Music in the Western World: A History in Documents [Paperback]

Piero Weiss (Author), Richard Taruskin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0028729005 | ISBN-13: 978-0028729008 | Publication Date: February 1, 1984 | Edition: 1

This classic anthology assembles over 200 source readings, bringing to life the history of music through letters, reviews, biographical sketches, memoirs, and other documents. Writings by composers, critics, and educators touch on virtually every aspect of Western music from ancient Greece to the present day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Offers a thrilling sense of wonder and excitement that I find lacking in other texts."--Robert Eisenstein, University of Massachusetts, Mount Holyoke College

"Fascinating and essential observations that no other survey text includes. . . . Superior to all other texts out there."--Julie Hubbert, University of South Carolina

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Richard Taruskin is is Class of 1955 Professor of Music at the University of California, Berkeley. He is coeditor (with Piero Weiss) of Music in the Western World: A History in Documents (Second Edition, 2007), as well as the author of Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions: A Biography of the Works Through Mavra (1996) and Text and Act: Essays on Music and Performance (OUP, 1995).

Christopher H. Gibbs is James H. Ottaway Jr. Professor of Music at Bard College, Co-Artistic Director of the Bard Music Festival, and Associate Editor of The Music Quarterly. He edited The Cambridge Companion to Schubert (1997), coedited Franz Liszt and His World (2006), and is the author of The Life of Schubert (2000). Gibbs is a recipient of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and was a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies. Since 2000, Gibbs has served as program annotator and consulting musicologist for The Philadelphia Orchestra, where he frequently gives lectures. Gibbs also gives lectures at other orchestras, Carnegie Hall, "Great Performers" at Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Schirmer; 1 edition (February 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028729005
• ISBN-13: 978-0028729008
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine collection edited skillfully for readability & breadth, June 17, 2004

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Music in the Western World: A History in Documents (Paperback)

This is a particularly fine collection of a couple of hundred readings on Western Music from the ancient Greeks to the 1980s. That is a broad span, but the editors, Weiss and Taruskin, have done a fine job and keep things moving in a lively manner. The energy and vitality of these articles holds the reader's interest and wondering what treasure is coming next.

Of course, this is a perfect volume for students in courses on music history and music appreciation, but it is also a very fine book for the general reader who is interested in learning more about the history of Western Art Music ("Classical Music").

What I like about volumes of source readings is the way the writings give a better context and flavor of their time than any later writing. Yes, the editors have to provide some context for us, and the editors do make choices about what to provide to us and they are almost always in translation, but they make a valuable contribution to one's education about the matters at hand.

This is a fine collection that is edited in a skillful way for readability, breadth, and vitality. Superb job!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, October 27, 2005

By 

A. Castor "eldarinprincess" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Music in the Western World: A History in Documents (Paperback)

Music for the Western World is an excellent anthology of source readings in western music history. Texts are well-chosen and entirely relevant to the period being discussed. What's unique about this book is the breadth of issues addressed and variety of sources cited. You get to hear from all sorts of people, from composers, to critics, to philosophers, and the texts offered take the form of letters, articles, reviews, autobiographies. All is given within a clear historical context, with reference to such events as the Reformation, French Revolution, and World Wars. Interesting introductions by editors Richard Taruskin and Piero Weiss (my professor at the Peabody Conservatory) as well as pictures, diagrams, and a good glossary allow this book to go beyond being simply a textbook. Anyone with an interest in music will find it easy to understand and entirely enjoyable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good book, February 25, 2010

By 

Ziyong Lin (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Music in the Western World (Paperback)

We use this book as additional readings in our music history class. The book provides letters,critiques or concert reviews at that time. It's very interesting to learn history in this way.