The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Music

by Sherman, Robert; Seldon, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780028616346
• ISBN10: 0028616340
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-07-01
• Publisher: Alpha Books

Summary

You're no idiot of course. You know something about classical music, whether it's the "da-da-da-dum" opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony or that a famous shaggy dog was named after that same composer. But when it comes to knowing your Vivaldi from your Berlioz, you find it less stressful to tune your radio dial to some old time rock and roll. Don't give up yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Music shows you how easy it is to understand and appreciate classical music--from recognizing musical pieces to distinguishing composers. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Author Biography

ROBERT SHERMAN, a noted classical music authority and radio personality, appears on WQXR in New York City and is on the faculty of  The Juilliard School.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Overture	1	(38)
If You Know Nothing About Classical Music, Start Here..	3	(10)
A road map to the musical treats that await
Where Do You Find Classical Music?	13	(8)
From church to concert hall, big screen movies to home TV, classical music is all around you
How Do You Listen to Classical Music?	21	(10)
Feeling the spirit: sharing the emotional expression of the composer
What is Concert Hall Etiquette?	31	(8)
Emily Post at the concert hall
Part 2: The Sound of Music	39	(34)
What Are the Basic Elements of Classical Music?	41	(14)
Building blocks of the classical skyscrapers
What Are the Instrumental Sounds of Music?	55	(10)
From lute to flute, every instrument has its own special character
How Can I Tell the Singers Apart Without a Program?	65	(8)
From sopranos to tenors, the most basic sound is the human voice
Part 3: Orchestra, My Kingdom for an Orchestra	73	(70)
What Is an Orchestra?	75	(18)
Roll call of the symphony orchestra
How Does the Instrumental Garden Grow?	93	(8)
Duos, trios, quartets, and more
What About All the Other Instruments?	101	(10)
Symphonic visitors: the piano, folk instruments, and electronics
Musicians Are People, Too: The Makers of Music	111	(16)
The stories of the composers who create classical music and the virtuosos who bring it to life
More Makers of Music: Bows and Batons Department	127	(16)
More composers and virtuosos
Part 4: So Tell Me About Classical Music	143	(108)
Understanding Those Scary Music Terms	145	(10)
What all those funny Italian words really mean
Go for Baroque	155	(12)
Music of the Baroque period, Bach, Handel, and friends
Roll Over Beethoven: The Classical Composers	167	(18)
Music of the Classical period, Haydn, Mozart, and Ludwig van
Say You Want a Revolution: The Romantic Era	185	(20)
Poetry and passion in 19th century music
Grooving to the Classics in the 20th Century	205	(20)
Desperately seeking Stravinsky, plus Mahler, and other musical explorers
The 20th Century Mainstream and Beyond	225	(26)
The musical way we are: Gershwin, Copland, Adams, and onward
Part 5: The Vocal Chord	251	(96)
Singing in the (Vocal) Reign	253	(26)
Strolling down the vocal Hall of Fame
It's Not Over Till the Fat Lady Sings	279	(16)
Opera's most famous composers, Rossini, Bellini, Puccini, and some non-Italians too
Those Dirty Plots and Plans: Dramatic Opera	295	(12)
Life through death at the opera house
Comedy in the Buff-a	307	(14)
It's okay to laugh at the opera, sometimes
Richard Wagner---En Route to Valhalla	321	(16)
The master of musical drama and dramatic music
Let Us Pray	337	(10)
Musical testaments of faith
Appendix A: Building Your Record Collection	347	(12)
A starter's list of must-haves
Appendix B: Singers You Will Want to Know	359	(6)
Don't embarrass yourself in conversation---familiarize yourself with some of these names
Appendix C: Musicians You Will Want to Know	365	(6)
You're looking through a concert program and suddenly, lo and behold, you're starting to recognize a name here and there
Appendix D: Conductors You Will Want to Know	371	(6)
These charismatic characters love to wildly wave their arms and shake a big stick---with this appendix you'll know them when you see or read about them
Appendix E: Music Words	377	(6)
Simple, concise definitions of terminology
Index	383