An Introduction to the History and Literature of Music in Western Culture (Package) Paperback - 2008 - 1st Edition

Designed for students with little or no musical background, An Introduction to the History and Literature of Music in Western Culture is an interdisciplinary text that can stand alone in a music appreciation class or serve as an excellent supplement to a survey of Western history or literature.

The driving philosophy behind this text is music education, not musicology. Author Michael Brown has taught this material for 25 years in both high school and college, giving him a feel for the impractical and overburdened quality of many music appreciation textbooks. Because most students come to school with only a very limited knowledge of music, the overriding goal of An Introduction to the History and Literature of Music in Western Culture is simply to introduce students to the aesthetic appreciation of music and to give music a place in their view of the world.

The text covers major composers and forms in chronological order, though without attempting to present a comprehensive history of music. Instead, the emphasis is on a broad view of the aesthetics of music as it has developed over the course of Western civilization. Similarly, it has no sample music manuscripts, but a pair of compact discs complements the text by offering selections to go with the "Music Analysis" sections of each chapter. Furthermore, the culture and style of each period is communicated more fully through dozens of works of art, from antiquity to the modern era, reproduced throughout the book.