Synopses & Reviews
Here is a book written for all who derive real pleasure from listening to music and want to learn more about it. Its aim is to increase enjoyment through intelligent appreciation. Without presupposing any technical knowledge on the part of the reader, Douglas Moore explains what happens in a piece of music, analyzing familiar compositions as examples.
Synopsis
First he discusses music as a language--how it conveys definite thoughts and feelings. Then he takes up in turn the various elements found in all music--tone, rhythm, melody, harmony; finally, he shows why music must have form and traces its development from the simplest folk-song to the complex modern symphony.
Douglas Moore's skillful interpretation of musical expression makes this an ideal handbook for those who wish to develop their own taste through a fuller understanding of how music speaks to the listener.