Burkholder, J Peter ; Donald J Grout and Claude V Palisca - History of Western Music - ( Item 138524 )
Published in London by Folio Society. 2008. First Thus. Fine Hardback. No inscriptions or bookplates. Near Fine slipcase. Slight marks to panels of slipcase. Slight fading around slipcase entrance. He who regards sacred Music as a mere game, as a mere entertainment for an idle hour, as a momentary stimulus for dull ears let him leave Beethoven's music alone. From the symphonies of Mozart to the psychedelic strains of Sgt. Pepper, music has been fundamental to Western civilisation. Its evolution has reflected some of history's most profound social and technological changes. Without the industrial revolution which gave rise to the piston valve and the steam-engine, neither modern brass instruments nor the music they inspired would have happened, from the sonorous grandeur of Wagner's overtures to the blousy joie-de-vivre of New Orleans jazz. This magisterial study encompasses four millennia of musical achievement, beginning with the temple songs of ancient Mesopotamia and concluding with the revolution caused by modern mass communications. In between, its lively narrative propels us on an odyssey through genres and styles, from ethereal monastic chants to earthy folk music. It reveals the origins of musical forms such as the symphony, concerto and the popular song, while the genesis of the blues and other latter-day idioms are tackled with clarity and perception. Who would have thought that the exquisite harmonies of medieval motets and modern rap music would have elements in common?This is the perfect book for anyone who has ever pondered the origins of opera, why 18th-century Vienna became one of the greatest musical hotbeds in history, or just what John Cage intended when he 'composed' four minutes and 33 seconds of silence. Full of fascinating parallels with the worlds of art, literature and politics, and studded with insights into the lives and creations of the great composers, this has fair claim to be the most authoritative, comprehensive and enjoyable single-volume history of Western music ever published. Quarter-bound in leather with cloth sides, Blocked with a design by Neil Gower. Set in Ehrhardt. Frontispiece and 24 pages of colour and black & white plates. Size: 9½" x 6¼", 960 pages
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