Product Description
This has remained the best and most successful guide to classical music for more than forty years. Fully revised by its team of eminent authors and written with wit and passion, The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music offers reviews of all the latest releases as well as the finest established recordings. It also includes an overview of the greatest historic performances, major period instrument recordings, an in-depth survey of the best of the budget-priced CDs, and the core collection of 100 handpicked, must-have CDs. Now published annually for the first time, this book is essential reading for every serious classical music fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music
This Guide is a little like the Consumers' Report for recorded classical music - with so many recordings out there, helps one separate the gems from the clunkers.

indispensable, but...
I try to buy this every year, but this year I waited until the price dropped as the 2010 edition appeared.I depend on these reviews, but, as others have noted, it's weighted toward British artists and composers. Imagine not reviewing Zander's Mahler.
I don't like it as much as I did in past years, but it's extremely useful and worth having.

Penugin Vs Gramaphone Classical Music Guides
Truth be told there just are not that many good classical music guides to choose from. In terms of scope the Gramophone Guide is second to the Penguin. In my humble opinion, if you're serious about building or adding to an existing collection of classical CDs and DVDs you will own the Gramaphone as well as the Penguin Guide simply due to its more comprehensive scope as there are works (e.g., Beethoven's Overtures to name but one example) that are not covered in the "Good".

The Good Guide, like the Penguin, originates from the U.K. Some reviewers feel both these guides have a bias towards British artists. While to some extent this is true, it's not what other reviewers make it out to be and there are countless number of non-British recordings that are highly recommended in these pages. Besides, to my knowledge, one really doesn't have much choice because outside of the Penguin and the Good Guides a comprehensive guide for purchasing classical music is not available. There is the "Third Ear" but is does not come close to the high standard of these two publications. In fact, I have found the Third Ear to be far more biased AGAINST British recordings than these two guides are biased for them. If you're a complete beginner, the NPR Guide by Ted Libbey is an excellent place to start, although it is weak with resepct to opera, and it can't be accused of a British bias.

Gramophone Magazine is the only respectable periodical I've found that gives updated reviews and information about the latest in classical music recordings. The "Gramaphone" Guide is issued by the editors of Gramophone. While I prefer the Penguin I also purchase the Gramophone Guide. After being a subscriber to Gramophone Magazine for the past 5 or 6 years I've been so impressed with their recommendations that it is a logical purchase for me.

I've perused the pages of the Gramophone Guide and found a lot of agreement between it and the Penguin. Certain recordings are obvious recommendations and usually both these guides lead the buyer to owning certain "masterpiece" recordings. Both guides provide professional reviews of many of the avialble purchases for a given piece. Both provide great descriptions of many of the subtleties of given recordings and how the performers interpret the music. These descriptions make it easy to compare and contrast recordings and will help one become a more discerning listener.

If you love opera, you're in for a real treat. In addition to being season ticket holders to the Seattle Symphony and Pacific Northwest Ballet, we also have season seats to the Seattle Opera. I use these guides to make sure I own the music for whatever it is we will be hearing and "seeing" in our upcoming seasons. For Opera Lovers, the DVD recommendations are great to have. Now, in addition to having the best CDs of a given opera, I am now able to confidently purchase outstanding DVDs of the operas we'll be attending. If you go to live classical music performances of any kind, being able to familiarize yourself with what you'll be hearing before you attend the performance only leads to enhancing the performance.

As you can tell, I am very pleased with both the Penguin and Gramaphon Guides. Once you're really serious about compiling a CD/DVD collection, I'm confident you'll feel the same. These books will become your trusted advisors and you'll look forward to replacing them as they're updated.

Again, if you're really just starting out, you're fine with the NPR Guide (350 Essential Works) to begin with. It is refreshingly brief in scope and will get you the base you need for your collection and you'll be pleased with your recommendations. A great example is Libbey's recommendation of the Leon Fleisher/George Szell recordings of the Beethoven Piano Concertos. These recordings are phenomonal treasures at bargain prices!

Once you really get into classical music listening as a part of your life, and your "being" so to speak, it won't be long before you'll realize you'll want more. Owning these two guides will make you smarter about the music you're listening to and you'll be proud of your collection of excellent recordings.

In closing I want to express my belief in my credentials to make a recommendation to prospective buyers of these Guides. I am 55 years old. At age 5 I began piano study with Edith Knox in Los Angeles. Ms. Knox, a Juliard graduate, studied piano with Alexander Ziloti. Ziloti was a pupil of Franz Liszt. Ms. Knox premiered the Ravel Piano Concerto in G at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra in, I think, 1936. I continued to study with Ms. Knox into my early twenties afterward, I studied with Reginald Stewart at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. In college I majored in composition and piano and for four years was the student representative for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. For the past 30 years I've continued listening to classical music for countless hours each and every week of my life. I now continue to study piano with Celia Chandler in Mt. Vernon, WA. Mrs. Chandler is a protege of the great Maestro Leon Fleischer. She studied under scholarship with him at the Peabody School of music and at age 14 performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.


I only provide this bit of autobiographical information so you know that I've got a solid foundation in, and more importantly love, of classical music and consider myself a lifelong student of the genre. Even though I'm an avid reader, I don't feel as though I'm qualified to be a literary critic to the same extent that I have developed a discerning ear with regard to classical music listening. Accordingly, based upon my personal life experiences in classical music I think I am qualified to write a review about classical music guides. Buy these with guides with confidence. There is no perfect book for building a classical music collection but these two are the best available.

Happy listening!

One extra star for DVD reviews
I have been buying The Penguin Guide every two or three years for the past 20 years or so, and I agree that the quality has declined.I think other reviewers have done a good job of covering strengths and weakness of the Penguin Guide, and pointing out some other good guides, especially the Third Ear guide, which I consider to be the best, although woefully out-of-date.

However, I think one very important factor in Penguin's favor is the large number of DVD reviews.I'm not aware of any other source that has anywhere near this number of classical DVD reviews.I find myself buying fewer and fewer operas, oratorios or ballets on CD, preferring to have a good DVD performance if it exists.I find that between the Penguin reviews, and being able to preview many classical music performances on Netflix, I am often able to do some pretty good research before I spend my hard-earned dollars on a DVD.

Here's hoping for some improvements in the Penguin Guide, and a new edition of the Third Ear Classical Music Guide.

How could it happen?
How could any guide to recorded classical music dated 2009, and totalling over 1500 double-columned pages, justifiably ignore without a single word pro or con the extraordinary set of complete Beethoven piano sonatas recorded in the past few years by Andras Schiff? Amazing, but still, where would we all be if one blind spot labeled us eyeless. ... Read more

Product Description
Entirely devoted to the best-known compositions of the great composers, this book will be a permanent part of any pianistÂ’s library. There are works by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, and many others. Each composer is introduced in a short biography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Finally!
My great grandmother had this piano book. It's how I learned the ORIGINAL composition piano pieces. My copy is falling apart and has no front or back covers - I couldn't remember the name or what it used to looked like. I looked forever trying to find a company that would let me see INSIDE books to make sure I was buying the right one. Finally, THANKS AMAZON! This book is special because of the organization (by composer) and the bios of each composer are well written and interesting. As a young piano student and as an adult - it's my favorite music book!

Old classics all together - at last!
I looked everywhere for this book - I'd somehow lost my old copy. I'm so glad I found it on Amazon.com. It has a great selection of, as the title suggests, everybody's favourite piano pieces! Particularly like the Chopin and Rachmaninoff pieces contained within - and all in original keys! ... Read more

Product Description
In this compulsively readable, fascinating, and provocative guide to classical music, Norman Lebrecht, one of the world’s most widely read cultural commentators tells the story of the rise of the classical recording industry from Caruso’s first notes to the heyday of Bernstein, Glenn Gould, Callas, and von Karajan.

Lebrecht compellingly demonstrates that classical recording has reached its end point–but this is not simply an expos? of decline and fall. It is, for the first time, the full story of a minor art form, analyzing the cultural revolution wrought by Schnabel, Toscanini, Callas, Rattle, the Three Tenors, and Charlotte Church. It is the story of how stars were made and broken by the record business; how a war criminal conspired with a concentration-camp victim to create a record empire; and how advancing technology, boardroom wars, public credulity and unscrupulous exploitation shaped the musical backdrop to our modern lives. The book ends with a suitable shrine to classical recording: the author’s critical selection of the 100 most important recordings–and the 20 most appalling.

Filled with memorable incidents and unforgettable personalities–from Goddard Lieberson, legendary head of CBS Masterworks who signed his letters as God; to Georg Solti, who turned the Chicago Symphony into “ the loudest symphony on earth”–this is at once the captivating story of the life and death of classical recording and an opinioned, insider’s guide to appreciating the genre, now and for years to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Out of Tune
The other reviewers provide an adequate overview of Norman Lebrecht's THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CLASSICAL MUSIC, so I'll limit myself here to a few particular observations.

It has been pointed out that the title is off-kilter, since the book focuses on the vicissitudes of classical RECORDING rather than those of classical music as such.A similar criticism can be leveled against Lebrecht's THE MAESTRO MYTH:the title invites one to expect that the author will do something courageously revolutionary, viz., make a case against the importance of the conductor for the performance of concerted music;but what he actually delivers is a very-UNrevolutionary broadside against the personality cults that have developed around certain celebrity conductors.And THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CLASSICAL MUSIC supplies the much same unflattering, now-get-a-load-of-this gossip about classical music celebrities in general but about Herbert von Karajan in particular.

Lebrecht plays fast and loose with his facts.Speaking of Caruso as of 1902, he claims on p. 11:"Short, fat and ugly, Caruso was an unlikely star...."This judgment can be tested against 1902 photographs of Caruso in Francis Robinson, CARUSO, HIS LIFE IN PICTURES.After recounting how the sales of Caruso's G & T recordings from April, 1902, jump-started the commercial recording industry, Lebrecht states on page 12:"The last Golden Ager to hold out [on making records] was...Feodor Chaliapin."This is very mistaken:Chaliapin recorded cylinders as early as 1898 and recorded discs for Emil Berliner as early as 1901.

Lebrecht's facile dismissal of the acoustical recording era (roughly, the interval 1888 - 1925) is equally bone-headed.P. 10:"Sounds that were collected before these events [the manufacture of Artur Schnabel's recordings during the 1930s] are chiefly of archaeological interest.To listen through aural debris to Francesco Tamagno (1850 - 1905), Verdi's original Otello, or to Alessandro Moreschi (1858 - 1922), the last castrato, is a fascinating experience but one that cannot be endured for much longer than holding one's head down a wishing well....Mighty Melba comes forth enfeebled, Tetrazzini underpowered, Galli-Curci unbeautiful."There's no point arguing with Lebrecht about this verdict.Taste in musical performance is very personal, and there's no helping it if someone can't stand listening to acoustical recordings.Be that as it may, Lebrecht's opinion doesn't square with history at all.The commercial recording industry was a multi-million dollar, world-wide affair as early as 1910.Records made by celebrity vocalists during the acoustical era sold in the millions right up until 78 r.p.m. discs went out of production during the 1950s.None of this would be true if everyone was "holding one's head down a wishing well."

Lebrecht's THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CLASSICAL MUSIC could have offered a serious investigation, a la Joseph Horowitz, of classical music's decline in popularity since 1975.Despite the blurbling of various impresarios and celebrity performing artists that classical music is bigger today than ever before, the genre's current exposure is but a shadow of what it once was.The tale is told in market share rather than overall receipts.The performance of opera and symphonic music was prime-time fare on network television several nights a week during the 1950s;today, network television won't invest a dime to air performances of either.Likewise, during the 1950s classical music accounted for between 25% and 30% of all record sales;today, its percentage hovers around 2.5%.How many times have you been interrupted during the dinner hour by telephone solicitors for donations to a symphony orchestra or an opera company?Compare with the number of telephone solicitations you've received on behalf of rock bands.The brutal fact is that the popularity of rock music has rendered every other form of musical entertainment esoteric, with the minor exceptions of country western and gospel.Yes, it's fascinating to read that artiste So-and-so is a bank robber, a forger, a counterfeiter, a spy, a razor murderer, a bigamist, a serial rapist, a pederast, an animal sodomist, and (of course!) a Nazi.Still, classical music's misfortunes don't trace to the off-stage capers of its celebrity performers, any more than the film industry's tribulations owe to the off-camera antics of Hollywood stars.The real factors deserve serious exploration.Norman Lebrecht, though, clearly ain't the man for the job.

Rich in prurient content, a goodly chunk of Lebrecht's THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CLASSICAL MUSIC, like almost all of his MAESTRO MYTH, can be read as a classical-music-world counterpart of Suetonius' LIVES OF THE TWELVE CAESARS.

Classical Music: Dead or Alive?
Norman Lebrecht, author of The Maestro Myth: Great Conductors in Pursuit of Power, returns with another inside look at the classical music business. Where Lebrecht previously explored the history of legendaryconductors and their battles to gain podium, power, and public worship, now he traces the rise and fall, or as it he calls it, Life and Death of Classical Music.

There certainly is plenty of Life and Death on hand, with names by the hundreds, and an index 17 pages long. Lebrecht assembles the actors on his stage like an inventory - from Thomas Pynchon to Arctic Monkeys - to create a text with gossip-heavy overtones, sculpted into blunt, compact form, spiced with choice concise quotations and passionate rhetorical crescendos. But the connectivity of Lebecht's narrative often relies on compressing or stretching his chronology, as if events were separated by months instead of years, or sometimes the reverse.

However, quite a few names appear as more than a mention. Among artists, engineers and executives we find a lineup worthy of a Cold War spy novel- loyalties for grabs, motives in doubt, contracts in dispute, friendships in turmoil, fortunes ruined. Who worked for Who was not always clear from day to day, and I had to ask myself the same thing at times. Unreformed Nazis come under Lebrecht's exposure, such as Ernest Ansermet, to my surprise. Lebrecht often follows his subjects down to their last dying breath, delivering on the back end of his title with chilling effect.

Unlike Alex Ross (The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century), Lebrecht doesn't analyze the music with score in hand - his story is more about people, events, and recordings that had impact on the industry, for better or worse. Among conductors who sold many records, Toscanini and Solti seem to earn Lebrecht's highest regard, while von Karajan is shown to be, not surprisingly, both Salvation and Ruin to music at large. Bernstein gets roughed up pretty badly, and Haitink seems almost off the radar. Also remote are many early-music mavericks, though Harnoncourt gets some attention, and David Munrow also receives a respectful ovation. Generally Lebrecht's focus on particular conductors remains where it was in The Maestro Myth.

Finally, there are Lebrecht's lists - The 100 Milestones of The Recorded Century (in chronological order) and 20 That Should Never Have Been Made. From the former, many earlier items are true standouts, but as time passes and the industry grows, the list begins to represent the growing diversity of pleasures made available - recordings from Telefunken, Supraphon, and Naxos, for example - and many readers will have their own favorites.

Lebrecht's logic often favors financial as well as artistic success, yet somehow he celebrates a certain Complete Beethoven Symphony set that few will have on their shelves. When he can't hide his bias, his purpose can seem malevolent. His petty injustice to Gidon Kremer and Alfred Schnittke, with Beethoven and, less directly, Arvo Part as accomplices, resorts to historical omission and contradiction. But all is not elitist or cynical, as Lebrecht also reveals a warm-hearted appreciation for composers and musicians who lived to create music as artists rather than celebrities.

Overall, a grand story told with an interesting viewpoint and taut, engaging exposition that rarely fails to keep the reader alert and entertained.

Entertainly Sassy History of Classical Recordings
The title should more precisely read, "An Entertainingly Sassy History of Classical Recordings, from the Gramophone to the Decline of the CD".

I viewed the book as a superbly sassy history from an exquisitely eloquent critic with a long, insider career. It is a book as much about the history of the recording industry itself, right down to naming names, as it is a list of recordings. The book is in fact divided into the two parts- a history of the industry and the best/worst recordings.

The book whetted my taste for more sassy histories, perhaps spoiling me, other authors being revealed as dry, droning, and encyclopedic in delivery...

I gave the author leeway in his selections, as he had to pluck down 100 of something, and as a career insider I'm sure he selected works among the most deserving (though I confess I began at the back of the book with his spicier accounts of the "20 worst classical recordings ever")...

If a continuation compilation was made, it would begin with the age of the Internet, and would have to be categorized along the lines of record label offerings, Youtube presentations, music hosting sites for independent artists, and the like; the author would have to make a huge effort in finding, sifting through, and evaluating the mushrooming number of artists and recordings made available by a communications technology that is, so far, free from the artistic bottlenecks and choke holds that were inherent in the recording industry throughout the last century (and will still be a necessary evil to obtain mass exposure/promotion/marketing, though transformed into Internet form)...

Opinionated but Fascinating
I have just finished the book "The Life and Death of Classical Music", by Norman Lebrecht.It is a most fascinating read, my favorite of the year so far.As someone who has collected LP vinyl since the late 1950's, and CDs since they arrived on the market, I found Lebrecht's inside view of the record industry, producers, and moguls most enlightening.There also is much insight into the conductors, artists and performers, their temperaments and foibles, their successes and failures.Besides the wealth of inside information on the operation of the recording industry and its cast of characters, nearly half the book is devoted to an enthralling (if highly opinionated) listing of Lebrecht's picks of the "100 best and 20 worst recordings ever made".One may agree or disagree with any or all on the list, but you will not be indifferent to this enumeration of recordings spanning the years from 1902 (Caruso) to 2004 (Pascal Roge).Enlightenment, entertainment, even a little outrage to go with some hearty agreement--you cannot miss with this little paperback.(Anchor Books, $14.95)

the life and death of classical music
I love this book and have bought many copies to give to friends. I was not so interested in Mr. Lebrechts opinions (I have my own) about which are the best and worst recordings, even though it is fun to read them,but was fascinated by the behind the scenes stories of how the classical recording world was shaped by a fewvisionary record executives and the intrigues and battles they fought to attract the greatest musicians and conductors to their labels, not unlike the story of how the great Hollywood studios came into being and identical to how the popular music labels thrived.
The other main subjects that were so interesting to me were how the advent of recording changed performance and perfection in recording techniques changed the way we listen to music.
The sad part of the story is where we are now. ... Read more

Product Description
Listening to great music--its seemingly effortless flight, its emotional power--you might imagine that musicians are somehow beyond the fears and banalities of ordinary life. The truth is that the music is often painfully wrought from lives full of worldly ambitions and anxieties, friendships and rivalries, employers and families, acclaim and failure. The Chronicle of Classical Music takes the form of a chronological diary from 1600 to the present. It leads the reader through the centuries, year by year, following the musicians' overlapping and interweaving lives. The composers' own worlds, public and private, spring to life in extracts from contemporary letters and journals, and in hundreds of illustrations, many in full color: paintings and drawings, cartoons, posters, photographs, scores, and documents. An informative introduction traces the history of music before 1600. Carefully cross-referenced with the chronological data is a series of special features that discuss in fascinating detail the key works, influences on musical form and performance, centers of musical energy, the changing working conditions and status of musicians, and the development of instruments. A companion chronology introduces the wider context of important historical and artistic events. The reference section includes biographies, a glossary of technical words, charts summarizing the history of music and the development of instruments, and a guide to the top CDs and performers. Here is the history of classical music presented in an entirely new way that is accessible, vivid, and multidimensional--an essential book for all those who are interested in classical music and its composers. 388 illustrations, 160 in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Aptly Titled, Beautifully Illustrated Time Line
As the professional reviewers observe this book is extremely limited in its written material, but it does provide a good visual reference to the times that the music was written.Being a Thames and Hudson publication, it tends to focus on British performers in its recommendations of most famous singers and musicians. American performers are given short shrift.Yet I do like it for what it does provide.I got it to go with a fabulous audio class taught through the Teaching Company by Robert Greenberg on the History of Western Music. So, as a short, general, timeline survey it is an adequate, beautifully illustrated reference. For greater depth, this author is a co-editor of a four volume treatise on the subject.That, and several others are referenced in the bibliography. ... Read more

Product Description
Offers a start-to-finish history of classical music, explaining how the twentieth century has reached a radical tranformation period in which orchestras have become out of reach to most people, left only to the elite who can afford their exorbitant ticket prices."Amazon.com Review
A sequel of sorts to The Maestro Myth: GreatConductors in Pursuit of Power, Who Killed ClassicalMusic? continues British author and critic Norman Lebrecht'sversion of the saga of how presenting classical music evolved from the(at least ostensible) nurturing of art into a brutal and fairly sleazybusiness. Lebrecht finds plenty of heads on which to heap the blame,and more than a few minor deities are toppled from their thrones. He'snot always altogether accurate in the small details, but he'seminently readable and he's got the big picture dead on. Like itspredecessor, this is a must read for anyone concerned about the futureof classical music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Excellent writer makes sense of chaotic field
Behind the media hype surrounding this or that performance or artist lie byzantine machinations. Kingmakers jockeying for position. Sexual politics. Mean actions taken by smallminded people temporarily in power. Some of mediocre talent are practically beatified while others with extraordinary gifts seem to wither away almost unnoticed. Sometimes it's a question of whose side the critics are on at any given moment or who has gotten more press--or even who requires fewer retakes in the recording studio, since that means the production will cost less. Lebrecht tells you all about the backroom ugliness that helps to create the uneven playing field that serious musicians find such an impediment to their survival. Although it requires some background from the reader, this book is a must-read for everyone interested in classical music!

Difficult to Follow Presentation
Trying to indoctrinate oneself to the classical music world is difficult and trying.First there is the language and jargon associated with any field.Second there is the task of attempting to construct a workable historical chronology that will aid in understanding the gamut of the field.Third combining all of this with the modern classical state.

Thinking this book might aid has been a disappointment.It is overly wordy and doesn't flow and transition well.Detail after detail likely weave a fascinating story to insiders but as a true outsider trying to peer in, this book fogs rather than clears the air.

While he suggests managers, maestros and corporate involvement among other factors, it isn't tied together with any clarity or convincing hypothesis testing that I could follow.Again, in fairness maybe it is just a matter of not relating to the writer's style and the foreigness of the vocab, but if classical music is going to interest more outsiders like me, shouldn't this be a goal?This aloofness and cavalier attitude is definitely a barrier to many.

Frustrated, but still pursuing obtaining some insights into this struggling arts area which should survive and thrive.

Read the Answers
Here is the one book that needs to be read by anyone genuinely
curious about what has caused the decline in interest in classical music worldwide.
The situation is probably worse in the US than other places, but
there are world-wide trends at work, and this author explores
all the causes.Not only does he explore those causes in our
own time, he has reseached the history of the recording industry
to such an extent, you feel at times like you are reading a
scholarly publication.Then at other times, where the author
actually names some of the names who have caused the decline
of classical music and who cause this type music to be held in
contempt by many, and abandoned by most others, you have the feel of reading a supermarket tabloid.
The writer has researched all the pioneers in recording and radio, and he has seemingly interviewed all survivors of that
era, as well as most participants in the current music scene,
and there doesn't appear to be a stone unturned in his work.
Many of the names will be unfamiliar to most readers, but the
writer documents their contribution to both the rise and decline
of classical music.
And, as said, he actually names the names of some of the individual "stars" who have so abused the system, and the public
trust, we have to wonder who in the world continues supporting
such grasping, selfish, egomanical performers and agents, as
well as some of the corporate owners and sponsors.He even at
one point names the world-famous conductor who apparently abuses
children in his travels, and it's a wonder such a man can even
cross international borders.Such is the power of stardom, even
in the world of classical music.
As you can see, there are a multitude of causes for the decline
of classical music, and this writer names them all.
There is very little hope for the continuation of the presentaton of live concerts of any kind, outside the very largest cities, which are put on for the rich and elite, so the
result is rather a somber review, but the author only presents
the facts.
However, there is slight hope, and he names the handful of
alternatives that seem to be surviving, and sometimes expanding,
the availability of good classical music.
This has to be a "must" for anyone interested in either the history of classical music, and its ties with radio and the
recording industry, or in its future.
There is almost too much detail for some readers, but it needs
to be there for a full understanding; in spite of the depth of
the writer's research, he presents it in an interesting fashion,
and there are many parts of the book which are very difficult to
put down.
If interested in this subject, rush out and get a copy now.

A story of big business perverting classical music....
Isn't it amazing what money continues to do to some people and more so, to business? This excellent historical and recent account of how classical music has wound up monetarily suffocating itself is the best read that I've encountered. I could never figure out, until I read this book, why some popular artists' CDs would still be $16 EIGHT YEARS after their release. That's because the CD label still hasn't recovered from paying that artist's ridiculous fee and consequently, redirects the recording industry's funds away from our country's orchestras and lesser known talent. One can see today what turmoil this has caused classical music and its starving artists. Read this book, for if you love classical music, it can be a guide to help people better manage classical music towards a more fiscally sound future and most important of all, stop the greed.

THE BEST BOOK TO DATE ON THE BUSINESS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
If you've watched the two-decade evolution in pop music industry exposé books-going from general veiled accusations and using pseudonyms, to the hard- hitting journalistic romps that are being written today, namingnames, dates, companies, and places-then you'll appreciate the HIT MEN ofthe classical world, Norman Lebrecht's WHO KILLED CLASSICAL MUSIC, which,while it may not name vulnerable artist names in all the damning anecdotalsituations in which Lebrecht places them, does explore the life andbusiness of classical music in an alert, candid, and yet affectionate way,naming companies, managers, artists, salaries, and even top-echelon concertfees.Readers who may follow classical record-business entrepreneurshipwill be glad to find that the great independent- label success stories ofour era, such as Naxos and Hyperion, are very much a part of Lebrecht'sconsciousness and research. There are no clear-cut classes of heroes andvillains here, just a general sense of regret and fatigue about the currentstate of business in the classical world. Ron Simpson, School of Music,Brigham Young University.Author of MASTERING THE MUSIC BUSINESS ... Read more

Product Description
In this entertaining and engaging book, Marianne Williams Tobias demystifies the potentially intimidating world of classical music for a general readership. Classical Music Without Fear aims at the intelligent reader by demonstrating the universality and relevancy of classical music to today’s listeners. 

This easy-access book contains lively historical commentary, intelligent explanations of musical style and form, helpful tips on attending concerts, a quick guide to reading music and musical scores, and a glossary of terms. Also included is a reference section that summarizes standard concert works and suggests choices for starting your own classical CD collection. Lavishly illustrated with full-color reproductions of period artwork and numerous other portraits, musical scores, and illustrations, Classical Music Without Fear brings the heritage of classical music to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Everybody NEEDS this!
Boy, talk about taking the next step in the evolution of the "For Dummies" series! This really is a must-have for everyone, whether musicians and classical enthusiasts, or not. Dr. Tobias has written "for the masses," making everything fun and interesting, while imparting a great deal of information in a very palatable way. And the photos and illustrations are to DIE FOR. Everyone should rush out and buy copies, not only for themselves, but for all their families and friends. After all, Christmas IS just around the corner! ... Read more

Product Description
The guide that shows you what others only tell you. Explore and enjoy 1,000 years of classical music with this unique collaboration from DK and Classic FM. From Beethoven to Tchaikovsky, Cosi Fan Tutte to Swan Lake, discover the lives and works of the great composers, performers, instruments and key works with this definitive visual guide to classical music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great for those of us who are classically music challenged
I like classical music, but don't know that much about the composers, how the pieces came to be composed, and just the little facts and figures that enhance an experience.

This book is a great starting point for learning more about the classical music genre. The first 44 pages gives the reader a good solid overview of classical music including the elements, the instruments and performance. The rest of the book chronicles the genre from early music 1000-1600 through the present.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen which was not included would have been a complete listing of the musical works of each composer. The major ones are highlighted with a bit of dialogue about each work.

A definite must if you want to learn more about classical music and need a diving board!

Excellent overview of classical music
This is a typically well constructed Eyewitness Companions book. The focus is classical music, bridging the time period from 1000 to the present. The editor-in-charge, John Burrows, notes the goal of this book (Page 10): "The book should inform, excite, inspire and be very accessible to Classical music lovers of all ages and levels of knowledge." The Introduction is authored by Lady Solti, the widow of the great conductor, Sir Georg Solti. She observes that (Page 11): "Music is in my opinion the missing link between the physical and the spirit; it is also a great educator.

As with all Eyewitness Companions works, the opening sections provide background and context.Among the key subjects: the elements of classical music, including pitch, intervals, harmony, rhythm, tempo (Have you always been curious about what terms like andante and allegro and vivace mean? Check out page 21), and dynamics (Pianissimo to Fortissimo), inter alia. The next part of the book explores the instruments of classical music, discussing the evolution of instruments over the centuries. Then, classical music in performance, including the development of the concert. Once more, there is an historical context provided.

Then, the book moves to a period-by-period examination of classical music, from early music (1000-1600) to modern music (1900-present).For each period, there is a nice opening discussion on the nature of music of the time. The first significant composers include artists such as Hildegard de Bingen (1098-1179), Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377), Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474), Josquin Desprez (145-1521), Thomas Tallis (1505-1585), and Giovanni Palestrina (1525-1594). The next era, the Baroque covers roughly the time frame from 1600-1750.Of the many great composers, a few of those covered in this segment include Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706), George Frederic Handel (1685-1759), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).And so on, including the Classical Era, the Romantic Era, Romantic Opera, Modern Music, along with an interesting discussion of "National Schools" from 1830-1950.

The waterfront is covered, although, with the format of this book, there is no room for depth of consideration for any single composer. But one will get a sense of the sweep of classical music over a period of a thousand years. There are some composers whom I would have liked to have seen appear in this work, such as the quirky George Antheil and the contemporary Jennifer Higdon.

For the reader who wants a useful introduction to the subject, this book is worth acquiring.

Remember this: I am encyclopedic, not exhaustive
The cover to "Classical Music: Eyewitness Companions" touts its own summary: "Composers. Performers. Instruments. Key Works." Still, that is not entirely accurate. Like an encyclopedia, the book contains articles of varying lengths; unlike an encyclopedia, articles are arranged chronologically.

A quote by Victor Hugo opens the door to classical music: "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent."
Elements of classical music are defined and explained, setting the background for articles to come. Illustrated by photos, each family of instruments is established.

Then begins the chronological arrangement of the history of classical music. To give an idea of the range and limit of this approach, I will take you through the article on Beethoven. The rest of the book follows suit.

A quote by Mozart, his elder in music: "Keep your eye on him; one day he will make the world talk of him." His impact is encapsulated: "the supreme iconic figure of Western music....calling himself a 'poet in sound'....his music mirrored his beliefs in the prevailing spirit of individualism by emphasizing personal expression over traditional form..."(157).

Called the bridge from Classical (balanced music) to Romantic (wide range of notes), Beethoven created expressive, passionate, innovative music, unheard of in the classical world. His life and temperament surely urged those creations. The first sub-article briefly summarizes his life in one paragraph, contains a chart of his "Musical Output," describes the history of his music in one and one-half pages. There are pictures of his piano and one hearing aid.

The next four pages provide summaries and the impact of a few of his works (remember: encyclopedic, not exhaustive). Included are piano sonatas (Beethoven was a piano virtuoso), a trio, piano concerto, violin concerto, two symphonies--No. 6 and No. 9. Amazingly,No 5 is not included. There are also a string quartet and his only opera, the "Fidelio."

To illustrate the articles, photos, paintings, sketches, and charts include one of Napoleon to whom Beethoven initially dedicated his "Eroica" symphony, then removed it when Napoleon declared himself emperor. Another box describes Beethoven's change in the world of classical music by demanding support from patrons rather than groveling for it as Mozart often had to do.

A photograph of a string quartet, one source of the sublime music of Beethoven's last period, composed when he was totally deaf and could "hear" only his internal music, shows instrumentalists playing "String Quartet, Op. 130."

A fantastic chart depicts the powerful and relentless repetition and alterations of the leit-motifs in the "Appassionata" sonata, so characteristic of his music once he freed himself of Classical restraint and constraints.

Beethoven was one of a kind. If you own this book, read this article and are left wanting more, you then go to Amazon to order a book strictly concerning Beethoven or his music. Or you go to your local bookstore or local library for a book. You can also buy music or check it out so you can listen to the music.

"Classical Music: Eyewitness Companions" is an introductory summary of the history of classical music, performers, instruments, and key words. Anything more must be sought elsewhere. Right now it is raining, I'm going make a cup of coffee, get out my "Eroica" and listen to this heroic composition by an heroic composer:Ludwig van Beethoven.

Dedicated to Art Centurion, Giordano Bruno for music;
Steve P. and Don B. for Eyewitness Companions

Complete and visually beautiful
The information is carefully gathered and put in this encyclopedia in a qualitative way. It's a precise and thorough piece of work, which worths your money.

visually attractive
Far more composers are included than you'd expect in this almost pocketsize volume.

Light and enjoyable reading, yet an excellent overview of 'classical music' for everyone.Many terms are defined, some aren't and you wish they were. Helpful index in the back. Good quick reference, never bogs down with too much information.

Stirred my curiousity over and over again to go out and learn more on this huge subject we call 'classical music'. The 'snapshot' descriptions are easy to read and interesting for the casual reader.

I truly loved the pictures and imagery throughout this book. Top Notch quality! However, not all the photos are identified or given descriptions. Perhaps that is by design though... Never-the-less, the stunning visuals makes this book a definite keeper! ... Read more

Product Description
Want to be a classical guitarist but never had a lesson?

Want to be a classical guitarist, but never had a lesson? No problem — this hands-on guide teaches you all the fundamental techniques you need to play scales, melodies, and full-length pieces in the classical style. You get plenty of practice exercises to stretch your skills, selections from the classical repertoire, and a bonus audio CD that helps you play along with the music pieces from the book!

• Get acquainted with your guitar — familiarize yourself with the unique make-up and parts of a classical guitar

• Start making some music — play melodies on individual strings, move on to arpeggios, and get your fingers in shape with scales

• Ramp up your technique — play barres, slurs, and trills; handle harmonics; master right-hand tremolo; and venture up the neck to play in the higher positions

• Build your classical repertoire — from Renaissance and Baroque to Classical, Romantic, and Modern, play pieces from the major eras in classical music

• Practice makes perfect — improve your performance with expert guidance through each exercise and piece in the book

Open the book and find:

• Tips and techniques for playing beautiful pieces

• How to read music notation and tablature

• Basic finger and thumb strokes

• Right- and left-hand techniques

• Musical examples, charts, and photos

• Music pieces from the guitar greats

• The best ways to care for your guitar

• A step-by-step tutorial on changing your strings

Bonus CD Includes

• More than 140 recorded performances of the exercises and pieces featured in the book
• Pieces performed using a count-off, allowing you to play along in time with the music
• Tuning notes to help you tune up your guitar

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

TONS OF INFORMATION
Excellent, informative and well written.All the basics are covered and most questions are answered clearly with illustrations. By the time you finish the book you'll be playing short songs and (if you work) reading music.

You'll be playing right away!
Although I can read music, I had never played guitar. This book really got me started. A DVD is included which lets you hear the pieces and exercises and ofcourse you can play along. A great investment for a new player.

classical guitar for dummies
Really a great book, lots of nice exercises which are also kind to the ear.Also expands on many other facets of the classical guitar in addition to technique.

Everything you need in one great book!
I played folk and rock guitar when I was younger, but I've always wanted to play classical guitar and somehow never got around to it. I decided to try again recently, but I'm too busy to set up regular lessons right now, and finding a teacher in my area is hard. That's why I bought this book. It has everything you need to get started in classical guitar. It tells you what to look for if you're shopping for a classical guitar, how to hold the guitar correctly (which is different from holding a "normal" guitar), and how to play the proper "strokes" with your fingers. The book doesn't progress too quickly, and there's plenty of material here--from scales to arpeggios to well-known pieces from the classical repertoire. Plus, the included CD (over 70 minutes' worth of music) has every musical example demonstrated, and it sounds lovely! I especially enjoyed the pieces by Bach. I recommend this book to all guitarists: beginning, lapsed (like me), and those who already play other styles but are looking to take up classical the right way. An excellent buy! ... Read more

Product Description
In this, the fourth volume in the Norton Introduction to Music Historyseries, Philip Downs traces the rise and decline of the "Classical"style from the birth of Haydn (1732) to the death of Beethoven (1827).
He demonstrates the enormous diversity and constant change that characterized every aspect of music during this period.  By dividing his text into twenty-year spans, Downs is able to trace the development of musical style.  Within each span he looks at the social conditions and daily life of the musician, and the aesthetics and audience preferences in structures, performing combinations and styles.  The lesser composers, or Kleinmeister, are observed, since they are the most accurate mirrors of their times.  Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven receive full biographical scrutiny at each stage of their development.  Copious music examples and abundant illustrations are also provided. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A very comprehensive source
Downs Classical Music is intended for upper-level undergrads and graduate students in music. I use it in my 500-level class because the historical account is very comprehensive, including substantial references to sources that would otherwise have to be assigned as outside reading. The book begins with a detailed account of the late Baroque and Pre-Classic era, information that students have often forgot from their introductory courses. The analyses of works are generally good. There are some drawbacks that need to be addressed. First, the accompanying Anthology contains a wide variety of works, but almost no complete works. Students are deprived of complete sonatas, symphonies, concerti and other longer works. Also there is no set of recordings to accompany the Anthology. Many works in the Anthology require real digging to find a recording. Finally, the last chapter gathers all of Beethoven's works together as a kind of afterthought. Right now I can't find a more informative text for my students.

Just a little drier than the other Norton books
Downs' book comes from the Norton Introduction to Music History Series.I've read the others (excluding Hill's book on Baroque Music not yet released), and while it's good, it's unfortunately the weakest of the lot.

The book is geared for graduate study in music, and is a little too heady for beginners (by the way, the book's title refers only to Western music in the Classic Period, c.1760-1830).

Downs takes a chronological approach to the subject, but begins with a boring introduction on Eighteenth-century philosophy and musical aesthetics.This really is a shame, because the rest of the book (if you make it through) happens to be much better.

Downs covers the early emergence of Classic music out of the Baroque, and then follows with two short chapters on the first halves of Haydn and Mozart, respectively.After another interlude on music and other aspects during the Classic Period, Downs resumes with Haydn, Mozart, adds some Beethoven, and then leads the transition into the nineteenth century.

Despite the boring beginning, Downs' writing style is still very rigorous and scholarly.He makes many references to the book's sister, the Norton Anthology of Classical Music, and provides the most in-depth analyses of the entire Norton Series.

I feel bad giving the book three stars, but the other books by Atlas, Plantinga, Morgan and Hoppin are all better.Reinhard Pauly's book is also out there, but it's shorter and I haven't read it.Norton also published Charles Rosen's book Classical Style in 1999, which may be in response to this volume.

I must say, however, that on information alone, this book is very good and can be a great reference.

the driest book ever......
I have been assigned this book for a class in my Master's program in performance.This is quite possibly the driest book I've ever had the pain of reading.I will admit, there is a LOT of information here, but it is presented in the most boring way possible.I'd rather read an outline.I have NEVER sold back a textbook in my entire academic career, but this one will be going back, if I dont burn it.

If you are a professor, please, have mercy.Dont assign this book.I've had to read 400 pages of it and I already want to tear out my eyes.

An excellent source
This book is excellent for both students and teachers who are studying the Classic Era of music history. This source goes along well with other Norton pulications such as the Romantic Era and the Norton Publication that spansfrom Ancient music to the Baroque. I have all of these sources and it hasenriched my knowledge in the area of music history a great deal! ... Read more

Product Description
Traditional Spanish and Hispanic music by composers such as Rodrigo, Calatayud, Llobet, Cardoso, Sainz De La Maza, and other masters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

From the cover:
Volume Three of this superb three-volume collection of newly engraved Spanish music for guitar, encompassing classical, traditional and folk elements.Carefully selected and edited by John Zaradin.

Love it!
Good mix of music from different regions of Spain--fun to play.Waiting for volumes 2 & 3. (don't see them for sale in amazon?) ... Read more

Product Description
The Anthology of Classical Piano Music is paired with the Performance Practices in Classical Piano Music DVD for a comprehensive look at the literature, performing conventions and musical style of the Classical era.On the DVD, Dr. Hinson performs music from the Anthology, and discusses musical characteristics, period instruments, and performance conventions not indicated in the manuscripts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

well put together
I recommend this for any serious piano student, who needs to challenge their skills and move to a more advanced level. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive collection of 205 scores illustrates every significant trend and genre of Western music from antiquity to modern times.Highlights of the repertoire include new worksfrom all periods: more contrasting virelais,ballades, and other chansons from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries; large-scalechoral works, including Gabrieli’s Inecclesiis, Lully’s Te Deum,Haydn’s Creation, and Prokofiev’sAlexander Nevsky; more opera, including Norma, Les Huguenots, andMadama Butterfly; orchestral andchamber works by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms,Dvorák, and Tchaikovsky; and newtwentieth-century works by Satie, Bartók,Milhaud, Prokofiev, Varèse, Hindemith, Cowell,Cage, Feldman, Stockhausen, Boulez, Berio,Reich, Adams, Ligeti, Schnittke, and MichaelDaugherty.

Customer Reviews (37)

A little slow for delivery, but not bad
Book arrived in 8 days when I ordered 3-5 day shipping, but it did arrive in better condition than I expected

Books were a better bargain than the university bookstore!!!
I paid less than half of the cost my bookstore was paying for, and these texts were brand new!!

Amazon=Affordable Textbooks

Music History Text
Wonderfully researched with some very nice pictorial examples and other good photos.The copy that I received was in excellent condition, the price being a fraction of what I'd have paid in a book store. This text has been used in many colleges for years. 'The History of Western Music'is an encyclopedia of music history.

Fantastic effort
The book is easy to read and follow, and is great for providing historical background to the musical ideas. The only problem is that it omits some composers, notably Anton Bruckner.

A History of Western Music 7th edition
This book (along with its 6 predecessors and the newest edition released in 2009) is the gold standard of music history textbooks. While it may not always be as thrilling to read as say, Harry Potter, that isn't exactly its purpose either. If you want a complete and concise history of music from antiquity to about 9 years ago, this IS the book for you. Not only is it a fantastic music history book but it also offers online resources to aid in your learning. Online chapter outlines, flashcards and listening examples help this book be one of the best textbooks out there. Not an easy read, but well worth the time if learning about music history is your goal. ... Read more

Product Description
Indian music is vast like an ocean, so deep that its depths can hardly be fathomed. It is said that the unique beauty of Indian music lies between the notes, where each note takes on a new life, turning into a stepping stone to reach its ultimate source — god. This book is an attempt to inspire interest and fascination on this enriching subject. Important aspects of Hindustani and Carnatic music have been discussed in a candid and unpretentious style, provoking the reader to delve deep into unravelling the mystery and magic that underlie the essence of music. ... Read more

Product Description
The latest edition in our highly regarded series The World's Great Classical Music, this songbook features 47 faithful intermediate to advanced piano solo transcriptions of works by Tchaikovsky, often regarded as the greatest Russian composer. Includes selections from symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets and piano works, as well as a thorough biography of the composer. ... Read more

Product Description
In this informal and informative guide, Rudel leads listeners through the 40 most essential and popular compositions from the Four Seasons to Rhapsody in Blue, explaining the musical structure of each passage and highlighting special themes or elements to listen for as the music continues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Fabulous
I love, love, love this book!!! I have been a music lover all my life, and I do know my instruments and technical terms. So I didn't have any trouble understanding the text and descriptions. But I have so much enjoyed following along as I listen to each piece again and again. Even I, who understands it, learned so much more from having read the descriptions. I have purchased all of the recordings that he recommends and have put them on my iPod, and I have enjoyed them immensely. Thank you so much for this excellent book.

Very helpful
This book is helping me listen better to this sort of music. I am finding that my ears need some "training", but that they are opening more and I can hear and appreciate more. I am purchasing this because even though I have it from the library, I want to be able to refer to it at anytime in the next months and years.

It's true that the book essentially does simply give a "roadmap" for various pieces ('the timpani play a single note into the silence', 'slowly the speed increases leading to another piano solo', etc.), but that is exactly what I need. The audio books by Robert Greenberg from the Teaching company are also very good, and feature "word scores" to aid in following the music. It was from listening to those tapes/cds that I went looking for more such material that could give me a simplified score of sorts that I could use to follow the music.

There are some other books that introduce newcomers to this music, and with a little trial and error and use of the library, you can find some that are right for you. Amadeus press publishes some things, there is a fantastic set of free Beethoven lectures on the web by Andras Schiff, and other material I haven't yet discovered.

I am very grateful that I can now listen to and appreciate and receive such joy that this music gives. There really is something for everyone.

Average information
Did not meet my expectations. I was hoping some technical and artistic explanations in judging the musical piece but all I perceived was a verbal description of the music that you could explain to someone how the symphony was performed. Violins followed by clavier than picolos etc,etc. So at the end I did not know any more than listening the actual piece and confirming the authors arguments that indeed clavier follows violins. Why is it so good, I still do not know.

For the classical music lover who wants to become a listener
I have been a classical music lover for some years but I knew there was more that I could learn.I was familiar with the general history of the subject and had read a CD collecting guide.However, I wanted to know more about individual pieces of music and how to listen to them instead of just hear them.Then I found this book and it "hit the spot."The author gives the reader/listener a guided tour through forty pieces of classical music.Whether they are actually the "most popular and important" pieces is questionable, especially as to Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, but they are all wonderful works.Most are instrumental, but the book includes Handel's Messiah and Orff's Carmina Burana.They also have the benefit of spanning the spectrum of styles from baroque to modern.The pieces are arranged alphabetically, but I suggest starting with the programmatic pieces such as Smetana's Moldau, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, and moving toward the more abstract stuff such as Beethoven's Fifth, Brahm's First and Mahler's First.In order to follow the action as closely as possible you will need to have a watch you can reset, or to sit next to the CD player with the machine set to show time elapsed.The book provided two revelations.First, the music is full of subtleties of which I was unaware.Second, there are big differences in performances of the same piece. The most obvious difference is in whether repeats are observed or omitted.Highly recommended, and I hope Mr. Rudel will write another covering the next most popular forty.

Good reference, easy to follow and understand
Let me begin by explining that I have limited musical experience or training.However I do enjoy classical/syphonic music.This book greatly aided in my appreciation of the 40 pieces of music the author explains. His explanations are thorough and written in plain english.However, hedoes say to listen for certain instruments that most untrained people wouldnot know.Although limited, I do know something about music so that factthat did not effect me.All in all a good book for those sick of the radioand wanting to expand their music collection.Also, gives great cocktailparty knowledge. ... Read more

Product Description
Extracted from five hundred years of musical history, this is a fascinating collection of stories about classical music's most unusual concerts and characters. Tales such as that of the organist caught with his trousers down or the orchestra that played faster and faster so that its members could catch the last train home, the sad story of the composer who committed suicide while conducting, the completely silent piece of music and the stone deaf composer who insisted on conducting will delight all lovers of classical music. Many famous names are here, as well the less eminent music performers, in this fascinating and revealing look at what really goes on in the world of classical music. ... Read more

Product Description
Building on ideas first advanced by Arnold Schoenberg and later developed by Erwin Ratz, this book introduces a new theory of form for instrumental music in the classical style. The theory provides a broad set of principles and a comprehensive methodology for the analysis of classical form, from individual ideas, phrases, and themes to the large-scale organization of complete movements. It emphasizes the notion of formal function, that is, the specific role a given formal unit plays in the structural organization of a classical work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Five stars to Caplin, two stars to Oxford University Press
For anyone interested in the music of the Viennese Classicism, this book is a godsend. It basically follows a two-part plan: (1) Teach a new, highly detailed sonata construction terminology, from the smallest parts to parts of whole movements and (2) show how these interrelate most of the time, and why certain instances break the supposed norms (based on the styles of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, which are very much alike and MOSTLY complimentary). It starts with showing how various types of opening phrases are built, and how these relate and differ to later phrases or themes introduced (all the various kinds are gone through thoroughly). This then leads into a discussion of the nature of the development and recapitulation, and ends up discussing each of the normal "sonata-style" movement forms separately.

I think this is a wonderful book both for musicologists and would-be composers (you'll probably need to develop your own exercises on the way, but when you are ready to deal with a book like this, you should handle that). It can probably be read by the enlightened dilettante, but unless you are willing to spend the amount of time needed to recognize each element while listening, I think the book is most useful for people who are actually working with music on paper. Performers who are not put off by theoretical discussions could probably benefit from it as well.

The book uses functional harmonic theory in the vein of Schönberg and Riemann. In my native Norway this method is a lot more widely used than Schenkerian analysis, so I haven't had any problems with it; I've understood that some American readers may have to spend a little time adapting, though. My only gripe with the book is that the terminological material presented is vast and, while I am in no position to suggest improvements, feels like it could have been simplified. This is a minor inconvenience, but the rewards of the book are so great that it's definitely worth the time to go through it that extra time just to get it all down.

Any other caveats? There's two, both minor ones. First of all, all referential notes are printed in the back of the book. I usually like to read all of these, so I prefer that they are printed on the page where they are relevant; Saves me a lot of page flipping. The other point is that this book leaves out a large part of sonata theory: Texture. Although some very general observations are made, such as the fact that Alberti Bass and similar procedures usually are first introduced in transition passages (p. 125), texture isn't mentioned much. This book is primarily about melody and it's harmonic foundation. Which, of course, is fine. For what it is, it is a wonderful book, and one would be deluded to think that you could cram everything there is to know about sonata theory into 250 pages.

For the interested reader I'd also like to add Charles Rosen's Sonata Forms as a complimentary read: While this is a book very focused on terminology and isolation and fragmentation of sonata elements, Rosen's book take a much more prosaic road, in the vein of sir Donald Francis Tovey. I am just about to start on Hepokosky/Darcy's book Elements of Sonata Theory; Hopefully I will soon be able to add it to my recommended list.

However, I have to withhold one star. Why? Before I bought the book from Amazon, I borrowed it from the library. Comparing the two versions, the newer versions have significantly worse print quality than the older prints. The font is thicker, heavier and slightly less pleasing, but this isn't much of a problem. What IS annoying though is the quality of the note examples. I don't want to believe it, but it honestly look like OUP decided they needed to reprint this book, but had lost the original digital version, so they simply photocopied an earlier book and copied the scans. Both the stems and the bar lines are of varying thickness, and sometimes look slightly bent, and the whole score looks more blurred, and harder on the eye. I don't know why it came to be that way, but it appears totally meaningless, since the earlier print looked perfect. As far as I can see there's been no changes whatsoever in content.

Well worth your time
Caplin's book is, on the whole, an excellent revival of the Formlehre (study of form) tradition.His methodology of examining "formal functions" (i.e. how a particular musical module functions in the context of a full piece, rather than just labelling it) is incredibly revealing, and therefore his explanations of the various classical theme types (period, sentence, and small ternary) are likely the best you'll see in any study.The one caveat that I should express about this book is its reliance on the Riemannian and Schoenbergian traditions of harmonic theory: that's not necessarily a drawback, but to Americans who are used to the Schenkerian and roman numeral traditions of harmonic theory it can take a little getting used to (well worth the effort though).

An outline of classical form
This book is an in-depth outline of the four major forms of the classical era: Sonata, Rondo, Minuet/trio, and concerto. Before it covers them, however, covers the parts that make them, i.e. subordinate theme. Each of these small parts takes up about thirty pages, where the author covers tonal regions, structure, dynamics, etc. This book is a must for the music theory student/professional, or the composer. ... Read more

Product Description
All-time favorite from the world of classical music. Arranged for piano/organ with guitar chords. Includes Il Bacio, Air on the G String, Toreador Song, and many more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Having a wonderful time.
What a pleasure it is to hear the classic themes that are so simple, yet complicated when arranged into a full score.I love being able to arrange my own renditions, just for my listening pleasure.It's already my favorite "Fake Book."

Know Before You Buy:This Is Simple
The selection of pieces is large, varied, and poorly indexed.Each selection is as brief as could conceivably be imagined, sometimes to the detriment of the entire tune.It is ideal for my purpose, which is to arrange these tunes for combinations of different instruments for beginning players.I would have liked more sophisticated supporting chords, but what is given is adequate.On a couple of occasions, I have referred to the full score for more complete harmonic effects.The book is 5 stars worth of simple.

Very player friendly
As a 7th year, 70 year old piano student I find this very easy to sit and sight read.A break from the more complex works my teacher puts me through.Some errors are present, but we all have to get a life.

Classical Fake?
Well I'm disappointed... Have enjoyed several other of the "Fake" series, but this was a letdown... Many of these are contained in some of the other "Best of" & "Ultimate" editions, and in at least one case the other books actually have a better more complete arrangment..I guess it depends on what you're shopping for, but this was not one of my favorites.. ... Read more

Product Description
Easy arrangements with tab for 36 beloved pieces, including: Air on the G String * Ave Maria * Canon in D * Clair de Lune * Fur Elise * Ode to Joy * Surprise Symphony * and more. The CD includes complete performances of all pieces. ... Read more

Product Description
Contents: Alkan: Fantasy in Ab, Op. 76, No. 1 * C.P.E. Bach: Klavierstuck Solfeggietto * J.S. Bach: Gavotte in E * Bartok: Etude for the Left Hand * Berens: 9 Etudes (from The Training of the Left Hand, Op. 89) * Berger: Etude for the Left Hand, Op. 12, No. 9 * Blumenfeld: Etude, Op. 36 * Bonimici: Etude No. 3, Op. 273 * Chopin: Etude in Eb Minor, Op. 10, No. 6 * Czerny: Etude for One Hand * Ganz: Capriccio in Eb, Op. 26, No. 2 * Godowsky: Elegy, Meditation * Greulich: Etude for Left Hand (from Etudes de Salon, Op. 19) * Kalkbrenner: Four-Voiced Fugue * Kohler: Exercise in Arpeggio, Melody from Weber's Freischutz, Rhythmic Studies, Three Folk Songs for the Left Hand * Liszt: Hungary's God * Marzsen: La Ricordanza * Moskowski: Etude, Op. 92, No. 4 * Reger: Four Special Studies * Reinecke: Finale (from Sonata for the Left Hand, Op. 179) * Saint-Saens: Moto Perpetuo, Op. 135, No. 3 * Scriabin: Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2; Prelude, Op. 9, No. 1 * Tappert: 2 Exercises (Nos. 22 and 45 from 48 Exercises for the Left Hand) * Zichy: Viennese Pranks. ... Read more