Customer Reviews

Unlocking the Masters Series: Exploring Haydn - A Listener's Guide to Music's Boldest Innovator - Book/CD

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Exploring Haydn: A Listener's Guide To Music's Boldest Innovator is a book and music CD set that introduces the reader to the life and works of Haydn. An astonishingly creative genius, Hayden invented the string quartet as it is known today, earned the title of "The Father of the Symphony", and mentored the renowned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Author David Hurwitz guides the reader through a brief tour of Haydn's life, a close discussion of Haydn's instrumental music including first movements, slow movements, minuets, scherzos, and finales, and a topical view of Haydn's art and works. Two full-length Naxos CDs, filled with more than two and a half hours of beautiful music keyed to pieces described in the text, allow the reader to experience Hayden's music firsthand. Highly recommended for lay readers, novice music scholars, and anyone seeking a greater understanding and appreciation of Haydn's monumental legacy.

Haydn was original, he was prolific, he was popular, and he is just plain fun to listen to. This book provides glimpses of his personal life, (including his friendship with Mozart), his creative process, and recordings of a huge variety of his music on two discs. You could spend this much on the music alone, but the analysis helps you truly appreciate Haydn's wit and his imagination.