Book Review

Music In Egypt
by Scott Marcus

This was one of the best books in the Global Music Series. It was clear, thorough, and, within the parameters of the series, rigorous. I was especially happy with the explanations of the melodic and rhythmic modes - the explanations were good, and the listening examples that went along with them included both demonstrations and sections of actual pieces. I especially liked the way that the listening exercises required multiple listenings of the same piece, each time focusing on different aspects of the music.
Also, I just really, really liked Egyptian music. I found myself listening to the music examples for fun as well as for the listening exercises.