Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Classical Music : But Were Too Afraid to Ask

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9781907642494
• ISBN10: 1907642498
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2012-10-01
• Publisher: Elliot & Thompson Ltd

Summary

Are you unsure of the difference between an alto and a contralto? Ever wondered exactly when you're meant to applaud at a concert? Or even what music you should be listening to in the first place? 'Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Classical Music... But Were Too Afraid to Ask' is for you! Classic FM reaches over 6 million UK listeners every week. It is the country's best-loved classical radio station and its mission is to spread enthusiasm, appreciation and understanding for classical music. All too often, potential listeners, are put off classical music due to its perceived elitism. This book gleefully dispels this notion and many others as it works brilliantly to make classical music not only accessible, but also disarmingly simple and utterly engrossing. Broken into 3 sections designed to steer you through the terminology and etiquette of classical music, open the fascinating history of the genre and its key figures over the last 1,000 years, showing their sheer brilliance coupled with their very human natures, and provide an indispensible reference guide for any reader, whether it's traditional chamber music or sweeping film scores that you prefer to listen to. As Louis Armstrong, an avowed classical music fan, put it: "There's only two way to sum up music: either it's good or it's bad. If it's good you don't mess about it - you just enjoy it."

Author Biography

Darren Henley is the managing director of Classic FM. He was named commercial radio programmer of the year in 2009. This is his 20th book about classical music and musicians. Sam Jackson is Classic FM's head of music. They previously collaborated on The Classic FM Hall of Fame. Classic FM is the UK's best-loved classical radio station, and its mission is to spread enthusiasm, appreciation, and understanding for classical music.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. VII
How to use this Book	p. XII
Getting into Classical Music	p. 2
Unravelling the Jargon	p. 7
Listening to Classical Music Live	p. 27
Your Own Classical Music Collection	p. 40
A Brief History of Classical Music	p. 60
Early Music	p. 64
The Baroque Period	p. 75
The Classical Period	p. 91
The Romantic Period	p. 105
The 20th Century	p. 142
The 21st Century	p. 161
Stats and Facts	p. 176
Who was Composing What When?	p. 179
The Classical FM Hall of Fame Top 300	p. 194
What they Said about Each other	p. 207
Classical Music used in Films	p. 210
Where to Find Out More	p. 214
Acknowledgements	p. 217
About the Authors	p. 219
Index	p. 221
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.