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Alfred's Great Music & Musicians, Book 1: An Overview of Music History
Great Music & Musicians provides a foundation for understanding the major cultural periods---from the Greco-Roman Era to the present. It guides students through musical styles and the development of music through the ages. The book and CD includes art and listening examples that offer an opportunity for discussions. Although not correlated page-by-page, book 1 is appropriate for piano students in Premier Piano Course, levels 1A and 1B. It also may be used by students in other piano methods or as a focal point for group lessons. Each unit includes an overview and historical background, a closer look at important musical developments, art to provide further insight into life during the time, a short summary, listening suggestions, and a written review.
56 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 28, 2022
Although Nancy Bachus' and Tom Gerou's An Overview of Music History is lushly, engagingly illustrated and simply teeming with nuggets of interesting information and details (for I certainly did not know that Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras is credited with discovering the relationship of intervals that is the basis for understanding the science of music and that Mediaeval German Minnesinger Walther von der Vogelweide was not only a poet and singer, but actually also composed the music for his many even now still famous literary creations), and while I definitely appreciate that An Overview of Music History is extensive but not overly intensive (in other words, not so meticulously detailed as to be unapproachable and overly complicated for the intended audience, for older children from about the age of ten onwards), I for one am sorely and even a bit angrily missing both a user-friendly index and considerably more importantly and frustratingly, a bibliographical section with suggestions for further study.
For because the information, the details on the history of music (from the Greco-Roman era to the late 20th century and beyond) are due to the set-up and general aim and purpose of this book by necessity merely a scratching of the proverbial surface and rather non specific overview, without a bibliography, without suggestions for further reading, engaging in (perhaps even required and necessary) additional, supplemental research on a given music era/epoch and its composers (such as the Baroque era and composers like Arcangelo Corelli and Johann Sebastian Bach) is while not impossible (as one can of course always visit a local library or engage in independent internet research) certainly much more difficult, not to mention that without a list of works cited, An Overview of Music History is also patently useless as a primary and as such a quotable research source, as there is also NO WAY to easily verify the printed facts presented by the authors.
And while I have indeed found An Overview of Music History both informative and yes, also much engaging and readable, the lack of even a rudimentary bibliography is for rather academically inclined me too much of an annoyance and serious shortcoming to consider this book with more than a two star rating at best (and to recommend An Overview of Music History ONLY with rather massive reservations, as for me, an entirely non fiction and general overview of music history, of the music styles and composers of the past, absolutely requires, absolutely must include a list of works cited, needs to present suggestions for further research).
For because the information, the details on the history of music (from the Greco-Roman era to the late 20th century and beyond) are due to the set-up and general aim and purpose of this book by necessity merely a scratching of the proverbial surface and rather non specific overview, without a bibliography, without suggestions for further reading, engaging in (perhaps even required and necessary) additional, supplemental research on a given music era/epoch and its composers (such as the Baroque era and composers like Arcangelo Corelli and Johann Sebastian Bach) is while not impossible (as one can of course always visit a local library or engage in independent internet research) certainly much more difficult, not to mention that without a list of works cited, An Overview of Music History is also patently useless as a primary and as such a quotable research source, as there is also NO WAY to easily verify the printed facts presented by the authors.
And while I have indeed found An Overview of Music History both informative and yes, also much engaging and readable, the lack of even a rudimentary bibliography is for rather academically inclined me too much of an annoyance and serious shortcoming to consider this book with more than a two star rating at best (and to recommend An Overview of Music History ONLY with rather massive reservations, as for me, an entirely non fiction and general overview of music history, of the music styles and composers of the past, absolutely requires, absolutely must include a list of works cited, needs to present suggestions for further research).
October 7, 2022
We enjoyed this book on music history and musicians. It provided a good basic overview for students and mp3 downloads to experience various styles of music from each time period. We plan to check out book 2 in the future.
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June 20, 2021Read for piano, not sure if this counts but it is a book and I read it today. Very interesting overview of music and some art history. I learned a lot
June 25, 2024
This is a decent introduction, but I do wish every composer mentioned had a track available to listen to, for reference.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews