Explains how humans experience music and unravels the mystery of our perennial love affair with it. Using musical examples from Bach to the Beatles, this work reveals the role of music in human evolution, shows how our musical preferences begin to form even before we are born, and explains why music can offer such an emotional experience.

Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award A sweeping musical history that goes from the salons of pre-war Vienna to Velvet Underground shows in the sixties.

Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung .

In this remarkable study, now an established classic which has remained in print since its first publication in 1971, Charles Rosen surveys the language of the music of the classical period. He concentrates on the three major figures of the time - Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven - because 'it is in terms of their achievements that the musical vernacular can best be defined'. He follows the ...

This collection of essays and reviews offers an evaluation of the early music movement, in an attempt to transform the debate about early music and authenticity .

Mozart's unusual childhood as a musical prodigy touring Europe as a performer from an early age is well known. This book presents a narrative that puts Mozart's operas in the context of his life, showing how they illuminate his creativity as a whole.

Suitable for those interested in music and nineteenth-century European culture, this work presents a survey of the most popular period in music history.

This new edition of The Oxford Companion to Music is a comprehensive and authoritative reference work, which, like its famous predecessors, will be invaluable to both professional and amateur musicians, and general music lovers. A distinguished and international team of contributors covers a broad sweep of musical subjects, ranging from composers and performers to instruments and genres.

American Minimal Music as Cultural Pract.

Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969), one of the principal figures associate with the Frankfurt School, wrote extensively on culture, modernity, aesthetics, literature, and - more than any other subject - music. This collection of 27 of his essays represents the full range of his music writing.

What is involved in the composition, performance, and reception of classical music? What are we doing when we listen to this music seriously? Why when playing a Beethoven sonata do performers begin with the first note indicated in the score; why don't they feel free to improvise around the sonata's central theme? Why, finally, does it go against tradition for an audience at a concert of classical

An Essay in Carnal Musicology.

This is a revised and expanded (3rd) edition of Peter Manning's introduction to electronic and computer music, dealing with the development of electronic and computer music from its birth to the present day. It features information about software innovations and an increased emphasis on digital media.