Format : Textbook
Description A meticulous and informed examination of the compositional style of the greatest Renaissance creator of liturgical music. Author Knud Jeppesen explores the elements and disciplines that constitute Palestrina's personal style including his handling of rhythm, line and harmony. The beginning chapters discuss the standard use of rhythm and harmony in Palestrina's time, setting the context of the work, identifying common and uncommon practices. At the heart of the book is a painstaking examination of Palestrina's use of dissonance and his contrapuntal technique, which forged new harmonic devices that were unorthodox for his time, but proved vital to the development of the western harmonic systems of later years. In addition, Jeppesen includes a complete history of the evolving concept of dissonance before Palestrina, including quotations from some of the earliest theoretical works.
SKU: AP.6-442683
ISBN 9780486442686. English.
This classic study remains one of the foremost works on the music of Palestrina, a rigorous and valuable analysis of the composer's handling of rhythm, line, and harmony. The heart of the book is a meticulous exploration of the treatment of dissonance in Palestrina's works, supplemented by what amounts to a full history of the evolving concept and treatment of dissonance before Palestrina, discussing the practice of composers such as Josquin Desprez, Gabrieli, Ockeghem, and Dunstable. This is an indispensable text for the student of counterpoint and among the most important works on this towering figure of sixteenth-century music. [5 3/8 x 8 1/2, 320 pp.].
