Full Product Details
Author: Peter Van der Merwe (, Natal Society Library, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Edition: New edition
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 2.70cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 0.845kg
ISBN: 9780199214747
ISBN 10: 0199214743
Pages: 576
Publication Date: 25 January 2007
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
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Reviews
Providing an insightful account of the roots of Western classical musical style, Van der Merwe looks at melody, counterpoint and harmony, and traditional tonality in the 18th century. The author draws on a variety of sources to demonstrate the relative simplicity of musical constructions that theorists and historians have previously considered complex. He also looks beyond the traditional sources, examining the importance of styles from alternative repertoires such as children's song and dances of Central Europe. The strengths of this book are the breadth of Van de Merwe's examples and his perspective, which is relatively free of the value judgments commonly placed on the selected repertoires. By avoiding the good music/bad music dichotomy, the author provides some fresh insights on the origins of classical style...Highly recommended. --CHOICE<br>
<br> Providing an insightful account of the roots of Western classical musical style, Van der Merwe looks at melody, counterpoint and harmony, and traditional tonality in the 18th century. The author draws on a variety of sources to demonstrate the relative simplicity of musical constructions that theorists and historians have previously considered complex. He also looks beyond the traditional sources, examining the importance of styles from alternative repertoires such as children's song and dances of Central Europe. The strengths of this book are the breadth of Van de Merwe's examples and his perspective, which is relatively free of the value judgments commonly placed on the selected repertoires. By avoiding the good music/bad music dichotomy, the author provides some fresh insights on the origins of classical style...Highly recommended. --CHOICE<p><br> A well-written, well-argued, well-illustrated and informative book. Here is a lively, scholarly and ultimately very valuable contri
<br> Providing an insightful account of the roots of Western classical musical style, Van der Merwe looks at melody, counterpoint and harmony, and traditional tonality in the 18th century. The author draws on a variety of sources to demonstrate the relative simplicity of musical constructions that theorists and historians have previously considered complex. He also looks beyond the traditional sources, examining the importance of styles from alternative repertoires such as children's song and dances of Central Europe. The strengths of this book are the breadth of Van de Merwe's examples and his perspective, which is relatively free of the value judgments commonly placed on the selected repertoires. By avoiding the good music/bad music dichotomy, the author provides some fresh insights on the origins of classical style...Highly recommended. --CHOICE<br> A well-written, well-argued, well-illustrated and informative book. Here is a lively, scholarly and ultimately very valuable contribut
Author Information
Peter Van der Merwe spent two years at the South African College of Music in Cape Town but is largely self-taught. He is now working as a qualified librarian. He published his first book, 'Origins of the Popular Style' with OUP in 1989.
