Mary Cyr is Professor Emerita of Music at the University of Guelph, Canada.

Part I Sources and Style in French Baroque Music; Chapter 1 Historical Context, Musical Works, and Performance; Chapter 2 French and Italian Musical Style: The Great Divide; Part II Bowed String Instruments in French Ensembles; Chapter 3 Strings in French Ensembles; Chapter 4 Bass Instruments of the Violin and Viol Families in Solo and Ensemble Roles; Part III Interpretation and Style in French Music for String Players; Chapter 5 Articulation; Chapter 6 Tempo, Character, and Inequality; Chapter 7 Ornamentation and Special Effects; Chapter 8 Basse Continue, Pitch, and Temperament; Part IV Composer Profiles; Chapter 9 Marin Marais: Viol Player, Composer, and Teacher extraordinaire; Chapter 10 Ã0/00lisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre's Violin Sonatas: What the Sources Do (and Do Not) Tell Us; Chapter 11 Jean-Baptiste Barriÿre, Virtuoso French Cellist and Composer; Chapter 12 Forqueray's Pieces de viole avec la Basse Continuë: Authorship and Performance Issues;

Mary Cyr addresses the needs of researchers, performers, and informed listeners who wish to apply knowledge about historically informed performance to specific pieces. Special emphasis is placed upon the period from 1680 to 1760, when the viol, violin, and violoncello grew to prominence as solo instruments in France.