Musical Composition

Rating:
Summary: great read and methodology for novice to advanced composers
Review: I highly recommend this wonderful book. I have used it myself to teach beginning composition lessons, and used it as a reference many times for advanced analysis and composition. It's a real down-to-earth read that can be absorbed quickly while retaining many great composition "rules of thumb". Only a moderate understanding of music theory is needed to grasp concepts within the book. Great exercises in the back of the book.

Rating:
Summary: great read and methodology for novice to advanced composers
Review: I highly recommend this wonderful book. I have used it myself to teach beginning composition lessons, and used it as a reference many times for advanced analysis and composition. It's a real down-to-earth read that can be absorbed quickly while retaining many great composition "rules of thumb". Only a moderate understanding of music theory is needed to grasp concepts within the book. Great exercises in the back of the book.

Rating:
Summary: An excelent book for composers
Review: This book covers almost every aspect that the composers are looking for. It is a book for composers indeed! It's a book of sound roules. Examine the techniques of the 20th century showing exactly how it will sound the work and how the parts will interact as a form.

Mr Brindle is a composer and that's why composers will welcome this book. It talk in the same idiom that composers want. It gives the harmonic and composition techniques but it shows the pourpose of it. The roules that he shows are taked from his own impresions and analisis,not from other books of theorics writers.

The contemporary techniques(Free pentatonic music,pandiatonicism,impresionism,polytonality, tonal contradiction,interval harmony etc.etc.) are stated very cleverly.

It has,also,a chapter devoted to choir writting that explain,as I have never seen before,this technique,and is so good that you think that the choir writting is easy after that.

I'm a composer,and I'm always seeking for good boks on the subyect of composition. This one will belong on my library forever.

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Rating:
Summary: good book for the beginning composer
Review: This book is a nice sketch idea of how to compose in a small ensemble or solo setting. the examples given are of good quality and obviously very thoughtful. I would recommend this book for beginning composers. The short chapters provide enough details to understand most topics. For a more mature developing composer, I would recommend Techniques of a Modern Composer by David Cope as well as 20th Century Harmony by Vincent Persechetti. Also, nothing really helps understanding composition than just studying the masters! if you need a good book to help you get started, however, this book definately fits the bill.

Rating:
Summary: On Brindle
Review: This book is thorough, however it assumes too much familiarity with the classical repertoire like so many other books on music composition. To utilize this book you would have had to a)perform what seems like nearly all of the classical repertoire when you were in high school and recognize the music by name, b)starting on your masters degree in music or c) be capable of performing all of the examples on sight and want to. This book is not very accessible and is only for experienced classical composers with an emphasis on the 20th centery. Too hoity toity for me. I can't recommend this book to anyone except seasoned classical afficianado's.

Rating:
Summary: On Brindle
Review: This book is thorough, however it assumes too much familiarity with the classical repertoire like so many other books on music composition. To utilize this book you would have had to a)perform what seems like nearly all of the classical repertoire when you were in high school and recognize the music by name, b)starting on your masters degree in music or c) be capable of performing all of the examples on sight and want to. This book is not very accessible and is only for experienced classical composers with an emphasis on the 20th centery. Too hoity toity for me. I can't recommend this book to anyone except seasoned classical afficianado's.