Reviews
The writing is very clear and an "enjoyable read". He gives pertinent information and keeps the reader engaged without boredom or using a "dumbing down" approach. It is written in such a way as to keep the reader personally engaged and spurred to actively listen to music, and not just as a list of musical history. I especially like the references to popular culture and feel they help the reader make relevant connections from historical and factual information to recent and current trends in music. The Checklists of Musical Style are also particularly useful and help students to summarize the information presented for each era. The "What to Listen For" pointers are good and direct the readers/listeners to the main aspects to be discovered in each piece. This is an excellent, thorough text for today's college student and should increase student interest and understanding of the topics presented. It will spur students to explore music outside of the classroom and teach them to actively listen to music., Its strengths are its 1) readability for a general audience 2) wonderful online resources ... 3) conciseness in terms of the material it presents 4) its provision of an eBook as well as a hard copy version of the text, and, 5) use of music samples by current artists who may be more familiar to students., Great survey with terrific supporting materials, including maps, graphs in different colors, good timelines. Good selection of materials: representative and thorough. Textual language is college level but clear. First chapter especially well done. Great references to pop culture. Introduction to modern issues about music is very thoughtfully presented. Where are we going? Loved the musical styles checklist. The modern student could feel at home with the many selections of "how to listen" to the materials. This is a great book for a college population who actually read the text. It covers each period in around 80 pages, but it is approachable for the student of today who wants materials in many formats. Great supporting materials like maps, graphs and art works.
Table of Content
Part I: INTRODUCTION TO LISTENING.1. The Power of Music.2. Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony.3. Color, Texture, Form, and Style.Part II: THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE, 476-1600.4. Medieval Music, 476-1450.5. Renaissance Music, 1450-1600.Part III: THE BAROQUE PERIOD, 1600-1750.6. Early Baroque Music: Opera.7. Toward Late Baroque Instrumental Music. 8. The Late Baroque: Bach. 9. The Late Baroque: Handel. Part IV: THE CLASSICAL PERIOD, 1750-1820.10. Introduction to Classical Style: Haydn and Mozart. 11. Classical Forms: Ternary and Sonata-Allegro.12. Classical Forms: Theme and Variations, Rondo.13. Classical Genres: Instrumental Music.14. Classical Genres: Vocal Music.15. Beethoven: Bridge to Romanticism.Part V: ROMANTICISM, 1820-1900.16. Introduction to Romanticism.17. Romantic Music: The Art Song.18. Romantic Music: Program Music, Ballet, and Musical Nationalism.19. Romantic Music: Piano Music.20. Romantic Opera: Italy.21. Romantic Opera: Germany.22. Nineteenth-Century Realistic Opera.23. Late Romantic Orchestral Music.Part VI: MODERN AND POSTMODERN ART MUSIC, 1880-PRESENT.24. From Impressionism to Modernism. 25. Early-Twentieth-Century Modernism.26. American Modernism. 27. Postmodernism. Part VII: AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC.28. American Popular Music to 1930. 29. American Popular Music from 1935.30. Music for Media: Film, TV, and Games.31. Rock: Music of Rebellion.THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS IN MINDTAP ONLYPart VIII: GLOBAL MUSIC. 32. The Far East.33. The Near East and Africa.34. The Caribbean and Latin America.
