Shakespeare and music

This study surveys the presence and practice of music in Shakespearean drama, treating technical terms, period instruments, methods of musical instruction, and the performance of songs, serenades, dances, and stage music. It aligns textual references with surviving musical sources, reproducing examples and notated illustrations drawn from contemporary repertory to clarify how music functioned in theatrical and social contexts. The author examines emotional and dramatic uses of music, practical stage directions, and the limitations of surviving material, and includes descriptive appendices to help readers and musicians interpret the plays’ musical references.