Catherine Henze "The Importance of Including Available Original Song in Renaissance Theatrical Texts"

Twenty one of Shakespeare's solo-authored plays contain sung songs and song fragments of under four lines, for a total of 72 songs and fragments. Original music exists for 15 of these songs-either newly composed, or revised from older songs. Plays by Shakespeare's contemporaries, particularly Beaumont and Fletcher, are similarly infused with songs, which have long been shown to be far more than extraneous entertainment. Yet, rarely do they appear in editions of the plays. To illustrate the importance of including songs, this paper begins with an examination of their relevance based on Renaissance ideology. Then, it provides an example of a new scholarly edition of one of Shakespeare's songs with an explanation of what is gained by incorporating it into the play. Finally, the paper explores barriers to including music in editions of Renaissance drama.