Choral Music in the Twentieth Century Review

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Choral Music in the Twentieth Century ReviewThis book is the first of its kind, and much needed in the world of choral literature. Up until this book, the best survey book out there was Homer Ulrich's Survey of Choral Music, which focused more on large genres, spanned the history of Western music, and only reached the 1970s. Nick Strimple, professor at the University of Southern California, has written a fantastic survey focusing the twentieth century.
Strimple features music from six continents (sorry Antartica!)-- music is first classified by region, then by composer (Ulrich's book is classified more by genre, which means some skipping around). While Europe and North America receive most of the focus, considerable attention is also given to South America and regions of Africa and Asia. In addition to large works, Strimple also discusses octavos as well, making this a complete survey.
The most notable element about Choral Music in the 20th Century is that it is so well-written. Descriptions of compositions are concise, descriptive, and can serve as springboards for program notes and further research. Perhaps even more impressive is how well the book holds up when read cover to cover. It is so easy for descriptions about music to sound alike after awhile (there are only so many ways one can describe an upbeat piece, for instance). Yet Strimple's prose seems unburdened by the density of research which a survey must convey.
Readers should keep in mind that this is a survey of choral music -- there are no lengthy analyses or value judgments here (these pieces are great, these pieces are lousy, etc.). Otherwise the book would have been three times its size. Also, when writing a book about choral music across six continents, there are bound to be some composers or works which slip through the cracks. I can only imagine the disappointment expressed by some who didn't "make the cut."
The truth is that with nothing out there like it, Strimple's book didn't have to be this good (or this inexpensive, for which Strimple and his publisher should also be credited). Due to his diligence, however, it seems this book will likely serve as the de facto survey on 20th century choral music for several decades. And there's good news -- Amazon shows that Strimple's book on nineteenth-century music is due to come out later this year. Hurrah!Choral Music in the Twentieth Century Overview

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