Reading Grout's History of Western Music

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

After many years of feeling guilty for not having read this book--which has been sitting on my shelf for years (I have the 4th edition)--I finally took the plunge last week. Years ago, when I was a graduate student, and treated all reading as if it were going to be the subject of a qualifying exam, I tried to take notes on it. Needless to say, this made it go very slowly, and turned it into a laborious chore. And of course I forgot most of what I had read, despite having taken notes.

So, I just decided to read it for fun, and am enjoying it quite a bit. It is easy to see why this is a classic. It is quite engaging and readable for the layman, yet there is sufficient detail for those who are really interested in delving deeper.

I am interested to read the opinions of those who have read it. Did you enjoy it? Did you try to find recordings of some or all of the musical styles discussed, e.g., music of the Troubadours and Meistersingers? Ambrosian, Mozarabic chant? Organum? etc. Did the book open your ears to any new styles that you have come to enjoy, or at least appreciate? Please quantify, using scientific notation, the the degree to which your musical life has been enriched by having read the book.

[Szykneij]

aaaaargh ... That was my college text. The pages of my copy have so much yellow highlighting you can barely find any white. I always considered it to be a great reference book, but not something I would consider sitting down to read for enjoyment. It's been a while since I looked at it though, so maybe I'll give it a try with fresh eyes.

[Scarpia]

I've read the book with interest, but generally started about half-way through after all the medieval stuff is done.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I am actually enjoying reading about the medieval stuff.  Today in Berkeley, I found an interesting Naxos CD of organum by Leonin and Perotin, whom I just read about last night.