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Rating: 
Summary: The History of Modern Music for The Layman
Review: As we end the 20th century, we may not realize that 20th century music covers the same time span as the 19thcentury Romantic music period. Have we grasped the meaning of modern music. To do this one needs to understand the history as well as the dynamics of 20th century music. Here is a book that fills the bill. Not only does Mr. Morgan discuss the growth and change in 20th century music but he does it in it's historical context of our maturing as a world. For many the atonality of 20th century music is hard to grasp, especially when concert artists and orchestras continue to emphasize in their repatoire 19th century music. But as the world changes so will music. A book to awaken your interest in 20th century music and the composers who were the leaders of this period.
Rating:
Summary: best overview of the century
Review: Morgan's book is the best that I have found for an overview of the entire 20th century in "classical" music. He divides his analysis into 3 logical sections: Part 1. Beyond Tonality: From 1900 to World War I Part 2. Reconstruction and New Systems: Between the Wars Part 3. Innovation and Fragmentation: From WWII to the Present This allows for some nuance that a simple list of composers often misses. For instance, Schoenberg's "atonal revolution" is covered in Part 1, along with the "new tonalities" of Stravinsky and Bartok. Part 2 covers the origin of the "twelve-tone system," but makes clear that it did not become influential until years later with the "serial revolution" in France, led by Messiaen and Boulez, in Part 3. As others have noted, Morgan is not as strong on the more recent period, partly because the book was published in 1991 and thus misses such phenomena as Schnittke's surge of popularity, especially in Russia and Europe, after the collapse of the Soviet regime. I recommend two other books along with Morgan: 1) Gann's "American Music in the Twentieth-Century," which covers developments in the U.S. in greater detail, thus including for instance one of my favorites, Roger Reynolds, and 2) Griffiths' masterful "Modern Music and After," which begins after the Second World War.
Rating:
Summary: best overview of the century
Review: Morgan's book is the best that I have found for an overview of the entire 20th century in "classical" music. He divides his analysis into 3 logical sections: Part 1. Beyond Tonality: From 1900 to World War I Part 2. Reconstruction and New Systems: Between the Wars Part 3. Innovation and Fragmentation: From WWII to the Present This allows for some nuance that a simple list of composers often misses. For instance, Schoenberg's "atonal revolution" is covered in Part 1, along with the "new tonalities" of Stravinsky and Bartok. Part 2 covers the origin of the "twelve-tone system," but makes clear that it did not become influential until years later with the "serial revolution" in France, led by Messiaen and Boulez, in Part 3. As others have noted, Morgan is not as strong on the more recent period, partly because the book was published in 1991 and thus misses such phenomena as Schnittke's surge of popularity, especially in Russia and Europe, after the collapse of the Soviet regime. I recommend two other books along with Morgan: 1) Gann's "American Music in the Twentieth-Century," which covers developments in the U.S. in greater detail, thus including for instance one of my favorites, Roger Reynolds, and 2) Griffiths' masterful "Modern Music and After," which begins after the Second World War.
Rating:
Summary: best overview of the century
Review: Morgan's book is the best that I have found for an overview of the entire 20th century in "classical" music. He divides his analysis into 3 logical sections: Part 1. Beyond Tonality: From 1900 to World War I Part 2. Reconstruction and New Systems: Between the Wars Part 3. Innovation and Fragmentation: From WWII to the Present This allows for some nuance that a simple list of composers often misses. For instance, Schoenberg's "atonal revolution" is covered in Part 1, along with the "new tonalities" of Stravinsky and Bartok. Part 2 covers the origin of the "twelve-tone system," but makes clear that it did not become influential until years later with the "serial revolution" in France, led by Messiaen and Boulez, in Part 3. As others have noted, Morgan is not as strong on the more recent period, partly because the book was published in 1991 and thus misses such phenomena as Schnittke's surge of popularity, especially in Russia and Europe, after the collapse of the Soviet regime. I recommend two other books along with Morgan: 1) Gann's "American Music in the Twentieth-Century," which covers developments in the U.S. in greater detail, thus including for instance one of my favorites, Roger Reynolds, and 2) Griffiths' masterful "Modern Music and After," which begins after the Second World War.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Completely Comprehensive
Review: This is a very good book, but it only covers the first three-quarters of the century. Minimalism is the latest movement that it really covers comprehensively. After that, most composers recieve only two or three lines of text. This is, of course, understandable, given when the book was written. Just be warned that more recent developments in music are often ignored or not given the attention they deserve. Also, it should be noted that the book generally restricts itself to "classical" music. Jazz and Free Improvisation, despite being arguably the most vital and truly revolutionary forces in music of the first 2/3 and last 1/3 of the century, respectively, are mentioned only in passing if at all.
Rating:
Summary: Not Completely Comprehensive
Review: This is a very good book, but it only covers the first three-quarters of the century. Minimalism is the latest movement that it really covers comprehensively. After that, most composers recieve only two or three lines of text. This is, of course, understandable, given when the book was written. Just be warned that more recent developments in music are often ignored or not given the attention they deserve. Also, it should be noted that the book generally restricts itself to "classical" music. Jazz and Free Improvisation, despite being arguably the most vital and truly revolutionary forces in music of the first 2/3 and last 1/3 of the century, respectively, are mentioned only in passing if at all.
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