Musical Encounters - Softcover

Nichols, David C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0132074575 ISBN 13: 9780132074575

Publisher: Pearson College Div, 2000

Synopsis

Written on the premise that all music is “legitimate” this book teaches readers to do more than just appreciate music—it encourages a life-long learning and exploration of music. Focusing on the canon of concert music, it also contains numerous examples from other musical venues stressing the pervasiveness of music throughout the world as a significant human expression. Music is discussed in both an aesthetic and a sociological context—including expressions ranging from rap to jazz, early rock “n” roll to folk expressions, and from cultures outside the Western culture to musical masterpieces from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras stemming from European-American traditions. This treatment emphasizes three fundamental concepts—diversity, change, and developing listening techniques, in order to broaden listeners' perspective of music. For individuals seeking an active appreciation of music—regardless of age, education, or career orientation. For active consumers “listening” to enhance their selection of music—as they become aware of the various socio-political forces that drive and support it. For hours of enjoyment.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

PRFACE

When I first started teaching college some thirty years ago, the central purpose of music appreciation courses was to train uninitiated students to appreciate art music so they would come to like "legitimate" music. The implicit message was that music not belonging to the European-American tradition was secondary and therefore not worthy of serious study. As a lifelong student of our culture and as a career musician who finds constant personal fulfillment in an art form that I call my own, I have gradually come to realize that we all need to broaden our perspectives.

Diversity and change are two themes that seem to emerge whenever a discussion of our modern culture occurs. The social, political, and economic institutions of the world are weaving ever-changing webs of relationships and experiences as a new century begins. These interactions are not only reflected in the world of business and government, but they a4e at the very core of the cultural and aesthetic expressions coming from the people. Musical Encounters grew out of an awareness of these changes. It is founded on the principle that music is part of the fabric of life. Diversity, Change, and the Listening Process

The structure and content of Musical Encounters focuses on three fundamental concepts: diversity, change, and developing listening techniques and attitudes necessary to accommodate a modern, eclectic musical taste. Diversity

As the new millennium begins, the world of music reflects a broad diversity, not only from an ethnic/world music viewpoint, but also from the immense proliferation of many types of music that reflect contemporary culture. Never before has so much new music been available to the consumer; yet, at the core of concert music in the United States remains the traditional canon of musical literature.

A basic assumption of this book is that all musical expressions have a place in our society and, even though parameters of study eventually have to be drawn in any systematic study of music, it is helpful to approach listening to music from several avenues, especially those that reflect our current common use of music.

Chapter 3, Focus on Listening: Vocal Music from Around the World, for example, introduces the reader to a consciously diverse array of vocal music and focuses on the amazing versatility of the human voice in Western and other cultures. It allows students to hear sounds that may be outside of their personal comfort zones and shows them that even the voice—the most fundamental of music-producing "instruments"—can create sounds that are deemed appropriate in diverse social and cultural settings. Here students are invited to cross the line from merely using music to reinforce their own social status into an experience of listening to music that represents "other" perspectives and functions. The exclusive use of vocal music in this chapter is a deliberate choice. The voice is the common denominator among all music of the world. Change

Musical styles are developing and merging at an ever-increasing speed, demanding more and more attention from the serious listener. A strong connection between change and music is the idea that functions of music, which are diverse in nature, are also changing as a society creates new roles for music in its ongoing development. How music functions and how music is marketed and supported in present and past cultures is also fundamental to perspectives in music.

Musical Encounters supports both a world of change and a tradition of music that has earned the name "Classical Music." As students study and experience the 71 recorded musical selections in this book, they will see that cultural change is always reflected in the music of any time period. Here is where music history becomes especially significant—as do art history, literary history, and other related studies. The Listening Process

Fundamental to any study in the perspectives of music is the development of an educated musical ear. No matter what musical genre, style, or expression a person listens to, a standard set of listening techniques is used. Each person's brain processes music according to the skills, references, and abilities unique to him or her. The approach to listening in Musical Encounters enhances the student's abilities to hear musical gestures both in isolation and in larger contexts. The preparation of this, in Chapter 2, allows the students to hear examples of melodic contours, textures, chord progressions, rhythmic organization, and formal structure in a variety of settings. The intent is to help the student reach the conclusion that intelligent listening is relevant to all types of music—not just classical musical expressions. It is directed toward breaking down the barriers between high art and low art, and it also makes the learner aware of musical expressions from the non-Western world.

How do we accomplish this "global" approach to music? We first do so by acquiring the skills necessary to hear and perceive music. Music is a specialized art. As such, it requires that we learn some rudimentary concepts. The listening techniques developed in this book are founded on years of working with music at all levels. They are designed to make the student aware of both the vertical and horizontal aspects of music as it unfolds. We hear music in two dimensions: one involves the split-second event of the moment, the other relates to the unfolding of sounds in time. The student will develop an awareness of these dimensions of music and the necessary skills to perceive them as we examine a variety of musical expressions. The end result will be that, no matter what type of music the student listens to, he or she will be able to perceive "what is going on" in the music. Design and Content

This text is organized into three parts. Part I targets building listening skills founded on a knowledge of a basic music vocabulary. It also exercises these skills by sampling musical expressions from around the world. Finally, it examines the artistic, social, and economic forces supporting music in our eclectic society. It identifies significant institutions, ensembles, and movements in modern musical cultures, and it illustrates these with listening examples.

Part II of Musical Encounters focuses on Western art music and discusses music of the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras. Here again, as in Part I, enhancing listening skills is integral to all discussions. Chapter S, which centers on Baroque Music and the three principal composers, Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi, concentrates on principles of counterpoint and layering, and teaches the music student listening techniques that are structured on simultaneously occurring events. In Chapter 6, when music of the Classical Era is discussed, the concepts of repetition and contrast are emphasized. The following chapters reinforce these two principles of organization and apply them to the music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Maintaining a strong emphasis on the listening experience and music literature, Part II pays special attention to the aesthetic impulses and social and economic trends that gave rise to compositions and musical practices during the past 400 years. The emphasis here is away from "low-cal" music history. Instead of attempting to include every genre, major composer, and musical development throughout history, this book is designed to help the reader focus on selected issues and compositions, and to develop a skeletal framework of knowledge and musical experience for a lifetime of learning.

Part III, the final section of Musical Encounters, is topical in its organization. If offers the professor and students various choices for further study and the sociology of music. For the learner desiring to step outside of the world of classical Western art tradition, it also presents a fascinating look at music that crosses cultural lines. This new approach to content organization in a music appreciation textbook offers options for tailoring a specific course to the needs and interests of the faculty and students. It reinforces the concept that our musical culture is indeed diverse in nature.

Accompanying this text is a set of four compact disc recordings that is coordinated to serve as a basic listening experience for the student of music. Whenever possible, entire movements or compositions are used so the owner of the recordings will have a basic library of music for future use.

The appendices include a glossary of terms, an introduction to musical criticism, and a general outline of music history, which includes a list of the principal composers of Western art music.

This book is designed primarily for the college classroom, but it will also be useful to those interested in self-study. The suggestions for assignments can be adapted to all age groups and should provide intellectual stimulus regardless of age, education, or career orientation. The recordings accompanying the textbook offer a basic library of music that will provide hours of listening enjoyment.

Musical Encounters will involve the student in music in the following ways:

Listening skills will be developed. The student will be invited to increase his or her perception of music through a system of active learning experiences. These listening techniques will be applied to a broad scope of music. The student's skills will become part of his or her everyday encounters with music. An awareness of music's role in the social and economic fabric of modem life will develop. This awareness will be founded on a historical perspective and on an acquaintance with significant works of music, both past and present.

Musical Encounters considers all music legitimate. It assumes that as the student expands his or her life experiences to include more music, a greater variety of sounds, including classical or "art" music, will be appreciated. As the student's interest grows toward becoming an active consumer of art music, as well as pop music, he or she will also become aware of the various sociopolitical forces that drive and support the world of music.

The underlying principle of Musical Encounters is that the study of music in the university should reflect the eclectic society that is now such a part of modern American life. Although the main emphasis of this book is on the music of Western civilization and its "classical" and popular expressions, examples of music drawn from several world cultures are used to enrich the listening experience and to increase awareness of how various peoples organize sound into music according to their unique tastes, practices, and traditions. Music, that most versatile art, is thus both universal and specific in its scope.

From the Back Cover:

Providing the strand that connects diverse musical styles, Musical Encounters shows students how music has been and always will be a driving force in the world around them.

Encounter a Lifelong Exploration of Music Through...

• An emphasis on three fundamental concepts—diversity, change, and developing listening techniques.
• A focus on the listening process that helps build listening skills founded on a knowledge of a basic music vocabulary.
• Samples of musical expression from around the world that demonstrate the artistic, social, and economic forces supporting music in our eclectic society.
• A concentration on the principles of counterpoint and layering.
• A multi-cultural approach that enriches the learning experience and increases awareness of how various peoples organize sound into music according to their unique tastes, practices, and traditions.
• A host of listening examples that illustrate the music discussed in the text.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pearson College Div
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0132074575
• ISBN 13: 9780132074575
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384