Books by Deryck Cooke

The legendary musicologist Hans Keller described his friend and colleague Deryck Cooke as 'one of our time's two or three major analytic intellects'.

Deryck Cooke displays his masterly common sense in this study of how and why The Ring took the shape it did. He covers the first two operas of the cycle - Rheingold and The Valkyrie - giving an understanding and appreciation to every lover of Wagner's music.

The author's thesis is that the main characteristic of music is to express and evoke emotion and that all composers whose music has a tonal basis have used the same, or closely similar, melodic phrases, harmonies, and rhythms to express and evoke the same emotions.