Tonality and Design in Music Theory, Volume I

This book emphasizes Western musical art, with ample material on the music of both men and women, differing styles, various cultures, and examples drawn from popular and ethnic sources. Following the well-established tradition of comprehensive musicianship, this book presents lessons and assignments not only in basic tonal harmony, but also in fundamentals, concepts of melody, counterpoint, form, analysis, composition, written essays, and a survey of 20th and 21st century music. For music enthusiasts interested in understanding the development of music.

In two volumes, Tonality and Design in Music Theory is a text package devised for students and teachers at a wide range of colleges and universities. The book follows a comprehensive musicianship approach in integrating studies of traditional Western melody, harmony, and rhythm with an introduction to form, a review of fundamentals, and several chapters devoted to music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

This is a carefully paced book that will foster student success in college-level music study. The text discussions are clear and informal with helpful diagrams, charts, and sample analyses. In addition, students will find a wealth of supplementary information (related topics, composer dates, and biographical sketches, for example) throughout both volumes. Numerous drill exercises and self tests (with answers) help ensure comprehension and steady progress. Creative projects accompany each chapter and center on analyses, composition (often with detailed instructions and examples), and suggested research projects dealing with folk and popular music, historical studies, and many other topics.

Other distinctive features of Tonality and Design include:

• Musical examples taken not only from traditional Western literature, but from musical theatre, jazz, rock, and folk styles.
• The music of many women and minority composers as well as frequent examples from outside Western culture.
• An unusually large number of complete pieces for analysis and performance including vocal scores; movements from piano sonatas, and popular songs, as well as quartet, symphonic, and chamber scores.
• A wide range of student supplements including over thirty self tests in each volume, detailed instructions for projects, ample drill exercises, lists of essential terms, appendixes on acoustics, temperaments and tuning, instrumentation, popular music chord symbols, and other topics.
• Audio CDs for each volume contain recordings of most text examples and allow students to correlate notation with performance.
• A complete workbook is available with each volume and includes drill material, short analysis and composition projects, and complete pieces for study in each volume.