20/20: 20 New Sounds of the 20th Century [With CD]

I am a history major that was forced to take a music class, so this book was a interesting read to me. The historical biographical aspect to this book was what was good. I personally hated most of the music and the theories that are given in this book. However, I gave it a four out of five because it did give a good description of the composers and how they related to the different historical musical movements in the 20th century.

I've just started reading this book in preparation for a class I'm about to teach and I'm finding it remarkably refreshing in its accessible, insightful, informative-yet-not-overly-academic approach to a difficult topic, namely 20th century music. The CD that accompanies it has 20 short, representative examples of music from the 20th century -- and I'm starting with the CD for a reason. Duckworth continually emphasizes the centrality of sound in this book -- for composers and listeners alike. The prose that accompanies each track on the CD is captivating and easy to read, capturing the essence of each composer without attempting to provide an exhaustive "summary" of her/his place in the writing of music history. The prose is infused with quotations by the composers themselves (gleaned from interviews, etc.) that shed a personal and direct light on them and the way they view their art. Again, I haven't finished reading it yet -- but I'm finding that it's whetting my appetite and making me rethink my approach to new and unfamiliar music. Although having knowledge of music theory and music history will help you get more out of this book, it is by no means a requirement.