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The NPR Classical Music Companion: An Essential Guide for Enlightened Listening
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Product Description
An irresistible tour through the lexicon of classical music, The NPR Classical Music Companionoffers an essential education certain to increase any listener's understanding and appreciation of this potentially daunting musical genre. Miles Hoffman sheds light on more than 130 words and concepts that listeners may encounter in CD booklets, on the radio, in classical concert programs, or in newspaper reviews. These wholly delightful, accessible entries touch on fascinating topics, including what makes a good or a bad conductor, what musical term is most often misused, and why opera was invented. Whether you are an experienced concertgoer or have only recently been introduced to the music of Mozart and Beethoven, Hoffman's clear explanations will both enlighten and entertain.
"A musical guide filled with wit and unique charm. There are delicious musical morsels to delight everyone, from the novice to the scholar." -- Eugenia Zukerman, author, flutist, and arts correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning
"[Hoffman] takes the myth and starch out of classical music." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Carefully researched . . . informal and informative. . . a reader-friendly book." -- Washington Post
Miles Hoffman is music commentator for National Public Radio(R) 's Morning Edition(R). A graduate of Yale University and the Juilliard School, he is the violist and artistic director of the American Chamber Players.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #233389 in Books
- Published on: 2005-11-22
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 320 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780618619450
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Ever wondered what makes a conductor good or bad, or why a guitar has frets? The NPR Classical Music Companion answers these questions and many more in its 130 entries, which tackle the complicated lexicon of classical music from a capella all the way through zarzuela. Author Miles Hoffman defines basic terms, forms, and concepts while tracing major movements, providing context, and offering illustrative examples from well-known composers and works. A commentator on NPR's popular classical music program Performance Today, Miles Hoffman writes about music with clarity, humor, and grace. The result is a highly readable reference geared, as Hoffman writes, for the "ordinary listener."
From Library Journal
Hoffman, host of National Public Radio's Coming to Terms, attempts to make classical music terminology more accessible to the lay reader. This slim book of roughly 100 definitions speaks to the novice, simplifying to the point of irritation those terms one might find on the average compact disc or concert program. More advanced listeners will continually think "yes, but..." while reading Hoffman. However, all readers will search in vain for substantive definitions. Although inexpensive, this work is available only in paperback and would probably have a short shelf life. Libraries would be better off purchasing the more scholarly general dictionaries, including Michael Kennedy's Oxford Dictionary of Music (Oxford Univ., 1994. 2d ed.) and Don M. Randel's New Harvard Dictionary of Music (1986).?Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Hoffman, host of National Public Radio's Coming to Terms, attempts to make classical music terminology more accessible to the lay reader. This slim book of roughly 100 definitions speaks to the novice, simplifying to the point of irritation those terms one might find on the average compact disc or concert program. More advanced listeners will continually think "yes, but..." while reading Hoffman. However, all readers will search in vain for substantive definitions. Although inexpensive, this work is available only in paperback and would probably have a short shelf life. Libraries would be better off purchasing the more scholarly general dictionaries, including Michael Kennedy's Oxford Dictionary of Music (Oxford Univ., 1994. 2d ed.) and Don M. Randel's New Harvard Dictionary of Music (1986).?Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., Tex.
(Library Journal )
Customer Reviews
This book is compulsively readable, witty, and learned.
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.
An excellent reference tool and well written.
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.
Musical Training Wheels
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!
