Critical and Historical Essays / Lectures delivered at Columbia University

The lectures present a guided survey of music's development from its probable emotional origins through the musical systems and practices of ancient and medieval cultures, examining scales, notation, and the rise of counterpoint. They trace the evolution of instruments and instrumental forms, the transformation of the suite into the sonata, and the growth of piano repertoire and modern orchestration, with separate treatments of folk-song, nationalism, troubadours, opera, and liturgical drama. Interspersed are analyses of prominent seventeenth- and eighteenth-century composers and considerations of musical declamation, suggestion, and aesthetic principles. The author speaks from the perspective of a practicing composer and educator, aiming to combine technical instruction with historical and critical insight.