Classical Music 101 A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Classical Music

by Plotkin, Fred

• ISBN13: 9780786886272
• ISBN10: 0786886277
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-09-18
• Publisher: Hachette Books

Summary

From the author of the best-selling Opera 101 comes a comprehensive and highly accessible guide to discovering the glories of classical music, based on the fundamental principle that developing the skills to truly listen (rather than merely hear) is essential to learning and loving this art form. Fred Plotkin illustrates how each piece of music possesses its own sound world, which is created by the unique style, voice, and vision of each composer, and made even more distinct by every musician who plays it. Furthermore, he explains how music becomes a part of the listener, especially if you are open to its pleasure and mystery.

Author Biography

Fred Plotkin is the author of the bestselling and acclaimed Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera, which is the standard text in North American for discovering the glories of opera. He writes for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Opera News, Das Opernglas, and Gourmet. He lectures on music for leading institutions, including Columbia University, the Juilliard School, and the Smithsonian. Plotkin is a popular guest on the intermission features of the Chevron Texaco-Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, and many shows on National Public Radio. An expert on Italy, he has written five definitive books on Italian food and wine.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. XI
First Hearing: Developing Your Listening Skills	p. 1
Making Music	p. 11
Some Thoughts on the Recordings Used in Classical Music 101	p. 33
The Voices of the Orchestra	p. 45
Colors and Pictures: More Thoughts About Listening	p. 109
Second Hearing: Beethoven's Seventh Symphony	p. 145
Theory, and Practice	p. 161
The Symphony	p. 181
A Conversation with James Levine	p. 191
Attending a Live Performance	p. 243
The Piano	p. 281
A Conversation with Emanuel Ax	p. 310
The Violin	p. 337
A Conversation with Joshua Bell	p. 344
Stringing Along: Music for Viola, Cello, and Double Bass	p. 367
The Woodwinds	p. 379
The Brass Family	p. 391
The Percussion: Bells, Whistles, Thunder, and a Beating Heart	p. 399
Early Music: From These Roots	p. 409
The Singer's Art: Lieder and Vocal Music	p. 421
A Conversation with Marilyn Horne	p. 452
Lift Every Voice: Music with Chorus	p. 477
Feeling Music: Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2	p. 507
Mount Olympus and Elysian Fields: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony	p. 519
Coda: Some Final Notes	p. 529
Discography for Classical Music 101	p. 541
Resources for the Classical Music Lover	p. 563
Traveling to Hear Classical Music: Concert Halls and Theaters Around the World	p. 569
Index	p. 647
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