"In preparing this volume on the music of Shakespeare, the author has been animated by a desire to show how closely the great poet allied himself to the Divine Art. Few of the readers of Shakespeare are aware of how much of his musical material can be traced home; many are unable to follow some of the poet's most subtle metaphors because they are unfamiliar with the musical works to which he refers, or with the song or melody which enriches the scene. ... As far as possible, musical technicalities have been avoided, for Shakespeare's musical allusions were intended, not for musicians only, but for all the world." Louis Charles Elson (1848-1920) was an American music critic, author, and lecturer. He studied music at the Leipzig Conservatory, and became music critic for the Boston Advertiser as well as lecturer at the New England Conservatory of Music. He is also the author of Curiosities in Music.