The Chronicle of Classical Music: An Intimate Diary of the Lives and Music of the Great Composers [Hardcover]

Alan Kendall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994

Classical music today has a bigger and more universal following than ever, the age of the CD making it accessible to a vast audience. Here is a book that will bring vividly to life the worlds of some of our greatest composers. Taking the form of a chronological diary from 1600 to the present day, it leads the reader through the centuries, year by year, and follows the great composers' overlapping and interweaving lives. It contains details of: the main musical works and events of the year; the life and background of each composer; concurrent historical and artistic events and influences. Carefully cross-referenced with the chronological data are a series of special features discussing in detail the key works, influences on musical form and performance, the changing working conditions and status of the musicians, and the development of musical instruments. The book includes: extracts from original letters and journals; hundreds of illustrations reproducing posters, cartoons, photographs, documents and musical scores; an extensive reference section including biographies, a timeline and a guide to the top recordings and performers.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This lavishly illustrated general history of music is presented in diary format. Beginning in 1600, periods of two to five years get single-paragraph overviews, which are followed by date entries that offer one or two sentences stating factual events in the history of music (e.g., "1700, 18 September. Vivaldi is ordained deacon, aged twenty-two, in Venice"). Accompanying sidebars list contemporary political and cultural events, and short quotes and captions add tiny vignettes. Every few pages, the chronology is broken up by a few tightly focused, diary-like paragraphs on an instrument, a composition, an event, a letter, or an idea. Completing the book is a reference section that includes a biographical listing of composers that gives little more than birth and death dates, a list of the "Top 100 Classical Recordings," acknowledgments, a bibliography, an index, and more-all in just 32 pages. The book is beautiful, but much of the writing is dry and overly brief; the style makes it impossible to formulate a cohesive vision of an artist or period. Not recommended; a better general reference is the four-volume Heritage of Music (LJ 10/15/89), edited by Kendall and Michael Raeburn.
Timothy J. McGee, Univ. of Toronto
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A lively sourcebook. -- The Washingtonian

A richly illustrated book on Western Classical music. -- Music Educators Journal

An original, and highly useful, guide to music, this attractive book walks us through history in a nicely-paced diary format. -- Rocky Mountain News --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500016275
• ISBN-13: 978-0500016275
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,124,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Aptly Titled, Beautifully Illustrated Time Line, May 14, 2006

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This review is from: The Chronicle of Classical Music: An Intimate Diary of the Lives and Music of the Great Composers (Paperback)

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.