Classical Music For Dummies (For Dummies (Music))

Excellent primer for classical music.

This is a great book for anyone (even knowledgeable people) who want to learn a little more about classical music. The history section is great, and a manageable size.

What a fun book! I read it just for entertainment, having been a classical music lover for decades. There's a lot of dry, inside humor while simultaneously providing a great introduction to the world of classical music. To wit: "Robert Schumann (1810–1856), Hugo Wolf (1860–1903), and Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) were three other great German Romantic composers of art songs. They were no doubt influenced by Schubert’s mastery of the genre. They were the followers, and Schubert was their Lieder" (p. 108). If you get it, you get it. If you're a novice, some of it might not resonate, and you are really missing out. Personally, I couldn't put the book down, enjoyed it immensely, and learned some new things in the process, despite having played musical instruments for over 40 years and taking a music appreciation course in college. For that reason, this book would be a better textbook than many of the others I've seen. Wholeheartedly recommend!

I grew up as a teenager with classical music that I kept borrowing from the library, basically because it captured the raw emotions of falling in love so much better than pop music whilst reminding me so much of the countryside that I longed to live in. Having no talent whatsoever in the music department, I thought this book might give me an opportunity for an insight into the musical minds of all those who create and play this glorious stuff – and, boy, did I get just that ! The books begins with an easy history of the Greatest Composers (although, as an Austrian Englishman, I had hoped for biographies of the Strauss “Waltz” family and Elgar of England). We then get a run-down of all the instruments in the orchestra, which sent me hopping to YouTube to watch exactly who was playing what in my favorite symphonies and concertos. The hardest part of all is the Music Theory, which is like studying a foreign language from another planet, where the authors joke that you're probably wish you're studying nuclear physics instead. We all know that a good Dummies book is spotted with humor to make the reading more memorable but these guys certainly keep the laughs going with endless tags that had me literally roaring with laughter (do not read this book whilst drinking anything). There are also a lot more goodies in the book, including what to look out for in classical concerts, how to get involved with your favorite pastime and even the heart-strung story with a surprising ending of how one player auditioned for a Philharmonic orchestra. This is one of those books that one finally puts down with a heavy heart as one continues to wish for more whilst continuing to keep it handy for reference, as well as hitting the music deck again and looking up the next concerts in town.

Really good to get to know some of the basics and an easy read too. All I needed to know

I am using this to learn about classical music in my 60's, in order to teach my grandchildren. it's ideal for me.

I nearly didn't buy it after one of the negative reviews, no it is not an extension of the Piano & Keyboard Dummies book which is also brilliant, but a very informative and amusing book on all aspects of classical music, anyone interested in this kind of thing I would thoroughly recommend it.

As a British reader I found this to be very American, with too many almost puerile attempts at humour. Having said that a lot of it is a good introduction to a vast subject. My biggest criticisms are :- 1) In the list of the greatest composers near the beginning Bartok is not included; 2) In the list of orchestral instruments how can the Bass Flute (which is exceptionally rarely used) be mentioned when the regularly used Bass Clarinet & Contra-Bassoon are not?; 3) There is no mention of compound time signatures (which probably account for about one third of all music); 4) There is no mention of Wagner's "Der Ring Des Nibelungen" considered by many to be the greatest of all western works of art (except for a brief mention of "The Ride Of The Valkyries" being worth a listen); 5) There is no mention whatsoever of the great avant-garde composers of the 1950s & 60s. One thing that did strike me was how much more sensible is America (& most of the rest of the world) calling the notes by the number of them that add up to a whole note (our semi-breve). For example, what we would call a semi-hemi-demi-semi quaver (!) is a a 128th. In summary, my main criticisms are of omissions rather than inaccuracies.