The definitive survey, combining current scholarship with a vibrant narrative. Carefully informed by feedback from dozens of scholars, it remains the book that students and teachers trust to explain what’s important, where it fits, and why it matters. Peter Burkholder weaves a compelling story of people, their choices, and the western musical tradition that emerged. From chant to hip-hop, he connects past to present to create a context for tomorrow’s musicians.

Part1. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
1. Opera and Vocal Music in the Early Classic Period.
2. Instrumental Music: Sonata, Symphony, and Concerto.
3. Classic Music in the Late Eighteenth Century.

Part 2. THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
4. Revolution and Change.
5. The Romantic Generation: Song and Piano Music.
6. Romanticism in Classical Forms: Choral, Chamber, and Orchestral Music.
7. Romantic Opera and Musical Theater to Midcentury.
8. Opera and Musical Theater in the Later Nineteenth Century.
9. Late Romanticism in German Musical Culture.
10. Diverging Traditions in the Later Nineteenth Century.

AUTHORS
J. Peter Burkholder
(Indiana University)

Claude V Palisca
(late of Yale University)

Donald Jay Grout
(late of Cornell University)

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