Introduction to Four-Part Harmony by Lawrence Schubert
Text (300 pages) and Workbook (110 pages), looseleaf bound in one volume.
A step-by-step presentation of the principles of harmony and voice leading with an emphasis on the study of four-part writing.
The original version of this book was completed in 1986 and it has since been rewritten several times to reflect my classroom experience with a wide variety of students. I have tested this volume for nine years in my high school classes at the Nassau BOCES Cultural Arts Center, during thirteen years of college teaching, and with private students, both individually and in classes, ranging from gifted middle school pupils to professional concert performers.
I have felt for some time that existing texts, some of which are quite wonderful in many ways, sometimes fail to address the level of confusion frequently generated by this subject. In my manner of presentation and the design of tables and examples, my goal has been to minimize bewilderment and misunderstanding without stooping to oversimplification.
The book emphasizes the craft of four-part writing, which is a reflection of my belief that musical creation results in the deepest and most lasting understanding. There is also a focus on the expressive character of chords, an aspect of harmony that is inexplicably minimized in other texts, and on achieving true clarity in one's grasp of music's inner workings.
