Music: An Appreciation (Paperback)

by Roger Kamien (Author) "Sounds bombard our ears every daythe squeaks and honks of traffic, a child's laugh, the bark of a dog, the patter of rain..." (more)
Key Phrases: Don Giovanni, New York, Basic Terms (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This book is the leading text for the nonmajors' introduction to music courses. Some of the books distinctive features include the listening outlines (created by Kamien), the clear concise writing style, the well chosen examples, and the strong elements section. The fifth edition includes new selections throughout, additional listening outlines, new unit on The American Musical Theatre, and an improved and expanded recording package. Designed to help students follow a piece of music as it is playing, the listening outlines are now internally "tracked" and "timed" to correspond to the recording package. The writing style does not assume prior background in music. Also included are well chosen examples based on extensive market surveys and complete and separate units on nonwestern music and jazz. This edition has an increased number of listening outlines. The text now includes 48 listening outlines, and each piece outlined is available in the listening package. A new unit on the American Musical Theatre, including a section from Bernstein's "West Side Story" and a completely revised music package, produced by Polygram, the classical music company is also included. Also an expanded package, including complete sets of lps, cassettes and CD's and an expanded supplementary set of lps, cassettes and cd's, writing about music supplement has been added. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author
Roger Kamien received his B.A. in Musicology from Columbia and his M.A. and PhD. from Princeton. Kamien taught for 2 years at Hunter College and for 20 years at Queens College, where he coordinated the music appreciation courses. In 1983, he was appointed to his current position. In addition to Music: An Appreciation, Prof. Kamien has written numerous articles and reviews, co-wrote A New Approach to Keyboard Harmony, and edited the Norton Scores. He is an accomplished pianist and, in recent years, has formed a two-piano team with his wife, Anita. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill College; 6th edition (February 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0073366021
• ISBN-13: 978-0073366029
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.2 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #69,754 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very comprehensive introduction to music., September 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Music: An Appreciation (Hardcover)

I have used this text and earlier editions teaching music appreciation at community college and have found it to be the best yet so far. The most useful part of the text for the [before class] non-active listener are the listening outlines, with very detailed descriptions of what to listen for in various pieces of music. Kamien includes very early musical selections up to the very recent. Also included are some non-western music examples. This text could be very beneficial to musician and non-musician alike. There is great detail in his explanations of how various musical forms are put together. There is just enough history included in the text to avoid the boredom of the purely historical perspective of music appreciation.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well done, with shortcomings, February 1, 2000

By	Jessica "rickfaulknernyc" (Queens, NY, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Music: An Appreciation (Paperback)

This is an excellent text for a survey course strictly on the history of western classical music. Kamien's experience and scholarship as a teacher and historian cannot be equalled in this area. I don't recommend the chapters on non-western music, jazz and popular music, however. If you are teaching a survey course that is more inclusive, this text is not ideal. Of all the western classical music texts I have used in my teaching, Kamien's accompanying CD compilation contains the nicest performances.

26 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you have trouble remembering the names of the music pieces for school..., October 6, 2005

By	Arthur Blenheim "arthurblenheim" (Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Music: An Appreciation Brief Edition with Multimedia Companion (Paperback)

I'm using this 5th Brief Edition with Brief Set Of Four CDs for my fall-2005 community college Music Appreciation class.

As a person with a few listening skills, I wish more joyful pieces were here. Some of the music seems overtly here for historic context; but, please don't exact the comment as negativity, but only for face-value. I feel Gustav Mahler had a tremendous impact on society particularly since the 1960s and '70s and is a strange omission. Also, I feel a section of one of Gilbert & Sullivan's operas belongs in this class. Students may relate the storytelling with orchestral music if they understood the language, and Gilbert and Sullivan composed in English. Gilbert and Sullivan operas are just as good as any other opera. English opera could be important because many of the people in my class have the attitude of, "What, you actually expect me to listen to this stuff?" Well, some people in the class are just idiotic, anyway. They don't know what they are saying; but, the quicker they relate, the more convinced we make them, that this music really is better. We must tell the students what makes better music; otherwise, they go back to Paula Abdul. Do you know what I mean?

One thing I noted, the CDs use multiple tracks for each single piece of music. E.g., Duke Ellington's C-Jam Blues, the second piece of music in the set, runs 2:38, but it is divided into 8 CD tracks so that teachers can goto a specific place within the song. I understand the point, but dividing the songs into different tracks confuses me, a student, because the class uses the CD set to test me on "music recognition". I have to hunt down the manual with every listen because the pieces aren't just more simply track-labeled according to piece. One piece may take up 16 tracks, and, initially, when I'm looking at the player, I can't always recognize when the song changes to a different composer. (Some composers sound very similar.) Granted, that's what the tests are for, but THE CD SET EVERYONE BUYS IS USED FOR STUDY. As far as the track divisions, the track method opts to appeal to the teachers before the students for a single reason: book sales depend on the teachers selecting their books for classes, so make the teachers happy. An author marketing his book is not negative, but affective.

Another alternative, which I recommend regardless, is track-naming the disc. I imagine the production cost may rise; or maybe not, I don't know. I play the CDs while I drive my car, and, if the track names were on the disc, I could just look at the CD player screen, instead of fumbling around with the booklet while I'm waiting at a stoplight. Tracknames would be useful, either way.

I like having booklets of information in CDs of classical music, or whatever music I buy. Usually, musical pieces with a foreign language means translation necessity. I believe, wholeheartedly, that foreign language classical music belongs in any class like mine, and excluding a translation seems unwise, since much of classical music history came from Europe. If anything, putting a translation in the set makes it certifiable as classical music. Instead, it has an eight-page booklet stating almost the exact information already on the backside of the CD case, which doesn't even include the first name of the composers: you have to get that from the textbook. Maybe the textbook is supposed to act as the CD booklet, but I still prefer the info in the CD case. Well, since it's in the book, then maybe this is okay, but I felt like putting that fact here because I want the CD information with the CD for reactive reference.

Many famous movies used the pieces referenced in the book, some more famously than others. Multiple viewings of certain films helped me know these pieces before I heard the CD set or began attending this class; particularly, Unfaithfully Yours (1948), and Disney's Fantasia and Fantasia 2000. Buying the movies help benefit your "music recognition" skills because the films paint imagery to the works of great composers, many of which are used in the CDs, making those pieces even more distinguishable for recognition when getting tested.

On an individual opinion, some may think Pavarotti is a great singer, I understand, but he only has one sound when he sings. He is generally incapable of the proper feeling outside of shtick. For the section of La Boheme, he fits into his part quite well, even if he doesn't rise above his normal self. It's a great piece for his singing, but I usually don't think he deserves his reputation.

CD1,1-2, Igor Stravinsky's Firebird was used as the finale of "Fantasia 2000".
CD1,37-41, Bizet's L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2 Farandole was used in Preston Sturges' "Unfaithfully Yours" (1948), recently released by Criterion DVD.
CD1,42-44, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite was used in Disney's original "Fantasia". If I have to listen to the Nutcracker ONE MORE TIME,... I may flip out.
CD2,45-69, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is the initial segment used in "Fantasia 2000".
CD4,16-23, Stravinsky's Rites Of Spring [Le Sacre du Printemps] is used in "Fantasia", showing Earth's evolutions of early forms of life, finally including the violence of dinosaurs.