The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music

by Timothy K. Smith, Michael Tilson Thomas (Foreword by)

Overview

For the beginner or the devotee—it's everything the classical music buff needs to know.

• The major composers from Bach and Bartok to Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky
• Significant performers from Maurice Andre and Leornard Bernstein to Georg Solti and Yo Yo Ma
• The landmark works from Appalachian Spring to Don Juan
• A concise history of classical music
• A deconstruction of the art form
• The language of classical music
• Valuable resources for the Curious Listener

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399527951
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/06/2002
Series:	NPR Curious Listener's Guide To...
Edition description:	PERIGEE
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.26(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.72(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Tim Smith is currently the music critic for the Baltimore Sun. He has written music criticism and other articles for the Washington Post, Washington Star, The New York Times, BBC Music Magazine, Chamber Music America, and others.

 

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	vii
	Foreword	ix
	Introduction	xi
1.	What Is Classical Music?	1
2.	The Story of Classical Music	7
3.	Varieties of Classical Music	33
4.	Classical Music Deconstructed	51
5.	The Composers	87
6.	The Performers	127
7.	The Music	151
8.	Classical Music on CD	191
9.	The Language of Classical Music	215
	Resources for Curious Listeners	227
	Index	233

Editorial Reviews

These final entries in NPR's "Curious Listener's" series maintain the fresh spirit and informative stance of the first two, which address opera and popular standards. Smith, music critic for the Baltimore Sun, and Schoenberg, a tenor saxophonist and jazz educator, provide basic introductions geared to lay readers, focusing on the essentials of their respective musical genres, including a history of the form, a description of genres, brief biographies of featured composers and performers, glossaries, and recommended pieces and recordings (50 CDs for each). The charm of this series is the manner in which the authors cover the important points in their own casual yet expert tone, pointing up details along the way with intriguing sidebars (concert etiquette for classical and various historical figures for jazz) or turns of phrase while presenting thought-provoking artist or repertoire selections that will encourage spirited debate. The jazz volume suffers from a few minor editorial glitches (e.g., incorrect alphabetizing and typos), but both books are well crafted and logically organized. Smith's book is reminiscent of Michael Walsh's Who's Afraid of Classical Music? with updated scholarship and some different perspectives, while Schoenberg's complements Gene Seymour's Jazz: The Great American Art. Highly recommended for their combination of reliable information and accessible style, these are real bargains for public libraries. (Indexes not seen.) Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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