Well, I have the start

Well, I have the start of a good list of suggested works for analysis, thanks to Steven Riddle, as well as a list I wanted to discuss on my own. I am hoping that others will contribute suggestions. The reason I am offering these analyses is that I have heard from several people things along the lines of "I wish I knew a little more about music theory or art theory, but haven't had the time."

So, this should be driven by you. If there is a masterwork that you want to learn more about, ask. I do not have all the answers, but I can offer a framework for analysis and can point to tools for digging deeper. If you follow all of these analyses and participate in the discussions, you should be able to hold your own in just about any discussion of art and music. I do recommend having some good reference books around, as well as making trips to the library for the opportunity to use the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, which is the starting point for all serious research in music. If I could afford it, I would buy a set of this work (and would put it next to the Catholic Encyclopedia, another set I would love to have). But for the layman, a good introduction is the book that is one of the standard texts for undergraduate music history:

A History of Western Music
Fourth Edition
Donald J. Grout and Claude V. Palisca
W.W.Norton and Co., London and New York, 1988.

I give this edition, because it is the one I have. They may be on to a fifth, but I don't know. The companion to this, The Norton Anthology of Western Music is just about essential if you can read music. If you cannot read music, skip it, since it is just a collection of scores and will do you little good.

I will recommend some books for art history as well, but will need some time to think about it. There are several that have various strengths and weaknesses, and I am not sure which are the best. I do not want to suggest buying a whole library here.

I will announce the first work for discussion this weekend (in addition to ranting about Brahms). I will suggest recordings and sources for the score. We will start with music. When we get to painting I will suggest several works and see how many of the participants have had the opportunity to see the work in person. Reproductions just do not cut it, although for many works we will need to rely on them.

I know relatively little about dance, so if you want analysis of dance, you will need to go elsewhere. I am sorry. I like dance, but honestly could not tell you one step from another.

So, over the weekend I do recommend that you get yourself a copy of Grout and Palisca. You will find it a valuable book, and I will be referring to it when we discuss historical issues. As far as a harmony text, if you want to get that far into it, then Piston is fine. To really know more about the nuts and bolts of counterpoint, then Johann Josef Fux's Gradus ad Parnassum is the way to go.