This chapter provides an overview of the book, setting out the various strands of investigation that run throughout. It reviews the published literature on women and music in sixteenth-century Ferrara, considering the three constituencies present throughout the century: the Este women as patrons, the noblewomen musicians at court, and the nun musicians in the convents. It considers the rationale behind using performance as a research method alongside historical/archival enquiry, validating the work of re-creative performance as a way of “doing history” that enriches the story of performers and their music.