Classical Music (Paperback)

~ (Author) "My approach to selecting The 50 Greatest Composers of Classical Music was to let the chips fall where they might..." (more)
Key Phrases: listed composition, other orchestral works, recorded releases, Composition Recordings Available, Richard Strauss, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is a fun, approachable guide to classical music that uses a light touch, fun facts and humorous anecdotes to help the neophyte make sense of classical music and its origins.

From Library Journal

The dogmatic title of this book is enough to raise the hackles of any music lover. That's unfortunate, because this is a well-designed primer on music for the intelligent but uninformed listener of any age. At 63, Goulding, a Washington newspaper journalist who moved to high government and business posts in defense and oil, attempted to learn something about classical music. Amazingly, he found no helpful sources for the adult absolute beginner. Ten years later, he presents this book for those in the same quandary. The user-friendly format features charts, pictures, and sidebars, simple explanations of musical terms, and descriptions of instruments. The writing flows easily, and the text is readable and browsable. There is nothing new here, but Goulding has done his homework carefully and thoroughly. Recommended for the curious but illiterate music lover.
- Philippa Kiraly, Seattle
Copyright 1992 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: 656 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449910423
• ISBN-13: 978-0449910429
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #535,872 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Intro to Classical Music, May 25, 2001

By	Thomas Kieltyka (Chicago, Il USA) - See all my reviews

A book for newcomers to Classical music, it acquaints you with the subject in several valuable ways. First, the different periods (Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century) are defined and broken down. Then, significant artists of every period are defined. Then, the top 50 composers are listed, in order, beginning with Mr. Bach. Each of the 50 artists are then given a biographical sketch, an overview of their life's work, and their most significant works are highlighted. A Collecters Starter Kit follows for each of the 50, containing 5 works that provide good representation of their careers. Obviously, 5 works may seem laughable when considering Mozart, and may seem too much when considering Bizet, so expanded lists of works follow for those composers with a large body of work.

Goulding treats this book as a research effort, but his personal views do come through at times (He makes it very clear that Georg Telemann and Antonio Vivaldi would NOT be among his top 50, but remain on list because they are historically important composers. In fact, in the description of Telemann you are greatly encouraged to substitute Sergei Rachmaninoff).

The book ends with suggested recordings of each Starter Kit selection. This is very valuable reading prior to taking your next trip to the record store. Whether or not you choose to buy the recommended recordings, this section of the book gives you a good idea of who are the Great conductors and Orchestras, and picking a CD is easier when names like Solti, Karajan, Rubenstein, and Ashkenazy are names familiar to you.

Enjoy the journey!

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gets you started--then you can make up your own mind!, September 30, 2003

By	Carl C. Nelson (Thompson Station, TN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book makes an excellent addition to the library of any budding classical music aficionado. It is informative and presented in a clear format that gives the reader a foundation for musical exploration as well as logical direction.

Much of the early chapters ("The Organization of Sound," "Setting the Stage") is written for the rank beginner. I found myself skimming these chapters, as will most readers who already know the differences between melody and harmony, strings and woodwinds, baroque and romantic. A beginner will find it helpful while not dry, and it's well-organized for later reference.

The bulk of the book is then given to a discussion of "The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works." Goulding gives a nutshell biography, with some colorful sidebars, that gives a good overview of the composers' lives, times, influences, strengths, and weaknesses.

After the bio is the most valuable part of the book--the greatest works of that composer. Goulding presents a "Starter Kit," a "Top Ten," and a "Master Collection" for each of the 50 composers. This allows a classical music newcomer to get the breadth of composers and the depth of a composer that appeals to them. That's what makes this book one that will be a long-time reference work rather than a one-off "beginners only" guide.

Most "composer's guides" seem to favor an egalitarian, arbitrary ordering--alphabetical, chronological--rather than passing judgment about the composer's worth. (I guess it's fortunate for the music beginner that one encounters Bach and Beethoven early on in either an alphabetical or chronological ordering!) I find that Goulding's rankings give direction to exploring classical music. By the time the reader is through the top 10 or top 20 in the list they've gotten to know the majority of the most important composers and their most important works.

It's easy to quibble with individual rankings--for example, I would place Sibelius (ah, his wonderful Third Symphony!) higher than #28, and there's no way you could convince me that Wagner is a better composer than Haydn or Schubert--but hard to say with a straight face that a beginner should learn Hindemith before Strauss, or Verdi before Bach.

Ultimately, there's no ranking that matters, other than one's own. Even that's a difficult proposition. Do I like Bach or Beethoven better? Darned if I know--they both "do it" for me, and (to quote Forrest Gump) that's all I've got to say about that.

My fault with the book is that Goulding's Chapter I amounts to an unnecessary justification of his ranking system, rather than diving into musical "required knowledge" and then discussing composers after laying the groundwork. Just note all the reviews more concerned with presentation (i.e., the ranking system) rather than content!

He also wastes some ink on some contrived statistics based on his rankings--ranks by nationality, century of birth, etc.--that don't do much of anything that someone who cared about that sort of thing couldn't do for themselves in an Excel spreadsheet in a half hour.

Buy this guidebook for its clear direction on where to start listening and how to broaden and deepen one's knowledge, take Goulding's opinions with a grain of salt, and acquire enough experience to form your own opinions.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very helpful for beginners!, August 31, 1999

By A Customer

I knew next to nothing about classical music, but wanted to add some to my music collection. Browsing through the classical section in stores got overwhelming in a hurry. This book helped me a great deal to narrow down what CDs to look for. It's easy to read and understand, includes bios of the 50 most popular/important composers and which of their works are the most well-known, popular, or historically important. Also some suggestions on CDs to buy for various works. You don't need to read the chapters on musical history or instruments, but they are interesting and informative.

This same author has a similar book on opera, too. I'm not as interested in building a collection of opera, but I plan on buying the book just to read and educate myself a little more on opera.

Highly recommended as an easy introduction to classical music, or if you're looking to build or expand your classical libary.