A Heinrich Schütz reader : letters and documents in translation /

Working with original manuscripts and early prints, Johnston offers the most comprehensive collection of Schutz documents (correspondence, prefaces, memoranda, contracts, and so on) to date--including material previously unavailable in English translation or even difficult to find in its original languages. Other major collections of translations or transcriptions of Schutz documents have individual strengths. For example, Gina Spagnoli's Letters and Documents of Heinrich Schutz, 1656-1672: An Annotated Translation (CH, Feb'91, 28-3237) includes the original German or transcriptions of the handwritten documents for reference, whereas Johnston's volume does not; but Spagnoli includes many fewer documents than does Johnston, even from the narrower time period she covers. Selective comparison of translations by Johnston and Spagnoli revealed few significant differences. The explanatory footnotes (thankfully, not endnotes) provide historical and geographical context, background information about people referenced, and illumination of literary references. However, explanations appear only on the first occurrence of a word or phrase, which will be somewhat problematic for a reader who is sampling. (But by consulting the index, readers can locate the appropriate first footnote with relative ease.) Sixteen engravings and facsimiles, a brief glossary, and a bibliography add to the volume's usefulness. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals. J. M. Edwards University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire