Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Music

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is not bad at all. It may deserve 4 stars had I never read Classical Music for Dummies. A book on classical music ought to come with a sample CD. This one doesn't. And you won't know what you miss until you get the other book.

Felt that Classical Music For Dummies was a superior read to the Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Music. It also included a CD of classical music as examples of what was taught in the text of the book with an entire chapter devoted to explaining the examples on the CD. Idiot's Guide did not contain a CD.

I bought this book because I wanted to develop a better understanding of the music I was hearing at concerts. I was disappointed. The authors spent so much effort trying to make the book interesting that they didn't include the information I was seeking. I can understand the wordplay in the section headings, but I got VERY tired of the "Bet You Didn't Know" sections with tidbits like "Salmonella was reputed to be such a wonderful piano player because he had two left hands." I tried to just skip them, but the remainder of the text assumed the reader had read those sections.

The music theory portion of the book - the part I wanted to understand the most - is only 13 pages and still left me lost. Some of it may be from oversimplification. One question I had - and still have - is the meaning of a piece described as being In C Major. The book states that this is "the basic tone on which the rest of music is constructed." I don't know if that means the most common note, the midpoint, or something else. Examples of specific works would go a long way to making this discussion more useful.

This book might be an amusing resource if you're looking for biographical trivia about composers, singers, or performers. But I would not recommend it for someone struggling to understand the music.

Ironically, I took up violin when I was four (like so many Asian kids) but gave it up after 13 years of continuous practice. Recently I realized that even though I could still play, I did not know much about classical music as a genre! So I bought this book and found it very informative. Let me just say that (after checking with my music history professor) everything you need to know about classical music is here, explained in a friendly and clear way. You'll learn how to appreciate classical music as well as who-is-who in the field.

Now, would someone care to write a "complete idiot's guide to Chinese music"? :)

This book is for all of you who wince in pain at the mere mention of classical music. Robert Sherman and Philip Seldon present Classical music in informative and easy to read chapeters. The laid back and often times funny writing style keeps the text flowing and makes a seemingly boring topic entertaining. It gives you useful information on the subject, such as how to dress for a concert, tips on listening to different composers, and helpful hints on how to build your own classical CD collection. If you're like me, and always had an interest in classical music, but didn't know where to start, this book gets you well on your way to the complete understanding music then and now.

My goal for reading this book was to not get lost in the sea of classical music, and it served this purpose.

It did help me find differences for example Baroque from Romanticism, and it did guided me through composers, famous operas, and such. The reading is light and is not at all unpleasant. It contains plenty of fun and interesting facts.

I believe the real enjoyment comes from actually listening to classical music, and choosing your own favorites according to your tastes.

Finally I have to say: yes, this book helps.

I recently started using Kindle on my I pad and computer. I am impressed with the large selection of titles that are available to read via Kindle. However, I am disappointed with the number of errors in the text. I would expect the Kindle editions to have better quality control.