"Film Music: A Very Short Introduction focuses on the most central issues in the practice of film music. What is film music? How is it composed? How does film music work? Why does film music work? The rich and deeply moving sounds of film music are as old as cinema. The very first projected moving images were accompanied by music around the globe as a variety of performers-from single piano players to small orchestras-brought images to life. Film music has since become its own industry, an aesthetic platform for expressing creative visions, and a commercial vehicle for generating increased revenue. The second edition updates coverage to 2022 and includes attention to recent developments in global film music, women in film music, and African -American and minority composers"--

A selection of the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic's writings on music and music criticism, composers, contemporary music, singers and vocal music, musicians, pianists, conductors and performance practice.

If writing about music is like dancing about architecture, you'd do best to hone your chops and avoid clich�s (like the one that begins this sentence) by learning from the prime movers. How to Write About Music offers a selection of the best writers on what is perhaps our most universally beloved art form. Selections from the critically-acclaimed 33 1/3 series appear alongside new interviews and insights from authors like Lester Bangs, Chuck Klosterman, Owen Pallet, Ann Powers and Alex Ross. How to Write About Music includes primary sources of inspiration from a variety of go-to genres such as the album review, the personal essay, the blog post and the interview along with tips, writing prompts and advice from the writers themselves. Music critics of the past and the present offer inspiration through their work on artists like Black Sabbath, Daft Punk, J Dilla, Joy Division, Kanye West, Neutral Milk Hotel, Radiohead, Pussy Riot and countless others. How to Write About Music is an invaluable text for all those who have ever dreamed of getting their music writing published and a pleasure for everyone who loves to read about music.

The analysis of music criticism, and by extension music literature, has become over the last few decades one of the most active research fields in musicological studies. It has decisively contributed to a reinvigorated understanding of musical life from the 18th century to the present day. It has also provided new methodological tools in order to evaluate the construction processes of the socioeconomic and cultural circumstances that have determined the creation, performance, reception, and intellectual appraisal of the musical reality in contemporary societies. This monograph gathers up to 22 contributions that throw light on a broad range of topics and geographical and cultural areas concerning the situation of music criticism throughout the first half of the twentieth century. So, it offers appealing insights into some of the key elements which define the relationship between music and criticism during a pivotal historical period for the discipline.

"Interpreting Music, Engaging Culture: An Introduction to Music Criticism offers a clear, hands-on guide for emerging music critics that brings together aesthetics, critical theory, and practical music criticism. In an accessible format, readers are introduced to various critical schools and are taught how to connect music to its cultural, social, and political contexts. Over the course of the book, readers develop a vocabulary and framework for criticizing music of all kinds and for various media. Excerpts from primary sources throughout provide a wide range of writing examples, while chapters address the distinct challenges of describing and interpreting music, and of writing forms such as album reviews and critical essays. The book explores questions at the core of music criticism, such as what constitutes a musical work and what makes a piece of music "authentic," and introduces critical lenses, including feminist and queer criticism, postcolonialism and critical race theory, as well as the analysis of music in consumer culture. Addressing both classical and popular music criticism, Interpreting Music, Engaging Culture is a comprehensive and lively textbook that enables students to uncover, articulate, and analyze what makes music compelling and meaningful"--

The first new survey of the field in more than 60 years, this study concentrates on the basics of music criticism. Because it focuses on core issues and proven principles, the book is likely to become the standard work on the subject. It is written for the audience that reads music criticism in newspapers and popular journals: professional and amateur musicians, scholars, teachers, researchers, librarians, students, music lovers, journalists, and critics. The topics are covered in depth and observations are thoroughly documented, yet the material is enjoyable to read because the writing is easy to understand and special terminology is held to an absolute minimum. The commentary addresses the function of music criticism, the qualifications and training of a critic, the relationship between music criticism and other aspects of journalism, and the principles behind value judgments. Three chapters are devoted to the concert and opera review, one to reviewing recordings, another to radio and television criticism, and one to reviewing ethnic music. Thirty-eight reviews are quoted and analyzed, and 13 are presented in their entirety, along with critical commentary. Index. Appendix. Bibliography