History of Music -- Colorful Human Cultural History

Author: John Bailey
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-12-01
Features: A comprehensive world music history should certainly not be without the content of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania. Similarly, a relatively complete music history seems to should also include the deeds of conductors, performers, singers, or musical instruments. Judging by this standard, The World of Music is indeed not entirely ideal. However, the fact is that this somewhat lacking version may actually be more appealing as a music history. This illustrated music history book, rich in emotional elements, concisely yet thoroughly narrates the origins and evolution of Western music (with a focus on classical music) – its roots in the Mesopotamia of the East, its "sanctification" process from vulgar to educational, its "revival" evolution from court to folk, and the reasons why it ultimately became the mainstream music model of humanity – the creative careers and fates of a series of famous figures who determined the direction of music development – are vividly highlighted against the interconnected temporal and spatial coordinates of Middle Eastern traditions, Jewish chants, Christian hymns, secular pastoral songs, Renaissance new tunes, Baroque forms, classical movements, and the New Romantic trend.