Music: Analyzing, Researching, and Citing Music

Music Research: A Handbook introduces music students to the major print and electronic research tools available to them. Ideal for graduate-level music bibliography and research courses, it can also be used in any undergraduate or graduate music course that requires students to engage in library research or to write a research paper. Concise and practical, this unique handbook does not aim to provide an exhaustive introduction to the subject; rather, it is highly selective and guides students to the most significant English-language research tools and resources, reference titles in major areas, and the principal sources in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. The book's first section (Chapters 1-14) is organized by type of research tool--for example, encyclopedias, periodical indexes, and discographies. Each chapter in this section includes an overview of the tool it covers; an annotated bibliography that describes the tool's purpose, scope, strengths, and weaknesses; and an evaluation checklist that encourages students to think critically about the tools and materials they discover as they do research. The second section (Chapters 15-16) discusses style manuals and various resources for writing about music and citing sources. Methods for evaluating reference and research tools are emphasized throughout the book. Music Research: A Handbook is supplemented by a companion website, www.oup.com/us/musresearch, which includes supplemental links, updates to available bibliographies and readings by chapter, research tools listed by composer, and lists of core music journals and major professional music associations.

Oxford's highly successful listener's guides-- The Symphony, The Concerto , and Choral Masterworks --have been widely praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and delightful humor. Now James Keller follows these greatly admired volumes with Chamber Music . Approaching the tradition of chamber music with knowledge and passion, Keller here serves as the often opinionated, always genial guide to 192 essential works by 56 composers, providing illuminating essays on what makes each piece distinctive and admirable. Keller spans the history of this intimate genre of music, from key works of the Baroque through the emotionally stirring "golden age" of the Classical and Romantic composers, to modern masterpieces rich in political, psychological, and sometimes comical overtones. For each piece, from Bach through to contemporary figures like George Crumb and Steve Reich, the author includes an astute musical analysis that casual music lovers can easily appreciate yet that more experienced listeners will find enriching. Keller shares the colorful, often surprising stories behind the compositions while revealing the delights of an art form once described by Goethe as the musical equivalent of "thoughtful people conversing."

Michael Steinberg's highly successful listener's guides--The Symphony and The Concerto--have been universally praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and delightful humor. Now Steinberg follows these two greatly admired volumes with Choral Masterworks:A Listener's Guide, the only such guide available to this most popular of musical forms. Here are more than fifty illuminating essays on the classic choral masterworks, ranging from Handel's Messiah, Bach's Mass in B Minor, and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, to works by Haydn, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and many others. Steinberg spans the entire history of classical music, from such giants of the Romantic era as Verdi and Berlioz, to leading modern composers such as Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Vaughan Williams, and Stravinsky, to contemporary masters such as John Adams and Charles Wuorinen. For each piece, Steinberg includes a fascinating biographical account of the work's genesis, often spiced with wonderful asides, such as the true story of Mozart's Requiem--Salieri had nothing to do with the composition of it, nor did he poison Mozart, who most likely died of rheumatic fever. The author also includes an astute musical analysis of each piece, one that casual music lovers can easily appreciate and that musicians and more serious fans will find invaluable. The book also includes basic information such as the various movements of the work, the organization of the chorus and orchestra, and brief historical notes on early performances. More than twenty million Americans perform regularly in choirs or choruses. Choral Masterworks will appeal not only to concert goers and CD collectors, but also to this vast multitude of choral performers, an especially engaged and active community.

Cites and describes selected analytic literature on Western art music. The 4,600 English-language citations (of books, periodical articles and essays, theses and dissertations) are annotated to indicate the nature and level of the analysis cited. Analyses containing musical examples are so indicated.

Recent decades have witnessed an explosion of commercially successful musical styles and a proliferation of compositions lying outside or between traditional stylistic classifications. Schaefer, host of National Public Radio's syndicated ``New Sounds'' program, provides a compendium of this recent music in which he engagingly examines an array of compositions and composers, successfully mixing background material on new trends with readable description of compositions. The text is primarily written for nonspecialists, and Schaefer's bias is clearly toward new music that is easily accessible or ``enjoyable''; that is, music with a tonal center, although not necessarily in the traditional tonal sense. Discussion is devoted to trends such as minimalism (Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass), New Age (Brian Eno, Kitaro), concert hall music (John Adams, David Del Tredici, Joseph Schwantner, George Crumb), electronic music (Wendy Carlos, Vangelis), world music (Paul Winter), ethnic music (Ravi Shankar), Windham Hill (George Winston), and others (composers from Laurie Anderson to Frank Zappa). Each chapter is followed by an extensive and valuable discography that includes insightful annotations. A delectable cornucopia of new trends, recommended for all collections.

How do you spell "Mendelssohn"? Where do you place the hyphen in "Beethoven" if it breaks between two lines? The answers and much more can be found in this completely revised and updated resource for authors, students, editors, concert producers--anyone who deals with classical music in print. This essential volume covers some of the thorniest issues of musical discourse: how to go about describing musical works and procedures in prose, the rules for citations in notes and bibliography, and proper preparation of such materials as musical examples, tables, and illustrations. One section discusses program notes, another explains the requirements for submitting manuscripts and electronic files. A new section outlines best practices for student writers. An appendix lists common problem words.