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Books > Music > Theory of music & musicology > General
Notation in Johannes Brahms's sonata scores tells violinists and
pianists far more than merely what pitches to play and how long to
play them-if read carefully, these scores reveal an immense amount
of expression, both of musical and human essences. Joel Lester's
Brahms's Violin Sonatas magnifies key passages from these scores,
revealing in clear and accessible language how the composer built
his themes and musical narratives and how, ultimately, Brahms's
music came to sound Brahmsian. Through close readings and annotated
musical examples, Brahms's Violin Sonatas guides practitioners to
read scores with care and to develop their own informed
interpretation of the pieces, eschewing the notion of a single
"correct" interpretation of the historical score. By exploring not
only the sonatas' musical elements, but also their relationship to
important events in the composer's life, Lester shows how subtle
components can communicate the gestures, moods, personalities, and
emotions that make Brahms's music so compelling. A companion volume
to the author's award-winning 1999 study Bach's Works for Solo
Violin: Style, Structure, and Performance (OUP), Brahms's Violin
Sonatas is a clear and practical guide to understanding and
performing Brahms's music in the present.
Schoenberg's Op.23 for solo piano, written between 1920 and 1923,
represented a move from his atonal music of the preceding twelve
years to 12-note music. In this analysis of the five pieces which
make up Op.23, Kathryn Bailey discusses the ways in which
Schoenberg clearly explores new ideas in these pieces in the
context of his old style. Op.23 marked the development of a new way
of organizing pitches and establishing centres of gravity in the
absence of tonality; but it was also an extension of what had gone
before. While moving on from Op.23 was not a big step for
Schoenberg, it represented a climacteric in the history of musical
composition. It was a long time before anyone outside of
Schoenberg's circle would be able to see past the revolutionary
idea of composing from a single pre-determined arrangement of the
12 notes of the chromatic scale to notice that in most ways this
New Music answered the same conditions and fulfilled the same
expectations that music had for generations.
How does musical harmony engage listeners in relations of desire?
Where does this desire come from? Author Kenneth Smith seeks to
answer these questions by analyzing works from the turn of the
twentieth- century that are both harmonically enriched and
psychologically complex. Desire in Chromatic Harmony yields a new
theory of how chromatic chord progressions direct the listener on
intricate journeys through harmonic space, mirroring the tensions
of the psyche found in Schopenhauer, Freud, Lacan, Lyotard, and
Deleuze. Smith extends this mode of enquiry into sophisticated
music theory, while exploring philosophically engaged European and
American composers such as Richard Strauss, Alexander Skryabin,
Josef Suk, Charles Ives, and Aaron Copland. Focusing on harmony and
chord progression, the book drills down into the diatonic
undercurrent beneath densely chromatic and dissonant surfaces. From
the obsession with death and mourning in Suk's asrael Symphony to
an exploration of "perversion" in Strauss's elektra; from the Sufi
mysticism of Szymanowski's Song of the Night to the failed fantasy
of the American dream in Copland's The Tender Land, Desire in
Chromatic Harmony cuts a path through the dense forests of
chromatic complexity, revealing the psychological make-up of
post-Wagnerian psychodynamic music.
Teaching Music to Students with Autism is a comprehensive practical
guide for music eductors who work with students with autism.
Authors and veteran music educators Alice M. Hammel and Ryan M.
Hourigan offer an approach centered in inclusion designed for music
educators, music teacher educators, and all those who have an
interest in the education of students with autism. In this second
edition, the authors offer fully up-to-date information on the
diagnosis of autism, advocating for students and music programs,
and creating and maintaining a team-approach when working with
colleagues. A significant portion of the book is focused on
understanding the communication, cognition, behavior, sensory, and
socialization challenges inherent in students with autism and ways
to structure classroom experiences and learning opportunities for
all students. A chapter of classroom snapshots (vignettes) written
by teachers in the field of music education provides additional
opportunities to transfer information to 'real life' situations.
Finally, the book offers a chapter of print and web resources for
further study.
Listen to Psychedelic Rock! contains more than 50 entries covering
the people, records, places, and events that shaped one of the most
exciting and influential periods in popular music. This addition to
the Exploring a Music Genre series concentrates solely on
psychedelic rock music. Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a
Musical Genre covers over fifty topics, arranged alphabetically,
that are central to learning about psychedelic music and will
enable readers to understand the breadth and ongoing influence of
psychedelia through to the present day. The title contains
biographical sketches on selected artists, "song-by-song"
descriptions of many albums, and short, informative essays on
participants who were influential in the original psychedelic
movement. A background section introduces the genre and a legacy
section shows how psychedelic music has cemented its place in the
world, while another section shows the tremendous impact the music
has had on popular culture. Information on record labels and
year-of-release dates for all musical entries make it easy for any
reader to navigate this title - a must-have for high school and
college readers as well as for music scholars and fans of the
genre. Provides readers with a thorough overview of artists and
albums whose works came to define psychedelic music Addresses the
differences between psychedelia in England and in the United States
Discusses the intellectual and literary influence on psychedelia in
England Provides easy reference to more than fifty individual
topics through A-Z organization Contextualizes the music in
American history
This volume is the first book-length study of hooks in popular
music. Hooks - those memorable musical moments for listeners such
as a riff or catchy melodic phrase - are arguably the guiding
principle of much modern popular music. The concept of the hook
involves aspects of melody, rhythm, harmony, production, lyrical
and cultural meaning - and how these interact within a song's
topline and backing track. Hooks are also inherently related to the
human capacities for memory and attention, and interact with our
previous experiences with music. Understanding hooks in popular
music requires a new interdisciplinary approach drawing from
popular music studies, pop musicology, and music psychology, and
this book draws from each of these disciplines to understand the
hooks present in a broad range of popular music styles from the
last thirty years.
In Western Civilization Mathematics and Music have a long and interesting history in common, with several interactions, traditionally associated with the name of Pythagoras but also with a significant number of other mathematicians, like Leibniz, for instance. Mathematical models can be found for almost all levels of musical activities from composition to sound production by traditional instruments or by digital means. Modern music theory has been incorporating more and more mathematical content during the last decades. This book offers a journey into recent work relating music and mathematics. It contains a large variety of articles, covering the historical aspects, the influence of logic and mathematical thought in composition, perception and understanding of music and the computational aspects of musical sound processing. The authors illustrate the rich and deep interactions that exist between Mathematics and Music.
In recent years Hugo Riemann's ideas have thoroughly captured the
music-theoretical imagination, both in the United States and
abroad. Neo-Riemannian theory has proven particularly adept at
explaining features of chromatic music where other theoretical
approaches have failed, and thereby established itself as the
leading theoretical approach of our time. The Oxford Handbook of
Neo-Riemannian Music Theories brings together an international
group of leading proponents of Riemannian and neo-Riemannian theory
for a thoroughgoing exploration of the music-analytical,
systematic, and historical aspects of this important new field. The
volume elucidates key aspects of the field, draws connections
between Riemann's original ideas and current thought, and suggests
new applications and avenues for further study. A number of essays
suggest connections to other fields of inquiry, such as cognitive
and mathematical music theory, as well as applications in the field
of metric or melodic analysis. The selection of essays is
complemented by several of Hugo Riemann's key original texts, many
of which appear in English translation for the first time, and is
rounded off by a glossary of key concepts for easy reference.
First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &
Francis, an informa company.
A Key Stage 3 book designed for pupils who find music theory
difficult to understand and remember. The content is differentiated
at three levels to cater for differing abilities and experience,
and a corresponding teacher's resource pack is also available.
Introduction to Digital Music with Python Programming provides a
foundation in music and code for the beginner. It shows how coding
empowers new forms of creative expression while simplifying and
automating many of the tedious aspects of production and
composition. With the help of online, interactive examples, this
book covers the fundamentals of rhythm, chord structure, and
melodic composition alongside the basics of digital production.
Each new concept is anchored in a real-world musical example that
will have you making beats in a matter of minutes. Music is also a
great way to learn core programming concepts such as loops,
variables, lists, and functions, Introduction to Digital Music with
Python Programming is designed for beginners of all backgrounds,
including high school students, undergraduates, and aspiring
professionals, and requires no previous experience with music or
code.
In this newly revised book On Sonic Art, Trevor Wishart takes a
wide-ranging look at the new developments in music-making and
musical aesthetics made possible by the advent of the computer and
digital information processing. His emphasis is on musical rather
than technical matters. Beginning with a critical analysis of the
assumptions underlying the Western musical tradition and the
traditional acoustic theories of Pythagoras and Helmholtz, he goes
on to look in detail at such topics as the musical organization of
complex sound-objects, using and manipulating representational
sounds and the various dimensions of human and non-human utterance.
In so doing, he seeks to learn lessons from areas (poetry and
sound-poetry, film, sound effects and animal communication) not
traditionally associated with the field of music.
About the Author
Trevor Wishart is a composer, living and working in the North of
England. His musical works cover a wide range, from environmental
music events staged in spe
For courses in Music Theory A text/workbook combination that gives
students the tools to understand harmonic structures With an
emphasis on learning by doing, The Practice of Harmony, Seventh
Edition takes students from music fundamentals through harmony in
common practice to some of the more important harmonic procedures
of the 20th century. Its approach is "additive" - enabling students
to use what was learned in one chapter to understand material in
the next - to minimize rote memorization, since students repeatedly
use the concepts throughout the semester. The text begins with an
overview of music fundamentals; the middle addresses the use of
harmony in common practice; and the concluding section offers a
basic glimpse of the harmonic practices of the 20th century. The
authors intentionally avoid elaborate descriptions of their
conceptual framework and refrain from specifying instructional
methods, thereby allowing instructors a wide spectrum of teaching
approaches in the classroom. NOTE: This ISBN is for a Pearson Books
a la Carte edition: a convenient, three-hole-punched, loose-leaf
text. In addition to the flexibility offered by this format, Books
a la Carte editions offer students great value, as they cost
significantly less than a bound textbook.
This pathbreaking study reveals Purcell's extensive use of symmetry
and reversal in his much-loved trio sonatas, and shows how these
hidden structural processes make his music multilayered and
appealing. Purcell's trio sonatas are among the cornerstones of
Baroque chamber music. The composer himself unassumingly described
them as "a just imitation of the most famed Italian masters."
However, analysis of their underlying structuresreveals that
Purcell's modesty hides a highly original blend of Italian models,
complex English traditional compositional devices, and his own near
obsession with compositional and contrapuntal technique. Alon
Schab'spathbreaking Sonatas of Henry Purcell: Rhetoric and Reversal
begins with an overview of the two sets of sonatas and their
sources, their movement types, and some of the basic compositional
and rhetorical procedures they demonstrate. The book's main part
highlights several covert structures that are not necessarily heard
but are consistent and played an important part in the
compositional process. Symmetry, both temporal and spatial, governs
much ofthese underlying structures. Beneath the surface of his
studies in Italian style, Purcell created intricate correspondences
between the micro and macro levels of the works, as well as unities
of proportions and, above all, impressive mirrorlike structures.
Schab's book opens an important window to seventeenth-century
compositional technique and offers further evidence of Purcell's
use of advanced compositional techniques in works that aimed to be
pleasurable for the amateur and excitingly thought-provoking for
the professional. Alon Schab is a lecturer at the University of
Haifa.
An appreciation of music depends on several factors: the ability to
understand differences in musical style, past and present; the
reasoning behind the exploration, development and acceptance of new
resources for music; the performer's attitudes toward
interpretation; and the investigations and general critical
writings of scholars.
With 56 articles by musicologists, composers, performers, music
sociologists and educators from around the world, the "Companion"
presents the most comprehensive survey of current musical thought.
The "Companion" sheds light on all aspects of music scholarship
and practice. Its volumes provide a fascinating cross-section of
ideas which will undoubtedly stimulate much study and debate.
Compiled by leading figures of the international music community
under a prestigious editorial team, the "Companion" reflects
today's attitudes and practices in one, unified source.
The "Companion" is organized in four parts, which examine
cultural, technological, structural and performance practice
viewpoints. "Part One" examines the relationship between people and
music; the second presents a unique exploration and analysis of
music and modern technology. In the third part, the structure of
music is explained, including the very latest research in core
concepts. The final section covers the complex issues of
interpretation, looking at how present-day performers and scholars
should approach the instruments and performers of the past.
Written in an accessible style, the "Companion" brings a wider
understanding of music to it readers, and addresses key curriculum
questions for the future. The extensive index, glossary, and
bibliographies encourage the readerto explore music from a variety
of angles, and to develop a detailed knowledge of this fascinating
discipline. The "Companion" will be an invaluable textfor both
music enthusiasts and amateur music-makers.
In addition, "The Tone Clock" contains a broad selection of Peter
Schat's polemical writings, embracing historical, political,
aesthetic and environmental perspectives. His book is not just of
interest to composers, but it also provides a valuable insight for
anyone interested in the development of twentieth-century
music.
Peter Schat, a former pupil of Pierre Boulez, exposes more than a
new theory of music in "The Tone Clock." Although he is a
long-experienced serialist composer, in devising and using his tone
clock system he has reached the clarity and simplicity which
comprise two of his major compositional aims. His book, profusely
illustrated with clearly analysed musical examples, will enable
other composers to achieve similar aims in their own way, while
remaining faithful to their own musical personalities.
A former pupil of Pierre Boulez, Peter Schat is a well-known Dutch
contemporary serialist composer.
This book deals with the complex cognitive processes involved in
understanding two "horizontal" aspects of music perception, melody
and rhythm, both separately and together. Focusing on the tonal
framework for pitch material in melodies, the first section
provides evidence that mere exposure to music organized in a
particular way is sufficient to induce the auditory system to
prepare itself to receive further input conforming to the patterns
already experienced. Its chapters also offer evidence concerning
elaborations of those basic schemes that come about through
specialized training in music. Continuing themes from the first
section -- such as the hypothesis that melodies must be treated as
integral wholes and not mere collections of elements -- the second
section discusses the integration of melody and rhythm. In these
chapters there is an underlying concern for clarifying the relation
-- central to aesthetic questions -- between physical patterns of
sound energy in the world and our psychological experience of them.
The chapters in the third section provide excellent examples of the
new, scientific literature that attempts to objectively study early
musical abilities. Their data establish that infants and young
children are far more perceptive and skilled appreciators of music
than was thought a decade ago.
It has often been claimed, and frequently denied, that music derives some or all of its artistic value from the relations in which it stands to the emotions. This book presents and subjects to critical examination the chief theories about the relationship between the art of music and the emotions. eBook available with sample pages: 0203420217
This volume brings together articles written between 1909 and 1983
on the history, definitions, and scope of ethnomusicology,
providing multiple perspectives of the changing ways in which
ethnomusicologists have viewed themselves and others during the
first century of ethnomusicological activity.
What is rock and roll and where does it come from? In this new study of music, literature, and culture, Perry Meisel shows how rock and roll joins both Romanticism and the blues tradition by testing the boundaries they share: boundaries between freedom and irony, between country and city, between the iconic figures of cowboy (e.g. John Wayne) and dandy (e.g. Oscar Wilde). In a series of startling juxtapositions, Meisel looks at rhythm and blues, Emerson and the cowboy, urban blues, the dandy and 60's psychedelia, Willa Cather, Miles Davis, and Virginia Woolf. In the process, Meisel shows how "popular" and "high" culture are hardly fixed categories, and in fact share deep roots each vainly affects to disdain.
Purcell's Dido and Aeneas stands as the greatest operatic
achievement of seventeenth-century England, and yet, despite its
global renown, it remains cloaked in mystery. The date and place of
its first performance cannot be fixed with precision, and the
absolute accuracy of the surviving scores, which date from almost
100 years after the work was written, cannot be assumed. In this
thirtieth-anniversary new edition of her book, Ellen Harris closely
examines the many theories that have been proposed for the opera's
origin and chronology, considering the opera both as political
allegory and as a positive exemplar for young women. Her study
explores the work's historical position in the Restoration theater,
revealing its roots in seventeenth-century English theatrical and
musical traditions, and carefully evaluates the surviving sources
for the various readings they offer-of line designations in the
text (who sings what), the vocal ranges of the soloists, the use of
dance and chorus, and overall layout. It goes on to provide
substantive analysis of Purcell's musical declamation and use of
ground bass. In tracing the performance history of Dido and Aeneas,
Harris presents an in-depth examination of the adaptations made by
the Academy of Ancient Music at the end of the eighteenth century
based on the surviving manuscripts. She then follows the growing
interest in the creation of an "authentic" version in the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries through published editions
and performance reviews, and considers the opera as an important
factor in the so-called English Musical Renaissance. To a
significant degree, the continuing fascination with Purcell's Dido
and Aeneas rests on its apparent mutability, and Harris shows this
has been inherent in the opera effectively from its origin.
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