Musicological Arguments & Controversies

A bibliographic work in progress



Bach's Performance Forces

  • Rifkin's Pesky Idea by Bernard D. Sherman
  • Rifkin, Joshua. "Bach's 'choruses' - less than they seem?" High Fidelity - Musical America, Vol. XXXII/9 (September 1982) 42-44
  • Marshall, Robert. "Bach's 'choruses' reconstituted." High Fidelity - Musical America, Vol. XXXII/10 (October 1982) 64-66, 94.
  • Kenyon,\Nicholas. "Bach's Choral Works: A Discographic Survey, Part 1." Opus (December 1985), pp. 14 - 17.
  • Wagner, Günther "Die Chorbesetzung bei J.S. Bach und ihre Vorgeschichte: Anmerkungen zur 'hinlänglichen' Besetzung im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert." Archiv für Musikwissenschaft, Vol. XLIII/4 (1986) 278-304
  • Towe, "J. S. Bach: Mass in B Minor." in Choral Music on Record, ed. Alan Blyth (Cambridge University Press, 1991), 57 - 58
  • Rikfin, Joshua. "Bach's chours: a neverending story?" Early Music 1998 XXVI: 380-381.
  • Parrott, Andrew. "Bach's chorus: Beyond reasonable doubt." Early Music, Vol. 26; Issue 4; Nov 1998.
  • Parrott, Andrew. The Essential Bach Choir. Boydell Press, 2000.
  • Rifkin, Joshua. Bach's Choral Ideal. Dortmunder Bach-Forschungen ; Bd. 5, 2002.
  • Online review of Bach's Choral Ideal by Yo Tomita
  • Van Tassel, Eric. CLASSICAL MUSIC; The Case for Minimal Bach: One Singer to a Part New York Times February 7, 2008. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02EED7163FF935A15757C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all.
  • Westphal, Matthew. Paul McCreesh on Redefining Bach Performance. http://www.andante.com/Article/article.cfm?id=18169.


    The Frederick Neumann/Michael Collins discussion on notes inegales

  • Collins, Michael. "Notes inegales: A reexamination." Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Fall, 1967) 481-85.
  • Collins, Michael. "A reconsideration of French over-dotting." Music & Letters, Vol. L/1 (January 1969) 111-123.
  • Neumann, Frederick. "Communications." Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 27, No.2 (Summer, 1974) 369-70
  • Collins, Michael. "Communications." Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. XXVII/2 (summer 1974) 369
  • Fuller, David R. "Dotting, the 'French style', and Frederick Neumann's counter-reformation." Early Music, Vol. V/4 (October 1977) 517-43.
  • Neumann, Frederick. "Once more: the 'French overture style'." Early Music, Vol. VII/1 (January 1979) 39-45. Facsimile, music examples
  • Neumann, Frederick. "The overdotting syndrome: anatomy of a delusion." The Musical Quarterly, Vol. LXVII/3 (July 1981) 305-47
  • Neumann, Frederick. "The notes inegales revisited." The Journal of Musicology, Vol. 6; No. 2 (Spring, 1988) 137-149;
  • Neumann, Frederick. "Notes inégales for Bach, overdotting for everybody?: A commentary on an attempt to revive Dolmetsch's "rhythmic alterations"." Historical Performance, Vol. 7; Issue 1; spr 1994; pp. 13-26


    The Aubry - Beck Modal Theory duel- Who thought of it first?

  • Haines, John "The "modal theory", fencing, and the death of Aubry." Plainsong and Medieval Music, Vol. 6; Issue 2; Oct 1997
  • Bent, Ian D. "Pierre Aubry." in Grove Music Online.
  • Bent, Ian D. "Jean Beck." in Grove Music Online.


    Lowinsky/Rifkin, et al debates on the Provenance of the Medici Codex

  • Lowinsky, Edward. "The Medici Codex: A Document of Music, Art, and Politics in the Renaissance." Annales musicolgiques, V (1957), 61-77.
  • Lowinsky, Edward. "The Medici Codex of 1518: A Choirbook of Motets Fedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino. Historical Introduction and Commentary. Monuments of Renaissance Music III (Chicago 1968), 28-36.
  • Rifkin, Joshua. Scribal Concordances for Some Renaissance Manuscripts in lLorentine Libraries." Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol. 29 (1973) 305-326.
  • Lowinsky, Edward. "On the Presentation and Intrepretation of Evidence: Another Review of Constanzo Festa's Biography." Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol. 30, No. 3 (Autumn, 1977), 106-128..
  • Rifkin, Joshua. "Communications," Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol. 30, No. 3 (Autumn, 1977), 542-545.
  • Lowinsky, Edward. "Communications," Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol. 32, No. 2 (Summer, 1979), 361-364
  • Lockwood, Lewis. "Jean Mouton and Jean Michel: New Evidence on French Music and Musicians in Italy, 1505-1520." Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol. 32, No. 2 (Summer, 1979), 191-246.
  • Staehelin, Martin. Reviewed Work(s): The Medici Codex of 1518. A Choirbook of Motets Dedicated to Lorenzo de'Medici, Duke of Urbino by Edward E. Lowinsky. Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol. 33, No. 3 (Autumn, 1980),575-587 (For further details of this controversy see footnote to this article)


    Lowinsky/Kerman debates on the nature of musicology

  • Kerman, Joseph. "A Profile for American Musicology." Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol. 18, No. 1 (Spring, 1965), pp. 61-69
  • Lowinsky, Edward. "Character and Purposes of American Musicology; A Reply to Joseph Kerman." Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol. 18, No. 3 (Autumn, 1965) 222-234.
  • Kerman, Joseph. "Communications," Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol.18, No. 3 (Autumn, 1965) pp.436-427.


    Treitler/Levy et al debates early Gregorian chant notation and oral transmission.

  • Levy, Kenneth. "Charlemagne's Archetype of Gregorian Chant." Journal of the American Musicological Society Vol. 40, No. 1 (Spring, 1987), 1-30.
  • Hughes, David. "Evidence for the Traditional View of the Transmission of Gregorian Chant."Journal of the American Musicological Society. Vol. 40, No. 3 (Autumn, 1987), 377-404.
  • Levy, Kenneth. "Communications." Journal of the American Musicological Society.Vol. 41, No. 3 (Autumn, 1988), 575-578.
  • Treitler, Leo. "communications." Journal of the American Musicological Society Vol. 41, No. 3(Autumn, 1988),566-575
  • Levy, Kenneth. "On Gregorian Orality." Journal of the American Musicological Society Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer, 1990), 185-227.
  • Levy, Kenneth. "Communications." Journal of the American Musicological Society Vol. 44, No. 3 (Autumn, 1991), 524-525.
  • Treitler, Leo. "Communications." Journal of the American Musicological Society Vol. 44, No. 3 (Autumn, 1991), 515-517.
  • van der Werf, Hendrik. "Communications." Journal of the American Musicological Society Vol. 44, No. 3 (Autumn, 1991), 517-524. .


    Brown, Slim, et al and the London Times Literary Supplement regarding A Gift of Madrigals and Motets, musica ficta, performance, and Anglo-American musicology.


  • Anon. "Florence to Henry." London Times Literary Supplement 29 June 1973 (Page 751 col a).
  • Brown, Howard Mayer. "Madrigals and Motets." London Times Literary Supplement 20 July 1973 (Page 834 col e).
  • Lockwood, Lewis. "Musica Ficta." London Times Literary Supplement 21 September 1973 (Page 1084 col d).
  • Woodham, Ronald. "American Musicology." London Times Literary Supplement 05 October 1973 (Page 1175 col c).
  • May, John. "Anglo-American Musicology." London Times Literary Supplement 05 October 1973 (Page 1175 col c).
  • Anon [Your Reviewer]. "Musica Ficta." London Times Literary Supplement 19 October 1973 (Page 1281 col b).
  • Brown, Howard Mayer. "American Musicology." London Times Literary Supplement 19 October 1973 (Page 1281 col c).
  • Kerman, Joseph. "American Musicology." London Times Literary Supplement 19 October 1973 (Page 1281 col d).
  • May, John."Anglo-American Musicology." London Times Literary Supplement 26 October 1973 (Page 1314 col b).
  • Woodham, Ronald. "Anglo-American Musicology." London Times Literary Supplement 26 October 1973 (Page 1346 col a).
  • Harrison, Frank. "Anglo-American Musicology." London Times Literary Supplement 16 November 1973 (Page 1402 col c).
  • Wintle, Christopher. "Anglo-American Musicology." London Times Literary Supplement 23 November 1973 (Page 1448 col b).
  • Woodham, Ronald. "Anglo-American Musicology."London Times Literary Supplement 28 December 1973 (Page 1589 col a).



    Orchestral Vibrato Controversy

  • Neumann, Frederick. "The vibrato controversy." Performance Practice Review Vol. 4, Issue 1 (Spring 1991), 14-27.
  • Zaslaw, Neal. "Vibrato in eighteenth-century orchestras." Performance Practice Review Vol. 4, Issue 1 (Spring 1991), 28-33.
  • Norrington, Roger. "The sound orchestras make." Early music Vol. 32, no. 1 (Feb 2004)2-5.
  • Norrington, Roger. "Tschaikowsky in der Werkstatt." in Die Gegenwart der musikalischen Vergangenheit: Meisterwerke in der Dirigenten-Werkstatt. 202-220.
  • Hurwitz, David."Orchestral Vibrato, Historical Context, and the Evidence of the Printed Page" Part 2
  • Hill, Amelia and Smith, David. Vibrato wars whip up a musical storm over last night of the Proms The Observer, Sunday 3 August 2008.

    Shostakovich's biography

  • Volkov, Solomon. Testimony : the memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich / as related to and edited by Solomon Volkov. New York : Harper & Row, 1979.
  • Fay, Laurel E. "Shostakovich versus Volkov : whose Testimony?." in A Shostakovich casebook. edited by Malcolm Hamrick Brown. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 2004.
  • ________. "A side-by-side comparison of texts from Testimony with their original sources -- A pitiful fake : about the so-called "Memoirs" of D.D. Shostakovich" in A Shostakovich casebook. edited by Malcolm Hamrick Brown. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 2004.
  • Sostakovic, Irina "An answer to those who still abuse Shostakovich." The New York times 20 August 2000, II:27, 31.

    Schubert and Benvenuto Cellini'

  • Solomon, Maynard. "Franz Schubert and the peacocks of Benvenuto Cellini." 19th-century music. Vol. 12, no. 3 [spr 1989], 193-206.
  • Tellenbach, Marie-Elisabeth. "One man's meat: Franz Schubert and Benvenuto Cellini." The musical times. Vol. 141, no. 1870 (Spring 2000), 50-52.
  • Tellenbach, Marie-Elisabeth. "Psychoanalyse und historisch-philologische Methode: Zu Maynard Solomons Beethoven- und Schubert-Deutungen [Psychoanalysis and historical method: On Maynard Solomon's biographies of Beethoven and Schubert]." Analecta musicologica. XXX/1-2 (1998): Studien zur italienischen Musikgeschichte. XV. 661-719.
  • Steblin, Rita "The peacock's tale: Schubert's sexuality reconsidered." 19th-century music.Vol. 17, no. 1, [Summer 1993], 5-33.
  • Muxfeldt, Kristina "Political crimes and liberty, or, Why would Schubert eat a peacock?" 19th-century music. Vol. 17, no. 1,[ Summer 1993], 47-65.
  • Winter, Robert S. "Whose Schubert?" 19th-century music. Vol. 17, no. 1, [Summer 1993], 94-101.

    Artusi-Monteverdi

  • Chrissochoidis, Ilias. The 'Artusi-Monteverdi' Controversy: Background, Content and Modern Interpretation" http://www.bpmonline.org.uk/bpm6-artusi.htm
  • Cusick, Suzanne G. "Gendering Modern Music: Thoughts on the Monteverdi-Artusi Controversy." Journal of the American Musicological Society 46/1 (1993), 1-25.

    Lets not get too serious about this stuff!

  • Cortez, Vanessa. "Britney Spears Upgrades -- Now Sings into an FM Mike." http://www.hollywoodinvestigator.com/spears.htm.
  • Identifying Methodological Problems: A Practice Quiz http://csml.som.ohio-state.edu/Music829C/quiz.html.