Writing About Music: An Introductory Guide

by Richard J. Wingell

For classes in Music Writing and Research, as well as a supplement to Music Appreciation and History courses. How do you put into the words the experience of hearing Beethoven’s Ninth or the Hallelujah Chorus? Describe a John Coltrane solo or the Jimi Hendrix’s blazing guitar work? For many students, the task of writing about musical experiences is a daunting one. Writing About Music, 4/e offers practical advice and guidance to help students master the special skills needed to write about this most-elusive of arts. The text serves as a guide for each phase in the process of researching and writing a paper on a musical topic, and preparing for other projects such as seminar presentations, concert reports, program notes and essay examinations. Innovative, comprehensive, and internet-savvy, this step-by-step text will remain on music students’ shelves as a handy reference and resource for years to come.

Genres: Music, Reference, Writing

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1989

Reviews

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive book for writing about music. An extremely useful guide to writing academically within the field. The book covers some simple/general writing and English rules, but the real meat of this book lies in the music-specific portions. This book helpfully covers:
- How to cite scores, music journals, and discographies
- Introduces how to approach the research portion (covers the importance of the New Grove!)
- Gives a good outline of how to write in Chicago-format, the accepted citation format for music and the arts
- Discusses how to write about music specifically, in a way that sounds informed and knowledgable, using the appropriate lingo of the field
- Tips and tricks for writing beyond a research essay/analysis paper - e.g. lecture-recitals, program notes, aural analysis papers.

There are a handful of small negatives - a couple of facts in the book are either incorrect or outdated (the New Grove section that includes information about the 2nd edition seems to be wrong - I believe there's some edition-related confusion about volumes and their contents). In addition, some sections of this book read as a little excessive. The parts that cover basic grammar feel out-of-place among this generally academically advanced book...either way, they hardly detract from the book's usefulness.

Highly reccomend to anyone writing about music - it's a must-have for reference use! Also, I wanted to mention that appreciate how slim this book it is; makes it easy to transport find what you're looking for! :)

4.5 stars out of 5