Music: An Appreciation

Rating:
Summary: A very comprehensive introduction to music.
Review: I have used this text and earlier editions teaching music appreciation at community college and have found it to be the best yet so far. The most useful part of the text for the [before class] non-active listener are the listening outlines, with very detailed descriptions of what to listen for in various pieces of music. Kamien includes very early musical selections up to the very recent. Also included are some non-western music examples. This text could be very beneficial to musician and non-musician alike. There is great detail in his explanations of how various musical forms are put together. There is just enough history included in the text to avoid the boredom of the purely historical perspective of music appreciation.

Rating:
Summary: Well done, with shortcomings
Review: This is an excellent text for a survey course strictly on the history of western classical music. Kamien's experience and scholarship as a teacher and historian cannot be equalled in this area. I don't recommend the chapters on non-western music, jazz and popular music, however. If you are teaching a survey course that is more inclusive, this text is not ideal. Of all the western classical music texts I have used in my teaching, Kamien's accompanying CD compilation contains the nicest performances.

Rating:
Summary: Well done, with shortcomings
Review: This is an excellent text for a survey course strictly on the history of western classical music. Kamien's experience and scholarship as a teacher and historian cannot be equalled in this area. I don't recommend the chapters on non-western music, jazz and popular music, however. If you are teaching a survey course that is more inclusive, this text is not ideal. Of all the western classical music texts I have used in my teaching, Kamien's accompanying CD compilation contains the nicest performances.