This book is thorough, however it assumes too much familiarity with the classical repertoire like so many other books on music composition. To utilize this book you would have had to a)perform what seems like nearly all of the classical repertoire when you were in high school and recognize the music by name, b)starting on your masters degree in music or c) be capable of performing all of the examples on sight and want to. This book is not very accessible and is only for experienced classical composers with an emphasis on the 20th centery. Too hoity toity for me. I can't recommend this book to anyone except seasoned classical afficianado's.

I highly recommend this wonderful book. I have used it myself to teach beginning composition lessons, and used it as a reference many times for advanced analysis and composition. It's a real down-to-earth read that can be absorbed quickly while retaining many great composition "rules of thumb". Only a moderate understanding of music theory is needed to grasp concepts within the book. Great exercises in the back of the book.

This book covers almost every aspect that the composers are looking for. It is a book for composers indeed! It's a book of sound roules. Examine the techniques of the 20th century showing exactly how it will sound the work and how the parts will interact as a form.

Mr Brindle is a composer and that's why composers will welcome this book. It talk in the same idiom that composers want. It gives the harmonic and composition techniques but it shows the pourpose of it. The roules that he shows are taked from his own impresions and analisis,not from other books of theorics writers.

The contemporary techniques(Free pentatonic music,pandiatonicism,impresionism,polytonality, tonal contradiction,interval harmony etc.etc.) are stated very cleverly.

It has,also,a chapter devoted to choir writting that explain,as I have never seen before,this technique,and is so good that you think that the choir writting is easy after that.

I'm a composer,and I'm always seeking for good boks on the subyect of composition. This one will belong on my library forever.

ferreyramarcelo@usa.net

Worthwhile addition to the library of books devoted to contemporary music. The presentation is quite lucid and the topics covered are quite relevant for today's composer, or those interested in modern techniques. There is very little coverage of the most recent composers, namely those working in neo-tonal contexts, but there is a mention of this trend in an epilogue. I find the graphical information in the book some of the best content in the book. Some chapters try to cover somewhat technical topics too quickly, but if you read it carefully enough, it's comprehensible.