Reviews for Classic Guitar Artistry: Music and Transcriptions by Douglas Niedt of Gershwin, Myers, Ravel...

The average rating for Classic Guitar Artistry: Music and Transcriptions by Douglas Niedt of Gershwin, Myers, Ravel... based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-12-01 00:00:00 Masayoshi Itoh Considering that classical literature tells us that music was part of every facet of Greek society, from religious ritual to dramatic productions, athletic events to epic storytelling, it is odd that there was no substantial introduction to Ancient Greek music until M.L. West released this monograph in 1992. But we are fortunate to live in a time when ANCIENT GREEK MUSIC is available, as it is an introduction both vast and friendly, and it uses the recent advances in ethnomusicology to more accurately reconstruct Greek music and compare it to other indigenous musical traditions around the world. If you have little experience with theory, though, don't be afraid. West's discussion of the melodic and rhythmic nuts and bolts of Ancient Greek music assumes no prior training beyond knowing vaguely what an octave is. Indeed, for someone without knowledge of theory this wouldn't be a bad place to start. The Greeks described very well the basis of physical sound on which they built their music. I see the book as divided into four main parts. In the first, West discusses the role of music in Greek life, namely listing what genres were associating with what social or cultic functions. He then describes the instruments that the Greeks used, including their development and expansion, and their equivalents in nearby regions. While I was most interested in more abstract portions of the book, even this proved informative. I had never known before, for example, that brass instruments were never used to play music, but only to provide fanfares or direct troops on the battlefield. The second part of the book is the theory behind Greek music, consisting of the chapters "Rhythm and Tempo", "Scales and Modes", "Melody and Form", and "Theory". I thought it fascinating to read how the rhythm of Greek music corresponded to the longs and shorts of Greek poetry, and how Greek scales developed from the pentatonic scale still used in e.g. China and the Volga-Kama basin. The third part of the book deals with the surviving records of Greek music. West explains notation schemes and what papyruses and inscriptions have survived, and then gives us fifty pages of transcriptions. Of course, these are all fragmentary, but plenty have enough material to keep one entertained. While for the most part West treats all eras of Greek music together, it is obvious that the no musical tradition would stay static for a thousand years. Accordingly, the final part of the book is a historical synthesis tracking the development of Greek music from the archaic period to the earliest surviving Christian hymn. I'd strongly suggest this book to a number of audiences, from classicists, to ethnomusicologists or laymen interested in indigenous musical traditions, to (again) people who want to learn music theory from the ground up. Too bad OUP has priced even the paperback beyond what the average reader would be prepared to spend, though.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-10-09 00:00:00 Ian Guy This is a comprehensive study of everything we know about music in ancient Greece. M.L. West carefully reviews the evidence for what kind of instruments Greeks played, the cultural context for their music, the tuning systems they used, the theoretical and notational systems they developed, and many other topics. The book culminates in scores and commentaries for a few dozen of the most notable (and most well-preserved) excerpts that have survived, translated into modern notation. Throughout the book, West illuminates many thorny concepts in a detailed yet clear way. Though I think anyone interested in the topic will get a lot out of this book, I would say it is more accessible to a reader without Greek who can read music than to a reader who knows Greek but can't read music. (All Greek texts and terms are transliterated into Roman letters.) I learned a tremendous amount reading this book. In particular, it gave me a new perspective on tuning systems and modes. I would be very curious to explore more with quarter-tones and other aspects of the Greek melodic systems. One thing I would say is that, based on the surviving melodies, it is hard for me to understand how ancient Greek music could have had such a powerful effect on its listeners (as we are told in ancient accounts). Somehow we must still be missing key ingredients—none of these tunes seem able to drive one into a frenzy. Long story short, if you are interested in this topic, you will love this book.