Harmony: A New Look - by Kirke Mechem (Paperback)

About the Book

A short free-standing booklet, an inexpensive supplement to more extensive theory books.

Book Synopsis

"Harmony: A New Look" reverses the usual orientation of the circle-of-fifths' clock-face diagram and explains the ways chord progressions influence classical structure. It simplifies secondary dominants, sequences, chord function, modulations, and clarifies the uses of other common progressions.

Review Quotes

" . . . new wrinkles on traditional theoretical concepts, using a rich blend of musical examples and avoiding the tone of scientific pretension . . . I would love to use this model in my classes!" -- Dr. Taylor A. Greer, Penn State University

"I like this wonderful 'primer' immensely. It shows deep insight in a prose style that is clear, vivid and eloquent. . . . the thoughts and reflections of a highly experienced composer give it an authority that not all theory texts have." -- Dr. David Conte, Chair of Composition, San Francisco Conservatory

"I wish I had had this as a tool when I was first studying harmony!" -- Dr. Stephen M. Sano, Stanford University

About the Author

Kirke Mechem was born and raised in Kansas, educated at Stanford and Harvard. He conducted opera and taught theory at Stanford. He lived three years in Vienna, where he met the conductor Josef Krips, who championed the composer's orchestral works. Mechem's opera Tartuffe has been performed over 450 times in ten countries. Eight doctoral dissertations have been written on his music. He is often called the "dean of American choral composers."