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Books > Music > Western music, periods & styles > 20th century music

"Taken by the Devil" - The Censorship of Frank Wedekind and Alban Berg's Lulu (Hardcover): Margaret Notley "Taken by the Devil" - The Censorship of Frank Wedekind and Alban Berg's Lulu (Hardcover)
Margaret Notley
R1,702 Discovery Miles 17 020 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Censorship had an extraordinary impact on Alban Berg's operaLulu, composed by the Austrian during the politically tumultuous years spanning 1929 to 1935. Based on plays by Frank Wedekind that were repeatedly banned from being published and performed from1894 until the end of World War I, the libretto was in turn censored by Berg himself when he characterized it as a morality play after submitting it to authorities in Nazi Germany in 1934. After Berg died the next year, the third act was censored by his widow, Helene, and his former teacher, Arnold Schoenberg. In "Taken by the Devil", author Margaret Notley uncovers the unusual and uniquely generative role of censorship throughout the lifecycle of Berg's great opera. Placing the opera and its source material in wider cultural contexts, Notley provides close readings of the opera's libretto and score to reveal techniques employed by the composer and by Wedekind before him in negotiating censorship. She also explores ways in which Berg chose to augment discrepancies between the plays rather than flatten them as in certain performances of the plays during the 1920s, adding further dimensions of interpretation to the work. Elegantly readable,"Taken by the Devil"is one of the most meticulously researched and nuanced studies of Lulu to date, and illuminates the process of politically-driven censorship of theater, music, and the arts during the tumultuous early twentieth century.

Opera for a New Republic - The Zeitopern of  Krenek, Weill, and Hindemith (Paperback): Susan C. Cook Opera for a New Republic - The Zeitopern of Krenek, Weill, and Hindemith (Paperback)
Susan C. Cook
R948 Discovery Miles 9 480 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

An exploration of avant-garde music and operatic form in Weimar Germany Weimar Germany -- the age of Bauhaus and Brecht -- was a time of significant activity in all areas of the artistic avant-garde. Musicologist Susan Cook explores this intriguing period in a look at Zeitoper (topical opera)and its primary exponents, Ernst Krenek, Kurt Weill and Paul Hindemith. Zeitoper has proved to be of importance as an experimental form that broadened the definition of modern opera and musical theatre, incorporating elements previously thought unsuitable. Celebrating modern life in its libretti, its scores borrowed heavily from American dance music and jazz. Opera for a New Republic is the first book to provide a broad historical,cultural and artistic context for the development of this operatic genre. Through it we learn that Zeitoper, although short-lived, has proved to be a vital component in the development of twentieth-century operatic style. Susan Cook is Professor of Musicology at the University of Wisconsin.

Leonard Bernstein (Paperback): Paul Myers Leonard Bernstein (Paperback)
Paul Myers
R345 R325 Discovery Miles 3 250 Save R20 (6%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This is an illustrated biography of the American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. Despite international fame and success, he was a man constantly struggling with inner conflicts. The best loved and most successful conductor of his generation, also a virtuoso pianist, he was adored by an international public, but suffered years of hostile criticism from the New York press. An inspiration to fellow American musicians, he was the first native American to direct a major American orchestra, and the first to conquer Europe (conducting the Vienna Philharmonic and at La Scala, Milan). His conducting style was famously flamboyant, yet he possessed a rare ability to communicate his music to the listener, who was often held spellbound. But Bernstein often dismissed conducting for its temporary character, and declared himself to be primarily a composer. Among other musicals, Bernstein wrote the world-famous West Side Story (1957), and the moving score to the film On the Waterfront, but he never enjoyed unanimous critical acclaim for his serious classical works, such as Chichester Psalms and Mass. In later years he feared that he would be remembered solely for his musicals.

Whole Notes (Paperback): Ed Ayres Whole Notes (Paperback)
Ed Ayres
R439 Discovery Miles 4 390 Ships in 12 - 19 working days
Literary Britten - Words and Music in Benjamin Britten's Vocal Works (Hardcover): Kate Kennedy Literary Britten - Words and Music in Benjamin Britten's Vocal Works (Hardcover)
Kate Kennedy; Contributions by Adrian Poole, Brian Young, David Fuller, Hanna Rochlitz, …
R3,282 Discovery Miles 32 820 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Britten is the most literary British composer of the twentieth century. His relationship to the many and varied texts that he set was deeply committed and sensitive. As a result, both his responses to poetry and his collaborationswith his librettists tell us a great deal about his music, and often, about the man himself. Britten is the most literary British composer of the twentieth century. His relationship to the many and varied texts that he set was deeply committed and sensitive. As a result, both his responses to poetry and his collaborationswith his librettists tell us a great deal about his music, and often, about the man himself. This book takes a unique approach to Britten, drawing together well-known Britten experts alongside English, music, modern language andhistory scholars who bring their own perspective to bear on Britten's work. Chapters examine all aspects of Britten's text setting, from his engagement with a wide variety of poetry to his relationship with his librettists. By approaching Britten's operas and songs through their literature, this book offers fresh insights into his vocal works. KATE KENNEDY is the Weinrebe Research Fellow in Life-writing at Wolfson College, Oxford, where she is an associate of both Music and English Faculties. She is a frequent broadcaster for the BBC and specialises in interdisciplinary biography and has published widely on twentieth century music and literature. Contributors:JOANNA BULLIVANT, PHILIP ROSS BULLOCK, NICHOLAS CLARK, MERVYN COOKE, DAVID FULLER, JOHN FULLER, PETER HAPPE, J. P. E. HARPER-SCOTT, JOHN HOPKINS, KATE KENNEDY, ADRIAN POOLE, HANNA ROCHLITZ, PHILIP RUPPRECHT, REBEKAH SCOTT, VICKISTROEHER, JUSTIN VICKERS, LUCY WALKER, BRIAN YOUNG

Angelo Badalamenti's Soundtrack from Twin Peaks (Paperback): Clare Nina Norelli Angelo Badalamenti's Soundtrack from Twin Peaks (Paperback)
Clare Nina Norelli
R307 R277 Discovery Miles 2 770 Save R30 (10%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

When Twin Peaks debuted on the ABC network on the night of April 8, 1990, thirty-five million viewers tuned in to some of the most unusual television of their lives. Centered on an eccentric, coffee-loving FBI agent's investigation into the murder of a small town teen queen, Twin Peaks brought the aesthetic of arthouse cinema to a prime time television audience and became a cult sensation in the process. Part of Twin Peaks' charm was its unforgettable soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti, a longtime musical collaborator of film director and Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch. Badalamenti's evocative music, with its haunting themes and jazzy moodscapes, served as a constant in a narrative that was often unhinged and went on to become one of the most popular and influential television soundtracks of all time. How did a unique collaborative process between a director and composer result in a perfectly postmodern soundtrack that ran the gamut of musical styles from jazz to dreamy pop to synthesizer doom and beyond? And how did Badalamenti's musical cues work with Twin Peaks' visuals, constantly evolving and playing off viewers' expectations and associations? Under the guidance of Angelo Badalamenti's beautifully dark sonic palette, Clare Nina Norelli delves deep into the world of Twin Peaks to answer all this and more.

Malcolm Arnold - The Inside Story (Hardcover): Anthony Meredith Malcolm Arnold - The Inside Story (Hardcover)
Anthony Meredith
R696 R625 Discovery Miles 6 250 Save R71 (10%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Many myths, masquerading as facts, were flourishing, when Anthony Meredith's first Arnold biography came out, almost twenty years ago. Accordingly, he misrepresented several key issues, just as previous biographers had done. He also fudged others, for Arnold was still alive, and so, too, was his forceful carer. The many Arnold myths lived on. Three years ago, however, Malcolm Arnold's daughter, Katherine, encouraged the biographer to write a new book with the true story of her father's last thirty years. She had much new evidence to support it - material that confirmed her suspicions that when her father, in mid-life, came under the total control of two different carers, his vulnerability had been terribly exploited. Arnold's last thirty years could only properly be understood if seen in the context of his earlier life, so a full biography beckoned. Nor could the years after the composer's death be omitted, for things occurred in this period that shed much light on previous dramas. The Inside Story, then, sweeps away the many myths that have surrounded the intriguing figure of Malcolm Arnold. It offers arresting new facts about his life, fresh insights into his music and much food for thought about the care of the mentally ill and its legal aspects. This important addition to the literature of British music is an engrossing saga, told with compassion and candour.

Benjamin Britten - A Biography (Paperback, Main): Humphrey Carpenter Benjamin Britten - A Biography (Paperback, Main)
Humphrey Carpenter
R809 Discovery Miles 8 090 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

A biography of Benjamin Britten which presents a panorama of British musical life since the 1920s.

Flos Campi (Book, Study score): Ralph Vaughan Williams Flos Campi (Book, Study score)
Ralph Vaughan Williams; Edited by Julian Rushton
R726 Discovery Miles 7 260 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

for SATB wordless chorus, viola solo, and orchestra A suite for solo viola, wordless chorus (SATB), and small orchestra, Flos Campi is one of Vaughan Williams's most enigmatic pieces. Although the six movements all borrow their titles from the Old Testament's Song of Solomon, the chorus never articulates a single word. Instead, it serves as a section of the orchestra, creating an elegant vocal texture and backdrop to the viola's haunting solo lines. The work was premiered in October 1925 by the violist Lionel Tertis, singers from the RCM, and the Queen's Hall Orchestra, directed by Sir Henry Wood.

The Whistling Blackbird - Essays and Talks on New Music (Hardcover): Robert Morris The Whistling Blackbird - Essays and Talks on New Music (Hardcover)
Robert Morris
R3,273 Discovery Miles 32 730 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

The Whistling Blackbird: Essays and Talks on New Music is the long-awaited book of essays from Robert Morris, the greatly admired composer and music theorist. In these essays, Morris presents a new and multifaceted view of recent developments in American music. His views on music, as well as his many compositions, defy easy classification, favoring instead a holistic, creative, and critical approach. The Whistling Blackbird contains fourteen essays and talks, divided into three parts, preceded by an "Overture" that portrays what it means to compose music in the United States today. Part 1 presents essays on American composers John Cage, Milton Babbitt, Richard Swift, and Stefan Wolpe. Part 2 comprises talks on Morris's music that illustrate his ideas and creative approaches over forty years of music composition, including his outdoor compositions, an ongoing project that began in 1999. Part 3 includes four essays in music criticism: on the relation of composition to ethnomusicology; on phenomenology and attention; on music theory at the millennium; and on issues in musical time. Threaded throughout this collection of essays are Morris's diverse and seemingly disparate interests and influences. English romantic poetry, mathematical combinatorics, group and set theory, hiking, Buddhist philosophy, Chinese and Japanese poetry and painting, jazz and nonwestern music, chaos theory, linguistics, and the American transcendental movement exist side by side in a fascinating and eclectic portrait of American musical composition at the dawn of the new millennium. Robert Morris is Professor of Music Composition at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester.

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1962) (Sheet music, Study score): William Walton Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1962) (Sheet music, Study score)
William Walton; Edited by Christopher Wellington
R1,034 Discovery Miles 10 340 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This edition of Walton's celebrated Viola Concerto (1962 version) has been off-printed from the William Walton Edition full score, and combines the scholarship of the Edition with the practical benefits of the smaller format. An introduction is provided by the volume editor, Christopher Wellington. Orchestral material is available on hire/rental.

Embertides - Suite for Organ (Book): Hilary TANN Embertides - Suite for Organ (Book)
Hilary TANN
R605 Discovery Miles 6 050 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Embertides is a four-movement suite for organ based on the roughly equal divisions of the church year - Advent, Lent, Whitsun, and Michaelmas - which in turn hark back to earlier, secular traditions. Throughout, there are short references and hints to plainsong and other hymns relevant to the seasons. Drawing on a wide range of colours and textures, the composer creates an evocative and varied suite of pieces, perfectly suited for both recital and church performance; as such, the work will be welcomed by a wide range of players.

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ - Paperback (Sheet music, Vocal score on sale): Gabriel Jackson The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ - Paperback (Sheet music, Vocal score on sale)
Gabriel Jackson
R670 Discovery Miles 6 700 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

for SATB (with divisions), S. and T. solos, and 10 players Commissioned by Merton College, Oxford, this hour-long work for soloists, choir, and 10 players is divided into seven movements, beginning with Palm Sunday. Jackson's setting takes material from each of the four Gospel narratives, interspersed with Latin hymns and English texts by poets associated with Merton College over the centuries including Edmund Blunden and T. S. Eliot. The vocal score includes a piano reduction for rehearsal purposes.

Pianoworks: Popular Styles - 18 original pieces in contemporary styles (Sheet music): Janet Bullard, Alan Bullard Pianoworks: Popular Styles - 18 original pieces in contemporary styles (Sheet music)
Janet Bullard, Alan Bullard
R440 Discovery Miles 4 400 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Pianoworks: Popular Styles is a superb one-stop introduction to key musical styles of the last 100 years. Through 18 original pieces it captures the essential ingredients of blues, gospel, rock, jazz, and Latin, as well as neo-classicism, minimalism, and other popular classical styles. The pieces are carefully tailored for students of the Pianoworks series, covering technically Book 2 and the final section of Book 1, and the collection works equally well as a stand-alone repertoire resource.

Cello Concerto - William Walton Edition (Book, Study score): William Walton Cello Concerto - William Walton Edition (Book, Study score)
William Walton; Edited by David Lloyd Jones
R878 Discovery Miles 8 780 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This edition of Walton's Cello Concerto has been off-printed from the Wiliam Walton Edition full score, and combines the scholarship of the Edition (including an introduction by the editor) with the practical benefits of a study score format. Dating from 1956, the work was commissioned by Gregor Piatigorsky and premiered by him the following year. Walton regarded this work as the best of his three solo concertos. Orchestral material is available on hire/rental.

Violin Concerto (Sheet music, Study score): William Walton Violin Concerto (Sheet music, Study score)
William Walton; Edited by David Lloyd Jones
R1,040 Discovery Miles 10 400 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This edition of Walton's Violin Concerto has been off-printed from the William Walton Edition full score, and combines the scholarship of the Edition (including an introduction by the editor) with the practical benefits of a study score format. Commissioned by Jascha Heifetz, the work was completed in 1939 and premiered by Heifetz later that year. Walton revised the concerto in 1943 and it is this version which is presented in the current edition. Orchestral material is available on hire/rental.

Every Good Boy Does Fine - A Love Story, in Music Lessons (Paperback): Jeremy Denk Every Good Boy Does Fine - A Love Story, in Music Lessons (Paperback)
Jeremy Denk
R385 R347 Discovery Miles 3 470 Save R38 (10%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'A virtuosic memoir . . . elegant, frank and well-structured, that entirely resists cliche . . . The concert pianist's account of striving for musical mastery sits alongside a stirring coming of age narrative . . . readable for both diehard classical music fans and complete newcomers alike . . . A rare feat.' The Guardian 'Jeremy Denk's writing is as engaged and probing as his playing. Every Good Boy Does Fine hits the spot - a scintillating account of his way into music' - Ian Bostridge A uniquely illuminating memoir of the making of a musician, in which renowned pianist Jeremy Denk explores what he learned from his teachers about classical music: its forms, its power, its meaning - and what it can teach us about ourselves. In this searching and funny memoir, based on his popular New Yorker article, renowned pianist Jeremy Denk traces an implausible journey. Life is difficult enough as a precocious, temperamental, and insufferable six-year-old piano prodigy in New Jersey. But then a family meltdown forces a move to New Mexico, far from classical music's nerve centers, and he has to please a new taskmaster while navigating cacti, and the perils of junior high school. Escaping from New Mexico at last, he meets a bewildering cast of college music teachers, ranging from boring to profound, and experiences a series of humiliations and triumphs, to find his way as one of the world's greatest living pianists, a MacArthur 'Genius,' and a frequent performer at Carnegie Hall. There are few writers working today who are willing to eloquently explore both the joys and miseries of artistic practice. Hours of daily repetition, mystifying early advice, pressure from parents and teachers who drove him on - an ongoing battle of talent against two enemies: boredom and insecurity. As we meet various teachers, with cruel and kind streaks, Denk composes a fraught love letter to the act of teaching. He brings you behind the scenes, to look at what motivates both student and teacher, locked in a complicated and psychologically perilous relationship. In Every Good Boy Does Fine, Denk explores how classical music is relevant to 'real life,' despite its distance in time. He dives into pieces and composers that have shaped him - Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms, among others - and gives unusual lessons on melody, harmony, and rhythm. Why and how do these fundamental elements have such a visceral effect on us? He tries to sum up many of the lessons he has received, to repay the debt of all his amazing teachers; to remind us that music is our creation, and that we need to keep asking questions about its purpose. 'Denk . . . has written a book that shows what it's like to be a pianist, but also what it's like to be Jeremy Denk. As if that were not enough, it is also about the elements of music, and beyond that an account of the ways in which music and life mirror each other. It is a book like none other . . . Denk weaves invisible threads connecting life and art into something very close to musical form.' Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books

O Oriens (Sheet music, Vocal score): Cecilia McDOWALL O Oriens (Sheet music, Vocal score)
Cecilia McDOWALL
R131 Discovery Miles 1 310 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

for SSATB (with divisions) unaccompanied A setting of one of the seven Advent 'O' Antiphons, O Oriens makes use of luxurious and exotic harmonies, creating a shimmering texture reminiscent of the biblical Morning Star referenced in the title. The focus on human enlightenment in winter's darkness means the piece is equally suitable for secular celebrations of Christmas. It was commissioned for the Choir of Merton College, Oxford, and in 2013 was shortlisted for a British Composer Award.

Britten and Auden in the Thirties: The Year 1936 (Paperback, 2nd Revised edition): Donald Mitchell, Alan Hollinghurst Britten and Auden in the Thirties: The Year 1936 (Paperback, 2nd Revised edition)
Donald Mitchell, Alan Hollinghurst
R734 Discovery Miles 7 340 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A crucial year in the Britten/Auden relationship, which reshaped and redefined artistic direction in the immediate pre-war period. Benjamin Britten and W.H. Auden were key figures of the 1930s, and here Donald Mitchell traces their lives during one crucial year, 1936. They worked hard to establish themselves, first through the GPO film unit, in a collaboration which flowered and spilled over into the theatre, and then radio - a new medium that the liveliest creative minds of the time were exploring and exploiting. Britten and Auden also joined forces in works destined for the recital room and concert hall, among them Our Hunting Fathers, the political symbolism of which Donald Mitchell examines in depth, and On the Island, settings of early Auden that comprised Britten's first important set of songs to English texts. Much use is made of Britten's private diaries, which he kept on a daily basis, and a revealing portrait emerges of the two men's relationship, of their work together in many different fields, and of the reflection within that work of political ideas current at the time. DONALD MITCHELL was Britten's close friend and publisher from 1964 until the end of the composer's life, and his authorised biographer. The T S Eliot Memorial Lectures delivered in 1979

Mack Wilberg Anthems - 9 Anthems for Mixed Voices (Sheet music, Vocal score): Mack Wilberg Mack Wilberg Anthems - 9 Anthems for Mixed Voices (Sheet music, Vocal score)
Mack Wilberg
R498 Discovery Miles 4 980 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

for SATB and organ or orchestra or unaccompanied This anthology of 9 mixed-voice anthems combines new material written specially for the collection with established favourites from the Oxford catalogue, some of which appear here for the first time with SATB scoring. Containing both accompanied and a cappella pieces, and with festive anthems (with keyboard or orchestral accompaniment) alongside short, gentle blessings, Mack Wilberg Anthems contains an attractive selection of pieces suitable for a variety of liturgical seasons and will appeal to all mixed-voice church choirs.

Five Days that Changed the World (Sheet music, Vocal score): Bob Chilcott Five Days that Changed the World (Sheet music, Vocal score)
Bob Chilcott
R519 Discovery Miles 5 190 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

for upper-voice choir, SATB choir, piano, and optional timpani Setting a newly written text by Charles Bennett, this fifteen-minute choral work takes singers on a journey through five historical events: the invention of printing, the abolition of slavery, the first powered flight, the discovery of penicillin, and the first man in space. In each movement, music and words come together to create a strikingly vivid and personal account of each protagonist's experience, from the printer seeing 'each letter like a person' to the astronaut commenting on the beauty of our planet from space. Chilcott's music is as captivating as ever, with energy in abundance alongside moments of clarity and stillness. This is an ideal concert work for choirs looking to perform with an upper-voice group, or for larger SATB choruses with divisi sopranos and altos. The optional timpani part is printed separately at the back of the score.

The Ashgate Research Companion to Minimalist and Postminimalist Music (Hardcover, New Ed): Keith Potter, Kyle Gann The Ashgate Research Companion to Minimalist and Postminimalist Music (Hardcover, New Ed)
Keith Potter, Kyle Gann
R4,762 Discovery Miles 47 620 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

In recent years the music of minimalist composers such as La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass has, increasingly, become the subject of important musicological reflection, research and debate. Scholars have also been turning their attention to the work of lesser-known contemporaries such as Phill Niblock and Eliane Radigue, or to second and third generation minimalists such as John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Michael Nyman and William Duckworth, whose range of styles may undermine any sense of shared aesthetic approach but whose output is still to a large extent informed by the innovative work of their minimalist predecessors. Attempts have also been made by a number of academics to contextualise the work of composers who have moved in parallel with these developments while remaining resolutely outside its immediate environment, including such diverse figures as Karel Goeyvaerts, Robert Ashley, Arvo PArt and Brian Eno. Theory has reflected practice in many respects, with the multimedia works of Reich and Glass encouraging interdisciplinary approaches, associations and interconnections. Minimalism's role in culture and society has also become the subject of recent interest and debate, complementing existing scholarship, which addressed the subject from the perspective of historiography, analysis, aesthetics and philosophy. The Ashgate Research Companion to Minimalist and Postminimalist Music provides an authoritative overview of established research in this area, while also offering new and innovative approaches to the subject.

O Come, Emmanuel (Staple bound, Vocal score): Alan Bullard O Come, Emmanuel (Staple bound, Vocal score)
Alan Bullard
R514 Discovery Miles 5 140 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

for SATB (with optional solos) and organ or piano or small orchestra or chamber group O Come, Emmanuel is an Advent Celebration, suitable for both church and concert choirs. It is based on the 7 Great 'O' Antiphons, and fragments of the well-known plainsong hymn permeate the work. To these, Bullard has added settings of a number of other Advent texts and hymns, including the beautiful 'There is a rose-tree', a rousing setting of 'Chanticleer Carol', and new arrangements of 'Gabriel's Message' and 'Joy to the world!'. The work may be sung throughout by SATB choir, or a range of soloists may take some of the lines. The accompaniment - for organ or piano, or with small orchestra or chamber group - is equally flexible. A number of the movements make highly effective separate pieces and anthems. Written with the composer's long and practical experience, O Come, Emmanuel is a strikingly original work for Advent and Christmas that will enhance both liturgical celebrations and concert programmes at this time.

What sweeter music (Sheet music, SATB vocal score): Bob Chilcott What sweeter music (Sheet music, SATB vocal score)
Bob Chilcott
R136 Discovery Miles 1 360 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

for SAATTBB unaccompanied What sweeter music is an atmospheric setting of Robert Herrick's popular Christmas text. The carol opens with hushed, interweaving choral lines, creating a soft veil of sound that expands texturally and dynamically into an expressive central section. The sustained melodic interest in every part combines to create a gorgeous work that choirs will find a true pleasure to sing. What sweeter music will be included on a forthcoming CD by Commotio.

A Geometry of Music - Harmony and Counterpoint in the Extended Common Practice (Hardcover): Dmitri Tymoczko A Geometry of Music - Harmony and Counterpoint in the Extended Common Practice (Hardcover)
Dmitri Tymoczko
R1,906 Discovery Miles 19 060 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

How is the Beatles' "Help " similar to Stravinsky's "Dance of the Adolescents?" How does Radiohead's "Just" relate to the improvisations of Bill Evans? And how do Chopin's works exploit the non-Euclidean geometry of musical chords?
In this groundbreaking work, author Dmitri Tymoczko describes a new framework for thinking about music that emphasizes the commonalities among styles from medieval polyphony to contemporary rock. Tymoczko identifies five basic musical features that jointly contribute to the sense of tonality, and shows how these features recur throughout the history of Western music. In the process he sheds new light on an age-old question: what makes music sound good?
A Geometry of Music provides an accessible introduction to Tymoczko's revolutionary geometrical approach to music theory. The book shows how to construct simple diagrams representing relationships among familiar chords and scales, giving readers the tools to translate between the musical and visual realms and revealing surprising degrees of structure in otherwise hard-to-understand pieces.
Tymoczko uses this theoretical foundation to retell the history of Western music from the eleventh century to the present day. Arguing that traditional histories focus too narrowly on the "common practice" period from 1680-1850, he proposes instead that Western music comprises an extended common practice stretching from the late middle ages to the present. He discusses a host of familiar pieces by a wide range of composers, from Bach to the Beatles, Mozart to Miles Davis, and many in between.
A Geometry of Music is accessible to a range of readers, from undergraduate music majors to scientists and mathematicians with an interest in music. Defining its terms along the way, it presupposes no special mathematical background and only a basic familiarity with Western music theory. The book also contains exercises designed to reinforce and extend readers' understanding, along with a series of appendices that explore the technical details of this exciting new theory.

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