In the excellent resource Renaissance Music for the Choral Conductor, Robert Summer notes what he considers to be a trend of college music programs steering away from the music of earlier periods to focus on modern literature. . . Summer's book is a highly valuable resource. Scholarly yet accessible, this book navigates through the important musical characteristics from the period and offers specific insights and strategies to address them. . . There are wonderful resources in this book, including in-depth analysis's, brief biographies of important composers of the period, and a guide for planning a madrigal dinner. Robert Summer's Renaissance Music for the Choral Conductor has something for everyone and is a valuable resource for any conductor and those who are considering exploring the glorious music of the Renaissance for the first time.

The American Organist

Summer's book would be a good resource for choral conductors who need a guide for teaching Renaissance music. This would also be a wonderful book on which to base an introductory course for college choral education students as well as for high school choral conductors seeking a concise resource on the subject.

Music Educators Journal

Robert Summer is clearly one of those who does it well, and his musical heart is always in the right place throughout this book. Summer. . . knows his choral onions. . . . The book is useful and engaging when it focuses passionately and astutely on the matter of word stress. . . . Overall, this is a worthy book, albeit with a slightly dated bibliography, a one-sided discography, and a tantalizingly pithy glossary. . . At best, this book is direct, helpful, and pragmatic.

Choir & Organ

Relying on the expertise of musicologists and theoreticians, Summer presents a useful guide to approaching music of the Renaissance period. All of the essential information is provided, without burdening the reader with unnecessary complications. . . . I highly recommend this book, and commend the author for providing a very useful reference for choral conductors working with school, university, community, and church choirs. The book is well worth reading.

Choral Journal

You have written a terrific book! So practical, wise, thoughtful, and filled with many, many nuggets. I like the rock bottom common sense feeling I get throughout your excellent book, and I also like the organization of it.

Jameson Marvin, Former Director of Choral Studies at Harvard University