Since World War II there has been an increase in interest in "early music", accompanied by much debate as to how it should be performed. In this work leading conductor, harpsichordist and scholar Raymond Leppard presents an analysis of the importance of early music (including works by Monteverdi, Handel and Gluck), in which he attempts to show how a well-informed but creative approach to the question of "authenticity" is necessary for performers to be able to communicate the essential qualities of the music to the audiences of today.