Like many fruitful partnerships, our collaboration on this project began over lunch. Conversation turned to our respective experiences working with Reinhard Strohm, whose doctoral supervision we had sought because of his unparalleled command of the European musical canon, his influential rethinking, particularly of dramma per musica, and his insights into critical theory and the philosophy of history. In the course of our doctoral studies we had each discovered in Reinhard not only great enthusiasm for our work but also a startling humbleness about his own knowledge. Reinhard’s respect for the irreducible complexity of the past is informed by his extraordinarily broad and penetrating view of its musical, historical and intellectual terrains, and gives him a flexibility of approach, a delight in findings, and a curiosity about new historical perspectives that supported and inspired us in equal measure.

This collection, published to mark his 65th birthday, attests therefore both to Reinhard Strohm’s scholarly achievements and to the creative power of his thinking. To bring this testimonial into being required generosity, patience and hard work from many quarters.

All the authors who contributed to the volume deserve recognition for the enthusiasm with which they welcomed this initiative and for their prompt replies to our sometimes onerous requests. Many other colleagues and friends have also answered our call with generosity and contributed to the success of this volume with their support, advice and specialist knowledge. Our heartfelt thanks go to Irene Auerbach, Francesco Fanna, Michael Fend, Malcolm Gerratt, Lowell Lindgren, Owen Rees, Susan Wollenberg, and to all our specialist readers: Mario Armellini, Suzanne Aspden, Lorenzo Bianconi, Bonnie Blackburn, Federico Celestini, David Charlton, Teresa Chirico, Alessandro Di Profio, Laurence Dreyfus, Peter Franklin, Simon Keefe, Rainer Kleinertz, Huub van der Linden, Alexander Lingas, Pierluigi Petrobelli, Owen Rees, Angela Romagnoli, David Schulenberg, Vassilis Vavoulis and Adrienne Ward. David Burn generously put his many talents as reader, translator and language editor at the service of the project, and Bonnie Blackburn was a key source of advice and an exemplary copy-editor. Working with such a responsive, professional and dedicated team of scholars has been edifying as well as rewarding.