Customer Reviews

The NPR Classical Music Companion: Terms and Concepts from A to Z

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is just what the doctor ordered for musical neophytes like myself who are looking for an accessible but authoritative crash course in basic musical terminology. If the difference between pizzicato and pianissimo continues to elude you, then read on. Two aspects of this book are particularly appealing. The first is Libbey's style, which is free-flowing and chatty, conveying often difficult ideas with impressive clarity (the articles on counterpoint and fugue are cases in point). Secondly, I was impressed by his essay-style approach to his various musical subjects; unlike a musical dictionary, which would be content to stop at mere definition, Libbey's book provides background, explanations, examples and opinions that do much to round out the material in the reader's mind. An impressive work indeed!

If you like music, you'll love this book! Imagine that a wise and talkative friend, who clearly loves music himself and has a sparkling sense of humor, has undertaken to patiently and clearly explain to you what musical terms mean and why they're important. The Classical Music Companion has the tone that that friendly, well-informed voice would take. This is a compulsively readable, well-organized, beautifully laid out work that can be approached on many levels - it's suitable for "laypeople" or musicians - and that never talks down to its audience. I read this book with great enjoyment and I recommend it wholeheartedly. It's a mandatory addition for the library of anyone who cares about music and wants to know more about its mysteries.

Miles Hoffman's book is just as inventive and clever as his section "Coming to Terms" on NPR's Performance Today. His defintions are packed with information and witty commentary, necessitating its use for any classical music lover. For those in the business, or just those wanting to know more, Hoffman's guide is a must have because no other reference tool is as accessible or as clearly written. Suddenly, the lexicon of classical music is no longer out of reach, but instead understandable and affordable in this wonderful guide to terms.

I am a fan of Miles Hoffmann's engaging and educational "Coming to Terms" segment on NPR's "Performance Today," and this companion-style book provides an excellent source to follow with. It is like a paperback musical glossary that defines the broadest ideas and terms within the classical music world, in language that is easily understood. You will not see as much detail within the entries as you would find, say, in the thrice-as-expensive "Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians" (my reference of choice), nor will you find as much enthusiasm for classical music as you would encounter in Karl Haas's "Inside Music," two factors which make the NPR book a bit middle-of-the-road. Nevertheless, given its size, price, and approachable contents, I would recommend this guide as THE reference (glossary/dictionary) to use for anyone new to classical music.

This book is exactly what it says it is-terms and concepts from A to Z. Its a dictionary. It explains general classical music terms and phrases. One great thing about this book is you don't have to read it from beginning to end.
Each entry in the book is well defined (sometimes a few pages long). I read the whole book and thought it was interesting, humorous, and educating.
There are entries explaining many of the instruments in classical music (ones that are still used and some that are not). There are also sections on dynamics and notation with charts and a few helpful pictures. There is also a chart of equivalent notes.
This book is by no means inclusive. It is however, a great starting point.
Some of the terms included in this book are:
absolute pitch, aria, arpeggio, beat, cadence, cantata, fugue, harmony, key, meter, opus number, pitch, rubato, scale, sonata, tempo and rhythm.
Hope this helps you!

Now anyone can understand the somewhat dazzyling array of Italian and other "foreign language" musical terms that are bantered about if one listens to classical music.

Here Hoffman provides help in the form of this companion book which includes not only forte-piano to diminuendo, but also provides neat sections on musical instrument families and what I find really helpful, "Character Pieces" such as "Etude" "Scherzo" etc.

Will enhance anyone's ability to understand what we're listening to.

This is a great reference book, textbook, bedside table book, beach read--you name it! You can trust what Hoffman tells you about music, and he tells it with subtlety, elegance, and wit. Anyone with any interest in music will want a copy.

It began when my husband wondered aloud, "What's the difference between a philharmonic orchestra and a plain old orchestra?" Miles Hoffman answered that question, and others that since have arisen, in easy-to-understand language. This book is the single resource classical-music lovers need to help them better appreciate what they're hearing. The entries are alphabetical, which is extremely helpful, and the judicious use of cross-referencing ensures complete understanding of terms and concepts. Mr. Hoffman mixes expertise and insight with wit, making "The NPR Classical Music Companion" a delight to read.

I have the 1997 edition of this book (I think there might be a newer one) but it's really not outdated in any way that I could detect.

This book truly is a "companion" for those who enjoy listening to classical music. It's written in everyday language to explain classical music history, terms, and concepts to the lay person, (which I am). You need no musical training whatever to understand every word in this fine work of 306 pages.

Author Miles Hoffman assembled this book from his NPR radio program, "Coming to Terms," which was a facet of the host program, "Performance Today." The author clearly knows his stuff and even experienced musicians from every genre of music can benefit from his writings, everything from "A Capella" to "Zarzuela."

But this is much more than just a dictionary. Hoffman explains the history of musical instruments, musical techniques, notation of musical scores, and much more. He also gives us specific compositions for which many of us may be searching -- for example, under "Woodwind Instruments," we learn which composers wrote significant compositions for each of the woodwinds, say the flute for example. He tells us here of a few works of both J.S. Bach and of Handel which may generate special interest for those folks who particularly enjoy hearing the flute in classical music.

In summary, I'm quite glad that I acquired and read this terrific specialized classical music guide. I have assembled my own classical music CD collection of over 500 discs and I will now understand and appreciate this magnificent and timeless music much more so than I did before I laid hands on The NPR Classical Music Companion: Terms and Concepts from A to Z. Highly recommended!

(And I also recommend an "NPR BOOK" which nicely supplements Hoffman's work, The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection : The 350 Essential Works for those who wish to eliminate chaos and confusion as they expand their classical music CD collection.)

This is set out in A-Z fashion with each entry being a paragraph of two on a variety of classical music topics. If you like this kind of thing it is nice to dip into and can sometimes be useful of yield new or unexpected information. For example one of the entries explains the various parts of the Roman Catholic Mass and this was useful for me as a Choral music fan. I also liked his explanation on orchestras. On the other hand it is far from comprehensive and I am not sure what guided the author in his choices. So I can only give it a somewhat lukewarm recommendation - its OK, just about.