The Ghost of Early Music in Walton's "Hamlet"

This article explores William Walton’s score for the 'Mousetrap' scene (or the play-within-the-play) in "Hamlet" (Laurence Olivier, 1948) with regard to the elements of 'early music' detectable in its style. I will ask to what extent developments in historical performance practice informed its composition, or whether it is possible to identify in the work other factors independent of any historicist revival.