The Concise Oxford History of Music [Hardcover]

Gerald Abraham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 1980

The Concise Oxford History of Music, written by one of the world's most respected musicologists, is the one-volume history for anyone seriously interested in the subject. This comprehensive work covers the whole history of music by genre from its first recorded emergence in Egypt to the death of Stravinsky.
Over three hundred musical examples, illustrations, and suggestions for further reading enrich this authoritative volume, and the style id as clear and attractive as all of Abraham's previous writing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`an illuminating and comprehensive mine of information' Classicla Music

`Abraham's superbly taut writing style allows him to incorporate much detail without seeming to stifle his narrative.' Classical Music Weekly

`provides all the answers clearly, sharply, authoritatively' Guardian

`We need comprehensive books for students and the "intelligent layman". Gerald Abraham courageously tackles this prohibitive task, and his courage is matched by his encyclopedic knowledge of music and its literature, by his imagination, and above all, by his willingness to proceed unconventionally,' Notes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Gerald Abraham is author of fourteen books on musical subjects and is General Editor of The New Oxford History of Music.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 990 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Concise edition (January 24, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0193113198
• ISBN-13: 978-0193113190
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #660,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary, December 2, 2003

By 

Ivan Penov (Skopje, Macedonia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Concise Oxford History of Music (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

This book offers musical knowledge for musicians and people that are totally without any knowledge for history of music. It gives you an objective view of music and it will not bore you with information about composers (when he was born... bla bla bla). It is strictly dedicated on music and nothing else. From the first knowned moment of music in history to the 20th century neo-classical music.
This is definitely a History of music textbook and I recommend it for everyone that wants to explore the history of music.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the very best--brilliant, May 26, 2006

By 

Dr Dave (El Cerrito USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Concise Oxford History of Music (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

This is one of the very best books written in English on the history of music. It is not the easist book, but the writing is very good and sparkles in comparison to many of its genre.

The book is written as a series of little stories that are presented more or less in chronological order. If you are interested in the history of Western music, it is a "must have."

There are more fascinating details per page about music history in this book than any other book of its type, and there are quite a few pages. A great read for any serious student of music or professional musician. It can be used as a sort of mini-encyclopedia as you can for example just refer to the articles on Beethoven or Mozart--but there is much more. A minor criticism is that some of the language needs to be updated. A gem.