Brilliantly written by Paul Henry Lang, Music in Western Civilization encapsulates aspects of “Western” society and culture with insights derived from a profound knowledge of music.

As the title suggests, this book follows the traditional historical narrative of “Western civilization”, from the Classical era, and Middle Ages, to the Renaissance, and the more well-known realms of Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and beyond.

Being mainly Eurocentric, the book (by the time I wrote this I’ve read about 25%) follows a nationalist perspective as it describes the various styles of music. The author is especially observant in characterizing the “cultural impetus” that arises from different parts of Europe. There is also a tendency to characterize different ethnicities with different characteristics in the book, which I would recommend taking with a pinch of salt.

The book itself is less demanding in terms of musical theory itself but instead in the knowledge of history & humanities; people without professional training may also benefit greatly from reading it. Compared to most music textbooks, this book includes more nuanced explanations that start from Ancient Greek music, Byzantine, and the Patristic Period. Its emphasis on music, not as a technical subject but as an aspect of history, may prove to be a valuable source for scholars of all the Humanities even beyond Musicology.

Blogposts marked with [MWC] will be dedicated to summarizing and explaining parts of the book, including key terminology, notable individuals, and external links that I found useful in my reading. I will also include any other comments or thoughts that I may have in the process, attempting to make the intellectual wealth of this book more accessible and easily navigated.