Essays & Readings: On the Origin of Music an Integrated Overview of the Origin and Evolution of Music [Hardcover]

Robert Fink (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Greenwich Meridian (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0912424141
• ISBN-13: 978-0912424149
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,829,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essays and Readings on Music's Origin -- Definitive Studies, November 30, 2004

By 

Candace Norton (Saskatoon, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essays & Readings: On the Origin of Music an Integrated Overview of the Origin and Evolution of Music (Hardcover)

This book is a compendium of earlier essays and current material from archaeology, acoustics, physiology, and related scientific studies.
Firstly, it is based on an updated summary of an earlier library book: The 1970 book "The Universality of Music" [also titled "Origin of Music," 1981]. This book outlined the evolution of the tonal scales widely found in the world and in ancient history. It showed the role played by acoustics in the formation of scales and tonality, as well as chapters on originality, modern (atonal) music -- and atonality's inevitable decline was predicted by the author.
The book used plain English, and no reader technical nor music-reading ability is needed to follow the ideas.
The book got all excellent reviews, including these (based on later editions back pages):

"To say we are intrigued is an understatement."
-- T. C. Fry, president, N.Y. Musical Heritage Society
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"...obviously a searching study..."
-- Henry Pleasants, author: Serious Music & All That Jazz; The Agony of Modern Music; and
internationally reknowned critic. London UK
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"I certainly do like and am profiting from Origin."
-- Prof. Anne D. Kilmer, head of Dept. of Assyriology, Univ. of Calif., Berkeley
and who deciphered the world's oldest song (4,000 years old).
-
"Since it (The Origin of Music -- An Essay) has been added to our collection, the book
has sparked considerable interest on our patrons. Thank you...."
-- Jean Morrow, director of Libraries, New England Conservatory
-
"Your book has really done it...as far as bringing order to chaos goes. I express my
appreciation for having had the iron filings of my brain tissue aligned by your 'magnetic'
logic."
--J. A. Luedke, Jr. Mass., USA
-
"I think that this remarkable book could become a classic if given the exposure it deserves...."
-- Ron Brown, assist. editor, Jazz Journal, London UK
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"...had my interest whetted regarding your book (Origin of Music) as both the subject matter
and...approach to it remarkably coincide with concerns...of my own"
-- M. Schulman, Music editor, Performing Arts in Canada, Toronto

A shorter book, summing up that 1970 book, titled "Origin of Music, an Essay," [1983] is the first item in this new 2004 book.
Then included is the 1997 famous award-winning essay "The Neanderthal Flute," also by Bob Fink, along with full and extensive correspondence and debate from many leading academics in musicology, ethnomusicology, archaeological and other fields.
A third essay sums up the "Stages in the Evolution of Melody, Scales and Harmony," and essentially provides a definitive scientific basis for understanding the origin or music.
Reviews, biblio, etc., about this new book can be found at http://www.webster.sk.ca/greenwich/readings.htm
-- Greenwich Publishers
Candace Norton, Sec'y.