Customer Reviews

Twentieth-Century Harmony: Creative Aspects and Practice

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Vincent Persichetti's "Twentieth Century Harmony" is a very thorough look at ways to use harmony outside of a traditional tonal context. In other words, if you are a composer and don't know all you could about how to use harmony except in tonal progressions, or if you are a listener interested in understanding twentieth century concert music, this book is for you. The book deals with the harmonic series, modes, synthetic scales, different types of chords (added note, polychords, etc.) and very specifically with different characteristics of different intervals. Littered with examples of nearly every point, it is the best education on contemporary harmony available.
Persichetti, unlike too many composers, doesn't go out of his way to use as many words as possible. He also doesn't attempt to criticize styles of music not his own in this writing; he simply gives an objective, clear, well organized series of lessons in harmony. I am a senior music composition student now, but learning much from the pages of this book.

This is one of the most inspirational composition books I have. Every chapter will expand your horizons with clear explanations of difficult material, concise examples, and inspiring exercises. I return to this year after year when I am getting jaded with what I'm writing.

Unquestionably one of the clearest, and most useful composition books I have ever read. This is something every composer should own. The book guides you through various aspects of modern composition and provides a TON of examples, as well as suggesting numerous pieces for further study. This book is worth double what it costs!

Twentiteh Century Harmony provides, in a concise, easy to follow format, a useful methodology of understanding and manipulating the musical structures of the twentieth century. Written from a teacher's perspective, the book is engaging and full of suggested exercises for the practice of the techniques being discussed in each chapter.

For students of music who are like me... Who have a passion for music, a creative mind, but who do not completely understand how 20th century harmony is used ...THIS IS A MUST HAVE BOOK. Each chapter is nicely outlined and all the material is highly useful. The best part of this book are the assignments listed at the end of each chapter. You will never find a book that gives you an instant knowledge of any musical idea, and it is only through pratice and hard work that you truly understand and have the ability to apply that knowledge. By completing the (sometimes 24+) assignments after each chapter, you involve the material in your creative life, and by doing so you truly gain the information and technique of each lesson. I would give this book 6, no 45, stars of Amazon would allow me!!!!!

I have taught music composition for over 30 years, as a composer myself. I have made this book required reading for all my student composers. I read it first when I was 18 years old and it changed my life. It's a pity that this is probably the only book around which effectively deals with the most exciting harmonic period in all of music history. The last 100 hundred years has seen a blooming colorful garden of new tonal, modal, polytonal, 12-tone tonal, and unusual scalar musics. The most interesting and beautiful music since Bach, yet no one has had the alacrity to write about it or inform us of its art and craft except the very late Persichetti. I bless him for it. This is an indispensable book for anyone interested in the anatomy of music since Debussy or in composing in the fresh musical air of our times. Yes, it is dated somewhat, it does not include minimalistic techniques, but it is still the best book on "modern" harmony one can find. I recommend it without prevarication. Modern music is already a century old, and still not appreciated. But classic modern this is! It is a delight.

This book catalogues every way that one might put a number of notes together. There is no real insightful theory. If, for some reason, you feel a need for a printed text to give you permission to do something by virtue of cataloging it as a possibility then this book might be to your liking. The only way in which I found this tomb of any value is that it does reference many works which use a number of these possibilities. For someone interested in principles behind a lot of 20th century composition there are many more meaningful sources, such as Alan Forte's.

This is a MUST READ for any composer, university music student or musician looking for insight on advanced music theory.

If you want to increase your harmonic knowledge or add more modern elements to your composition or playing, this book is hard to beat among titles that I've read. The examples are always short and spot-on and the explanations aren't arrogant. Material begins with intervals, triads, and scales and moves upward at a pretty quick pace. Some of the material, such as the exercises at the end of chapters, are probably more suited to college music majors but could only be helpful to hobbyists. The information is well-organized into easily digestable portions, making it a joy for unclouded reference. For guitarists like myself who want to add a more contemporary edge to their solos and accompaniment, do know that this book requires a working ability to read music notation. All in all, just about what I hoped for when ordering. It won't tell you how to sound like Debussy, but it will get you familiar with general devices of his and other musical eras.

This textbook is the most straightforward guide to theory I have come across. It very methodically goes through every element of modern "classical style" music, starting as simply as intervals, and making it's way through scales (with an emphasis on symmetrical and synthetic), chords (by thirds, fourths, seconds, etc), dynamics, embellishing tones, and key centers. The end of each chapter has a page or two of music writing prompts you can do to exercise the skills you just read about. I highly recommend it for anyone trying to learn about modern composers, or who is trying to become a composer him/herself