Customer Reviews

Classical Music (Eyewitness Companions)

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I'm always a little leery of small books that suggest they have everything one needs to know on a subject but after carefully looking at DK's Classical Music, I think they did as good a job as could be done and aesthetically, the book is pleasing and comfortable to handle.

The cover to "Classical Music: Eyewitness Companions" touts its own summary: "Composers. Performers. Instruments. Key Works." Still, that is not entirely accurate. Like an encyclopedia, the book contains articles of varying lengths; unlike an encyclopedia, articles are arranged chronologically.

A quote by Victor Hugo opens the door to classical music: "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent."

Elements of classical music are defined and explained, setting the background for articles to come. Illustrated by photos, each family of instruments is established.

Then begins the chronological arrangement of the history of classical music. To give an idea of the range and limit of this approach, I will take you through the article on Beethoven. The rest of the book follows suit.

A quote by Mozart, his elder in music: "Keep your eye on him; one day he will make the world talk of him." His impact is encapsulated: "the supreme iconic figure of Western music....calling himself a 'poet in sound'....his music mirrored his beliefs in the prevailing spirit of individualism by emphasizing personal expression over traditional form..."(157).

Called the bridge from Classical (balanced music) to Romantic (wide range of notes), Beethoven created expressive, passionate, innovative music, unheard of in the classical world. His life and temperament surely urged those creations. The first sub-article briefly summarizes his life in one paragraph, contains a chart of his "Musical Output," describes the history of his music in one and one-half pages. There are pictures of his piano and one hearing aid.

The next four pages provide summaries and the impact of a few of his works (remember: encyclopedic, not exhaustive). Included are piano sonatas (Beethoven was a piano virtuoso), a trio, piano concerto, violin concerto, two symphonies--No. 6 and No. 9. Amazingly, No 5 is not included. There are also a string quartet and his only opera, the "Fidelio."

To illustrate the articles, photos, paintings, sketches, and charts include one of Napoleon to whom Beethoven initially dedicated his "Eroica" symphony, then removed it when Napoleon declared himself emperor. Another box describes Beethoven's change in the world of classical music by demanding support from patrons rather than groveling for it as Mozart often had to do.

A photograph of a string quartet, one source of the sublime music of Beethoven's last period, composed when he was totally deaf and could "hear" only his internal music, shows instrumentalists playing "String Quartet, Op. 130."

A fantastic chart depicts the powerful and relentless repetition and alterations of the leit-motifs in the "Appassionata" sonata, so characteristic of his music once he freed himself of Classical restraint and constraints.

Beethoven was one of a kind. If you own this book, read this article and are left wanting more, you then go to Amazon to order a book strictly concerning Beethoven or his music. Or you go to your local bookstore or local library for a book. You can also buy music or check it out so you can listen to the music.

"Classical Music: Eyewitness Companions" is an introductory summary of the history of classical music, performers, instruments, and key words. Anything more must be sought elsewhere. Right now it is raining, I'm going make a cup of coffee, get out my "Eroica" and listen to this heroic composition by an heroic composer: Ludwig van Beethoven.

Dedicated to Art Centurion, Giordano Bruno for music;

Steve P. and Don B. for Eyewitness Companions

Far more composers are included than you'd expect in this almost pocketsize volume.

Light and enjoyable reading, yet an excellent overview of 'classical music' for everyone. Many terms are defined, some aren't and you wish they were. Helpful index in the back. Good quick reference, never bogs down with too much information.

Stirred my curiousity over and over again to go out and learn more on this huge subject we call 'classical music'. The 'snapshot' descriptions are easy to read and interesting for the casual reader.

I truly loved the pictures and imagery throughout this book. Top Notch quality! However, not all the photos are identified or given descriptions. Perhaps that is by design though... Never-the-less, the stunning visuals makes this book a definite keeper!

The information is carefully gathered and put in this encyclopedia in a qualitative way. It's a precise and thorough piece of work, which worths your money.

This is a typically well constructed Eyewitness Companions book. The focus is classical music, bridging the time period from 1000 to the present. The editor-in-charge, John Burrows, notes the goal of this book (Page 10): "The book should inform, excite, inspire and be very accessible to Classical music lovers of all ages and levels of knowledge." The Introduction is authored by Lady Solti, the widow of the great conductor, Sir Georg Solti. She observes that (Page 11): "Music is in my opinion the missing link between the physical and the spirit; it is also a great educator.

As with all Eyewitness Companions works, the opening sections provide background and context. Among the key subjects: the elements of classical music, including pitch, intervals, harmony, rhythm, tempo (Have you always been curious about what terms like andante and allegro and vivace mean? Check out page 21), and dynamics (Pianissimo to Fortissimo), inter alia. The next part of the book explores the instruments of classical music, discussing the evolution of instruments over the centuries. Then, classical music in performance, including the development of the concert. Once more, there is an historical context provided.

Then, the book moves to a period-by-period examination of classical music, from early music (1000-1600) to modern music (1900-present). For each period, there is a nice opening discussion on the nature of music of the time. The first significant composers include artists such as Hildegard de Bingen (1098-1179), Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377), Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474), Josquin Desprez (145-1521), Thomas Tallis (1505-1585), and Giovanni Palestrina (1525-1594). The next era, the Baroque covers roughly the time frame from 1600-1750. Of the many great composers, a few of those covered in this segment include Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706), George Frederic Handel (1685-1759), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). And so on, including the Classical Era, the Romantic Era, Romantic Opera, Modern Music, along with an interesting discussion of "National Schools" from 1830-1950.

The waterfront is covered, although, with the format of this book, there is no room for depth of consideration for any single composer. But one will get a sense of the sweep of classical music over a period of a thousand years. There are some composers whom I would have liked to have seen appear in this work, such as the quirky George Antheil and the contemporary Jennifer Higdon.

For the reader who wants a useful introduction to the subject, this book is worth acquiring.

I like classical music, but don't know that much about the composers, how the pieces came to be composed, and just the little facts and figures that enhance an experience.

This book is a great starting point for learning more about the classical music genre. The first 44 pages gives the reader a good solid overview of classical music including the elements, the instruments and performance. The rest of the book chronicles the genre from early music 1000-1600 through the present.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen which was not included would have been a complete listing of the musical works of each composer. The major ones are highlighted with a bit of dialogue about each work.

A definite must if you want to learn more about classical music and need a diving board!