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#1152617 in eBooks 2015-02-23 2015-02-23File Name: B00NE6PD4K
Review
162 of 177 people found the following review helpful. Lets set the record straight; folksBy Ursus Major"Anonymous IV" has a right; of course; to dislike Richard Taruskins magnificent Oxford History of Western Music; and to express that opinion - however unfathomable it may seem -- on .com.But inaccuracies; especially at the core of so damning a response to a new book; must not remain unchallenged.Lets start with Anonymous IVs insinuation that Taruskin lacks expertise in music before 1800. (According to Anonymous IV; Taruskins "superficial" and "sketchy" first two volumes summarize "the extent of what the author knows about music before 1800"; he is "obviously... on home turf" only in the 19th and 20th centuries.)Perhaps Anonymous IV cannot imagine a musicologist being on home turf in more than one period. But Taruskin is just such a rare being: a formidable scholar of 19th- and 20th-century Russian music; he is equally celebrated in the realm of early music. His influential book; Text and Act (1995); contains numerous essays on pre-19th-century music. And even the brief authors biography on the back cover of that book informs us that Taruskin has published "numerous editions of Renaissance music; including a complete edition with commentary of the sacred music of [the 15th-century composer] Antoine Busnoys;" and that while teaching at Columbia University; Taruskin had a distinguished performing career in early music. (Among other activities; he conducted the Cappella Nova; a New York-based choir specializing in medieval and Renaissance music; as a viola da gambist he recorded and toured with the Aulos ensemble.)Anonymous IVs whining that Taruskin "rushes through more than 1000 years of music history" is no less mystifying. Hello! Taruskin devotes 1;612 pages to the first 1000 years of notated music in the Western world - rather more than the 843 pages in which Grout/Palisca; to which Anonymous IV repeatedly compares Taruskin; covers the entire history of Western music.But most importantly: if Anonymous IV has indeed read Taruskins History of Western Music; he/she will have found; in its opening paragraphs; (pp. xxi and xxii); a clear statement of the books aim. It is not; Taruskin explains; a survey agrave; la Grout. Rather; it is "an attempt at a true history" - that is; an attempt "to explain why and how things happened as they did" - in short; not the usual laundry list that has too often passed for music history. To compare Taruskin to Grout on this count is rather like faulting a cognac for not being a beer.Taruskin fulfills his stated aim exhilaratingly. His book is a towering achievement of scholarship and intellect; a challenge to complacency; a joy to read.As to the accusation that Oxfords production of Taruskins book is shoddy: well; I do not know what Anonymous IV has been doing with his/her copy. I have been reading mine; for some weeks now; and have had no problem whatsoever with its binding.13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Extraordinary work.By Greg VitercikMusic history with a distinctive point of view; as is true of everything Taruskin writes. Its a work in the magisterial tradition; exhibiting a humanity and a command of material that goes far beyond anything Ive ever encountered.Its also a delight to read; charmingly written and clearly argued. If you love music and love thinking about music; you should have this on your shelf.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Extraordinary workBy woodzyguyMr. Taruskins work in this book series is awesome. This series is one of the most ambitious musicological undertakings in recent memory. His insights are outstanding; and he has a flair for theoretical analysis that balances between historical context and theory near-seamlessly.I always find bad reviews more helpful than good ones; so instead of gushing over how good these books are; let me give you some other points that might help you decide if you want to fork over the cash.- These are not traditional textbooks in the way of Grout or Stolba. There are no diagrams; pictures; timelines; margin notes; et al. What the book does have is text; and lots of it; and many; many musical examples.- The books seem to be written in the manner of a lecture: there is lots of talking and musical examples; just as you would get if you sat down in one of Taruskins classes. Also; the chapters are all nearly the same length regardless of subject matter; which is another reason why I think they are similar to the experience of sitting in one of Taruskins lectures.- Taruskins style can be kind of like this: "Sit down and Ill tell you a story." As a result; you wont find a chapter called "Mendelssohn" and another called "Webern". He weaves in and out of these composers as he likes; so besides the general index; you may find it time-consuming to find a specific topic in the set if you are doing research.- There are no indices in the individual volumes; only the last book has the indices.On the whole though; an awesome set of books; and the price is definitely worth it.
