Here are some books by John Curwen, that I think are very much worth reading for anyone who wants to learn about music! They are in the public domain, and available through the links:
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The Standard Course in the Tonic Solfa Method of Teaching Music. The first Standard Course was published in 1861. This is an edition from 1895 of the New Standard Course, published in 1872.
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How to Observe Harmony. Also a later and revised edition of a book originally published in 1861.
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The Teacher’s Manual of the Tonic Sol-Fa Method. First published in 1875.
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Tonic Sol-fa Primer. First published in 1878.
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Musical Theory. First published in 1879.
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How to Read Music and Understand it. Published posthumously. From the introduction: “How to Read Music” is less elaborate than others of Mr. Curwen’s books. It is intended for those who are enquiring about the Tonic Sol-fa method, and have no time to study his longer works.”
If you just want a short introduction to what Tonic Sol-fa is, read the Tonic Sol-fa Primer. If you want a compact course in music through the Tonic Sol-fa system, maybe start with How to Read Music and Understand it. But of course, I highly recommend all of these books!
If you would like to know more about my interpretation of Curwen’s ideas, you can read more here.
If you are working with any of this material, or want to work with it, and would like some personal feedback, a session to sing in harmony with me, or need some help in analysing and understanding your repertoire, please contact me for a lesson!