this impression would seem largely to be the result of the character of the source
materials, but it is also a reflection of the apparently inextinguishable esprit du temps
or Zeitgeist. By isolating traditions of music-making -- composers and their protégés --
within a geographical hierarchy, we can make a fresh set of comparisons. The
presence of entries and cross-references to resident foreign musicians (as, for example
the Germans in Poland) adds further colour and perspective to our impressions of
the musical life in these places and, in the course of the period, reveals interesting
changes in the patterns of the migration of musicians, which is in general from south
to north.

As to who qualifies for inclusion, it is those composers and musicians who
flourished during the period 1600-1750. Those born in the late 16th century who --
though perhaps better known as exponents of Renaissance music -- nevertheless
flourished for a significant time in the 17th century and contributed works or
performances in the seconda prattica (such as monody) appear; those born after 1715,
with certain exceptions, ¹⁰ do not. Characteristic of composers of the early 17th
century is the versatility of their compositional techniques, which enabled them --
by necessity -- to produce works in both prima and seconda prattica, depending upon
the commission. By contrast, the modes of expression employed by most early 18th-
century composers tended to evolve from their own particular inherited late-Baroque
national style to a single (derivative though some were), often lighter-weight and
more cosmopolitan galant or pre-Classical style.

The somewhat unorthodox format of the Companion is intended to help the reader
re-examine assumptions and confront fallacies. The essays on places address the
social conditions under which musicians worked and which determined the evolution
of art music. In this sense, the essays provide a counterbalance for the dictionaries,
in which I have sought to present the human face. The intimate scale of the
individual dictionaries should, for example, enable the reader to gain an impression
of what it was like to be a musician in a given place: the spectrum of employment
opportunities ¹¹ and the 'pecking order' within different generations of musicians, as
well as their relative openness to outside influences.

As with 'Places and People', the annotated Chronology is meant to be consulted
in a variety of ways. To be sure, most of the details contained within it appear
elsewhere in the book, but by its format the Chronology reveals the synchrony of
events and presents a wide-ranging if cryptic musical history of the era as a whole.
Whether one surveys a year or a decade, follows the events of a controversy -- of
which there were many -- or consults it like a musical Guinness Book of Records, a
greater sense of connections between musicians will inevitably emerge.

The format of the Chronology reflects the geographic ordering of the 'Places and
People' section and presents both significant details of the lives of musicians and
events relating to institutions and music. Consequently, the relative import of the
events, however selectively chosen for inclusion, may not always be self-evident.
This provides a useful example of how the dictionaries, index and chronology
can be used complementarily: references to important performances -- such as
Monteverdi L'Orfeo ( 1607), Luigi Rossi Orfeo ( 1647), Cesti Il pomo d'oro ( 1668),
Lully Cadmus et Hermione ( 1673), Fux Costanza e Fortezza ( 1723), Gay Beggar's
Opera ( 1728), Rameau Hippolyte et Aricie ( 1733) and the Dublin Messiah ( 1742) --
or the effect of the death of a composer such as Lully ( 1687), or the influence of a
publication such as Corelli's op. 5 violin sonatas occur in many entries. Also included

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