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This handsome new reference is an encyclopedic record of Western music from the Middle Ages to the present day. With a lively text and copious illustrations, each volume is a complete survey of the period it covers; together the four volumes present a history of Western music as a whole. Written by renowned musical authorities, Heritage of Music is meant for everyone who enjoys music. From oratorios to computer composition, the cultural climate of each period's music is carefully delineated. Pertinent illustrations, integrated with the text, amplify and complement it. Entire chapters are devoted to each of the best known musicians of each period, with detailed histories of their lives and work, and astute commentary about how their music related to their personalities. A consistent approach is used in each volume. After a general introduction the chapters cover the main musical developments and personalities of the time. Between these, at appropriate points, each volume contains "interludes": short sections that give in-depth treatment of topics not covered in the chapters, including aspects of music history, the keyboard, the orchestra, opera houses, and more. Authoritative, comprehensive, and profusely illustrated in both color and black and white, Heritage of Music is that rare musical reference, of interest to the specialist and casual listener alike. In Heritage of Music you will find: * Comprehensive coverage of Western Music from the Middle Ages to the present * Entire chapters devoted to each of the most important composers of each period * Illustrations throughout, with art from each musical period presented parallel to the subject matter in order to amplify and complement the text * Special "Interludes" between chapters that offer cogent commentary and descriptive information related to--but not covered by--the chapters * An illustrated biographical dictionary of composers of the period at the end of each volume * A full index to each volume, and a cumulative index at the end of Volume IV for fast and easy access to information in all four volumes * A handsome format (8 1/2 x 11) with approximately 225 color and 300 black and white illustrations in each volume

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Library Journal Review

This history of Western music, lavishly presented with hundreds of color plates and illustrations, differs from the numerous single-author encylopedic surveys in two important ways: its various chapters are independently written by 55 scholars (a format used successfully by the ten-volume New Oxford History of Music , 1953), and stories of composers' lives are limited to the major figures (Bach, Beethoven, etc.), with biographical material about others consigned to short sketches at the end of each volume. This allows the authors to dwell on important compositions, placing music in its historical and social setting. It is in this regard that the series is most successful. Discussion is at a rather sophisticated level, directed at an educated and fairly well-read audience familiar with musical terms; words such as ``monophony,'' ``counterpoint,'' and ``perfect fifth'' are used freely without explanation, and no glossary is included. It is assumed that the reader has access to recordings of much of the music; the chapters are generous, with information about genres and sources, but they center on specific examples and require the reader to reinforce the descriptions and analyses with a sound image. The survey-like narrative is set off by regularly spaced interludes--beautifully illustrated vignettes that dwell for a moment on a particular item (person, place, instruments, etc.) that is somewhat extraneous to the general story. The copious illustrations have detailed captions and are tightly integrated into the text, providing a part of the essential story rather than merely serving as ornaments. Historical information is, for the most part, up to date. There is considerable variety in the writing styles and approaches of the different authors, and unfortunately many of the essays are somewhat pedantic and textbookish. The most disappointing chapters are those in volume 1, on the medieval and Renaissance periods; the attempt to supply far too much information in a short space results in paragraphs with a painfully high factual density. In most other essays, however, the quantity of material and pace of the writing is quite comfortable. Three especially thought-provoking chapters highlight the advantage of the essay format: a discussion by Carl Dahlhaus of the term ``Romantic'' and how it can be applied (Volume 2); Wilfrid Mellers's essays ``Meaning and Function,'' (Volume 4); and the chapter by Heinz Becker on Emperor Franz Joseph (Volume 3), which engagingly captures the flavor of the end of the 19th century. On the whole, then, this is a solid accomplishment.-- Timothy J. McGee, Univ. of Toronto (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Contents--v.1: Classical Music and Its Origins; v.2: The Romantic Era; v.3: The Nineteenth-Century Legacy; v.4: Music in the Twentieth Century. If one follows the authors' suggestion to listen while reading, this series should be an autodidact's delight. One may read straight through the period and style essays, major composer chapters, and complementary excursionary "interludes"; or one may pick and choose a theme--the history of instruments, for example. The introduction or the essay "The Basis of Western Music" or the interludes "Cantors of St. Thomas" and "Meaning and Function in 20th Century Music" should not be skipped. There are some curious omissions and slightings--virtually no women except as they affect men's lives, little on the English Renaissance or Purcell (curious for an Oxford publication). The final volume, dealing with 20th-century music, has a concluding main chapter on Varese and Stockhausen, hardly the avant-garde. Least interesting for the experienced reader are the two middle volumes dealing primarily with 19th-century romanticism. Strengths of the Classical and 20th-century volumes are the "interludes" with ethnomusicological and archaeological focuses. Biographical dictionaries are appended to each volume. Illustrations are magnificent and the varied page format keeps one turning them. Both public and undergraduate libraries. -J. P. Ambrose, University of Vermont

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

MichaelRaeburn.