The Norton Anthology of Western Music, Volume 2: Classic to Modern

by Claude V. Palisca

From Adam (de la Halle) to Zwilich (Ellen), The Norton Anthology of Western Music provides a comprehensive collection of scores illustrating every significant trend, genre, and national school. These authoritative readings are reproduced from reliable and easy-to-read originals, and all foreign-language texts are accompanied by English translations. Each work in the anthology is discussed in A History of Western Music. The editor's notes and comments follow the score of each work.

The new Fourth Edition includes twenty-two new selections, including works by Luca Marenzio, Benjamin Britten, Amy Beach, John Adams, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, all of whom are newly represented in The Norton Anthology of Western Music.

Author Biography: Claude V. Palisca, late professor of music at Yale University, began his collaboration on A History of Western Music with the Third Edition. Among his many publications are a history of Baroque music and a collection of scholarly essays on Italian Renaissance music.

Genres: Music, Reference, History, Nonfiction, Textbooks

1010 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

Reviews

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's about as extensive, meticulous, & comprehensive as can get! Every piece receives ample attention, from broad, apparent & general observations to analyses that require a firm, and fluent, understanding of western music theory. I went through both volumes in preparation for an exam (CSET, for music teachers in CA) and have taken note of the pieces that I'd like to hear in their entirety in the future. The book includes a wide span of styles. My experience with piano scores aided my reading of the large orchestral scores yet there are a dozen pieces of such bizarre notation that I found myself, upon listening, simultaneously repelled, attracted, & amazed. This is very useful for familiarizing oneself with the manner of speaking about music. It makes use of charts, schemes, lyrics & stanzas, symbols, and the like. Again, the analysis ranges from light to complex. An excellently composed tome.

[Stephen]

This is Vol. 2

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book.