Concise History of Western Music [Hardcover]

Barbara Russano Hanning (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

Based on "A History of Western Music" by Donald A. Grout and Claude V. Palisca, this illustrated text features music examples and contemporary accounts from musicians throughout the ages. A study and listening guide to accompany this textbook is available separately.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barbara Russano Hanning is professor of music at The City College of New York, City University of New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 650 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393971686
• ISBN-13: 978-0393971682
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,580,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Easy to Read, Impossible to Learn From, May 2, 2008

By 

Michael New - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Concise History of Western Music (Third Edition) (Hardcover)

I've used this book for Music History 1 and 2, and after having spent the past year studying from this book regularly, I have to say it is one of the worst textbooks I have ever used. When reading, it becomes obvious very quickly that the text has been condensed from a much larger work, and the author has very little knowledge about the material itself. The language is flowery and vague, and the author spends most of her time simply praising the composer or the work as "wonderful", "influential", "brilliant", and all kinds of other useless adjectives. I've spent hours reading this book only to begin a test that asks for an essay on Brahms and realize how painfully little I actually know about him. You will read through several pages on a composer only to learn the most basic facts about his life, and a short list of works he composed. The rest is garbage. The accessibility of the language is tempting, but save yourself hours of wasted time and find a different book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise History of Western Music, 4e (2010), July 16, 2010

By 

Dr. Greg (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Concise History of Western Music (Fourth Edition) (Hardcover)

This is an excellent music text for junior college use. The content is a reworking of Grout's original groundbreaking research, as presented in the eighth edition of A HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC (2010). Hanning's treatment of key ideas, facts, composers, musical examples, cultural influences, is grand. Students, likewise, can tap into online assistance--study guides, chapter outlines, streamed musical examples, and so forth--in the publisher's Study Space at Norton's web site. In all, the cost and additional aids adds up to a great bargin and lots of musical insight in the offing.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible Text Book, September 5, 2010

By 

J. Valli - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Study and Listening Guide: for Concise History of Western Music, Third Edition and Norton Anthology of Western Music, Fifth Edition (Paperback)

I had to buy this book for my Music History class and I absolutely hate it. Also, I am disappointed because this does not come with the Listening Guide like the book says, it is just a workbook to try and keep you on track with what the Chapters were supposed to teach you. Unfortunately, from the text book you can't answer most of the questions in the guide. Like others have said, the language of the text book is incredibly vague. Important terms are not explained well within the Chapters or in the glossary. This book and the text book are a complete waste of money!

If you HAVE to buy this book for school. Do future students a favor and express your hatred for the book when you have teacher evaluations. Unfortunately, there are few if any good Music history text books. So, if you have a music degree, know much about Music History and can write a straight-forward, easy to read book, you could make a killing in writing a college Music History book.