i'm just a neuropsychologist who is interested in music - very interested, but not a formal student or teacher. I've studied clarinet, piano, recorder in some detail... I got this for an overview and general grounding, and also in the hopes of being able to obtain a good deal of detail when i wanted it. for the most part it does both, but, as to the latter - depth/detail - some things are covered in great detail and others in what i would call a cursory manner, with a couple sentences. In some cases, i myself know there is much more easily available, just from my lifetime of perusing liner notes, watching PBS or listening to NPR, the occasional book, and other ways of learning about music. Of course, the editors/writers had to pick and choose, but i just think some areas are under-represented; the book is already big so there would be little downside to it being even half again bigger. Maybe i just hoped for more because i already knew what was in there. My background is admittedly uneven.
My major complaint, however, which probably should prompt even more "points" knocked off the rating, is that there are accompanying materials - the written/graphic "anthology" and the "recorded" anthology, both of which i would like to get, but they are expensive and it is VERY (!!!!) difficult to determine exactly which of each of these really goes with the 8th edition i got. Everything seems to have different editions, and there are the "lite" version (something like 6 cds) and the "complete" version (like 15 cds or something), i think of both. the reason to be sure is that in the margin there are (very helpful) indications where in the written/graphic and in the recorded anthology you can find the score (written/graphic) or music (recorded) materials that are being discussed. If you pick a certain instance of this, then try to go where you might order the written or recorded anthology - guess what! - you do not immediately find anything that looks right. Not to mention that i believe on the Norton site the current edition of the history itself is - or was last month - the 7th edition. I just don't see the reason for all this chaos and confusion. Once they get it figured out and clear, i will be buying, because it is good material, but this is almost like dealing with Microsoft! Why not say, 8th edition history goes with 5th edition "lite" cds, or something - in a chart?
If someone actually has found out what to buy, or somehow bought the right thing by chance, you are probably giving this 5 stars (because i'm sure it's great), and probably you think i am nuts. If so, how about tipping me off - what are the specifics (name and edition#) for the complete written and recorded anthologies that go with the book, 8th edition?
JHW
