Christian M. Newman Published a New Music History and Music Appreciation eBook
Christian M. Newman, a lifelong New Mexican composer, historian, and college course designer, has published the eBook, Music Essentials from the Western Classical Tradition: Middle Ages to the Present (First Edition) with Cognella Academic Publications, ©2027. Newman developed and authored this work as a music lecturer with the University of New Mexico’s department of music, and department of theatre & dance between 2016 and 2026.
In this complete, interactive course text, Newman illuminates the historical context, aspects of music theory, performance practices, and stylistic characteristics of music from the living Western tradition across the ages. Within that process, the book examines both the harmonious elements of ‘beauty’ prescribed in each musical era, but also various forms of dissonance, rhythmic complexity, and noise-sound as creative elements from the Medieval period into our present-day musical palette. The text also contextualizes the music in terms of the far-reaching societies that have contributed to the foundations of the western canon, beginning with the Middle Eastern origins of musical instruments and style, then reaching through Europe to Russia, and across the Atlantic to North and South America.
“Music is a social art form built from tones and noise-sound elements in near-equal measure. While we tend to acknowledge and emphasize aspects of overt beauty in our Western tradition, working through this eBook will reveal the myriad ways in which the works of our classical canon alchemize both qualities into a more pleasing whole. Through narrative, and interactive features, students will engage with the many contrasting elements of pleasing tone and harsh noise, seductive beauty and confrontational discord, organizational rigor and improvisatory chaos that have defined this living body of music” explains Newman.
You can purchase the book, request a digital review copy, or find more information about course adoption here: https://titles.cognella.com/music-essentials-from-the-western-classical-tradition-2370021944866
About Christian M. Newman:
A composer, multi-instrumentalist, visual artist, author, and music educator, Newman synthesizes knowledge and insights of historical musical performance with deeply human insights about the events and unfoldings of our civilization’s collective experiences. He is currently based in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he continues to write, compose, give instruction, and raise his two children.