The Sonata in the Baroque Era

by William S. Newman

The Sonata in the Baroque Era explores the first appearance of the term “sonata” as an instrumental title in the sixteenth century to the virtual end of the thorough-bass practice, around 1750. Now available in paperback for the first time, William S. Newman’s monumental “History of the Sonata Idea” is the indispensable standard work on the subject for the student, teacher, performer, and music lover. Each volume deals with the historical evolution of the form and the contributions of both major and minor figures of the period, and includes music examples, notes, and comprehensive bibliography.

484 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1972

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody reads this book cover to cover. But I did. On the train. In Tokyo. In 1 hour increments. It took a while. And my conclusion was that this is a fascinating, fabulous book that really dives into the Sonata form and its expression among many composers. I also read the other two volumes by the same author. Sorry, this is a clone of my other review, but I had to make sure I wrote this about each of the volumes, because I read all three...