Following a career as teacher, harpsichordist and organist, Michael Robertson completed his PhD under Peter Holman at the University of Leeds in 2004. His principal musicological interest is in the dance music written for instrumental consorts in seventeenth-century Germany. He is now a research associate at the University of Leeds.
No whistle-stop tour of this volume can do justice to its richness of content....I was impressed by both the musical and the musicological acumen of the author. The numerous music examples are well chosen and presented... I came away from reading this book with a knowledge of many things of which I had at best only dimly been aware before. Some of Robertson s arguments are memorable. Michael Talbot, Early Music ' ... [a] thorough study ... worth reading. Early Music Review ... clearly written... meticulously researched, it breaks new ground. ...a valuable contribution to our knowledge of a relatively unfamiliar body of music. The Consort No whistle-stop tour of this volume can do justice to its richness of content. ... I came away from reading this book with a knowledge of many things of which I had at best only dimly been aware before. ... Readers will perhaps return to this book most often as a starting point for further investigation of the surprisingly many worthy, and sometimes excellent, composers it brings for the first time to our notice. Early Music '...[an] important study ... [with] a wealth of valuable information.' Viola da Gamba Society Journal