Classical music

"The latest volume in the Norton Introduction to Music History series focuses on the rise and decline of the Classical style, which flourished from the middle of the eighteenth century to the second decade of the nineteenth. The author demonstrates the enormous diversity and constant change that characterized music and musical life during this period. Downs eschews the usual stylistic labels, such as Rococo and High Classic, and instead organizes the text into short time spans. Within each, he looks to the social conditions and daily life of the musician, the aesthetics and audience…