It was established in 1973 by John M. Thomson during the early music revival, and is published quarterly by Oxford University Press.

[2] The journal publishes quarterly, featuring 5–10 articles, alongside reviews of books, music and recordings.

[2] Early Music was founded in 1973 by the New Zealand musicologist John Mansfield Thomson, who worked for many decades in London.

[5] The journal has devoted issues to specific topics, such as the composers Guillaume de Machaut (5.4) and Johann Sebastian Bach (13.2), as well as Baroque theatre (both 17.4 and 18.1) and dance (26.2).

[6] The current co-editors are Alan Howard, Elizabeth Eva Leach and Stephen Rose.