Masterpieces of Music Before 1750: An Anthology of Musical Examples from Greogian Chant to J. S. Bach

by carl-parrish-john-f-ohl

Outstanding collection of musical examples — chants, motets, chansons, madrigals, more — illustrating the general course of musical style from the early Middle Ages to the mid-18th century. Works by Lassus, Josquin des Prez, Schutz, Handel, Bach, many others. Notes identify place of composition in history of music and suggest useful methods of analysis.

Genres: Music

246 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1974

Reviews

[Mathias]

Music was invented by catholicism. Rome seems to have shifted its center to France after the so called 'fall of the roman empire' (It never fell).

Music was born in Notre dame , which took the unison 'greek' music dialects and established harmony using consonance in the intervals of fourths and fifths, much like what is portrayed in the Rosetta window. During reinessance The third was introduced , which made The music 'pleasing to the modern ear.

I think the notre dame, catholic sacral music, captures the idea of harmony with the cosmos , which is equivalent to God , which also is 'frozen' (as Goethe put it) in architecture , aesthetic.

Somehow english reinessance music strikes me as fundamentalist - it is mechanic, almost scientific, with stressful rythms. This spirit gave birth to the scientific revolution, Religio Medici etc, SIMULTANEOUSLY with Shakespeare. Very confusing dichotomy, echoing the feud between poetry and 'philosophy' as Plato would have it

[Cynthia]

A concise overview of early music and its progression to the baroque. Hope I will now remember the difference between Gregorian chant/plainchant/plainsong and ground bass/basso ostinato and figured bass/thorough bass/basso continuo and cantus firmus. Two or three pages of text description are accompanied by musical examples.