Walter Piston (1894–1976)

Miranda Cuckson as soloist delivers an absolutely beautiful performance -- airy and delicate in the 2nd movement while sacrificing none of the passion or playfulness of the outer movements. It's such a shame that she is let down a little by her orchestra (a bit too bland) and a lot by the recording engineer; she is much too distanced in the overall acoustic. If only she could have been given the support that James Buswell got from his orchestra (The National Symphony of the Ukraine) and his show more engineers (the estimable Naxos). show less

Here is a foundation for studying music theory. It is not a how-to text really, but benefits those engaged in learning the processes through music is notated. Can be considered very boring, or a necessary evil. Can also be regarded as the window through which all written music is seen, however distant.

To say that I am starting to read this is a bit of a stretch, because it is a textbook rather than something that one reads and sets down. But, I wanted to get some music theory into my reading list, so here it is.

I was given this 1944 printing of this book about 40 years ago by a friend who saw my interest in learning music. Now I am starting to make a more serious study of music theory. Here goes.

What are the harmonic materials used by composers? Common practices in composition which emerged in the 18th and 19th century are reported.
The work simply begins with the scales and intervals (the unit of harmony), through triads, progression, tonality (keys) and modality (scales), to the chords of the sixth--the figured bass. At this point, the work proceeds to the construction of harmonic phrases, elaborating on the modulations, secondary dominants, irregular resolutions, and the show more available chord sequences.
This is not a work for the faint-hearted and it is essential to have a keyboard at hand. Little absorption will be possible without practicums. For example, "Triads in the first inversion are called chords of the sixth, the characteristic interval being the sixth caused by the inversion of the third." [44] The vertical sonority cannot be understood by looking at these words. show less