David Russell writes: "Congratulations on this fabulous book. It will be a great help and inspiration to many guitarists." AS we go further into the 21st century, more and more classical guitarists wish to play baroque and galant music in a manner reflecting stylistic understanding of those eras. We will never know precisely how the music was played then, but can come closer to understanding the priorities of the time. The common denominator of music in our chosen period is rhetorical expression. Historical Performance Practice, by bringing us closer to the essence of the music, gives us not only more understanding but - above all - more possibilities for moving our listeners. While striving to play in a stylistic manner, we must never forget the goal of performance: to communicate passions and elevate the lives of our listeners. It is with this in mind that the present book has been written. Author: Peter Croton, early music performer, and teacher at the world-renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis as well as at the Conservatories of Basel and Bern. Cover art and design: Johanna Croton Paul Galbraith writes:“This handbook is a distinguished addition to the ever-expanding body of instructional literature for guitarists. In effect, we're treated here to a guided tour through a wealth of selected historical quotations and information, under the experienced supervision of Peter Croton, who offers his considered opinion at every step. A highly stimulating, provocative and educational read!” Oscar Ghiglia writes: "A very precious collection of musical wisdom, in the words of Peter Croton and from the heritage of ancient living documents expressing profound opinions of historical writers, on their contemporary art of feeling and performing their music." Pablo Márquez writes:“The great Hungarian pianist György Sebök used to say that ‘the first step to freedom is to make a choice. When you have only one option then you have no choice, when you have two options then you have a dilemma, when you have three or more options then you start having a choice.’ This new book by Peter Croton is a wonderful tool for guitarists to become freer in negotiating Early Music's vast territory.” João Carlos Victor writes:“The popularity of baroque music among guitarists today raises the question: how can we convey the deep meaning of this music to 21st century audiences? Peter Croton’s book is an extremely helpful guide. He not only discusses historical sources, but also draws upon his experience as performer, researcher and teacher. I had the privilege of studying with him for two years, thus personally experiencing his incredible knowledge and true commitment to this music.” EXCERPT FROM REVIEW on THIS IS CLASSICAL GUITAR: "… Peter Croton, early music performer on guitar and lute (and more), and teacher at the world-renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis as well as at the Conservatories of Basel and Bern has tackled the task of making a handbook that will bring the new and old worlds together. In his book, Croton has the best of both worlds: a wealth of period sources and universal musical knowledge as well as specific reference to lute, Baroque guitar, and other plucked instruments and composers of the era. The combination of both elements will greater allow guitarists to make informed musical decisions… I love the massive amount of footnotes, references, and index. The footnotes alone would make me happy to recommend this book. If you haven’t read books such as this before you can expect a great deal of period quotes, that is, writings and examples from the time period. This offers us first-hand information about music performance of the time. With these quotes Croton offers the reader discussions and arguments that will inform interpretative decisions. It’s academic but also reads nicely with Croton telling the reader the significance of the quotes and developments in the instruments or musical styles and the how this might be useful to the modern guitarist. He even offers some specific tips and personal opinions for us to ponder. Highly recommended. This is an important book because it puts Baroque music into perspective and offers guitarists a legitimate source of information on historical performance practice. Peter Croton grew up in the USA, lives in Switzerland and is an active performer and recording artist on various lutes and romantic guitar. He teaches lute and continuo at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, as well as lute, historical performance practice and guitar continuo at the Conservatories of Basel and Bern. At twelve he began classical guitar with Leon Atkinson, and later played guitar in various jazz ensembles. Starting in 1979 he studied lute and classical guitar with Dr. Loris Chobanian (Oberlin Conservatory of Music), and Eugen Dombois and Hopkinson Smith (Schola Cantorum Basiliensis). He won first prize at the Erwin Bodky Competition for Early Music in Cambridge MA (1984) and has also won prizes at other intern