Musical Structure and Design

by Cedric 1913-1983 Thorpe Davie

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

181 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1966

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Realistically, with all of the options available today, this is not the way one should learn classical musical form. While it claims to cover 1550 to 1900, it really covers from Bach through Beethoven, occasionally allowing for exceptions from earlier (Purcell) and later (Brahms) composers. In fact, the introduction, contra the dust jacket, makes this explicitly clear.

The pedagogical form is conservative and owes much to Tovey, whom Davie quotes frequently. Everything is judged by distance from the masters: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Handel. Innovations are largely sniffed at (the penultimate paragraph notwithstanding).

If you're looking for a Cliff's Notes on sonata form, this is an inexpensive option. Otherwise, I'd keep looking.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: have re-read in part or full, returned to, often since 1987.