Music, Nicholas Cook
Music, Nicholas Cook
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Music
A Very Short Introduction

Author: Nicholas Cook

Narrator: Nicholas Cook

Unabridged: 4 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/08/2021


Synopsis

What is music? How is it constructed? How is it consumed? Why do you enjoy it at all? In Music: A Very Short Introduction, Nicholas Cook invites us to really think about music and the role it plays in our lives and our ears. Drawing on a number of accessible examples, the author prompts us to call on our own musical experiences in order to think more critically about the roles of the performers and the listener, about music as a commodity and an experience, what it means to understand music, and the values we ascribe to it.

This Very Short Introduction, written with both humor and flair, begins with a sampling of music as human activity and then goes on to consider the slippery phenomenon of how music has become an object of thought. Covering not only Western and classical music, Cook touches on all types from rock to Indonesian music and beyond. Incorporating musical forms from every continent, Music will be enjoyable for beginner and expert alike.

About Nicholas Cook

Nicholas Cook is Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the British Academy. His book Music: A Very Short Introduction has been translated into seventeen languages, and his The Schenker Project won the Society for Music Theory's Wallace Berry Award.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Riku

Not much discussion on music itself. Most of the time is spent on explaining how perceptions of music has changed since the times of Beethoven, especially in terms of the role of the authority figure in music production, delivery and appreciation. The focus is clearly to advance the author’s own vie......more

Goodreads review by Mikael

It is important to have one thing in mind before buying/borrowing this book: If you want a book about music that will teach you about notation, scales, chords or sound frequencies, then stay away from this one. This book is about music in context, and also about music and philosophy (and, to my deli......more

Goodreads review by Al

This short, immensely readable book was first published in 1998 in the UK and then re-published in 2010 (with some additional material) by Sterling Publishing Company (NY) as part of its “A Brief Insight” series. It provides a fascinating discussion about music as it has developed in the West during......more