January 13, 201016 yr Though this topic probably has been asked many of times before, Does anyone know of a good music book that teaches about mainly romantic era harmonies and composition, or something along those lines? I have never actually bought a book on composition before, or music as a matter of fact (except for sheet music.) I'm kinda a newb and I don't want to get a book that is going to overwhelm me. I was looking around online and found this, Structural Functions of Harmony by Arnold Schoenberg, I think, according to reviews that they mention romantic harmonies and such. I love romantic era music, and the more I know about it the better.
January 13, 201016 yr Schoenberg is a great resource, although kind of dense. Yeah, I wouldn't recommend starting with Schoenberg. One of the more popular books on harmony is Harmony and Voice Leading by Aldwell and Schachter, although I dislike that the authors label all chords with uppercase roman numerals, plus the book may not address the romantic aspects you're looking for. However, it does take you through common practice era musical procedures step by step.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.