Best introduction to Lewin

Richard Hoffman

 

I am working with an advanced undergraduate who stumbled into Lewin and transformation theory.  He would like to gain enough fluency to understand the application to his own research, but that's about all we have time for right now.  Can anyone recommend a good primer that would get us started?  I've found several articles claiming to be "introductions" but would love a recommendation from someone who knows this field well.  Thank you for any help.  (richard.hoffman@belmont.edu) 

Best,

Rick Hoffman

Belmont University

Nate Mitchell

I'm assuming they are trying to get a hang of GMIT? If so, I really like the opening chapter of Rings's Tonality and Transformation as a bite-sized and "plain English" explanation of what's going on. If we are talking the "Phenomenology" essay, then Kane's "Excavating Lewin's Phenomenology" is a classic.

Jason Yust

It might help to know what the focus and/or intended application is: transformational networks applied to atonal music, transformational theory as it applies to tonal music (triadic transformations/neo-Riemannian), or more abstractly how Lewin uses mathematics and group theory specifically. 

Richard Cohn

I have found this to be a useful introduction for students: 

Satyendra, Ramon. "An Informal Introduction to Some Formal Concepts from Lewin's Transformational Theory." Journal of Music Theory 48.1 (2004): 99-141.

 

Jim Bennett

I also agree that Tonality and Transformation is a good general-purpose introduction. I also like Shattered Symmetry (2017, by Pieter Thysse and Arnout Ceuleman) as an engaging first introduction to group theory. And, while many probably think GMIT is too much of a dive in the deep end, Musical Form and Transformation would be a good look at actually thinking about music in those terms.

Richard Hoffman

Thank you for the good ideas so far.  He is working on Arvo Part and tintinnabuli, so I assume the triadic transformation, neo-Riemann angle is what would help most.