Music Theory and Composition - by Stephen C Stone (Paperback)

About the Book

This text presents a pragmatic, accessible approach to music theory by emphasizing melody and counterpoint. Starting with a single melodic line and gradually adding voices in counterpoint, the book drills part-writing while also explaining functionality, first with scale degre...

Book Synopsis

This text presents a pragmatic, accessible approach to music theory by emphasizing melody and counterpoint. Starting with a single melodic line and gradually adding voices in counterpoint, the book drills part-writing while also explaining functionality, first with scale degrees and then with harmony. Workbook sections follow each chapter.

Review Quotes

Stephen Stone's Music Theory and Composition is indeed a practical approach, as the subtitle promises. Giving substantial, readable instruction in rudiments, counterpoint, harmony, and popular music, this flexible text will find immediate use in many different programs and courses.

Stephen Stone's Music Theory and Composition: A Practical Approach provides readers with an exceptionally clear and logical approach to studying music theory. An all-encompassing textbook, it lays out its contents in a fashion that reflects historical progression of music - from the study of single melody to species counterpoint, diatonic harmony, forms, and chromatic harmony to popular music. Embedded within this logical flow of the content is the author's ability to explain the 'why's' and 'how's' of music theory, which I think is the greatest strength of this book. Stone pinpoints and explains many of the most common struggles and stumbling blocks students encounter in learning music theory, which undoubtedly comes from his years of devoted teaching experience. Students are not just instructed on how to do things but are guided to understand why and how certain musical and theoretical phenomenon are preferred and emphasized in the common practice period. While reading, students will continue to find themselves exclaiming 'Aha! That's why!'

Stone's text encourages both knowledge and creativity. While instructors will welcome its adaptability to a variety of curricular plans, students will appreciate the clarity of writing and the breadth of repertoire. The chapters covering popular music are to be celebrated.

The book is the result of over ten years; work; and it shows. Stone's writing style is "familiar" as if spoken, without being "chummy" or falsely fashionable. The book lacks gimmicks and silly asides to get the reader to "like" the author completely. It's authoritative without being "magisterial"; which really means that is covers its material as approachably as it does comprehensively. If you're looking for a single volume book that already seems to know why you have acquired it and how attached you are to music; yet not unable to admit that you can always learn more about the way good music works, then Music Theory and Composition can be heartily recommended.

About the Author

STEPHEN C. STONE has been on the music theory faculty at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University for fourteen years and is the former director of the music program at the Johns Hopkins School of Arts and Sciences.