This list provides an overview of books concerning general aspects of music history, or specific examinaitons of periods, places, or styles.

We welcome feedback, suggestions, additions, and corrections to this information.

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Concise History of Western Music, Barbara Russano Hanning, Donald Jay Grout. W.W. Norton & Company. 1998. ISBN 0393971686 (hardcover)

A History of Western Music, Donald Jay Grout, Claude V. Palisca. W.W. Norton & Company. 1996. ISBN 0393969045 (hardcover)

Fifth Edition.

A History of Western Music: Anthology of Western Music II Vol 2, Claude V. Palisca. W.W. Norton & Company. 1993. ISBN 0393991822 (hardcover)

The Vintage Guide to Classical Music, Jan Swafford. Vintage Books. 1993. ISBN 0679728058 (paperback)

Norton Introductions to Music History

Source Readings in Music History: Greek Views of Music Vol 1, W. Oliver Strunk (Editor), et al. W.W. Norton & Company. 1997. ISBN 0393966941 (paperback)

Anthology of Medieval Music, Richard H. Hoppin. W.W. Norton & Company. 1978. ISBN 0393090906 (hardcover), 0393090809 (paperback)

Anthology of Renaissance Music: Music of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, Allan W. Atlas (Editor). W.W. Norton & Company. 1998. ISBN 0393971694, (hardcover), 0393971708 (paperback)

Source Readings in Music History: The Renaissance Vol 2, Oliver Strunk (editor), et al. W.W. Norton & Company. 1966. ISBN 0393037525 (hardcover), 0393096815 (paperback)

Anthology of Classical Music, Philip G. Downs (Editor). W.W. Norton & Company. 1992. ISBN 0393952096 (paperback)

Romantic Music: A History of Musical Style in Nineteenth-Century Europe, Leon Plantinga. W.W. Norton & Company. 1984. ISBN 0393951960 (hardcover)

Twentieth-Century Music: A History of Musical Style in Modern Europe and America, Robert P. Morgan. W.W. Norton & Company. 1991. ISBN 039395272X (hardcover)

Anthology of Twentieth-Century Music, Robert P. Morgan. W.W. Norton & Company. 1992. ISBN 0393952843 (paperback)

Source Readings in Music History from Classical Antiquity Through the Romantic Era, W. Oliver Strunk, Leo Treitler. W.W. Norton & Company. 1950. ISBN 0393097420 (hardcover)

History of Song, Denis Stevens. W.W. Norton & Company. 1970. ISBN 0393005364 (paperback)

A History of Musical Style, Richard L. Crocker. Dover Publications, Inc. 1986. ISBN 0486250296 (paperback)

Music in Western Civilization, Paul Henry Lang. W.W. Norton & Company. 1940, 1997. ISBN 0393040747 (hardcover)

This widely celebrated history of Western music, first published in 1941, has been updated with a new foreword by Leon Botstein. The vast scope of this 1100-page volume begins with the music of ancient Greece and ends with that of the first two decades of the 20^th century.

Oxford First Companion to Composers and Their Music, Kenneth McLeish, Valerie McLeish (contributor). Oxford University Press. 1982. ISBN 0193214385 (paperback)

The Oxford Companion to Music, Percy Alfred Scholes. Oxford University Press. 1970. ISBN 0193113066 (hardcover)

Single volume, 10^th edition.

The New Oxford Companion to Music, Percy Alfred Scholes, Denis Arnold (photographer). Oxford University Press. 1988. ISBN 0193113163 (paperback)

2017-page, 2-volume set

History of Opera (Norton/Grove Handbooks in Music), Stanley Sadie (Editor). W.W. Norton & Company. 1990. ISBN 0393028100 (hardcover)

Music in Late Renaissance & Early Baroque Italy. Amadeus Press. 1992. ISBN 0713467304 (hardcover)

Masterpieces of Music Before 1750: An Anthology of Musical Examples from Gregorian Chant to J.S. Bach. Carl Parrish (editor). W.W. Norton & Company. 1950. ISBN 0393097390 (paperback).

French Baroque Music: From Beaujoyeulx to Rameau. James R. Anthony. Amadeus Press. ISBN 1574670212 (hardcover).

The vibrant era between 1581 and 1733 in France saw the development of the court ballet, the birth of the tragedie lyrique and other operatic forms, and the prodigious musical activity of such figures as Lully, Marin Marais, Delalande, Couperin, and Rameau. This was the first definitive study of French music of the Baroque era and remains the only comprehensive survey of the vast musical output of 17^th and 18^th- century France. Completely revised and expanded, this new edition incorporates research of the past two decades and includes a wealth of quotations from early writers on the subject. The book provides an overview of French music of the period, exploring music of the stage and of the altar and includes chapters on music for lute, guitar, and keyboard; instrumental music; and vocal chamber music. A revised author's preface considers the present state of reseach in the area of French Baroque music. Finally, a new and expanded index and an updated bibliography listing more than 1,300 works make this book a superb resource for scholars as well as laymen. This widely-acclaimed volume was first published by W.W. Norton in 1974.

Classical Music: The Era of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, Philip G. Downs. W.W. Norton & Company. 1992. ISBN 039395191X (hardcover)

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Charles Rosen. W.W. Norton & Company. 1997. ISBN 0393040208 (hardcover), 0393317129 (paperback), 0393006530 (first edition paperback)

French Music from the Enlightenment to Romanticism: 1789-1830, Jean Mongredien, et al. Amadeus Press. 1996. ISBN 1574670115 (hardcover)

Beethoven in German Politics (1870-1889). David B. Dennis. Yale University Press. 1996. ISBN 0300063997

Focus on the image of Beethoven after his death.

The Romantic Generation. Charles Rosen. Harvard University Press. 1995. ISBN 0674779339 (hardcover), 0674779347 (paperback).

A comprehensive introduction to the great composers whose styles were developed during the late 1820s and early 1830s - Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, and others.

American Music in the Twentieth Century, Kyle Gann. Schirmer. 1997. ISBN 002864655X (hardcover)

Read the Classical Net Review of this book.

From Parry to Britten: British Music in Letters, 1900-1945, Lewis Foreman. Amadeus Press. 1988. ISBN 0931340039 (hardcover)

Scots Musical Museum, 1787-1803, James Johnson, Robert Burns. Amadeus Press. 1991. ISBN 0931340292 (paperback)

Authentic Singing, Being the History and Practice of the Art of Singing and Teaching. Edward V. Foreman. Pro Musica Press. 2001. ISBN 1887117121 (paperback).

As the title indicates, this two-volume history covers the vocal waterfront, including sections on history, pedagogy, ornamentation, solfeggi and vocalizzi.

The Cleveland Orchestra Story: "Second to None". Donald Rosenberg. Gray & Company, Publishers. September 25, 2000. ISBN 1886228248 (hardcover).

The Cleveland Orchestra is widely acclaimed as one of the world's top three orchestras – and has been ever since George Szell first took the ensemble to such heights in the 1950s. But it wasn't always so. How did this late-blooming Midwestern ensemble rise amid the gritty surroundings of Big Industry to become a titan in the world of Big Art? Donald Rosenberg, classical music critic for The Plain Dealer, takes a close look at the phenomenon in the first book about the Cleveland Orchestra in 30 years. It tells the complete story behind one of the world's most successful arts institutions. Classical music fans who want to understand the forces that drive a major symphony orchestra will find it a fascinating read.

The Future of Modern Music: A Philosophical Exploration of Modernist Music in the 20th Century and Beyond. James McHard. American Book Publishing. 2001. ISBN 1930586248 (paperback). NEW 3^rd Edition pub. 2008: ISBN 0977819515 (paperback).

A selective survey of the major pioneering composers of the 20^th century, this resource focuses on the development of the new emphases in music creation, including tone color and density - elements which prior to 1900 had been subordinated in their treatment and given secondary importance compared to melody and harmony. In addition to presenting general biographies and a list of each of the 123 featured composer’s most prominent works, this sourcebook examines the philosophies and the aesthetic considerations behind the new techniques involved in these primary treatments of density and timbre. From Claude Debussy, Gustav Mahler, and Karlheinz Stockhausen to Julio Estrada, Luigi Russolo, and Otomo Yoshihide, this review provides a means of understanding and appreciating the music predominant in the repertoires of most major, modern-day orchestras.

The Book of Musical Anecdotes. Norman Lebrecht (editor). Free Press (Macmillan). 1985. ISBN 0029187109 (paperback).

Arranged chronologically by composer or performer. Begins with a very short biography. Alphabetic list in front of book. Very detailed index. Extracts from the literature on music, with good footnotes and bibliographic information.

Mozart's Death - Mozart's Requiem. Brendan Cormican. Amadeus Trust (Belfast). 1991. ISBN 0951035703 (hardcover).

Examines the various murder theories and medical records from the Vienna archives and provides more information on the Requiem commission. Web pictures at http://www.angelfire.com/bc2/mozart.