The Cambridge Companion to Brass Instruments

by Trevor Herbert (Editor), John Wallace (Editor)

The Cambridge Companion to Brass Instruments provides an overview of the history of brass instruments, and their technical and musical development. Much of the volume is devoted to the way brass instruments have been used in classical music, but there are also important contributions on the ancient world, non-Western music, vernacular and popular traditions and the rise of jazz. The editors are two of the most respected names in the world of brass performance and scholarship, and the list of contributors includes the names of many of the world's most prestigious scholars and performers.

Genres: Music

364 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 1997

Reviews

[Gareth Howells · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't what I was expecting. I had to do more research in other books to get clearer explanations of pitch, frequency and some of the other acoustic properties of the instruments, as well as some details about instruments that weren't covered much at all.
There were, however, some interesting elements to the book, and some of the parts I weren't expecting were interesting and informative.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, which covers a wide range of topics relating to brass instruments, was surprisingly interesting. The sections on brass instruments in the medieval and renaissance eras were particularly compelling, since I find period instruments fascinating. I also really liked the way a thread about how brass instruments transitioned from instruments for ceremonial and functional purposes to instruments for art and popular music ran through the entire book, even with a different author and focus for each chapter.