Masterpieces of Music Before 1750

by Carl Parrish (Editor), John F. Ohl (Editor)

Anyone interested in the history and development of Western music will welcome this collection of outstanding musical examples illustrating the general course of musical style from the early Middle Ages to the mid-eighteenth century. Included are 50 carefully selected compositions of great historical importance — each masterful and beautiful in its own right.
Selections include chants, the organum, parts of masses, motets, chansons, canzonas, lute dances, madrigals, ricercari, and clavecin pieces. Among the pieces are exquisite motets by Josquin, Lassus, and Byrd; madrigals by Marenzio and Caccini; brilliant instrumental displays by Frescobaldi, Pachelbel, Couperin, and Domenico Scarlatti; choral music by Handel and Bach, and much more.
Each example is accompanied by notes that identify the place of the composition in the history of music and suggest ways for the reader to undertake a useful analysis of that music. Most examples are in easy-to-follow "short score" — i.e., in two staves, lending themselves to analysis and performance by the student singly or in informal ensembles. The music can be performed either vocally or at the keyboard, allowing the reader to gain unmatched insight into the character and significance of a rich cross-section of historic styles.

Genres: Music

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1974

Reviews

[Mathias]

Music was invented by catholicism. Rome seems to have shifted its center to France after the so called 'fall of the roman empire' (It never fell).

Music was born in Notre dame , which took the unison 'greek' music dialects and established harmony using consonance in the intervals of fourths and fifths, much like what is portrayed in the Rosetta window. During reinessance The third was introduced , which made The music 'pleasing to the modern ear.

I think the notre dame, catholic sacral music, captures the idea of harmony with the cosmos , which is equivalent to God , which also is 'frozen' (as Goethe put it) in architecture , aesthetic.

Somehow english reinessance music strikes me as fundamentalist - it is mechanic, almost scientific, with stressful rythms. This spirit gave birth to the scientific revolution, Religio Medici etc, SIMULTANEOUSLY with Shakespeare. Very confusing dichotomy, echoing the feud between poetry and 'philosophy' as Plato would have it

[Cynthia]

A concise overview of early music and its progression to the baroque. Hope I will now remember the difference between Gregorian chant/plainchant/plainsong and ground bass/basso ostinato and figured bass/thorough bass/basso continuo and cantus firmus. Two or three pages of text description are accompanied by musical examples.