Musical Structure and Design (Dover Books on Music) [Paperback]

Cedric T. Davie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1966 | Series: Dover Books on Music

How Western composers from 16th to 20th century met changing structural requirements mandated by different musical styles. Nature and function of concerto, sonata, etc., clarified with nonmusical analogies; illustrated in detailed analysis of specific piece of music — over 40 in all. "An excellent buy." — Instrumentalist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; New edition edition (June 1, 1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486216292
• ISBN-13: 978-0486216294
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on Classical form, March 26, 2007

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Curioman (Roswell, GA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Musical Structure and Design (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

This is an excellent book on Classical form. It covers, in detail, open and closed forms including Da Capo Aria, Minuet & Trio, Episodical, Rondo, Sonata, Abridged Sonata, Sonata-Rondo, The Concerto, Variations, and Contrapuntal forms (Fugue and Canon). Most of these are covered in detail I haven't seen in other books (though the writing on canon is very thin--if you want a book on canon, I recommend The Technique of Canon by Hugo Norden.) MSAD is dry at times, though a better read than most books on the subject. There are analyses of 25 Classical and early Romantic era works by composers including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, and others. If you're looking for modern forms, look to other books. But the wisdom here would serve any new composer seeking to learn about musical form. As a composer myself, I consider this my 'form bible.' Highly recommended! Invaluable.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great little book, October 5, 2002

By 

magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Musical Structure and Design (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

Davie's little volume is a very concise and well-done book which serves as an excellent indroduction to this important aspect of music theory. I was very rusty on the subject, and needed a quick read to get me back up to speed. Davie's book succeeds very well, without a lot of extra detail and great technical difficulty. Davie peppers the text with lots of examples illustrating the different principles, and as a practicing composer himself, Davie knows whereof he speaks. Overall, an excellent little book to read and learn from. After reading this book, you'll have the background to tackle the weightier tomes on this subject, if you're so inclined.

My only complaint is the writing style is a little dry, and Davie is certainly not alone in this for technical books on music theory, so that's why the four stars in my rating. But I would give it four and a half stars if I could, since it really is a great little primer, and I haven't seen anything else that does as good a job in such a concise format.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for the study of musical form, September 15, 2010

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Ryan Leach - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Musical Structure and Design (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

For some reason form was one of those subjects that I was never taught in my music education. This book opened my eyes to the purpose of form in music as well as how to put it into practice. Highly recommended for all composers!