Facsimile reproductions of 21 articles originally published between the early 1960s and the early 1990s explore the range of geographical and stylistic variations that developed across Europe after the Gregorian chant was imposed by the authority of the Carolingian kings and emperors in the eighth and ninth centuries. They cover tropes in general, Aquitaine and the west, Saint Gall and the east, the ordinary, and tropes in the office. Specific topics include tropes and the concept of genre, the nature of transmission and change in trope repertories, tropes and versus from Aquitaine during the 11th and 12th centuries, the shaping of a trope repertory at Saint Gall, a thematic study on tropes from different traditions, and melismatic tropes in the responsories for Matins. Most of the articles are in English, but some in German or French. The series is seven volumes long. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)