Tuning and Temperament: A Historical Survey of Musical Theory | Dover Books on Music History | Perfect for Music Students, Historians & Composers
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SKU:87089716
Product Description
The demands of tuning (attaining the perfect scale) and temperament (the compromises necessary for composing in every key) have challenged musicians from the earliest civilizations onward. This guide surveys these longstanding problems, devoting a chapter to each principal theory and offering a running account of the complete history of tuning and temperament. Organized chronologically, the book features a helpful glossary and numerous illustrative tables, and it requires minimal background in music theory. This new reissue is currently the only edition in print of a much-quoted classic. 9 figures. 180 tables.
Customer Reviews
This is a small book, packed with information. If you know how to understand it and use it, it can be extremely helpful, but may be a tad overwhelming to the novice. Barbour traces the history of tuning and temperament, from Pythagoras to our modern age of equal temperament, giving detailed mathematical descriptions of various mean-tone and well-tempered tuning systems. If you are an early music performer, you should own this book, and if you are interested in learning more about the development of tuning systems throughout history, this is the most concise scientifically based book available on the subject.
