Presents a detailed analysis of the musical styles and forms developed by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven.

Building on ideas first advanced by Arnold Schoenberg and later developed by Erwin Ratz, this book introduces a new theory of form for instrumental music in the classical style. The theory provides a broad set of principles and a comprehensive methodology for the analysis of classical form, from individual ideas, phrases, and themes to the large-scale organization of complete movements. It emphasizes the notion of formal function, that is, the specific role a given formal unit plays in the structural organization of a classical work.

The Reader's Guide to Music is designed to provide a useful single-volume guide to the ever-increasing number of English language book-length studies in music. Each entry consists of a bibliography of some 3-20 titles and an essay in which these titles are evaluated, by an expert in the field, in light of the history of writing and scholarship on the given topic. The more than 500 entries include not just writings on major composers in music history but also the genres in which they worked (from early chant to rock and roll) and topics important to the various disciplines of music scholarship (from aesthetics to gay/lesbian musicology).

Historians have long tried to place the music of Haydn and Mozart in the lineage of German Lutheran music. In this book, Daniel Heartz shows that the first Viennese school grew from a Catholic inheritance in Italian music and from local tradition, with an admixture of French currents. The generation of composers led by Haydn no longer trained in Italy. By the time young Mozart joined the ranks of the Viennese school, its accomplishments towered above all others of the time. The author's approach can be compared to viewing a majestic mountain range in its totality: the highest peaks take on even greater majesty when seen in their natural context of foothills and lesser peaks. This is how Haydn and Mozart were viewed by their contemporaries, whose world of perception Heartz recreates, using, among other things, the visual art of the period. His focus is on music as a part of cultural history at a particular time and place. Stylistic terms and a priori periods matter less to him than the common denominators of geography, culture, and political history. Book jacket.

When we speak of "classical music" it often refers rather loosely to serious "art" music but at the core is really the music of the classical period running from about 1730 to 1800, give or take. This was truly one of the most glorious periods for both composition and performance and it is this classical music which is still at the core of today's repertoire. Obvious names connected with this period are Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, but there were many more still reasonably well known like Gluck and C.P.E Bach, and dozens more who are regrettably little known today. This Historical Dictionary of Music of the Classical Period includes not only these composers, but also eminent conductors and performers, patrons, and publishers. There are also dictionary entries on major centers of music-making, typical instruments, important technical terms, and emerging musical forms, including the symphony and opera. Indeed, with a 1,000 cross-referenced entries, there is information on most matters of interest. This is prefaced by an extensive chronology, tracing the course of this period from year to year, and an introduction taking a careful look at the period as a whole. Finally, there is a substantial bibliography. Surely, this is a book which will appeal not only to students and researchers but all music-lovers.