A Concise History of Western Music

A brief history of western classical music which will appeal to all music lovers.

Paul Griffiths (Author)

9780521133661, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 5 November 2009

360 pages
21.3 x 13.7 x 2.3 cm, 0.48 kg

'… text is filled with Griffith's typically excellent thought-provoking observations …' The New York Review

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Country & Western music [AVGL], Western "classical" music [AVGC], Music: styles & genres [AVG], Music [AV]