Richard Taruskin: Oxford History of Western Music: Paperback due out July 2009

[Alpha Centauri]

Another windmill at which Taruskin has tilted has been the "Early Music Revival" movement, and its development onwards into the "HIP" ("Historically Informed Performance") movement. This is quite ironic in that Taruskin himself was an early member of this cause, and taught himself the viol in order to perform... in fact, you might even see him as a frustrated (or, err, failed?) performer?

Although there is some degree of truth in what he says about the "preciousness" of some of the individuals and ensembles working in the HIP sphere, the extremity of his views on this topic have threatened to throw the baby out with the bathwater

[micrologus]

I don't have the Taruskin yet

If I can believe Amazon, I'll have it only August

[stephen w]

Originally Posted by micrologus

I don't have the Taruskin yet

If I can believe Amazon, I'll have it only August

. . .. anyway whenever it comes, I'm looking forward to swapping impressions: at the moment particularly about the medieval section of the book. . .

[Alpha Centauri]

Originally Posted by stephen wainman

at the moment particularly about the medieval section of the book. . .

Taruskin is very "at home" in that period - he has transcribed, edited and published the works of several medieval composers.

[micrologus]

Originally Posted by Reiner Torheit

Taruskin is very "at home" in that period - he has transcribed, edited and published the works of several medieval composers.

Do you already have the Taruskin?

[Alpha Centauri]

Originally Posted by micrologus

Do you already have the Taruskin?

Not the Oxford History, no. I have quite a few other works by Taruskin which I've acquired over the years. I'm not really sure I want his Oxford History, really... I would prefer to devote my time/budget/attention to more specific books than this.

[stephen w]

Originally Posted by Reiner Torheit

I'm not really sure I want his Oxford History, really... I would prefer to devote my time/budget/attention to more specific books than this.

I completely understand this. There is always the pull between studying an issue/period in very close detail - and looking at the wider context.

I find the wider context also very compelling. I've been listening a lot to medieval music lately - and I find I want to deepen my awareness of the whole cultural context of the time, the politics, art, architecture,literature. (I know it's next to non-existent compared to say my knowledge of European literature 1770-1830). It was interesting to come across a letter from Petrarch to Philippe de Vitry. I have spent the day today with John White's 'Art and Architecture in Italy 1250-1400', and partial as the picture will always be in every sense, I like becoming more aware of what was being built during the period that Machaut and de Vitry were writing, (as an example). So Taruskin's Medieval volume was pretty good for this general interest approach, as inevitably you get lots of social history as well. The starting point of my ignorance here is amazing! But it does mean that it's an exciting process.

[Alpha Centauri]

When I was at University I immersed myself quite deeply in Medieval music - the "historiography" of it, transcribing original sources and various notations, literature and thought of the period, and inevitably quite a bit of the history of the catholic liturgy, since so much of the earliest material of all is connected with the Church. So I have already done quite a lot of the background to Medieval, and reading Taruskin's book would mostly be going over old ground for me in that period.

Probably I ought to read his C19th book - that's the area where I would like to explore more "breadth", I guess. One of the reasons for choosing the Course I did was so that I could avoid the latter half of the C19th... although I then ended-up spending/wasting the majority of my time on Wagner anyhow

[The Sparrow]

I have a 20 year old version of the single volume hadcover.
My favorite is the 1/2 page on jazz. At the end they say something to the effect that the connection of the music and the large numbers of its performers using narcotics cannot be ignored.
sheesh! haha.

[haydnguy]

Originally Posted by spotty

I have a 20 year old version of the single volume hadcover.
My favorite is the 1/2 page on jazz. At the end they say something to the effect that the connection of the music and the large numbers of its performers using narcotics cannot be ignored.
sheesh! haha.

I've always suspected it about it's fans too!!!