School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-Musical instruments from the most obscure to the most common are incorporated into this invaluable one-volume source. Electric and electronic instruments are not included. Entries are in alphabetical order and range from a short paragraph to several pages. Instruments indigenous to countries such as Africa, China, and Korea are described. There are over 300 black-and-white photographs and line drawings as well as excerpts of sheet music to illustrate the playing techniques of various instruments. This source is intended to be a companion to The New Oxford Companion to Music (Oxford, 1983), but it stands on its own.-Pat Royal, Crossland High School, Camp Springs, MD
The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments
- ISBN: 0193113341
- ISBN-13: 9780193113343
- Pub. date: 10/28/1992
- Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Hardcover
Temporarily Out of Stock Online
100.0
Out Of Stock
Musical instruments, from the simplest pipes and drums to those of the utmost complexity, have formed an integral part of the cultures of all peoples of the world from the beginning of time. Their range and diversity have inspired the skill and genius of maker, composer, and player. This book is a celebration of that achievement, examining in one alphabetical sequence the astonishing variety of Western and non-Western acoustic musical instruments. Individual entries encapsulate the essential information about the instrument considered. Each entry offers a concise description and, with the aid of numerous line drawings, illustrates details of its construction. Playing techniques are also discussed and major entries draw attention to significant developments in the history of the instrument. Dr Baines also deftly conveys the sound of the instrument and highlights characteristic examples of its use within the orchestral repertoire or, for ethnomusicological instruments, within rites of passage. Musical examples elucidate these points and the whole text is beautifully illustrated with over one hundred photographs. There are general articles on the instruments of specific periods, such as the Renaissance or Baroque, and the instruments of individual continents are considered as an entity. Instruments are also treated by family (woodwind, etc.) and by other common groupings, such as orchestra, brass band. In addition the book deals with a whole range of related subjects, for example acoustics, pitch, chord symbols; methods of playing, such as harmonics, circular breathing; and also such topics as fakes and forgeries and oddities like walking-stick instruments. There is an Appendix of makers mentioned within the text and full bibliographical details are provided for the books and other sources cited. In all, this book bears witness to the author's lifelong passion for musical instruments in all their splendid variety and is distinguished by his elegant prose and scholarship.
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
-
- Media Spectacle and the Crisis…
- by Douglas KellnerDouglas Kellner
-
- Refuting Peter Singer's…
- by Susan Krantz
Recently Viewed
Zom Zoms
Material from "The New Oxford Companion to Music", bearing upon acoustical musical instruments, is the basis of this new one-volume work. Impeccably edited by Baines, this new companion celebrates in one alphabetic sequence the glory and range of instruments from around the world, from nose flutes to tabla, from the sitar to the oboe. Many of the entries in the work under review were rewritten from the earlier companion
The individual entries cover specific instruments and families thereof (e.g., "Wind Instruments") as well as their representation in different countries (e.g., "Africa") and time periods (e.g., "Baroque"). Entries for western instruments provide a description, including details of their construction, often accompanied by a black-and-white photograph or a line drawing. Playing techniques, a brief history, and a list of the major repertory are sketched as well. Baines even deftly conveys the sound of many of the instruments. Cross-references and translated names of major instruments are also provided. Entries often include brief references to sources of more information, and full bibliographic citations are provided in an appendix. Another appendix is an alphabetical list of names of manufacturers and inventors of instruments
This work was ostensibly written for the general reader, but a musical background will definitely assist in gaining the full benefit of Baines' erudite depictions. "The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments" is a well-produced, authoritative addition to any library serving adults, in particular to any library holding neither the aforementioned "New Oxford Companion to Music" nor the more comprehensive, three-volume "New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments".Booknews
A comprehensive, alphabetical guide to the astonishing variety of Western and non-Western acoustic musical instruments, many of the entries either less or more extensively revised from their appearance in the New Oxford Companion to Music (1983). Individual entries encapsulate substantial information about the instrument considered, frequently accompanied by illustrations in the form of drawings, photographs, and notation. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)