Music in Western Civilization

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 864 pages
• Published by: Schirmer
• Edition: 1st Edition July 1, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0534619622
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0534619626
• Book Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 4.4 pounds

Product Review
"[The writing] was the book’s principle strength. It is a truly accessible book…Students might even become better writers by reading this textbook! It’s probably alone in its field in this respect, and I can’t praise it enough."

"Finally a textbook that looks at the History if music in the wider context of Western civilization. The reader gets a clear sense of how music functioned in society."

"The writing is focused, vivid, and engaging---the strongest I have seen in a college textbook for majors studying Western Art music. The author excels at breathing life into the works of prominent composers, and at setting in sharp relief the historical and cultural circumstances that engendered them."

"Short chapters delineate material into ’user-friendly’ segments."

Book Description
Understand music in context with MUSIC IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION! Clear and easy-to-understand, this music text provides you with the tools you need to succeed in this course. With a focus on the History of music in the wider context of Western civilization, you will see how study of music History is important to the practice and performance of music today. Numerous full-color photographs, maps, and timelines give you a sense of the place of music within the arts and humanities in the West. Class preparation is made easy with the book-specific website that contains features such as additional musical selections, a music glossary, unit resources, and more.

Reader Reviews
I am a doctoral student in conducting and an avid lover of books. I purchase many books each year and am constantly in search of texts that are interesting, well-designed, well-written, and easy to understand. I loathe all books that do not meet these qualifications. Craig Wright and Bryan Simms have written what I believe is the best general survey of western music history EVER! The writing is clear, engaging, and easy to understand. The book is in full color with thousands of maps, examples of art, architecture, pictures of composers, palaces, instruments, etc. The chapters are short and are written in such a way that the material is easily retained. Furthermore, each chapter concludes with an EXCELLENT summary and list of key terms which can be used as a self-test for recall of important facts and concepts. Finally, the book is built around a comprehensive list of pieces spanning all periods in the history of western music. The accompanying scores and CD's are also excellent (though the CD's can be hard to find online). The book also contains an exceptional glossary and an easy-to-use index. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand history of music. It is also exceptional for use as a graduate history review text and I highly recommend it for anyone facing doctoral qualifying or comprehensive exams in history. A beautiful work - well worth the price. Comment | Permalink | (Report this)