Review of Jason Yust, Organized Time: Rhythm, Tonality, and Form (Oxford University Press, 2018)

Abstract

[1] If one were to construct a map of the field of music theory, three of its most prominent regions would represent the subdisciplines of rhythm and meter, tonal structure, and form. One could imagine a number of winding trails on this map, each representing the trajectory of an individual piece of scholarship. Though each path would represent a unique journey, many would explore the local highlights of only a single region, reflecting the tendency for theorists to focus on the way a single musical parameter functions within the works of a particular composer, style, or genre. If drawn on such a map, the trek representing Jason Yust’s Organized Time: Rhythm, Tonality, and Form (2018) would trace out a fundamentally different shape: not only would it visit all three regions, but it would also wind through the stretches of land between them, allowing its travelers to appreciate how the views evolve along the journey.