Pirrotta was a visionary in his chosen field; a musicologist who expanded the parameters of the field and increased the understanding of students and colleagues. Here Cummings (music and Italian studies, Lafayette College) traces Pirrotta's work across over seven decades, focusing on his restless intellect. Not satisfied by the limits of the study of musicology at the time, Pirrotta strove to develop and expand a systematic method, starting even in his student days in Palermo, leading to his extensive studies in Rome, at Princeton and Columbia. He eventually became a professor at Harvard, further extending his grasp of musicology and the relationship between music and cultural fashion. Annotation 2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)