What are some of the best books on music?

the oxford handbook of music and emotion

Are Steve Reich's writings any good

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David Foster Wallace wrote a book about rap.

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I found this absolute gem in a second-hand store. It's one of my favorites on the subject of species counterpoint. The other being Fux's Gradus Ad Parnassum (also called The Study of Counterpoint in recent editions). Classical Form by William E. Caplin is also a must-read if you're interested in the subject.

Lester Bangs

>>9000753
I've had Gradus Ad Parnassum for a few weeks, this is a good suggestion.
>>9000743
What do you think about his contempt for jazz?

>>9001150
>What do you think about his contempt for jazz?
that it's sad that people think it was about jazz specifically and not popular music in alles

>>9000753
was also going to mention Fux

horrible thread

>>9001743
y

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture."

>>9001752
fun af?

Alex Ross - The Rest is Noise is p. good, I'm yet to read his book on pop music but I've seen people say good things about it. Lipstick Killers and Greil Marcus in general are also strongly recommended. When I was in high school I had a Lester Bangggs phase, but it was paralel to my HST, and if you don't like him, I don't think you'll enjoy Lester either.

>>9001752
>what is derive
do you even critique the spectacle brah

Scaruffi's A History of Rock Music.

"How musical is man" John Blacking

Also any western music history volume by Taruskin

>>9001797

Seconding The Rest is Noise. Schoenberg's writings and Doctor Faustus also tie in with Adorno.

Ian Glasper's books on UK punk are cool, and Simon Reynolds has written some great books on hip hop postpunk and rave culture.

Ben Watson's Derek Bailey and the story of free improv as well as Bailey's own book on improvisation helped me think about a lot of things more clearly, not just musically.

what would adorno think about rap, rave music, and other contemporary genres
any /crit/ theorists here?

Bernstein's "The unanswered question" helps to explain how classical music lost its way in the 20th century.

>>8997665
The real frank zappa book