The History of Classical Music (Non Fiction) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Richard Fawkes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Non Fiction | Publication Date: August 1997

A superb crossover title of enormous appeal to the vast selection of the population that enjoys classical music, but would like to know more about it. From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki, the first living classical composer to get into the pop album charts, here is the fascinating story of over a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest of human feelings and emotions. Polyphony, sonata form, serial music - many musical expressions are also explained - with the text illustrated by performances from some of the most highly praised recordings of recent years (all but a few taken from the Naxos and Marco Polo catalogues).

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Naxos Records; Unabridged edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9626341408
• ISBN-13: 978-9626341407
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #798,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly recorded music history., February 3, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The History of Classical Music (Non Fiction) (Audio CD)

From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki (the first living composer to get into the pop album charts), Richard Fawkes' The History Of Classical Music presents the fascinating and informative story of more than a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest human feelings and emotions. Welsh also explains polyphony, sonata form, serial music, and other musical expressions with a text that is illustrated by performances from some of the most highly praised recordings of recent years. Fawkes' superb text is ably narrated on in this four compact disc collection by Robert Powell (Running Time: 5 hours, 20 minutes). The History Of Classical Music is also available on audio cassette. Also highly recommended is the unabridged Naxos Audiobook edition of Richard Fawkes' The History Of Opera.

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good quick survey, September 1, 1999

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The History of Classical Music (Non Fiction) (Audio CD)

It seems the most popular budget classical music label, Naxos, not only makes most of the Western musical output available at very reasonable prices (no top stars who demand absurd fees make this possible), but it has also issued three very nice boxed sets of recordings on cassettes and CDs (I have the latter) that together give you a quick, fairly accurate, and quite enjoyable survey of three major topics. Perry Keenlyside's <The Life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart> (NA 314412) is on three tapes or CDs and more or less delivers what the title promises in about 3 hours and 40 minutes. The text is considerately divided into sections--"Mozart, the child prodigy," "January 1762, the first journeys," "Paris and London, 1763-4," and so on--with tracking cues for each section. The narration and quotations from letters and journals of the time are accompanied by the appropriate music drawn from the bottomless Naxos catalogue. Nigel Anthony is the narrator, aided by Paul Rhys (Mozart), Edward de Souza (Leopold Mozart), with David Timson and Anna Patrick in "other parts." I have not seen the original books to see how much of an abridgment this is, if at all, but that is immaterial. The voices are personable, the information digestible, the whole project very worth while, especially at the price. Those last two sentences are true for the other setsas well. Richard Fawke's <The History of Classical Music> (NA414012) and <The History of Opera> (417612) are both on 4 tapes or CDs and read solo by Robert Powell. I am afraid that just a little five hours is not enough to handle the first topic with any satisfying degree of completeness; but it does give a 'Monarch Notes" glance at an enormously wide and complicated topic and is just enough for anyone who wants a head start before plunging into longer works. On the other hand, I greatly enjoyed the Opera set, timed at only 5 minutes more than the other recording. Trying to cover less, it does it better; and it even has room for some amusing incidents such as the one about the famous one-act opera that was entered into a contest (which it won) by the composer's wife who had more faith in it than did the composer. [No, you listen to the recording to learn which opera I mean.] My only objection to the Naxos recordings of books in the low recording level that makes it a bit difficult to hear on a walkman set up on (say) a noisy train. But this should offer no problem to home hearing or even in your car. These sets are really perfect listening for long trips.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History simplified, August 30, 2010

By 

Ron Clark - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The History of Classical Music (Non Fiction) (Audio CD)

Having been a fan of classical-style music for over fifty years, and read many books on the subject including biographies, I must say that I found 'The History of Classical Music' a first-class production. For the amateur student or enthusiastic beginner, it is perfectly paced and well pitched for them. The libretto is entertaining and not at all heavy. The story line, which moves along briskly, does not get bogged down in superfluous deep scholastic detail and thus maintains the interest and attention of the listener. Music, illustrating and supporting the spoken word, fades in and out in perfect harmony with the narrator Robert Powell. I was addicted to Roberts voice, and the entire production for the entire length of this 4 CD set. Extremely enjoyable, very entertaining and exceptionally satisfying.