The Essential Canon of Classical Music [Paperback]

David Dubal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 2003

The ultimate guide to classical composers and their music-for both the novice and the experienced listener

Music, according to Aaron Copland, can thrive only if there are "gifted listeners." But today's listeners must choose between classical and rock, opera and rap, and the choices can seem overwhelming at times. In The Essential Canon of Classical Music, David Dubal comes to the aid of the struggling listener and provides a cultural-literacy handbook for classical music. Dubal identifies the 240 composers whose works are most important to an understanding of classical music and offers a comprehensive, chronological guide to their lives and works. He has searched beyond the traditional canon to introduce readers to little-known works by some of the most revered names in classical music-Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert-as well as to the major works of lesser-known composers. In a spirited and opinionated voice, Dubal seeks to rid us of the notion of "masterpieces" and instead to foster a new generation of master listeners. The result is an uncommon collection of the wonders classical music has to offer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To attempt to cover the range of serious music is a herculean task from medieval polyphony to the minimalism of Arvo P„rt and Philip Glass, offering insights, biographical information on dozens of major and minor figures, and even finding room for moderately useful, if necessarily incomplete, discographies, Dubal has brought it off better than might have been expected. As a teacher at the Juilliard School and with 20 years as a classical program director at New York's WNCN radio station, he brings strong qualifications to the job, and since he writes decently, if sometimes rather bluntly, and has thought through his organization clearly, the book is probably the most useful of its kind now available. He divides music into the traditional five periods, and lists the significant composers as well as a host of lesser figures chronologically within those. In each case, he offers a few biographical snippets (more extended portraits for the great figures), provides a sense of where the composer fits into the scheme of things, then lists significant works and some chosen recordings. These are likely to be the most controversial aspects of the book, though Dubal is careful to point out that his choices offer a range of approaches to the seminal works. He does seem to have vast affection for the recordings of Sir Thomas Beecham and, more recently, for the work of Charles Dutoit; and inevitably some will question his priorities: nearly twice as much space for Richard Strauss as for, say, Sibelius? For Paul Dukas over Carl Nielsen? But the book's usefulness and comprehensiveness cannot be denied.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this entertaining and informative book, Dubal gives himself the difficult challenge of addressing two audiences simultaneously: listeners new to classical music and more experienced listeners who would like a guide to creating a "lifetime listening plan." A professor of piano literature at Juilliard and a former, longtime classical music programmer for WNCN in New York, he brings strong credentials to the taskAand, for the most part, he succeeds. The scope and attention to detail are very impressive, and the engaging writing style makes for pleasurable browsing. Dubal includes 240 composers in five chronological sections and categorizes them by date of birth within each grouping. He considers 60 to be major and, therefore, worthy of lengthy biographical entries and substantial listening lists. The remaining 180 receive about a page or less of prose, with only a handful of recordings listed. While he is relatively generous to the 20th century (more composers are included in this section than in any other), he ends his survey with William Bolcom (born in 1938), thus ignoring the many significant composers younger than 62. On the other end of the chronological spectrum, Dubal's pre-Baroque listings include only 13 composers, represented by a mere 14 recordingsAa woefully inadequate representation, given the explosion of early music recordings in the last quarter century. Despite these flaws, the book is a valuable resource for those interested in expanding their collections of classical music recordings. Recommended for all public libraries.ALarry Lipkis, Moravian Coll., Bethlehem, PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: North Point Press; 1st edition (October 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865476640
• ISBN-13: 978-0865476646
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent review of classical music history!, December 4, 2001

By 

Kevin Nauta (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Essential Canon of Classical Music (Hardcover)

I've been looking for a book like this for a long time. David Dubal writes a very readable and very interesting picture of a wide range of composers who those interested in classical music should know. The book includes a biographical sketch of the composer and a list of important works that define the composer's place in history. This book works equally well as classical music textbook and biography, and fills an important niche in the marketplace.

If there is a down side to the book, it is in its desire to do too much. Dubal includes a few select CDs he recommends. As I've learned in my travels, a lot of classical labels make you pay through the nose and that can be discouraging to someone on a budget. The truth is, there are some really good budget lines (like Naxos) out there that can put classical music into the hands of almost anybody who wants a good CD, without sacrificing quality one iota. Don't be bound by his selections--explore! But do read the book. It'll be worth your time.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource, May 29, 2003

By 

Emily Baker (Boston MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Canon of Classical Music (Hardcover)

Dubal is first and foremost a good writer. His biographical sketches of the major composers are short - about 3-5 pages each - but are compelling, elegantly written and packed with really useful information. He details composers' personal lives, historical contexts, relationships between composers and critical views (and popular views) of their works over time. After each biographical sketch he lists composer's major works, with a short discussion of the importance & influence of each piece as well as his critical opinion.

Reading Dubal's book has enriched my appreciation of some really great music. It's also prompted me to try composers I'd barely heard of before. After reading Dubal's chapter on Paganini I immediately got into my car, headed for the music store & picked up a copy of his '24 Caprices for Violin'. And I'm so glad I did. I now have a huge "must-buy" list thanks to this book.

I read this book along with Phil Goulding's "The 50 Greatest Composers and their 1000 Greatest Works". Both are worthwhile. Goulding's book is entertaining, but his ranking system & his concept of a "Starter Kit" for each composer are rather silly. Goulding's book is fun, especially for the absolute beginner. But for me, Dubal wins because of the quality of his writing and because he lists more major works to listen to and goes into detail describing each work. This is a book I'll come back to again and again.

Criticisms: His section on the Baroque is smaller than I would like. I also wish he'd added a discussion of musical forms & went into a bit more technical detail about each musical work. But I suppose that's for another book. Dubal has included a lot of substantial and enjoyable detail into this book , and I'm satisfied with it enough to think it merits five stars.

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ideal book for another crack at Music Appreciation, January 28, 2002

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Essential Canon of Classical Music (Hardcover)

My college Music Appreciation class became something of a joke when I discovered it was easier to pass the exam by NOT listening to the music at the listening lab. After all, a piano concerto is not the same thing as an operatic duet or a symphony piece. So while I have always enjoyed classical music, I could never really appreciate it in any meaningful way. So David Dubal's "The Essential Canon of Classical Music" is perfect for somebody like me who wants to know more about all those classical CDs in my collection without getting into major and minor keys and other fun stuff. For example, even I recognize "La Mareillaise" representing the French in Tchiakovsky's "Overture 1812," but find it interesting to learn that several folk tales such as "God Preserves Thy People" are used to represent the Russians. True, Dubal talks rather generally about specific works, but that is exactly what I need to advance to the next level.

The Canon is divided into five ages: (I) The Medieval, Renaissance, and Elizabethan; (II) Baroque; (III) Classicism; (IV) Romantic and (V) Modern. For each Dubal first presents the defining composers of the age: Handel, Bach and Scarlatti for Baroque; Gluck, Hayden, Mozart and Beethoven for Classicism. For the last two ages things get more complex, but what the division between the main composers and the "others" is a question of degree: pages detailing specific works versus a paragraph or two. Again, this is quite useful for someone like me who is interested in not only learning more about what I already have but who is also open to suggestions as to what composer and/or works I should track down next. "The Essential Canon of Classical Music" is both informative and engaging. It sits on the shelf next to my classical musical collection and I do not grab something to listen to without taking it along to see what new things I can learn from Dubal.