The book's chief strength lies in its almost sociological approach; the author emphasizes culture, material culture especially, as a determinant of musical style and substance.
* Choice *
Interdisciplinary scholarship is critically important work, yet fraught with peril. That David Leinweber recognizes the significance of interdisciplinary scholarship is laudable, and the casual reader will find much of interest in this book.
* Journal of The American Musical Instrument Society *
David Leinweber has given us a thoroughly researched book in the best tradition of humanistic scholarship. He presents a clear and readable narrative describing the intertwined origins of music and musical instruments, poetry, and dance in the civilizations of antiquity. He then proceeds to show how ancient ideas about the arts found resonance in Western culture of the early Middle Ages that influenced future generations. The text is accessible to the college student beginning the study of music history, as well as the general reader who is interested in how ancient ideas of music and the arts remain relevant in the culture of today.
-- Maria Archetto, Oxford College of Emory University
In lucid and succinct language, Leinweber's fine study relates the development of music to a wide range of human endeavors. Accessible to students and general readers alike, this book traces the history of music from its beginnings to the medieval period in original and insightful ways.
-- Clark Lemons, Emory University
