This volume is the first in a series of books and monographs, 'Studies in the Criticism and Theory of Music', to be published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. It seems appropriate, therefore, that the general editor write a preface defining the rationale of the series, its orientation and its goals, and the kinds of scholarly studies to be published. Doing so, however, would probably not be prudent. Paradoxically, the circumstances that make the inauguration of the series important are precisely those that make writing such a preface problematic.