A Solid Music Appreciation Textbook

I am currently using the new ninth edition of this textbook for a college music appreciation class. This text is great for people who want to learn about music history in Western society (Western Europe and some of America).

Beginning with a chapter on the elements and aspects of music, the book starts with Gregorian Chant (c. 400) and quickly moves through history all the way to 20th century music, including minimalism and Arvo Part.

The reading is clear and straightforward, and the pictures and charts make the reading more exciting than your typical bland textbook. There are some problems, however.

First, this book is not adequate for music majors. As another reviewer states, many great composers here are overlooked or briefly mentioned, especially those composers who were not on the leading edge of each movement (e.g. William Byrd, Sergei Rachmaninov, Gustav Holst, Bruckner, Wolf, and Prokofiev).

Another issue that some have with the book is its inclusion of women composers into history. I understand why they do it. Even today in society there are few women composers, and it is important to teach our young women that they can write great music. On the other hand, as a result of poor musical education and opportunities, compositions of women composers such as Jacquet de la Guerre and Barbara Strozzi pale in comparison with those of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. This emphasis of women composers is one that is constantly undergoing debate in the music world.

If you are looking for a Music Appreciation textbook, I would strongly consider this one as well as Roger Kamien's text. If you are not taking a class and just want to learn about music, you should consider getting the 8-CD set of musical excerpts. They go along with the listening guides in the book, and help illustrate the textbook's concepts.

In response to the first reviewer

All the criticism from the previous reviewer isn't really justified. This book is used primarily by Gr. 3+ theory and university students who need it for their examinations. A seventeen year old, like myself, probably won't use it for entertainment purposes (due to its content structure and price). It can't exactly be reviewed using the same criteria as other musical "enjoyment" pieces since it's primarily used as a textbook.

Overall, it has everything you'll need to pass your theory exam. However, you may want to look around because you probably won't get as much use out of it as you'd like for the price.

Is there a better book introducing classical music?

If you love classical music, as I do, this is the book to tell you about what you are listening to. That is, for someone like me who has almost no natural musical ability, but does for some strange reason have a profound appreciation for it. How classical music manages to convey its ineffable beauty, I don't know, but it does. This book allows you to place what you are listening to in its place within the whole field of Western classical music.