Tuning and Temperament: A Historical Survey (Dover Books on Music)

Tuning and Temperament: A Historical Survey (Dover Books on Music)
by J. Murray Barbour

Tuning and Temperament: A Historical Survey (Dover Books on Music)
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Book Summary Information

Author: J. Murray Barbour
Brand: Alfred Publishing
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-05-20
ISBN: 0486434060
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Dover Publications
Product features:
  • Book
  • By J. Murray Barbour
  • Format Book

Book Reviews of Tuning and Temperament: A Historical Survey (Dover Books on Music)

Book Review: A classic, essential reading if a bit dated
Summary: 4 Stars

Thank heavens Dover did this reprint! Barbour's book is essential reading for anyone wanting a comprehensive overview of historical temperaments, from the early Greeks to the twentieth century. That said, Barbour wrote from the vantage point of someone firmly believing that equal temperament is the ultimate expression of temperament, so the reader is left to interpret the contents, absorb what's good and toss out what's not so useful. Barbour cites many sources, so the book makes a decent bibliogrphy for further study. In fact, having read the book the reader should indeed go to the sources and make his own interpretation of the sources.
While this book is essential reading, there are several other contemporary writers on tuning and temperaments. Highly recommended is Mark Lindley's entry on the subject in the New Grove's. For a valuable polemic on temperaments and harmony, read Ross Duffin's recent "How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and Why You Should Care)", available at Amazon.com.

Summary of Tuning and Temperament: A Historical Survey (Dover Books on Music)

The demands of tuning and temperament have challenged musicians from the earliest civilizations onward. This guide surveys these problems, devoting a chapter to each principal theory and offering a complete history of tuning and temperament. Requires minimal background in music theory. This new reissue is currently the only edition in print. Includes 9 figures and 180 tables.

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