The special features of this music appreciation handbook include detailed listening guides, cultural perspectives that shed light on the music of the world, quotes from composers and "The Norton Recordings" which provide performances of all listening examples.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Kristine Forney is Professor of Music at California State University, Long Beach, where she regularly teaches music appreciation and music history to undergraduate students. Her understanding of today’s students and her highly regarded teaching abilities make her the ideal author for this appreciation-level textbook. She is also a respected scholar who has written extensively on music of the Renaissance, and is a contributor to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Solid Music Appreciation Textbook,
By
This review is from: The Enjoyment of Music: An Introduction to Perceptive Listening (Chronological Version) (Hardcover)
I am currently using the new ninth edition of this textbook for a college music appreciation class. This text is great for people who want to learn about music history in Western society (Western Europe and some of America).Beginning with a chapter on the elements and aspects of music, the book starts with Gregorian Chant (c. 400) and quickly moves through history all the way to 20th century music, including minimalism and Arvo Part. The reading is clear and straightforward, and the pictures and charts make the reading more exciting than your typical bland textbook. There are some problems, however. First, this book is not adequate for music majors. As another reviewer states, many great composers here are overlooked or briefly mentioned, especially those composers who were not on the leading edge of each movement (e.g. William Byrd, Sergei Rachmaninov, Gustav Holst, Bruckner, Wolf, and Prokofiev). Another issue that some have with the book is its inclusion of women composers into history. I understand why they do it. Even today in society there are few women composers, and it is important to teach our young women that they can write great music. On the other hand, as a result of poor musical education and opportunities, compositions of women composers such as Jacquet de la Guerre and Barbara Strozzi pale in comparison with those of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. This emphasis of women composers is one that is constantly undergoing debate in the music world. If you are looking for a Music Appreciation textbook, I would strongly consider this one as well as Roger Kamien's text. If you are not taking a class and just want to learn about music, you should consider getting the 8-CD set of musical excerpts. They go along with the listening guides in the book, and help illustrate the textbook's concepts.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but older editions are better.....,
By
This review is from: The Enjoyment of Music: An Introduction to Perceptive Listening (Standard Version) (Hardcover)
I really appreciated the older editions of this book and thought the language was clear and understandable. I still think these aspects of the book are good, however, I am disappointed at the content. I agree with other reviewers who have suggested that the work should be broken into two books -- one on modern music and another on classic music. It just doesn't make any sense to skip major composers and I feel this one size fits all approach misses the mark in this regard.
On the other hand, the book is well-written and has been well-received over its many years and editions. Some reviewers point to an overly politically correct stance, which I believe has some validity. Including minor women composers at the expense of major male composers is not politically correct, it is an inexcusable error. On the other hand, excluding women's contribution to the musical literature completely or leaving out a major woman composer is also an error. I am guessing that a chapter on the cultural issues around women and music with an overview of women composers that are largely unknown or underrated would have better served the target audience. Textbooks are EXTREMELY expensive and after so many editions, I think this one should be a homerun. Unfortunately, it is now good, but not great. If you don't like this one, you may want to try Music: An Appreciation w/ Multimedia Companion 4.5 CD-ROM. This is done by a concert pianist and does justice to the major composers. While I am not currently a professional musician, I was for 11 years and I continue to take lessons from a concert pianist. I play a variety of instruments and I've been studying music since before I could read. As such, I think I am in a good position to evaluate the merits of this text. It is still very worthwhile, but I hope they do better in the next edition. Another book worth considering is What to Listen for in Music and Music, The Brain, And Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination. The former book, gives you an inside look at music through the eyes of a composer and the second is a wonderful and entertaining journey through understanding sound and how music produces pleasure from a psychological and biological viewpoint. Both books are very readable by non-musicians and laypersons without a background of any type. The second book is one that I read in two sittings.... AWESOME! I have reviewed both, if you want more details. If you are also looking to understand some music theory, try Harmony and Theory: A Comprehensive Source for All Musicians (Essential Concepts (Musicians Institute).). This is a great short introduction to music theory and harmony as it relates to modern music. If you are musical at all, you will find that this covers a lot of ground in a short space.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Response to "a reader" and "music teacher",
By
This review is from: Enjoyment of Music Shorter (Hardcover)
After having gone through nine editions, this text bears little resemblence to the original work published in 1955. That text, and the next few editions, were solid and informative. With the addition of co-author Kristine Forney, the work has definitely taken on a more modern perspective at the unfortunate expense of truly great composers.
Having been a serious student of music in earlier life, and a constant listener since birth, I have an avid appreciation of most genres of music. Having said that, I firmly believe the study of music appreciation should remain somewhat "high-brow". By this I mean that it should limit itself to what is considered, in common parlance, as "classical" or "orchestral" music. Modern genres of music do display moments of true musical genius and originality. But, for the most part, the majority of the material is borrowed, ultimately from the "classical." Most popular musicians have little knowledge of musical composition, or even how to record their works in musical notation. Rap and electronic are the ultimate in this area, many times outright recording a piece of someone else's music and blending the cuts together to produce their own "song." If one seriously wants to develop an appreciation of music, a solid exposure to and understanding of the "classical" composers is a must. Otherwise, as is the case with most modern and post-modern (whatever that means) teaching materials, a true understanding of the origins, history, and development of the subject is lost. Herbie Hancock and Michael Jackson may be interesting and enjoyable, but they are hardly groundbreaking from a musical perspective. The authors should separate the "classical" from the "modern" into two texts. Both studies would greatly benefit. After all, with the proliferation of college students downloading music and playing it on every device that can produce a sound, does anyone really think students do not have an appreciation of "modern" music?
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