Modern Music and After 3rd Edition

I am a trained musician and avid classical music fan who is turning my attention and tastes to modern composers and found this textbook extremely useful. There was a minimal amount of subjective characterizations by Mr. Griffiths that I really appreciated. He focused more on objective technical innovations and accomplishments made by various composers which really helped me understand what to listen for. It is a broad survey book covering around 60 years and does have a strong focus on Boulez, Stockhausen, Berio, and Ligeti. More than anything I now have a much better grasp on why I like particular composers and not others, and am excited to take the next step in going more in depth with particular ones that appeal to me.On another note, I have been one of those classical music lovers who has kept my interest in the "Romantic" style. Saying that, I have never been so excited about classical music than now because new music feels alive and exciting and I've had enough of the continual repetition of very old and dead music. In my opinion, the extremes of total serialism are very hard to appreciate and probably turn many people off from new music. But since the 1960s post advant garde movement I have found an incredible amount of compelling and exciting music to focus on. Anyone who claims to be a classical music fan needs to read this book or one like it and bring modern musical language and the composers who write with it today back into the mainstream concert halls.

MODERN MUSIC AND AFTER should really be kept in print, though the market may be small, as it is the best book on the subject. It serves, among other things, as the best record guide to the post-war avant-garde that I've found, although since '95 it has become somewhat outdated. Griffiths imbues the story of the serialist avant-garde with high drama. The hero of his story is Pierre Boulez. Messiaen is the mentor, and Stockhausen the brother, a source of friendly but intense rivalry. Schoenberg is the father figure who Boulez "kills" even as he carries on his tradition, but of course crediting Webern. The history gives a palpable sense of the excitement of this avant-garde circle, which came together at Darmstadt. Cage and his zen anarchism presents a radical challenge to the integral serialist Project, and begins to explode it. This takes us through the 1950s. The second part of the book is equally good, as the linear sense of progress unravels in the 1960s and '70s and fragmentation sets in. A fascinating development which Griffiths documents, but does not comment on, is the resurgence of sacred music as the secular avant-garde disintegrates. The Estonian composer Arvo Part is but one example of this trend, what might be called the reassertion of the pre-modern in the context of the post-modern. The third section is not as good, and resembles other similar books in being more an encyclopedia of entries on various composers and trends. There doesn't seem to be much alternative to this for now, but it's interesting to imagine how the present period may be reconstructed in light of future developments... In his introduction Griffiths laments the loss of a sense of shared criteria for evaluating the diverse music of the moment. But of course books like this contribute to the construction of those criteria! Peter J. Martin's SOUNDS AND SOCIETY (see my review) is an excellent analysis of how music evaluation is socially constructed -- there are no objective, inherent qualities, and so something like writing a book or even posting reviews to a website serves to shape the reception of the art. An interesting topic to pursue would be the divergent paths of Boulez and Stockhausen, with the former becoming an esteemed conductor and not only championing the avant-garde, but also turning back to the once scorned romantic tradition, while Stockhausen followed an increasingly idiosyncratic path and became a revered figure for the 90s electronica movement, a "Father of Electronic Music"! MODERN MUSIC AND AFTER is indispensable for anyone trying to understand the rich complexities of contemporary composition. I recommend Morgan's TWENTIETH-CENTURY MUSIC (see my review) for the pre-WWII period, and Gann's AMERICAN MUSIC IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (see my review) for greater detail on the postwar U.S.

Excellent thoughtful and insightful take on music after 1945. Should be read with a history of electro-acoustic music set. Does not make too many assumptions about the value of the music and let's the reader decide the complex value of the compositions covered.

I read this about a decade ago. I liked it so much I recently bought the latest version on Kindle.

what was needed

This book was in perfect condition and is an excellent edition of my library!

the book is very good but the shipping conditions was not good at all

I failed to get gripped by this work. And mind you I read everything I can find on 20th century music. The writing and analysis are good. But the book was boring to me. Seemed like more of a long fan letter. I gave it my neighbor, who is a drummer and has the musical chops to understand the technical stuff. he never thanked me.

old is gold.this book must have

Fantástico libro. Recomendable, eso sí, para aquellos que tengan unos conocimientos musicales mínimos en análisis y armonía. Por lo demás, está repleto de ejemplos musicales.

Il libro era da me già conosciuto. ottimo prodotto. peccato che non ci sia la traduzione in italiano per un più facile approccio. grazie

I recommend this product. It came as expected.

Thorough, interesting, and beautifully written as everything by Griffiths is.