Anthology for Musical Analysis

This analysis provides extensive excerpts, which is good for preparing theory analysis class, however, if the analysis would be provided by the composer, or have the pieces grouped according to their nature / harmonic structure, then the book would be even more beneficial and convenient to many amateurs as well.

When I read the table of contents, I was very very happy to see that this book includes women composers. My theory book from last year did not include any women composers and that made me mad, so I was excited to see Hildegard of Bingen and Ruth Crawford Seeger among others included in this book.

Of course, every piece of music can be analyzed and discussed. The problem for the teacher is to find pieces that will yield useful principles for students to learn through their early studies in form, harmony, and voice leading. Ideally, the pieces will be representative of the music of their period and of the principles under discussion. It really does the student no good to study a piece that is unique in the way it handles the principle being studied. On the other hand, the student must be able to discover the form, or harmonic example, or voice leading with the skills they are developing. So, the selection cannot be too sophisticated for its audience nor should the piece yield its treasure too easily. The student should have to work a bit in order to develop their analytic abilities. This collection of pieces for study has been around for quite awhile with some alterations in its various editions. This is the sixth edition and remains a great collection. The pieces are from all periods from ancient to modern, there are pieces in all genres and ensemble types. Certainly, any teacher will likely supplement what is provided here with their own preferred pieces to illustrate certain points, but there is so much valuable stuff here that it will likely provide source material for several classes over a the years of undergraduate study. Burkhart also provides helpful notes and insightful questions at the head of pieces to help the student in thinking about that piece. While I want to complement the publisher on the clarity of printing, and the vast majority of it is very good, I do wish that the few places where the bars for the sixteenth, thirty-second, and sixty-fourth notes run together that they were more careful to make them clear as well. Yes, this is not a performing edition and it is still clear what the music is, it is still disconcerting for musicians to try to read such blurry music. Can you imagine an anthology of, say, American poetry, being acceptable if the text were smeared just because it was kind of legible? But this is a smallish (but serious) point. This anthology would be perfectly useable for someone studying form, harmony, and voice leading on their own, as well. Fine anthology that has earned its place in the curriculum.

I'm a student at the Peabody Conservatory, so I've used music anthologies for a few years now and I've found that Burkhart's Anthology for Musical Analysis (6th edition) is a praiseworthy version. Some comments from a student's point of view: the book is well organized, with relevant examples (including orchestral scores) and informative introductions to each of the five sections as well as to each musical example; the examples are easy to read and to mark up; it is spiral bound and, while easy to page through, is loose and rather heavy, making it a bit cumbersome to carry to class; my biggest complaint is about its exorbitant price-I don't know why these no-frills music books have to be so costly. But if you are looking for a good anthology and are willing to pay, Burkhart's is a terrific choice. Extra benefits include: two appendices, one with Jazz harmony and one with chorale harmonizations; translations of foreign terms; and two good indexes, one general and one of chords, sequences, and modulations.

Dr. Burkhart has compiled a marvelous compendium of approachable music for analysis -- particularly of "common practice period" examples. In addition, he includes works, in increasing difficulty in that they start to lead away from various conventions of our Western ears' expectations. In sample or example, Burkhart leads us from Baroque tonality to the start of atonality through Wagner's "Tristan und Isole" and beyond. The scores are large enough to include easy reading (much "white" around the notes). The newer paper is more receptive to pencil marking. In addition, the binding has been improved since ? This is a must for the "classical" listener who reads music. It is a great companion for any analysis or form class.