The range of investigative approaches represented by the contributions contained in King and Prior's Music and Familiarity, and the variety of musical behaviours discussed, emphasise the relevance of this edited collection to current music psychology research. In an introductory chapter, the editors identify a lack of books or journals specifically devoted to the topic of music and familiarity. They note that the contributions within their book ‘expose contemporary theoretical and empirical approaches to familiarity in relation to listening, studying and performing music’ (p. 4). The collection provides insight into conceptual and methodological matters relevant to the study of a variety of areas of musical engagement and the individual contributions address diverse topics including: listening behaviours and preferences; ensemble performance and practice; clinical uses of music; and music education. However, the collection as a whole is also valuable for its contribution towards a broader understanding of familiarity itself.

The editors’ introduction provides a thoughtful summary of several important issues surrounding the idea of familiarity, notably: the limitations of considering familiarity and unfamiliarity as opposing poles on a dichotomous scale; the relationship between familiarity and liking; and the need to recognise that various modes of interaction with music may promote increased familiarity. Stobart raises some similarly engaging issues in a stimulating chapter which considers presuppositions of otherness associated with musics that differ from the hegemonically determined familiar and which cites the novelty, but also potential perceived threat, associated with the unfamiliar. King and Prior contend that their collection ‘is securely bound together by [this] overall theme of familiarity’ (p. 7) and the organisational strategy employed throughout the book helps to minimise any disjunction between the individual contributions. The volume is divided into three overarching sections relating to the types of musical engagement discussed in their respective chapters: these are entitled listening, musicology and performance. Whilst experientially these areas are not mutually exclusive, this grouping by the dominant mode of musical engagement under discussion is a logical way of organising a collection united by a concept as pervasive and multifaceted as familiarity. The editors’ introductions to each of the sections provide a lucid summary of the chapters contained therein, efficiently highlighting pertinent points and the ways in which these can relate to methodological and conceptual themes which recur throughout the collection.

Chapters in Part 1 consider how familiarity influences listeners’ engagement with music: Greasley and Lamont discuss the influence of familiarity on short and long-term musical preferences, noting how listeners are aware of such matters and can regulate their musical exposure accordingly; Prior then cites qualitative data from an empirical study using tonal and atonal works to consider the influence of more and less familiar musical languages on the perception of music as it becomes more familiar through repeated listening; and Dobson's chapter reports how prior exposure to the repertoire can influence the experiences of infrequent attenders of classical music concerts. Part 1 closes on a slightly different note to the preceding chapters with Finlay's discussion of how familiarity may influence the efficacy of music in clinical contexts, in this case post-operative care following knee surgery.

Part 2 opens with Stobart's consideration of familiarity and unfamiliarity in relation to the music of other cultures, and highlights the paradoxical way in which much observational and participative work in ethnomusicology relates to a researcher's increasing familiarity with the musical behaviours and cultures that they are studying. Chapter 8 deals with some similar ideas as Wöllner, Ginsborg and Williamon reflect upon the familiarity and experiences that music researchers have with their area of study. They state that ‘[t]o be familiar with music is, in many ways, to be human’ (p. 187) given the ubiquity of interactions with music, and provide an engaging consideration of the potential benefits and limitations of such familiarity on research. The authors allude to the importance of self-reflexivity in the research process. This notion is also implicit throughout Hawes’ preceding chapter which provides a thoughtful reflection on the familiarity, or lack of familiarity, that individual researchers may have with various sub-disciplines represented within musicology. Hawes highlights a need for effective communication to enable the researcher to navigate such ideas and methodologies and raises engaging notions about the role of perceived disciplinary boundaries, as communicated by various stakeholders, in the process of integrating the unfamiliar within musicology. The preceding contribution from Hargreaves also acknowledges the pervasiveness of familiarity, as evident in the interpretation and recognition of musical parameters and structures ranging from motivic development to tonal systems: indeed, the author highlights that even identifying a work as ‘music’ may evoke some notions of familiarity, which may influence response and the interpretation of meaning in a work. The case study in Hargreaves’ chapter applies such issues by focusing upon, and providing a detailed analysis of, quotation and extra-musical content in sections of George Crumb's Black Angels. The remaining chapter of Part 2 of Music and Familiarity is Hallam's concluding overview of the relationships between issues of familiarity and music education, a contribution that will likely be of particular interest to BJME readers. Hallam highlights that ‘[a]ll learning involves developing familiarity with a body of knowledge’ (p. 197): the pervasiveness of the concept in learning is demonstrated through a discussion that notes familiarity's relationship with enculturation, practice and various additional influences (including teachers and extra-curricular support such as parents and peers) in the development of a range of musical skills and knowledge.

Part 3 considers familiarity in relation to various aspects of music performance. Apostolaki's opening contribution addresses memorisation, applying ideas surrounding the links between music and language to a discussion of the solfège system. Subsequent chapters deal with different types of familiarity that can influence performance in varying contexts. Oliver discusses how stylistic familiarity can influence the capacity for groove whilst King and Doğantan-Dack's respective chapters deal with ensemble performance: the former analyses data gathered in previous studies from established and newly formed vocal-piano and cello-piano duos to address how social familiarity influences the interactions between performers; the latter presents an engaging consideration of how various forms of familiarity, including familiarity with repertoire and co-performers, can be acquired through the act of performance itself.

In their introduction, the editors express a hope that the book is stimulating to a range of readers (p. 7). This is in part achieved through the breadth of the content in the collection and the emphasis on application that is retained throughout, both in the form of methodological challenges (e.g. Greasley and Lamont's discussion of the need for longitudinal and detailed localised accounts of listeners’ musical preferences; Hawes’ call for clear communication to navigate sub-disciplinary boundaries within musicology; and Wöllner et al.'s recognition of the role of researcher reflexivity), and practical applications of research findings (e.g. Dobson's suggestions as to how orchestras might develop online content to promote familiarity with their repertoire; or Finlay's call to continue to investigate the influence of differing levels of familiarity on the use of music for pain management and relaxation in a clinical setting). The chapters deal with a range of musical genres accounting for contemporary art music (e.g. Prior and Hargreaves’ respective chapters), popular music (e.g. Oliver's contribution) and the music of other cultures (e.g. Stobart's chapter). Thus, elements of this collection reflect many positive aspects of contemporary music psychology research: demonstrating the importance of the application of research findings, suggesting the benefits that can be gleaned from interdisciplinary discussion, and representing a range of musics and musical behaviours.

Accordingly, and perhaps inevitably in a collection of this nature, there are brief moments of repetition in elements of the theoretical discussion in individual chapters. Yet, when the volume is read as a whole, such overlap serves to emphasise the impact and significance of certain ideas within psychological approaches towards the study of music and familiarity: this most notably applies to the references to Berlyne's use of the Wundt inverted-U curve to demonstrate the relationship between arousal potential and liking which is cited in several chapters. The distinct emphases offered by the operationalisation of familiarity within individual chapters also serves to minimise repetition and to reiterate the applicability and relevance of the book's central concept. Whilst challenging given the breadth of the chapters, some brief words of conclusion at the end of the collection may have proven beneficial for reiterating some of the central themes and would have complemented the helpful introductions to each section and paragraph of recurrent themes listed at the start of the chapter overview on p. 4. However, this collection provides a stimulating overview of a pertinent topic that is relevant to a broad range of contemporary modes of musical consumption and engagement, and demonstrates the potential of a variety of scholarly approaches to provide the tools with which to further engage with such notions of musical familiarity.