. Accurate visualization and understanding of the art form of medieval music- drama is now possible for the first time in the modern world. The author’s excellent practical suggestions for producing the plays fill a long-felt need for a supplement to scholarly texts of medieval drama. The book greatly enhances our understanding of liturgical drama viewed as theater. The plays discussed were written between noo and 1275 in Western Europe, from Rouen, France, to Cividale in northeastern Italy. Their composition and production were usually inspired by festive ecclesiastical occasions, especially Christmas and Easter, and they were sung, for the most part, in Latin. Collins himself has produced eight of these plays. His study and experience authoritatively anticipate the production requirements of seven other plays that have never been produced in modern times.