Ever sat through a Shakespeare performance and tapped your foot during a jig, or wondered why characters suddenly break into song about willow trees? Edward W. Naylor's Shakespeare and Music isn't a dry academic paper. It's a deep dive into the original soundscape of the plays. Naylor, writing over a century ago, had a mission: to recover the musical intelligence that audiences in the 1600s would have had instinctively.

The Story

There's no traditional plot here, but there is a compelling journey. Naylor acts as a guide, leading us through the plays scene by scene. He points out every trumpet fanfare, every off-stage serenade, and every melancholy ballad. Using music from the 16th and 17th centuries—the actual kinds of tunes Shakespeare would have known—he reconstructs what these moments might have sounded like. He shows how a specific type of song signaled madness, how martial music shaped the mood of a battle scene, and how love lyrics were woven into the dialogue. The book argues that ignoring this layer is like watching a movie with the soundtrack muted; you get the dialogue, but you lose the emotional punch and a lot of the meaning.

Why You Should Read It

This book made me listen to Shakespeare differently. I used to see the musical cues as little pauses in the action. Now, I understand they are the action. Naylor's passion is contagious. He isn't just listing facts; he's showing us how music solved practical stage problems and conveyed complex feelings words alone couldn't. Reading it, you feel like you're uncovering a lost art. It gives you a set of tools to appreciate the plays on a much richer level, whether you're reading them at home or seeing them performed.

Final Verdict

This is a niche gem, but a brilliant one. It's perfect for Shakespeare enthusiasts who want to go deeper, for theatre lovers curious about historical stagecraft, or for musicians interested in Renaissance music. It's not a casual beach read—you need a little interest in the subject to start—but it's written clearly and with genuine excitement. If you've ever left a production of Twelfth Night humming 'Hey, ho, the wind and the rain,' this book will tell you why that song has stuck in your head for 400 years.