A New Way of Making Fowre Parts in Counterpoint/Rules How to Compose (Music Theory in Britain, 1500-1700: Critical Editions) (Music Theory in Britain, 1500-1700: Critical Editions)

Regarded as one of the most important English music treatises in the 17th century, this work reveals progressive ideas about the latent theory of inversions, the fundamental bass, cadences and tonality, and the major-minor octave scale. In this modern edition of Campion's treatise, Christopher Wilson provides a fully annotated text and an introduction which highlights the historical significance of "A New Way" both in its close relationship with Coprario's "Rules how to Compose" (which is included as an appendix together with commentary and notes) and its unusual debt to German rather than Italian music theory. Wilson presents a case for viewing the treatise as essentially a very early modern harmony tutor and emphasizes its unusual debt to German rather than Italian music theory.