Music Research Guide

This new series of Norton books, devoted to informed discussion of contemporary music, draws principally upon articles first published in Perspectives of New Music, which Richard Kostelanetz has described as "among the most consistently interesting magazines in America." The Perspectives books will comprise a repository of the clearest thinking and most serious writing about twentieth-century music, forming an essential addition to the libraries of both professionals and amateurs concerned with understanding recent developments.

There is a mystery about music. Questions about the nature and value of music and its importance as a subject of education remain perplexing to many thinkers and are still hotly debated, even today. What is music? Does music deserve a place in general education? If so, why? Music Matters builds new answers to these basic questions through a wide-ranging examination of music as a diverse human practice.

This stimulating very short introduction to music invites us to really think about music. Drawing on a number of accessible examples ranging from Beethoven to the Spice Girls to Chinese zither music, Nicholas Cook prompts us to call on our own personal musical experiences in order to think more critically about the roles of the performer and the listener, about music as a commodity and an experience, what it means to 'understand' music, and the values that we ascribe to music.

This final volume of the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music includes first person field work case studies from different regions of the world, a general index to the entire ten volume series and all the bibliographies, discographies and videographies from the nine regional volumes. It is an essential reference that students, scholars and teachers will consult regularly.

Maintaining the authority and breadth of coverage that have always defined this classic text, J. Peter Burkholder has meticulously revised and restructured the text to make it more accessible for today's students. This revision places a stronger emphasis on social and historical context and adds substantially expanded pedagogy and striking four-color design.

The New Oxford History of Music has been planned as a complete survey of music from the earliest times down to the present day, including not only the achievements of the Western world but also the contributions made by Eastern civilizations and primitive societies.

In this brilliant portrayal of the world's most famous composer, the book describes the special problems Beethoven faced as a highly gifted artist who fulfilled his destiny as Mozart's main successor while remaining a true, rebellious original. It sketches the turbulent personal, historical, political, and cultural frameworks in which Beethoven worked and demonstrates their effects on his music. By providing glimpses into the composer's sketchbooks and autograph manuscripts, Lockwood allows us to gain substantial insights into Beethoven's compositional methods.