Twentieth-Century Harmony: Creative Aspects and Practice

By Vincent Persichetti

Book Overview

Here for the first time is an orderly presentation of the harmonic procedures to be found in music of the first half of the twentieth-century. The author examines the nature of intervals in various contexts, discusses the modes and other scales employed in modern music, describes the formation and uses of chords by thirds, by fourths, and by seconds, of added-note chords and polychords; he deals with different types of harmonic motion, with harmonic rhythm and dynamic sand ornamentation, with harmonic behavior in tonality, polytonality, atonality and serial composition.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393095398
• ISBN13: 9780393095395
• Release Date: January 1961
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Clear and informative

Unquestionably one of the clearest, and most useful composition books I have ever read. This is something every composer should own. The book guides you through various aspects of modern composition and provides a TON of examples, as well as suggesting numerous pieces for further study. This book is worth double what it costs!

Required reading for serious composers

This is one of the most inspirational composition books I have. Every chapter will expand your horizons with clear explanations of difficult material, concise examples, and inspiring exercises. I return to this year after year when I am getting jaded with what I'm writing.

Essential for Composers and Contemporary Music Enthusiasts

Vincent Persichetti's "Twentieth Century Harmony" is a very thorough look at ways to use harmony outside of a traditional tonal context. In other words, if you are a composer and don't know all you could about how to use harmony except in tonal progressions, or if you are a listener interested in understanding twentieth century concert music, this book is for you. The book deals with the harmonic series, modes, synthetic scales, different types of chords (added note, polychords, etc.) and very specifically with different characteristics of different intervals. Littered with examples of nearly every point, it is the best education on contemporary harmony available. Persichetti, unlike too many composers, doesn't go out of his way to use as many words as possible. He also doesn't attempt to criticize styles of music not his own in this writing; he simply gives an objective, clear, well organized series of lessons in harmony. I am a senior music composition student now, but learning much from the pages of this book.

an excellent resource for composers and students

Twentiteh Century Harmony provides, in a concise, easy to follow format, a useful methodology of understanding and manipulating the musical structures of the twentieth century. Written from a teacher's perspective, the book is engaging and full of suggested exercises for the practice of the techniques being discussed in each chapter.