Music

The word 'music' in the early 21st century means many things. It means Mozart in the elevator, 50s pop songs on TV adverts, Finnish folk songs on Nokia 'phones. It means inflammatory Serbian nationalist song, ancient Coptic Church chant, Berlin electronica, Wynton Marsalis.

Given this bewildering abundance, how we can speak of a single thing called 'music'? This book will argue that we can. More than that, it will argue that a vast area of cultural practice is at risk of vanishing behind the deafening roar of all those dead simulations of music that fill the airwaves.

In this passionately argued and convincing book Ivan Hewett re-claims the unique place of music should have in our culture in its own right.

“"... this extended essay is as stimulating, insightful, eloquent, intelligent, well-written, probing, sanguine and maddening a description of the issues facing classical music as you are likely to find." -Pamela Margles, WholeNote Magazine, July1-September 7, 2004” – 

“"It's always a pleasure to read a historical survey that covers huge amounts of ground nimbly and stylishly, with a refined yet decisive sense of judgement. In this small, brilliant book, composer, teacher, and critic Ivan Hewett tells you pretty much everything you need to know in order to understand the evolution of the category known as 'classical'/'art' music....Hewett's book will impress (if not infuriate) his peers, but it deserves a wider audience....He makes his arguments by discussing individual composers, and his critiques are rigorous, lucid and balanced--enough so that readers who are classical music neophytes will be engaged by the mere spectacle of an authoritative mind in love with its subject matter....Four stars" --Philip Christman, Paste Magazine, Oct/Nov 2004 issue” –  Blurb from reviewer

“"...this extended essay is as stimulating, insightful, eloquent, intelligent, well-written, probing, sanguine and maddening a description of the issues facing classical music as you are likely to find." --Pamela Margles, Wholenote Magazine, January 2005” –  Blurb from reviewer