How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and Why You Should Care) - Softcover

Duffin, Ross W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393334201 ISBN 13: 9780393334203

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008

Synopsis

"A fascinating and genuinely accessible guide....Educating, enjoyable, and delightfully unscary."―Classical Music

What if Bach and Mozart heard richer, more dramatic chords than we hear in music today? What sonorities and moods have we lost in playing music in "equal temperament"―the equal division of the octave into twelve notes that has become our standard tuning method? Thanks to How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony, "we may soon be able to hear for ourselves what Beethoven really meant when he called B minor 'black'" (Wall Street Journal).In this "comprehensive plea for more variety in tuning methods" (Kirkus Reviews), Ross W. Duffin presents "a serious and well-argued case" (Goldberg Magazine) that "should make any contemporary musician think differently about tuning" (Saturday Guardian). 48 illustrations

About this title

About the Author:

Ross W. Duffin, the Fynette H. Kulas Professor of Music at Case Western Reserve University, is the author of the award-winning Shakespeare's Songbook. He lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Review:

A delightfully informative and provocative argument that we should rethink our common musical habits at the most basic level. -- Wall Street Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0393334201
• ISBN 13: 9780393334203
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208