Ross W. Duffin is Fynette H. Kulas Professor of Music and Distinguished University Professor at Case Western Reserve University, where he specializes in historical performance practice. Among his books are Shakespeare's Songbook, and How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and Why You Should Care). Duffin has been described as "virtually synonymous with music and Shakespeare," and his book was lauded as "a musicological tour de force, totally without pedantry, a book which will forever change Shakespeare productions."

"An essential resource for theater practitioners, musicologists, and literary scholars, Duffin's remarkable book has revitalized the resonances of early modern music and its integral role in these comedies." -- Jennifer Linhart Wood, Shakespeare Quarterly

"The book is indispensable for anyone interested in early modern drama, literature, and music, and especially for anyone interested in a clearer picture of the sound world of Renaissance theater." -- Samantha Bassler, NYU / Rutgers University - Newark, Renaissance Quarterly

"[Duffin's] inspired detective work encompasses the identification of probable cues for music within plays, including covert allusions in stage dialogue to the names or popular refrains of well-known songs. ... Most helpfully, he sets the lyrics to the music he identifies as the most plausible original setting, and accompanies these with a discussion of how the song may have been sung." -- David Mcinnis , Early Theatre

"the author brings musical life to a large repertoire of tuneless plays ... Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals." -- CHOICE