The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Classical Music [Hardcover]

Stanley Sadie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

Organized chronologically by musical era, this comprehensive, authoritative, and accessible volume contains a dazzling display of information, analysis, and color, adding up to a major new learning tool and ongoing reference source to inform and entertain students, scholars, and all lovers of classical music. Each chapter features an introduction to the period, its key composers and other personalities, musical styles, forms, and instruments. Six thematic strands developed throughout the book are identified by a series of icons at the top of each spread. These elucidating themes-designed to expand the reader's knowledge of various aspects of classical music and provide a context within each era-are "Women in Music," "Arts & Culture," "Inside the Music," "The Voice," "Performance," and "Influences." A Listening Guide for each era covers details of orchestration, instrumentation, timing, and full historical background, and an extensive discography and bibliography are also included.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Designed for the intelligent music lover, this work combines depth of insight with a high degree of accessibility. Editor Sadie has been editor of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2d ed., Oxford, 2001) since 1970 and is a respected music critic.

Unlike most encyclopedias, this one is organized chronologically by period. After an introductory section on the foundations of music worldwide, there are chapters covering medieval, Renaissance, early and late baroque, classical, early and late Romantic, modern, and contemporary eras. Each chapter has these divisions: introduction (history and major events of the time and social and cultural context), personalities (biographies of key musical figures), styles and forms (new and developing), and instruments (invention, construction, role). Short entries marked by icons cover additional facts on six aspects of music: "Arts and Culture," "Inside the Music," "The Voice," "Performance," "Women in Music," and "Influences." Sidebars give more facts throughout. Other features are cross-referencing, a glossary of musical terms, bibliographies, a list of musical organizations, and an index. The few black-and-white illustrations are unremarkable.

The text of this work is a very slightly updated version of the Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Classical Music (Watson-Guptill, 2000) but with a much lower level of visual appeal. The illustrated edition also has a listening guide for each chapter focusing on a specific work and a discography. These are missing from the work under review, although entries for personalities do list a recommended recording. Bibliographies are slightly different, but information is essentially the same and will be of great use to students of music, cultural history, and general history by period. Arrangement of the encyclopedia works very well, keeping relevant information together, and it is recommended for public, community college, and high-school libraries. Since both versions are available, it remains to choose one on the basis of price, weighing the value of the illustrations. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Stanley Sadie, editor of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the unsurpassed musical reference source, was a professor at Trinity College of Music in London for ten years, music critic of The Times (London) for seventeen years, and music consultant to some twenty-two television programs. Widely considered one of the world's most eminent authorities in music publishing, he is based in London, England. Vladimir Ashkenazy is a world-renowned virtuoso pianist and conductor.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Billboard Books (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823076989
• ISBN-13: 978-0823076987
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 10.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #966,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first great book on music of the millenium, October 17, 2001

By 

"conquistador69" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Classical Music (Hardcover)

I have never read a book like this one before.
So well written and illustrated. It is forwarded
by Vladimir Ashkenazy. The book starts with a section
about music in non-western civilizations, there it
explains the role of music in early cultures of the world,
From Ancient Egypt, to China; from the Ancient American
cultures, to Africa; and from Oceania to the near east to
the Holy Roman Empire, this section of the book has it all.
Then the book is divided in by order of musical periods
thru the ages. Starting with the medieval era, it lists
key events of this period, starting in the 800's. It mentions
and tells about the great names of the era in music,
including de Vitry(1291-1361) and Machaut(1300-1377).
It also explains such teaching devices as the 'Guidonian Hand'.
Then comes the Renaissance, here, it explains the rise
of humanism, it speaks also of major events of the time.
It also tells a bit about the Reinassance courts of Europe
and the composers of the time:Cristobal de Morales(1500-53)
Thomas Morley(1557-1602), Orlande de Lasuss(1532-94). This
section also speaks of the rise of instruments.
One to the Baroque where the where we are start seeing the
the start of new musical forms and procedures, sucha as the
masque, the music drama, the French grand motet.Also music in tenary form etc. The section on the classical period again famous
composers and musicians, explinations of classicism, rococco, and the instruments of the time.More on composers, specially Mozart and Beethoven.On to the the romantic period where we start
to see development in musical instruments, and styles, we also
see how the orchestra gets bigger. Finally, the book comes to
the early and late 20th century. The book does a wonderful job, pictures and tales of 20th century composers. This is the first
book that I have where I find a picture of John Adams and Sofia Gubaidulina in in the same book, in this book, for the first time also, our contemporary composers are treated with great respect, and as equal to their counterparts of the bygone ages. I picture that I like very much is in PG.324 where Cage, and Boulez shake hands in fron of Massien. The art work is of the best quality.This is indeed a good book that I recomend to every classical music lover, and friend. The amazon.com price is so
affordable, and competitive.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable both as a reference and for browsing, April 30, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Classical Music (Hardcover)

A team of writers and scholars compiled the Encyclopedia Of Classical Music, an in-depth encyclopedia of classical music which packs in over 900 color illustrations to accompany a thorough history and survey which extends from ancient through modern times. Introductions for each major period includes surveys of key composers, changes in musical styles, forms, and analysis of instruments. Recommended CD listings, a glossary and extensive discography and bibliography, and subject and name indexes make this valuable both as a reference and for browsing.