Theory of music and musicology Books

Book SynopsisGavin Robert Walker is an Ethnomusicologist and Associate Professor at Minjiang University, China.

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Book SynopsisRock Aesthetics in Colombian Literature and Culture: Writing the Noise explores the presence of a rock aesthetic in the Colombian literary field and how its pivotal role in creating alternative creative expressions that challenge the dominance of tropicality as the prevailing artistic reference. More than a musical genre or a cultural industry, rock is also an aesthetic: a significant social practice that allows one to understand what people consider beautiful or authentic. Since its birth in the mid-1950s, rock as an aesthetic has expanded worldwide, transforming and establishing dialogues with artistic practices such as literature. Through an analysis of a series of novels, poems, and manifestos written from the 1950s to the early years of the 21st century, David Martinez Houghton embarks on a literary, musical, and historical journey. On the way, he explores complex phenomena such as urban violence, the formation of youth identities, the penetration of pop culture, national identity discourses, and even the social and physical transformation of Colombian cities.

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Book SynopsisWhat is jazz? How does it differ from other kinds of music? To what extent is it an important subject for thinking about aesthetic questions? Philosophy of Jazz is among the first book-length philosophical discussions devoted to jazz. Daniel Martin Feige explores the relationship between jazz and European art music, arguing that in jazz central aspects of musical practice are made explicit, aspects that remain implicit in the tradition of European art music but nevertheless inform their practice. He develops the idea that interpretations of works and improvisations share a central common feature: It is the musical performance that clarifies the meaning of the music. A musical performance acquires its identity against the background of a tradition of performances, and as embodied tradition, improvisations as well as interpretations are part of an ongoing musical as well as historical dialogue. Using jazz to expand the vocabulary of art theory, this book reflects on how philosophy should take up objects of cultural and aesthetic concern.

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Book SynopsisPunk Beyond the Music: Tracing Mutations and Manifestations of the Punk Virus expands the conversation about punk from a focus on the musical genre to its surrounding cultural manifestations. Focusing on some of the most recurring practices and characteristics of punk culture DIY, attitude, outsider identities, symbols, and politicsIain Ellis engages many illustrative examples to investigate punk beyond the music without losing sight of its significance. Early chapters look at arts that have always existed within the punk subculture (writings, visual arts, films, and humor); subsequent sections examine areas rarely recognized as exhibiting punk characteristics (such as education, sports, crafts, and comics). Taken together, the chapters invite readers on an extensive and unpredictable journey through the evolution of punk's developments and adaptations.

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Book SynopsisJazz Journey: A Guide for Listening explores jazz music from its 19th Century forerunners through today. The text takes readers on an historical audio and video tour of select jazz performances of the last hundred years.All of the major styles of jazz—including the predecessors of jazz, Ragtime and Blues—are covered, including New Orleans style, Chicago style, Stride piano, Swing, Bebop, Cool, Hard Bop, modal, Free jazz, freer jazz, and Fusion.Major performers include Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Fats Waller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, and Keith Jarrett, among others.For easy access to the music described in the text, the revised first edition features an online, active learning component with links to audio and video recordings, as well as listening guides. Jazz Journey is an ideal reading and listening experience for jazz appreciation courses for non-majors. It can also be used in jazz history classes for music and jazz studies majors.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents an analysis of 100 rock concert performances and attempts to answer the question "What makes a truly great rock performance?" Author Peter Smith, an experienced concert goer, delves into his own recollections of experiencing rock performances over the last 50+ years and, with the support of his daughter, Laura Smith, analyzes 100 selected performances covering the themes of icons, persona, energy, fandom, venues, communities, politics, art-rock, authenticity and maturity. The approach taken is based upon qualitative analysis, reflection, and autoethnography. The selected performances cover a range of diverse acts such as the Rolling Stones, ABBA, Sex Pistols, Barbara Streisand, David Bowie, and the like.Trade ReviewOverall, the book is an interesting read, and the author readily recognizes a personal bias, which is inherent in any “top 100”–type list…. [T]he data set Smith created with his post-show blogging gives readers insight into concert experiences that could not otherwise be accessed. The book is a solid addition to the "For the Record: Lexington Studies in Rock and Popular Music" series. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. * Choice Reviews *The live rock concert is where Peter Smith lived more than 2000 times, and we all know the live show is nonpareil. Every page of his inquisitive, careful assessments of his experiences gave me my own moments for better reflection on what makes or breaks the live performance. Long live the live concert! -- Scott Calhoun, Cedarville UniversityTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1 Methodological ApproachChapter 2 IconsChapter 3 PersonaChapter 4 Energy Chapter 5 FandomChapter 6 VenuesChapter 7 CommunitiesChapter 8 Politics Chapter 9 Art-rockChapter 10 AuthenticityChapter 11 MaturityConclusionReferences

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Book SynopsisThe Music of the Spheres in the Western Imagination describes various systematic musical ecologies of the cosmos by examining attempts over time to define Western theoretical musical systems, whether practical, human, nonhuman, or celestial. This book focuses on the theoretical, theological, philosophical, physical, and mathematical concepts of a cosmic musical order and how these concepts have changed in order to fit different worldviews through the imaginations of theologians, theorists, and authors of fiction, as well as the practical performance of music. Special attention is given to music theory treatises between the ninth and sixteenth centuries, English-language hymnody from the eighteenth century to the present, polemical works on music and worship from the last hundred years, the Divine Comedy of Dante, nineteenth- and twentieth-century English-language fiction, the fictional works of C. S. Lewis, and the legendarium of J. R. R. Tolkien.

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Book SynopsisThis book offers an expansive survey and analysis of local and regional musical responses to the global coronavirus moment.

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Book SynopsisThis guide explains the most useful aspects of theory in clear, nontechnical language. Areas covered include scales (major, minor, modal, synthetic), chord formation, chord progression, melody, song forms, useful devices, (ostinato, mirrors, hocket, etc.), and instrumentation. It contains over 100 musical examples.Trade Review"For rock, pop, and jazz musicians...the Guide crams a remarkable amount of information into 74 pages." -- Guitar Player"Extremely user-friendly without being condescending to the reader. I highly recommend it." -- Jazz Player"It's not a textbook, but a handy reference for rock, jazz and blues musicians." -- Arizona Daily Star

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