A Concise History of Western Music
- Author: Griffiths, Paul
thought-provoking, compelling and remarkably comprehensive narrative, this is easily one of the most thought-provoking, enjoyable and stimulating reads on Western music to have been published...
A Concise History of Western Music
- Author: Griffiths, Paul
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thought-provoking, compelling and remarkably comprehensive narrative, this is easily one of the most thought-provoking, enjoyable and stimulating reads on Western music to have been published...
About
Engaging, clear and informative, this is the story of western music - of its great composers and also of its performers and listeners, of changing ideas of what music is and what it is for. Paul Griffiths shows how music has evolved through the centuries, and suggests how its evolution has mirrored developments in the human notion of time, from the eternity of heaven to the computer's microsecond. The book provides an enticing introduction for students and beginners, using the minimum of technical terms, all straightforwardly defined in the glossary. Its perspective and its insights will also make it illuminating for teachers, musicians and music lovers. Suggestions for further reading and recommended recordings are given for each of the 24 short chapters.
Contents
- Prehistory;
- Part I . Time Whole:
- 1. From Babylonians to Franks;
- Part II . Time Measured 1100-1400:
- 2. Troubadours and organists;
- 3. Ars nove and Narcissus's clock;
- Part III . Time Sensed 1400-1630:
- 4. Harmony, the light of time;
- 5. The radiance of the High Renaissance;
- 6. Reformation and heartache;
- 7. To speak in music;
- Part IV . Time Known 1630-1770:
- 8. Baroque mornings;
- 9. Fugue, concerto and operatic passion;
- 10. Rococo and reform;
- Part V . Time Embraced 1770-1815:
- 11. Sonata as comedy;
- 12. Revolution's momentum;
- Part VI . Time Escaping 1815-1907:
- 13. The deaf man and the singer;
- 14. Angels and other prodigies;
- 15. New Germans and old Vienna;
- 16. Romantic evenings;
- 17. Nightfall and sunrise;
- Part VII . Time Tangled 1908-75:
- 18. To begin again;
- 19. Forwards and backwards, and sideways;
- 20. The people's needs;
- 21. To begin again again;
- 22. Whirlwind;
- Part VIII . Time Lost 1975-:
- 23. Echoes in the labyrinth;
- 24. Interlude; Glossary; Further reading and listening.
Awards and reviews
thought-provoking, compelling and remarkably comprehensive narrative, this is easily one of the most thought-provoking, enjoyable and stimulating reads on Western music to have been published in the past ten years
The book is clearly laid out, with page-heading summaries making it valuable for academic study
Hidden behind the deadpan title is an extremely rich and thoughtful text: a concise history, as it say on the tin, but also a warm meditation on the philosophy of music ... Each chapter culminates in a subtle cliff-hanger, and the whole thing reads exquisitely
Griffiths is excellent on Dowland's and Monteverdi's subjectivity
