Re: [Harp-L] Musicology

[Pat Missin <pat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robb wrote
>
>Someone asked a bunch of questions about the ~Whys~ of
>music. One of the best books I ever read on ~the
>principals behind the machine~ is ~Temperament~ by
>Stuart Isacoff. There is SO much misunderstanding
>about musical history/evolution. This book blows the
>lid off, and reads like a novel. 

... and is full of bias, serious omissions and historical inaccuracy.

It is certainly worth reading, but you need some huge pinches of salt
on standby. Here are some comments on it by someone with more
experience in this field than most:

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0205/gann.php

Sadly, I'm at a loss for something on this topic to recommend instead
of Isacoff's book, except perhaps for the history of intonation
presented in Harry Partch's "Genesis of a Music". It's every bit as
biased (though in a different direction), but with fewer errors and
omissions.

Hopefully the success of Isacoff's book will open the doors for some
more writings on this topic.

 -- Pat.