Classical Music (Eyewitness Companions)

Book full of information presented in a timely manner.

The cover to "Classical Music: Eyewitness Companions" touts its own summary: "Composers. Performers. Instruments. Key Works." Still, that is not entirely accurate. Like an encyclopedia, the book contains articles of varying lengths; unlike an encyclopedia, articles are arranged chronologically.A quote by Victor Hugo opens the door to classical music: "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent."Elements of classical music are defined and explained, setting the background for articles to come. Illustrated by photos, each family of instruments is established.Then begins the chronological arrangement of the history of classical music. To give an idea of the range and limit of this approach, I will take you through the article on Beethoven. The rest of the book follows suit.A quote by Mozart, his elder in music: "Keep your eye on him; one day he will make the world talk of him." His impact is encapsulated: "the supreme iconic figure of Western music....calling himself a 'poet in sound'....his music mirrored his beliefs in the prevailing spirit of individualism by emphasizing personal expression over traditional form..."(157).Called the bridge from Classical (balanced music) to Romantic (wide range of notes), Beethoven created expressive, passionate, innovative music, unheard of in the classical world. His life and temperament surely urged those creations. The first sub-article briefly summarizes his life in one paragraph, contains a chart of his "Musical Output," describes the history of his music in one and one-half pages. There are pictures of his piano and one hearing aid.The next four pages provide summaries and the impact of a few of his works (remember: encyclopedic, not exhaustive). Included are piano sonatas (Beethoven was a piano virtuoso), a trio, piano concerto, violin concerto, two symphonies--No. 6 and No. 9. Amazingly, No 5 is not included. There are also a string quartet and his only opera, the "Fidelio."To illustrate the articles, photos, paintings, sketches, and charts include one of Napoleon to whom Beethoven initially dedicated his "Eroica" symphony, then removed it when Napoleon declared himself emperor. Another box describes Beethoven's change in the world of classical music by demanding support from patrons rather than groveling for it as Mozart often had to do.A photograph of a string quartet, one source of the sublime music of Beethoven's last period, composed when he was totally deaf and could "hear" only his internal music, shows instrumentalists playing "String Quartet, Op. 130."A fantastic chart depicts the powerful and relentless repetition and alterations of the leit-motifs in the "Appassionata" sonata, so characteristic of his music once he freed himself of Classical restraint and constraints.Beethoven was one of a kind. If you own this book, read this article and are left wanting more, you then go to Amazon to order a book strictly concerning Beethoven or his music. Or you go to your local bookstore or local library for a book. You can also buy music or check it out so you can listen to the music."Classical Music: Eyewitness Companions" is an introductory summary of the history of classical music, performers, instruments, and key words. Anything more must be sought elsewhere. Right now it is raining, I'm going make a cup of coffee, get out my "Eroica" and listen to this heroic composition by an heroic composer: Ludwig van Beethoven.Dedicated to Art Centurion, Giordano Bruno for music;Steve P. and Don B. for Eyewitness Companions

The DK companions are always among my favorite encyclopedia style books. This particular text covers classical music from the beginnings on to the modern 20th century greats. Of course there is more space devoted to composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Chopin, Wagner, Haydn, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Dvorak and others. But there are also inclusions of many lesser known composers such as Weber, Donizetti, Massenet, and others. The book gives a good introduction about each composer and a few of their key works.I also found the first few chapters very interesting. They discuss the history of classical music, as well as what defines a piece of music as being classical. The chapters cover time measures (adagio, largo, andante, allegro, etc...) as well as musical notes, bars, and other little tidbits for those who are not accomplished musicians or others like me that played in grade/junior/high school and forgot most everything about musical notation and scoring.It is not what I would call exhaustive, but it is more thorough than many other texts on classical music and classical composers. Plus the binding is high quality, the paper is also of high quality, and the pictures are all very welcome. I have nothing negative to say about this guide. It's an amazing purchase for any classical music lover.

Interesting

Me parece un libro aunque resumido, es muy completo en imagenes, fotos, e historia de la musica de occidente, desde que se conocen los primeros interpretes/autores, hasta nuestro siglo 21. Merece la pena tenerla en nuestra biblioteca, ya sea como libro de consulta, o como guia, para el conocimiento de las obras principales del arte de la musica.

Really informative book. Great for the novice like me who wants to appreciate classical music better. Lovely pictures and well presented as always with DK books.

No other book on Beethoven goes into the spiritual side like this one does.

I'm always a little leery of small books that suggest they have everything one needs to know on a subject but after carefully looking at DK's Classical Music, I think they did as good a job as could be done and aesthetically, the book is pleasing and comfortable to handle.