Customer Reviews

The Essential Canon of Classical Music

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Since purchasing a copy of David Dubal's "Essential Canon" soon after it was published in 2001 I have found that, if not "essential," it is very useful as a convenient and reliable reference to classical music. In our household, Dubal's "Canon" has been so often consulted that its sturdy binding has given way and I am about to order another copy today.

My rating of merely three stars is based entirely on the fact that the book has a salient and serious weakness that has not been pointed out to my knowledge, certainly not in these reviews. That weakness is in early music. By my count, Mr. Dubal devotes:

14 pages (2% of the book) to pre-Baroque music
44 pages (6%) to Baroque music
77 pages (11%) to the Classical era (including Beethoven)
355 pages (52%) to Romantic music
194 pages (28%) to the Age of Modernism

In revising this worthy book for a much-needed second edition, Mr. Dubal will surely bring it up to date by including Osvaldo Golijov and other new composers of significance.

Most importantly, Mr. Dubal needs to treat music before the Romantic era more equitably. The major Baroque figures are now limited to three: Handel, JS Bach and Domenico Scarlatti. There is no question that others (such as Corelli, Vivaldi and Telemann) deserve to be seen as major figures of the Baroque era and that more fine pre-Baroque and Baroque composers deserve inclusion in the book. Early music is being viewed, and rightly so, as of great importance.

Mr. Dubal could also afford to slim down the Romantic composers who certainly do not represent 52% of all that classical music has to offer. (Frederick Delius wrote some nice music but he does not warrant major status with 5 full pages devoted to him!)

In sum, a fine and useful book but unbalanced. Very weak on early music. Short on the great music and its makers before Romanticism, before the 19th century.

A brilliant and fascinating book. This is a comprehensive yet manageable-size history of classical music from medieval times through the present. There is a section for each era with biographies of the major composers, each section prefaced by an excellent framing summary of the general history and cultural context of the period. The knowledge shown by the author, not only on the wide range of music but also on the general historical and cultural aspects, is truly awesome. And unlike many such books, this one pulls no punches. If a composer was an S.O.B., the book tells you about that. If he murdered people in his spare time (e.g. Gesualdo), the book tells you about that.

What I find most fascinating and special about this book is the persistent focus on correlating the composers' achievements with their relationship histories. Again and again, mostly almost in passing, composers' productivity (or lack thereof) is expressed in the context of relationships, marriages, separations, or widowhoods. I am not aware of any other source with such an emphasis. To me, it adds enormously to the narratives and it is the most significant aspect of the book.

Each section is broken down into two portions: First, a succession of chapters on each of the most important composers, then a series of shorter write-ups on "other" composers of the period. The author does a great job of this. A key aspect of such a book is the relative amount of space each thing is given, totally aside from the actual content; this is perhaps the main factor that conveys a thing's importance and interest. Think about it: When we pick up a book like this, what's the first thing we do? Usually, we thumb through it to see just basically what's in there, rather than exactly what it says. Thus, if such a book is well done, a novice can thumb through it and, within a few minutes, know the major composers and roughly where they stand, just from who's in there and how much space they get. And I believe it would be hard to do a better job of this than Mr. Dubal did. We can always quibble, and indeed there was one particular instance where I wondered why a composer wasn't included: Orlando Gibbons. Obviously not a major thing -- I mention it only to show how deep you might have to dig to find a quibble.

Actually, one quibble that might be more substantial.......Unless I'm missing something, no female composers at all are featured. I don't know enough to be sure if this is a significant omission, but it would appear to be. Cecile Chaminade, Amy Beach, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich are examples of composers who might have been included.

The author doesn't hesitate to reveal his biases, although it's not clear if he recognizes them as such. For example, in the Borodin chapter, he says it's "unfortunate" that Borodin's themes were used in "Kismet." But, rip-offs like that were how many of us got introduced to classical music! (Me for example.) And how about this quote from the chapter on Modernism: "In the last 50 years, the young have had an unprecedented amount of money to spend, and they have been taught to spend it on bad music....." Many of us probably agree with that, but it certainly shows a bias.

An interesting additional wrinkle (easily overlooked!) is that the illustrations of the composers were done by the author himself.

Most highly recommended for people of all levels.

If you are seriously beginning to get into classical music, this is a most fascinating and satisfying books for your journey. In this dense volume, pianist and Juilliard music scholar David Dubal gives a compelling overview of the major periods of classical music as well as the major composers and their major works in each period. For each composer, he tells their story and history in a very compelling way and then describes some background of the major works and their significance. His historical essays on the major music eras (Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern) are skilly written and make for very engaging reading. (I learned many fascinating tidbits on many a composer even after reading several books on each.) He gives some useful - but not too technical - descriptions of musical elements such the Classical-era "sonata form" and the Romantic-era "music drama." His discussion of the all-important sonata form is quite good and will deepen your music appreciation and ability to follow things when listening. Mr. Dubal also covers an impressive list of the "minor composers," their lives and their works (unlike NPR guide which lists only the major composers).

Wisely, Dubal does not try to make this volume too comprehensive and rightfully stears away from being "Dubal's Punguin Guide" by not listing and comparing all the various choices of available recordings (like Penguin, Gramophone or Third Ear Guides which are more buying guides than an introduction to classical music). FOr each major work, Dubal lists a few recommended recordings and leaves it to you to explore the possibilities. This aspect is not a strength of this book and other guides to the repertoire (The Rough Guide, NPR Guide or All-Music-Guide) give decent commentary of their 1-2 recommendations. Last, a nice added bonus is the meaty glossary of musical terms in the Appendix - something every beginner needs to grasp the concepts. If you are fairly serious about getting into the depths of classical music, this guide is most superb from its depth of treatment, richness of musicology and especially the most engaging writing style of Mr. Dubal who effectively draws one into the vast world of classical music. It has more of a scholarly tone to it - but still quite friendly to the beginner. The more I read it, the more I appreciate its depth and useful guidance. Dubal's other book ('The Art of the Piano') makes for very compelling reading of the lives of the great pianists through history as well as contemporary if you are a piano fan.

Dubal is a wonderful educator, and this book is rewarding no matter how much you know about classical music. Most of us who love classical music have particular preferences, and so tend to know more about one area than another.

For example I know the Romantic period pretty thoroughly and have a clear idea about what composers and pieces I like, why I like them, and best performances on CD. Most of the time my point of view coincides with Dubal, though not always, but I like it that way. I enjoy immensely hearing what he has to say and then deciding for myself how much I agree with him. Thank god Dubal has a point of view! How dreary this book would be if it were a mere recitation of facts annotated with lists.

It would be a daunting task keep a list of recommended CDs up to date, so instead Dubal recommends a few, definitive performances that have stood the test of time and remain in the record companies' catalogs -- which is to say, they are mostly old performances. They are a place to start, and I don't think one can go wrong starting there. A big part of the fun of classical music is comparing performances and discovering one's own favorite performers. Some of Dubal's picks ARE among my favorite performances, so I think, all things considered, he does a good job in making these recommendations.

The book is perforce not exhaustive. It is Dubal's opinion as a music educator of what is "essential." He had to make some choices of who to emphasize, who not, who to include, who to leave out.

For a one-volume guide to classical music, this book can't be beat!

I'm no classical music expert, but I'm a big fan.

I recommend this book very strongly to everyone, along with The Vintage Guide to Classical Music. (You might also consider What to Listen for in Music, and, very much worth the price if you're serious, Listening to Music (with CD).)

The value of a book like this is that you can be a lot more confident that you will find something you like when you go to the music store. I had no idea who Respighi was, but thanks to this book (as well as a helpful internet site) he has become one of my new favorites. My opinion of Mendelssohn has been elevated thanks to this book (and his music, of course). I tried a few of Mozart's less famous symphonies (compared to #s 40 and 41), and one of his recommendations (#38, "Prague") has become one of my favorites. I'm sure that almost everyone will have similar experiences, and that is why you can't go wrong with this book.

(Though it is true that some websites can be helpful, it is also true that the author of this book, a professor at the Julliard School, is far more knowledgeable than probably any site on the internet.)

The book features biographies of perhaps 50 of the most important composers (around 10 pages each) and briefer (up to a page, rarely a little more) sketches of another 150 or so. For the most important composers, there are brief (up to a page) descriptions of their "greatest hits," with a list of their other most famous works. The minor composers only get the list of works, which tend in their cases to be a little shorter than some would prefer. Nevertheless, the two thousand or so most famous pieces of music are included in the lists.

It's true that this book is a little weak on early music--much of which has only recently become popular, or even recorded--but it's amazing on everything from the 1750s onward, which is most of the classical music that most people really care about.

I should also point out that if your primary goal is to build an impressive collection of classical music, this book will aid you greatly, as its title suggests. Here the only weakness is again the early music, though I supsect the next 50 years some of the enthusiasm for early music will fade, and will show us which of it proves lastingly popular.

This book focuses on the key composers of each age. Dubal spends a lot of time on the artistic development of each composer. He does a good job describing the emotional impact of each of their major works and often provides a quotation from another composer who was impacted by that work. Finally, he provides a list of recommended CDs to get a beginner started in building a collection.

One drawback--he spends almost no time analyzing the key elements of a particular composition or how the composer accomplished his purpose with his music. Also, his prose, while beautiful, might be a bit flowery.

This book is a sort of chronologically arranged encyclopedia of entries for what is colloquially termed 'classical' music. In the strict sense, not all of the music represented here is classical, but in the more common use of the term, these are the kinds of music that one finds on the 'classical' radio station.

Author David Dubal arranges things into five primary time periods. The first is Medieval/Renaissance/Elizabethan. This includes some of the earliest known named composers (often music was anonymously composed prior to this period). It is a lesser known period, and much of the composition of the time focused upon church and sacred composition. Most of the composers listed in this period (Tallis, Palestrina, Lassus, etc.) are notable church composers, but there are secular and folk-variations that also appear among their body of work.

The second time period is the Baroque, a time of increasing secular composition, although once again much of the music of the time was intended for church performance. The giants of the period include Handel and Bach, both noted for religious composition. Handel's 'Messiah' continues to be a crowd-pleaser, even though as an oratorio it wasn't original performed in churches. J.S. Bach's body of composition is so vast (and even what we have is incomplete) that rare is the Christian church in the world that does not have some of his work in their hymnals or service music.

The third time period is the most appropriately called Classical music. This includes the giants of Beethoven, Hadyn and Mozart. Dubal also includes Gluck in this major listing. Here composition includes pieces for the church, but the bulk of the material that is well known is not sacred; Beethoven's concertos and symphonies are most likely his best known (and possibly best) works, and Mozart's operas continue to captivate.

In the second and third sections, Dubal breaks his discussion neatly into larger essays about the major figures, and smaller biographical entries of the minor (or perhaps the term 'less major' is more appropriate, since 'minor' doesn't always apply) composers of the period. In the first section, there is no division between major and minor. In the fourth and fifth section, Romantic and Modern respectively, again the division line is more blurry. One can dispute the division lines, too - Vivaldi might be more aptly included among the 'majors' in the Baroque listings, whereas Gluck might not be one of the 'majors' in Classicism. With Romantic and Modern composers, the sheer numbers make divisions difficult to come by, and give such a wide range even within the periods. Romantics include Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Paganini, Brahms, Elgar, Puccini, Mahler, Debussy - and this isn't even half the 'majors' listed. Moderns include Britten, Berg, Gershwin, R.V. Williams, Ravel, Stravinsky, and many, many more.

This book includes biographical details, composition details, and suggestions for particular recordings (which includes performers, recording labels and production numbers for ease of location). There is a name index at the end for those searching in non-chronological fashion.

This is a guide written with the non-specialist in mind, so there is not a lot of technhical information included, but it does also serve as a good catalog for those who have had musical training (not everyone needs the 20-volume set of Groves).