Good afternoon,

I'm working my way through the AB Guide to Music Theory with a view to doing Grade 5 at some point. Every time I read a new chapter, I start wondering why the conventions are as they are, and when did people start using them and why do certain notes sound nicer than others and so on. I think I need a guide to the history of western music (maybe the physics of music too). Does anyone have any particular book that they would recommend?
I've played instruments for years, but I dropped music at school as soon as I could because I found the lessons boring.

Thanks, Flutecake

Music and Western Civilisation by Lang

Concise History of Western Muisc - Barbara Hanning

Cambridge Guide to Music - Stanley Sadie

Some good suggestions so far. Here are two more slim introduction to musical history type books:

History of Music - Roy Bennett - Cambridge Assignments in Music

Western Music from Gregorian Chant to Bartok - Phillippe Lescat - Fuzeau

Thank you, that should certainly keep me going for a while.

The Hanning text is based on the Grout text, which David mentioned. One might think of it as a shortened version of the Grout.

The Grout does a great job for early music up to the Renaissance period. It is quite good for Baroque and Classical eras. It is inadequate for Romantic period, and pathetic for its survey of music of the 20th century.

Complete amateur's opinion: I found the 3 ABRSM "A Performer's Guide to Music of the .... Period" books by Anthony Burton here in Tokyo, and enjoyed reading them - there are chapters on instruments and place of music in society as well as on musical trends and notation of the period - maybe too lightweight for what you are looking for, but I found it them interesting "tie-in" of various aspects of period music.

I agree to a certain extent. Its not too bad for the romantic era, but its pretty pathetic after that. I don't know the other texts so cannot comment. I still would recommend Grout as a reasonable One Volume Work. My other grip is he spends too long on Beethoven to the detriment of Schubert, however every author has their own slant on the topic.

Thanks, I'll bear that in mind. Well, it seems to make sense to start at the beginning, then when I get up to the late Romantic period and beyond I can look for further sources. This would probably fit in quite well with the AB theory too.
Right, off to Amazon I go.....