Classical Music For Dummies E-Book

David Pogue

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Seitenzahl: 524

Beschreibung

Haydn, Tchaikovsky, and Brahms, oh, my! The beginner's guide to classical music Classical Music For Dummies is a friendly, funny, easy-to-understand guide to composers, instruments, orchestras, concerts, recordings, and more. Classical music is widely considered one of the pinnacles of human achievement, and this informative guide will shows you just how beautiful and rewarding it can be. You'll learn how Bach is different from Beethoven, how Mozart is different still, and why not all "classical" music is actually Classical if it's really Baroque or Romantic. You'll be introduced to the composers and their work, and discover the groundbreaking pieces that shake the world every time they're played. Begin building your classical music library with the essential recordings that define orchestral, choral, and operatic beauty as you get acquainted with the orchestras and musicians that bring the composers to life. Whether you want to play classical music or just learn more about it, Classical Music For Dummies will teach you everything you need to know to get the most out of this increasingly popular genre. * Distinguish flute from piccolo, violin from viola, and trumpet from trombone * Learn the difference between overtures, requiems, arias, and masses * Explore the composers that shaped music as we know it * Discover the recordings your music library cannot be without Classical music has begun sneaking into the mainstream -- if your interest has been piqued, there's never been a better time to develop an appreciation for this incredibly rich, complex, and varied body of work. Classical Music For Dummies lays the groundwork, and demonstrates just how amazing classical music can be.

Leseprobe

Classical Music For Dummies®, Second Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015940310

ISBN 978-1-119-04975-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-04974-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-04972-2 (ebk)

Classical Music For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/classicalmusic to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Cover

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started with Classical Music

Chapter 1: Prying Open the Classical Music Oyster

Discovering What Classical Music Really Is

Figuring Out Whether You Like It

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Composers

Chapter 2: The Entire History of Music in 80 Pages

Understanding How Classical Music Got Started

Chanting All Day: The Middle Ages

Born Again: The Renaissance

Getting Emotional: The Baroque Era

Tightening the Corset: The Classical Style

Falling in Love: Hopeless Romantics

Saluting the Flag(s): Nationalism in Classical Music

Listening to Music of the 20th Century and Beyond

Chapter 3: Knowing How to Spot a Sonata

Symphonies

Sonatas and Sonatinas

Concertos

Dances and Suites

Serenades and Divertimentos

Themes and Variations

Fantasias and Rhapsodies

Tone Poems (Or Symphonic Poems)

Lieder (And Follower)

Oratorios and Other Choral Works

Operas, Operettas, and Arias

Overtures and Preludes

Ballets and Ballerinas

String Quartets and Other Motley Assortments

Why Do You Need a Form, Anyway?

Part II: Listen Up!

Chapter 4: Dave ’n’ Scott’s E-Z Concert Survival Guide™

Preparing — or Not

Knowing When to Arrive at the Concert

Can I Wear a Loincloth to The Rite of Spring?

The Gourmet Guide to Pre-Concert Dining

Figuring Out Where to Sit — and How to Get the Best Ticket Deals

To Clap or Not to Clap: That Is the Question

Who to Bring and Who to Leave at Home with the Dog

Recognizing Which Concerts to Attend — or Avoid — on a Date

Peeking at the Concert Program

Introducing the Concertmaster

Enter the Conductor

Chapter 5: For Your Listening Pleasure

1 Handel: Water Music Suite No. 2: Alla Hornpipe

2 Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue in C Major

3 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-Flat, Third Movement

4 Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, First Movement

5 Brahms: Symphony No. 4, Third Movement

6 Dvořák: Serenade for Strings, Fourth Movement

7 Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, Fourth Movement

8 Debussy: La Mer: Dialogue du Vent et de la Mer

9 Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring: Opening to the End of Jeu de Rapt

Intermission: Taking a Backstage Tour

Living in the Orchestral Fishpond

What I Did for Love

Going through an Audition

The Life of an Orchestra Musician, or What’s Going on in the Practice Room?

Selling the Product

Understanding Contract Riders

Eyeing the Strange and Perilous Relationship between an Orchestra and Its Conductor

Why an Orchestra Career Is Worth the Grief

Part III: A Field Guide to the Orchestra

Chapter 6: Keyboards & Co.

The Piano

The Harpsichord

The Organ

The Synthesizer

Chapter 7: Strings Attached

The Violin

The Other String Instruments

Chapter 8: Gone with the Woodwinds

The Flute

The Piccolo

The Oboe

The English Horn

The Clarinet

The Saxophone

The Bassoon

Chapter 9: The Top (and Bottom) Brass

Making a Sound on a Brass Instrument

The French Horn

The Trumpet

The Trombone

The Tuba

Pet Peeves of the Brassily Inclined

Chapter 10: Percussion’s Greatest Hits

The Timpani

The Bass Drum

The Cymbals

The Snare Drum

The Xylophone

Other Xylo-like Instruments

More Neat Instruments Worth Banging

Part IV: Peeking into the Composer’s Brain

Chapter 11: The Dreaded Music Theory Chapter

I’ve Got Rhythm: The Engine of Music

Understanding Pitch: Beethoven at 5,000 rpm

Making the Leap into Intervals

Getting on the Scale

Constructing a Melody

Getting Two-Dimensional: Piece and Harmony

Put in Blender, Mix Well

Getting Your Music Theory Degree

Chapter 12: Once More, with Feeling: Tempo, Dynamics, and Orchestration

Meet the Dynamics Duo: Soft and Loud

Throwing Tempo Tantrums

Telling ’Bones from Heckelphones: Orchestration Made Easy

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 13: The Ten Most Common Misconceptions about Classical Music

Classical Music Is Boring

Classical Music Is for Snobs

All Modern Concert Music Is Hard to Listen to

They Don’t Write Classical Music Anymore

You Have to Dress Up to Go to the Symphony

If You Haven’t Heard of the Guest Artist, She Can’t Be Any Good

Professional Musicians Have It Easy

The Best Seats Are Down Front

Clapping between Movements Is Illegal, Immoral, and Fattening

Classical Music Can’t Change Your Life

Chapter 14: The Ten Best Musical Terms for Cocktail Parties

Atonal

Cadenza

Concerto

Counterpoint

Crescendo

Exposition

Intonation

Orchestration

Repertoire

Rubato

Tempo

Using Your New-Found Mastery

Chapter 15: Ten Great Classical Music Jokes

Master of Them All

The Heavenly Philharmonic

Brass Dates

The Late Maestro

Basses Take a Breather

Houseless Violist

Ludwig’s Grave

The Weeping Violist

Musicians’ Revenge

One Last Viola Joke

Chapter 16: Ten Ways to Get More Music in Your Life

Get Involved with Your Orchestra

Join a Classical Music Tour

Meet the Artists — Be a Groupie

Load Up on Free or Cheapo Recordings

Make Music Friends on the Internet

Join an Unlimited Music Service

Listen to Your Local Classical Station

Watch Classical Music Movies

Study Up on the Classics

Make Your Own Music

Part VI: The Appendixes

Appendix A: Starting a Classical Music Collection

List 1: Old Favorites

List 2: MILD on the Taste Meter

List 3: MEDIUM on the Taste Meter

List 4: MEDIUM HOT on the Taste Meter

List 5: HOT on the Taste Meter

Appendix B: Classical Music Timeline

Appendix C: Glossary

About the Author

Cheat Sheet

Advertisement Page

Connect with Dummies

End User License Agreement

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

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Introduction

By opening this book, you’ve taken a flying leap into the frightening, mysterious, larger-than-life universe of classical music, where 100 people dressed like 18th-century waiters fill the stage, doing some very strange things to hunks of metal and wood, filling the air with strange and exotic sounds.

We can sense the hair beginning to rise on the back of your neck already. But don’t be afraid; whether you know it or not, you’ve experienced classical music all your life — in movies and video games, on TV, on the radio, and in elevators everywhere. We’re willing to wager that you already know more than you need to get started.

About This Book

We know that you’re a highly intelligent person. After all, you managed to select this book from among a whole shelf (or website) of highly qualified music books.

But in this vast, complex, information-overload society, you’re expected to be fully conversant with 1,006,932,408.7 different subjects. (The .7 is for square dancing, which doesn’t quite qualify as a complete subject.) So it’s only natural that even the greatest genius doesn’t know everything. It happens that you, O Reader, are still in the incipient stages of Classical Music Geniusdom.

That’s why we use the words “For Dummies” with a twinkle in our eye. Truth be told, this book is for intelligent people who want to discover more about a new subject. And for us, it’s a chance to share with you what we love.

If you’ve never touched an instrument or sung a song, Classical Music For Dummies, Second Edition can give you the basic understanding you need. If you want an easy-to-read reference when you hear a recording or attend a concert, this book provides it. If you want to get a thorough grounding in the subject, the book allows for that too. Even if you’re already very well versed in classical music (and a surprising number of our readers are), you can discover something in each chapter to enhance your delight even further. This book is meant to meet you wherever you are and bring you to a new level. We’ve even been thrilled to discover that many teachers have used our book as a text in classes about music history, theory, composition, orchestration, or appreciation. Well, sure, that works too!

Foolish Assumptions

We, your trusty authors, have made some mighty foolish assumptions about you.

You have a healthy and active pulse.

This pulse sometimes races when you hear a surging phrase of classical music, whether on a recording, in a movie or show, in a video, or in a TV commercial.

You have a sneaking suspicion that a little more understanding of the music that makes your pulse race might add immeasurable joy and fulfillment to your life.

You’d love to enhance that understanding with one lighthearted, breezy, easy-to-read resource.

If we’re right about any of these things (and we’re hardly every wrong), then this book is for you. It will deepen your understanding of music, make you comfortable discussing it, and help you understand its form. And although this book isn’t a suitable alternative to a graduate degree in music, it’s much more fun and costs about $90,000 less.

Believe it or not, you have a great advantage over many of the world’s classical music fanatics. You enter this amazing artistic realm unencumbered by preconditioning or music prejudice. You enter the concert hall with an open mind, a clean slate, and an empty canvas upon which the great composers can paint their emotional landscapes.

This situation is what many music aficionados often forget: In classical music, the intellect should take a back seat to emotion. More than many other arts, classical music is meant to appeal directly to the senses. In this book, we show you how to activate those senses — and unlock your capacity to experience one of life’s greatest highs.

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout the book, icons clue you in about certain topics. They indicate material in which you may be especially interested, or material you may be eager to skip. Let them be your guide.

This icon clues you in on a handy shortcut, technique, or suggestion that can help you get more out of your classical music life.

This icon alerts you to what we think are important pieces of information that you should stow away in your mind.

So that we don’t fry your brain by surprise attack, we’ll place this icon next to advanced topics and special terminology.

This icon marks an opportunity for you to get up, march over to a keyboard or a sound system, and run a little experiment in real life.

If you go online to www.dummies.com/go/classicalmusic, you can find nine excerpts from the greatest music in the world. Whenever we discuss one of them, this icon lets you know.

Music has been around longer than most countries. This icon alerts you to the beginnings of trends and rituals that are still around today. This information isn’t essential to understanding classical music, but it sure is downright interesting.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the very book you’re holding in your eager little hands, we provide some delicious online goodies for your enjoyment. For example, take a look at the Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/classicalmusic. There you can find a quick description of the instruments and their locations in a typical symphony orchestra, as well as a timeline of classical music, for easy reference next time you attend a concert.

You also can discover more interesting bits and pieces of information online about how today’s concert experience is changing, what it takes to send an orchestra on tour, great music of the 21st century, and more. Head to www.dummies.com/extras/classicalmusic.

Best of all, we provide many, many musical examples, in the form of links to recordings online at www.dummies.com/go/classicalmusic. These recordings are your key to entering the world of classical music — a painless introduction to all different styles and time periods. As we describe some of the great masterpieces, you can actually listen to them right away. These recordings set Classical Music For Dummies apart from all the other books on the shelf.

Where to Go from Here

We design this book so that you can start reading anywhere. But to help you figure out what might excite you the most, we give you six different areas to choose from:

Part I

introduces you to the world of classical music, including a brief history and descriptions of the common packages — such as

symphonies, string quartets,

and so on — that classical music comes in.

Part II

takes you into the concert hall to experience some real music-making, and then takes you on a backstage tour of the professional classical music world.

Part III

is a field guide to all the instruments that make up an orchestra.

Part IV

puts classical music under the microscope, explaining the creative little molecules that make it up.

Parts V

and

VI

take you even deeper into classical music and help you get more out of it.

You don’t need to finish one part, or even one chapter, before starting another. Use the table of contents or the index as a starting point, if you want. Or, if you’re in a romantic mood, turn on some sensual classics, cuddle up with a loved one, and start at the very front of the book. (You may want to skip the copyright page, however, because it can deflate that romantic mood rather quickly.)

Part I

Getting Started with Classical Music

For Dummies can help you with lots of subjects. Check out this book’s Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/classicalmusic to discover more interesting information to make your classical music experience more worthwhile.

In this part …

Discover that you’ve been listening to classical music all your life — on elevators, in movies, in TV commercials, in video games, and just about everywhere else you want to be.

Find out what separates mediocre music from mankind’s greatest musical masterpieces.

Explore the different packages that classical music comes in, from symphonies to sonatas.

Meet all the lovable (and not-so-lovable) characters who collectively created the history of classical music.

Chapter 1

Prying Open the Classical Music Oyster

In This Chapter

Understanding what’s so great about classical music

Identifying the seven habits of highly effective composers

Access the audio tracks at www.dummies.com/go/classicalmusic

The world of classical music is a place where idealism reigns, where good conquers evil and love conquers all, where you always get a second chance, where everything comes out right in the end, and where you can have your cake and eat it, too.