Renaissance Music: Music in Western Europe, 1400-1600 (The Norton Introduction to Music History) [Hardcover]

Allan W. Atlas (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393971694 | ISBN-13: 978-0393971699 | Publication Date: February 17, 1998 | Edition: 1st

Renaissance Music, by Allan W. Atlas, is a formidable new addition to Norton’s Introduction to Music History series.

Focused foremost on the music and then on the social, political, and economic forces that combined to produce it, this book is the ideal undergraduate textbook for music history classes covering the period from c. 1400 to c. 1600. Atlas’s graceful, accessible prose illuminates musical concepts and historical details. A clear format and comprehensive content make Renaissance Music a true teaching and learning text, crafted to meet the needs of today’s students discovering this music and its history for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Allan W. Atlas is Professor of Music at Brooklyn College and Chair of the Graduate Music Department at The City University of New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 752 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (February 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393971694
• ISBN-13: 978-0393971699
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, October 16, 2001

By 

Jeff Grossman (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Renaissance Music: Music in Western Europe, 1400-1600 (The Norton Introduction to Music History) (Hardcover)

This book, in a nutshell, is amazing. Atlas doesn't shy away from using sometimes-familiar language, empathizing with the reader and clearly explaining all major topics. It is very detailed but well-organized, and the musical examples are beautifully chosen. Additionally, the book is aesthetically pleasure -- it has lots of nice illustrations.

The anthology, which is sold as a separate book, is almost a must-have, since Atlas discusses most if not all works contained with it. (Also, it's a well-chosen anthology, and worth adding to your library.)

Therefore, if you like Renaissance music and want to learn more, or if you know a little about it and enjoy reading academic textbooks, this is the book for you.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable, August 14, 2000

By 

Stephane Guillou "SG" (Bretagne) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Renaissance Music: Music in Western Europe, 1400-1600 (The Norton Introduction to Music History) (Hardcover)

This book is indispensable for every one, student or amateur, interested in Renaissance music. Clear and understable, with many examples (in this book and in the anthology companion), Pr. Allan W. Atlas book presents music in the historical, geographical, political and artistic context which produced it. In addition to excellent presentation of composers, musical forms (mass, motet, chanson, instrumental music) and many works, pedagogical exercices are real introductions to research : how to edit a Busnoys chanson, how to understand payrolls. Moreover, Pr Atlas asks readers about the opportunity of adding a sharp, understanding contemporary earwitness texts. The epilogue is about what is generally the introduction : is there any unity in what musicologists call Renaissance music (1400-1600)?

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Idiosyncratic, iconoclastic text is alternately brilliant and frustrating, January 2, 2006

By 

Eddie Konczal - See all my reviews

This review is from: Renaissance Music: Music in Western Europe, 1400-1600 (The Norton Introduction to Music History) (Hardcover)

I am of two minds about Dr. Allan Atlas' iconoclastic text, "Renaissance Music: Music in Western Europe, 1400-1600." On the one hand, I enjoyed Atlas' personal and eminently readable prose. He infuses the tome with witty observations, thought-provoking opinions, and offbeat vocabulary. How many textbooks have you read that use adjectives like "country-bumpkinish" or "huggable"?

On the other hand, I believe that Atlas has boxed himself into a corner with his adamant effort to avoid the "great composers" approach. As a result, his organization becomes idiosyncratic and occasionally haphazard. Atlas invariably begins focusing on a particular composer while discussing a genre, and then finds himself forced to summarize the composer's life (sometimes as an afterthought). He interrupts the text proper with historical interludes (Intermedios) and chapters on translation, but their presence can be distracting rather than illuminating. Just as he seems ready to make a relevant point or observation, he switches subjects or just stops altogether (the analysis of Dufay's belongings at the time of his death is one example).

This textbook almost requires the purchase of the companion anthology, "Anthology of Renaissance Music (Norton Introduction to Music History)." Atlas frequently cites works presented in the anthology; without it, the reader may become lost. When Atlas does present a score in the text rather than the anthology, he usually presents only excerpts (as he does with Josquin's "Nymphes des bois" or Willaert's "Aspro core e selvaggio e cruda voglia"). This can make it difficult to follow the score while listening to the music, unless the reader has impeccable timing.

Finally, Atlas' presentation of instrumental music suffers in comparison to his comprehensive discussion of vocal works. He almost completely ignores lute music, admitting he discusses it "only in passing" at one point - even though other scholars estimate that lute music accounted for a majority of 16th century instrumental scores.

Despite these considerable complaints, "Renaissance Music: Music in Western Europe" is a worthwhile and much-needed addition to the Renaissance music literature. An astute professor (like the one I had for a recent course in "Music of the Renaissance") should be able to cherry-pick Atlas' text for the highlights and take advantage of this sporadically brilliant volume.