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Title: Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis by Allen Forte, Steven E. Golbert, Allan Forte, Steven E. Gilbert ISBN: 0-393-95192-8 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: October, 1982 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $50.45 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.14 (7 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: More misconceptions
Comment: The author of "clumsy" no doubt wrote a similar review for Straus's Intro. to Post-Tonal theory, wherein he affirms once again that "criticims is not concomitant with ignorance or opactiy." Such an argument and string of academic babble, misplaced twice within similar contexts, canonly be willful ignorance. In both cases, the reviewer critcizes not an iota of the book's content he is reviewing! Forte/Gilbert is a standard text in Schenkerian Analysis. It is by no means, however, a great text. It is indeed dense and its organization is quite often flawed. However, this is a presentational issue mainly. It is neither what "clumsy" has implied (that it lack content), nor what "A nightmare!" has stated out right (that it is a theoretical imposition of a composer-wannabe's ideas onto compositions). Neither the original theory nor this book explains all of tonal music (or claims to!) and to make the calims such as those made above is absurd. If you need to buy this book, you will. Otherwise, it is not exactly enjoyable reading. The Cadwallader/Gagne text is a more practical introduction to Schenkerian Analysis, for those that are freelancing in music theory. I give this book no more than 3 stars as well but I do it on the basis of having read, grappled, and understood the book and its flaws. No book, no matter how flawed, deserves the treatment of an ignorant gloss in an honest review.
Rating: 1
Summary: A nightmare!
Comment: I am a student of music and read musical analyses avariciously; I had no problem understanding 'The Art of fugue' or Piston's 'Harmony'. This book, on the other hand, is an abstruse Nightmare! It's odd because Mr. Forte at least pretends to want to explain his subject clearly, and the book has just hundreds of examples; but I'm afraid I hardly understood a single one of them. From the very earlist examples on, Mr. Forte paints full Schenkerian grafts, before you even know what half of those silly lines and phrasing markes mean, and example after example I found my poor self asking: why this way, and not that way? And so I read the entire book, front to cover, various times, trying to see if this or that question would eventually be addressed, but in vain.
Since then I have come to understand Schenkerian thought, partly, through other sources. I have concluded that the reason his theories are so very hard to understand and to put into practice is because a great deal of it is just nonsense for people who wish they were composers but aren't, and so they spend their time painting little complicated grafts (which are often even misleading about the way we hear music). That said, I nevertheless hope that one day a better, clearer book on this historically important subject will soon be writ.
Rating: 4
Summary: Does this really need a review?
Comment: If you have navigated your way to this page and are actually reading this review my advice is simple: stop now and buy the book because if you actually tried to find this book you shouldn't need any coercion one way or the other. However, if you want a little prodding, here's a little more about this selection:
It's not literature, it's the introduction to a school of theory that is becoming increasingly popular in the United States because of the need to analyze music based on how it sounds, not just how it looks. If you're looking for a supplemental book for class use, or simply the opportunity to get your feet wet in Schenkerian analysis then look no further. Although the translation to English is evident you shouldn't ever find yourself confused on account of syntax. If you're looking for a primary textbook to use for a music theory course I recommend adapting Schenker's theories and explaining them thus in your classroom. Your students will thank you, trust me...
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Title: Structure of Atonal Music by Allen Forte ISBN: 0300021208 Publisher: Yale Univ Pr Pub. Date: April, 1977 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory (2nd Edition) by Joseph N. Straus ISBN: 0130143316 Publisher: Prentice Hall Pub. Date: 13 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $77.00 |
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Title: Analysis of Tonal Music: A Schenkerian Approach by Allen Cadwallader, David Gagne, Gagne Cadwallader ISBN: 0195102320 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: January, 1998 List Price(USD): $54.95 |
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Title: Counterpoint in Composition by Felix Salzer, Carl Schachter ISBN: 023107039X Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 April, 1989 List Price(USD): $42.00 |
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Title: Analytic Approaches to Twentieth-Century Music by Joel Lester ISBN: 0393957624 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: March, 1989 List Price(USD): $57.55 |
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