Music : The Art of Listening

by Ferris, Jean

• ISBN13: 9780697293848
• ISBN10: 069729384X
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-06-26
• Publisher: MCG

Summary

Emphasizing music in the context of the society that surrounds it, "Music: The Art of Listening" weaves the development of Western music into the fabric of cultural history, paying special attention to the biographies of significant composers. In a clear and accessible format, it introduces music from centuries past as well as that of the current era, and helps the listener develop techniques to fully appreciate music in public performance halls, on the radio, in films, or in the theater. Among the highlights of this seventh edition is a greatly expanded selection of Listening Examples, which are available on the text's companion CD set.

Table of Contents

Overture

Part I. Basic Concepts

1. Sound

Pitch

Dynamics

Summary

2. Rhythm

Tempo

Meter

3. Melody

Melodic Types

Scales

Summary

4. Harmony

Consonance and Dissonance

Chords

Tonality

Texture

Summary

5. Timbre

Vocal Timbres

Instruments of the Orchestra

Keyboard Instruments

Electronic Instruments

Summary

6. Attending Performances

Performance Procedures

Orchestral Performances

Band Performances

Other Performances

Summary

Part II. Ancient Greece, The Middle Ages, Renaissance

7. The Music of Ancient Greece

Historical Perspective

Music in Greek Life

The Greek's Lasting Influence

Summary

8. Medieval Music

Historical Perspective

Early Christian Music

Gregorian Chant

Rise of Polyphony

Secular Music

The Role of Women

The Ars Nova

Music

Summary

9. The Renaissance: General Characteristics

Historical Perspective

Artistic Style

Music

Summary

10. Religious Music of the Renaissance

Renaissance Motet

Renaissance Mass

Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina

Protestant Worship Music

Summary

11. Secular Music in the Renaissance

Madrigal

Instrumental Music

Women Musicians

Summary

Part III. The Baroque, Classical, and Romantic Periods

12. Toward the Baroque

Historical Perspective

Artistic Style

Music

Summary

13. The Baroque: General Characteristics

Historical Perspective

Artistic Style

Music

Summary

14. Dramatic Vocal Music of the Baroque

Claudio Monteverdi

First and Second Practice

Early Opera

Rise of Italian Opera

Ballad Opera

George Frideric Handel

Oratorio

Johann Sebastian Bach

Cantata

Summary

15. Baroque Instrumental Music

Music for Keyboards

The Continuo

Chamber Music

Orchestral Music

Summary

16. Toward Classicism

Historical Perspective

Visual Arts

Music

Summary

17. The Classical Period: General Characteristics

Artistic Style

Music in Europe

Music in America

Summary

18. Formal Design in the Classical Period

The Orchestra

Symphony

Solo Concerto

Chamber Music

Franz Joseph Haydn

Sonata

Summary

19. Vocal Music in the Classical Period

Opera

Religious Music

Summary

20. Toward Romanticism

Historical Perspective

Literature

Painting

Music

Ludwig van Beethoven

Franz Schubert

Summary

21. The Romantic Style: Orchestral Music

Characteristics of Romanticism

Artistic Style

Romantic Music-An Overview

Orchestral Program Music

Absolute Music

Symphony

Music in Nineteenth-Century America

22. Romantic Extremes: Solos and Vocal Ensembles

Song in America

Choral Music

Piano Music

Piano Music in America

American Music Comes of Age

Summary

23. Music Theater in the Nineteenth Century

Grand Opera

Opera Comique

Italian Romantic Opera

Music Drama

Operetta

Music Theater in America

Summary

Part IV. Twentieth-Century Concert Music

24. Toward a New Music

Expressionism

Impressionism

Primitivism

Summary

25. Twentieth-Century Arts: General Characteristics

Visual Arts

Music: An Overview

Summary

26. The Revolutionaries

Twelve-Tone Technique

Experimentalism

Concrete Music

Indeterminate Music

European Revolutionaries

Summary

27. The Evolutionaries

Les Six

Twentieth-Century Nationalism

Igor Stravinsky

Neoclassicism

Neoromanticism

Minimalism

The Role of Women and Minorities

Summary

Part V. Music in the Vernacular

28. American Popular Music

Folk Music

Ragtime

Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll

Evolution of Musicals

Summary

29. Jazz

Blues

Instrumental Jazz

Jazz Moves North

Concert Jazz

Summary

Part VI. Cultural Connections: Seven Musical Encounters

Encounter 1: Music of Africa

Encounter 2: Music of India

Encounter 3: Music of Islam

Encounter 4: Music of China

Encounter 5: Music of Japan

Encounter 6: Native American Music

Encounter 7: The New Internationalism

Codetta

Appendix A: Chronology of Western Events

Glossary

Index