Product Description

The most readable and comprehensive guide to enjoying over five hundred years of classical music -- from Gregorian chants, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Johannes Brahms, Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, and beyond.

The Vintage Guide to Classical Music is a lively -- and opinionated -- musical history and an insider's key to the personalities, epochs, and genres of the Western classical tradition. Among its features:
-- chronologically arranged essays on nearly 100 composers, from Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300-1377) to Aaron Copland (1900-1990), that combine biography with detailed analyses of the major works while assessing their role in the social, cultural, and political climate of their times;
-- informative sidebars that clarify broader topics such as melody, polyphony, atonality, and the impact of the early-music movement;
-- a glossary of musical terms, from a cappella to woodwinds;
-- a step-by-step guide to building a great classical music library.

Written with wit and a clarity that both musical experts and beginners can appreciate, The Vintage Guide to Classical Music is an invaluable source-book for music lovers everywhere.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #141325 in Books
• Published on: 1992-12-15
• Released on: 1992-12-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

From the Inside Flap
The most readable and comprehensive guide to enjoying over five hundred years of classical music -- from Gregorian chants, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Johannes Brahms, Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, and beyond.

The Vintage Guide to Classical Music is a lively -- and opinionated -- musical history and an insider's key to the personalities, epochs, and genres of the Western classical tradition. Among its features:
-- chronologically arranged essays on nearly 100 composers, from Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300-1377) to Aaron Copland (1900-1990), that combine biography with detailed analyses of the major works while assessing their role in the social, cultural, and political climate of their times;
-- informative sidebars that clarify broader topics such as melody, polyphony, atonality, and the impact of the early-music movement;
-- a glossary of musical terms, from a cappella to woodwinds;
-- a step-by-step guide to building a great classical music library.

Written with wit and a clarity that both musical experts and beginners can appreciate, The Vintage Guide to Classical Music is an invaluable source-book for music lovers everywhere.

About the Author
Composer and writer Jan Swafford received degrees from Harvard and the Yale School of Music; his work has been played throughout the United States and abroad. Among his awards are an NEA Composers Grant, a Tanglewood Fellowship and a Mellon Faculty Fellowship at Harvard.

Customer Reviews

Educates and inspires
Simply put, this is an outstanding book. Had I read such a straightforward, yet educationally enriching book of the sort during my undergrad, I may have actually been interested in the history of music!

Swafford covers so much here, and yet it is effortless on the part of the reader. He strikes a pefect balance between placing the composers in a historical context, yet gives a great overview of essential works by these composers. And there are also essays on topics such as tonality/atonality, counterpoint, sonata form, etc. Of course, with a limited amount of space, there will be ommisions here and there that may seem heretic to some fans of certain composers, but hey , that's life.

This is a book that inspires you to listen to these composers in a new light. This has happened to me with Brahms, Wagner, Schubert, and Mendelsohn, as well as others.

Bravo to Mr. Swafford for an exceptional accomplishment. Also, don't miss his "Charles Ives: A Life with Music" - one of the best biographies I have ever read.

difficult to read
I learned to appreciate classical music from my fiancee Jian, and now I only listen to classical radio KDFC 102.1 in SF bay area. I bought this book to be able to learn a little bit about classical music artists, but this book is overwhelmly condensed. For me, I am not able to read more than one page and I put it away. I just wanted to know in an organized descriptive way when the artist lived, where he lived, how many composition he wrote, and what is the most famous music he composed, and give the name of a music for each composer that I could easily search on the web to buy or listen. I also wanted to know if the contemporary musicians like evgeny kissin or sarah chang, do they play only chopin or rakamaninoff, because fits theyr style or because they prefer to only play those music. By the way, I know I made a mistake, I don't even know if sarah chang or evgeny kissin have played chopin or rakamaninoff music. Unfortunately this book is not like this way. And all the reviews here were 4.5 stars, and when I bought this book, "search inside" was not available, so I gave the benefit of doubt to buy this book based on the good reviews. So now I am giving my honest 1 star review. Thanks. If anyone, knows a book the way I wanted, please let me know.

The intage Guide to Classical Music
This book contains essays on the life and works of nearly one hundred classical composers, arranged by historical periods. Has a section on suggestions for building a classical music library, a glossary of musical terms, and a list suggesting further reading. Appropriate as an academic research source, but written in a reader-friendly style, Also contains an index. Informative without being difficult. A good read as well as a good source of information. Highly recommended.