Language of Music by Deryck Cooke

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Language of Music by Deryck Cooke

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Language of Music by Deryck Cooke

This important book has come to be regarded as a modern classic. Originally published in 1959, it has exerted a profound influence on all subsequent discussion in the field of musical aesthetics. Deryck Cooke's thesis is that the fundamental characteristic of music is the expression and evocation of emotion. He argues that all composers whose music has a tonal basis have used the same, or closely similar, melodic phrases, harmonies, and rhythms to express and evoke the same emotions. He supports this view with numerous musical examples, ranging from plainsong to Stravinsky, and he argues that music is a language in the quite specific sense that idiom can be identified and a list of meanings compiled. While acknowledging that a 'dictionary' of the language of music cannot easily be provided, he here attempts to supply at least a 'phrase-book'.

The late Deryck Cooke, author of The Language of Music, completed Mahler's Tenth Symphony.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780192840042
ISBN 10 0192840045
Title Language of Music
Author Deryck Cooke
Series Oxford Paperbacks
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Oxford University Press
Year published 1960-12-01
Number of pages 306
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note Unavailable