Features
- Reading level: Ages 9-12
- Cover Type: Paperback with 90 pages
- Published by: Intercollegiate Studies Institute January 15, 2008
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 1933859415
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-1933859415
-
Book Dimensions:
7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
- Weighs: 6.4 ounces
Product Description
R. J. Stove’s
A Student’s Guide to Music History is a concise account, written for the intelligent lay reader, of classical music’s development from the early Middle Ages onwards. Beginning with a discussion of Hildegard von Bingen, a twelfth-century German nun and composer, and the origins of plainchant, Stove’s narrative recounts the rise (and ever-increasing complexity) of harmony during the medieval world, the differences between secular and sacred music, the glories of the contrapuntal style, and the origins of opera. Stove then relates the achievements of the high baroque period, the very different idioms that prevailed during the late eighteenth century, and the emergence of Romanticism, with its emphasis upon the artist-hero. With the late nineteenth century came a growing emphasis on musical patriotism, writes Stove, especially in Spain, Hungary, Russia, Bohemia, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and the United States. A final section discusses the trends that have characterized music since 1945. Stove’s guide also singles out eminent composers for special coverage, including Palestrina, Monteverdi, Handel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Wagner, Verdi, Brahms, Debussy, Richard Strauss, Sibelius, and Messiaen. As a brief orientation to the history and countours of classical music,
A Student’s Guide to Music History is an unparalleled resource.
About The Author
R. J. Stove, born in 1961 in Sydney, is a professional organist and composer in Melbourne. His previous books are
Prince of Music: Palestrina and His World and
The Unsleeping Eye: Secret Police and Their Victims. He is a contributing editor at the
American Conservative, and his articles have appeared in
Modern Age, the
New Criterion, Chronicles, National Review, the
National Observer (Australia), and elsewhere. He has also broadcast on Sydney and Melbourne radio.
Reader Reviews
I've enjoyed this book so much, and give great credit to both the author and publisher. It is intelligent, charming, and incredibly informative given its size. I'm using it in a class with some young teens, and they have loved it -- even if it is a bit over their level.
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