Classical music was never meant to be an art for snobs!

In the 1700s and 1800s, classical music was popular music. People went to concerts with their friends, they brought snacks and drinks, and cheered right in the middle of the concert.

Well, guess what? Three hundred years later, that music is just as catchy, thrilling, and emotional.

From Bach to Mozart and Chopin, history's greatest composers have stood the test of time and continue to delight listeners from all walks of life. And in Classical Music For Dummies, you'll dive deeply into some of the greatest pieces of music ever written. You'll also get:

• A second-by-second listening guide to some of history's greatest pieces, annotated with time codes
• A classical music timeline, a field guide to the orchestra, and listening suggestions for your next foray into the classical genre
• Expanded references so you can continue your studies with recommended resources

• Bonus online material, like videos and audio tracks, to help you better understand concepts from the book

  Classical Music For Dummies is perfect for anyone who loves music. It's also a funny, authoritative guide to expanding your musical horizons--and to learning how the world's greatest composers laid the groundwork for every piece of music written since.

  Autorentext

  David Pogue is a six-time Emmy-winning "CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent, a New York Times bestselling author, and a former Broadway conductor and arranger.

  Scott Speck is an internationally acclaimed conductor and author who has delighted audiences in London, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and countless other cities.

  Klappentext

  Classical music was never meant to be an art for snobs! In the 1700s and 1800s, classical music was popular music. People went to concerts with their friends, they brought snacks and drinks, and cheered right in the middle of the concert. Well, guess what? Three hundred years later, that music is just as catchy, thrilling, and emotional. From Bach to Mozart and Chopin, history's greatest composers have stood the test of time and continue to delight listeners from all walks of life. And in Classical Music For Dummies, you'll dive deeply into some of the greatest pieces of music ever written. You'll also get: A second-by-second listening guide to some of history's greatest pieces, annotated with time codes A classical music timeline, a field guide to the orchestra, and listening suggestions for your next foray into the classical genre Expanded references so you can continue your studies with recommended resources Bonus online material, like videos and audio tracks, to help you better understand concepts from the book Classical Music For Dummies is perfect for anyone who loves music. It's also a funny, authoritative guide to expanding your musical horizons--and to learning how the world's greatest composers laid the groundwork for every piece of music written since.

  Inhalt

  Introduction 1

  About This Book 1

  Foolish Assumptions 2

  Icons Used in This Book 2

  Beyond the Book 3

  Where to Go from Here 4

  Part 1: Getting Started with Classical Music 5

  Chapter 1: Prying Open the Classical Music Oyster 7

  Discovering What Classical Music Really Is 8

  Figuring Out What You Like 8

  The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Composers 9

  Their music is from the heart 9

  They use a structure that you can feel 9

  They're creative and original 10

  They express a relevant human emotion 10

  They keep your attention with variety and pacing 11

  Their music is easy to remember 11

  They move you with their creations 12

  Chapter 2: The Entire History of Music in 80 Pages 13

  Understanding How Classical Music Got Started 13

  Chanting All Day: The Middle Ages 14

  Gregorian chant 14

  A monk named Guido 15

  Mass dismissed! 15

  The First Composer-Saint 16

  Born Again: The Renaissance 16

  The madrigal takes off 16

  Opera hits prime time 17

  Getting Emotional: The Baroque Era 18

  Renegade notes on wheels 18

  Kings, churches, and other high rollers 19

  Antonio Vivaldi 19

  George Frideric Handel 21

  Johann Sebastian Bach 24

  Tightening the Corset: The Classical Style 26

  Joseph Haydn 27

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 29

  Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges 34

  Ludwig van Beethoven: The man who changed everything 34

  Schubert and his Lieder 39

  Felix Mendelssohn 42

  Fanny Mendelssohn 44

  Falling in Love: Hopeless Romantics 45

  Carl Maria von Weber 45

  Hector Berlioz 46

  Frédéric Chopin 49

  Robert Schumann 51

  Johannes Brahms 54

  The superstars: Paganini and Liszt 56

  Liszt follows Paganini's lead 57

  Richard Wagner 58

  Strauss and Mahler 59

  Saluting the Flag(s): Nationalism in Classical Music 63

  Bed ich Smetana 64

  Antonín Dvöák 65

  Edvard Grieg 67

  Jean Sibelius 68

  Carl Nielsen 70

  Glinka and the Mighty Fistful 71

  Peter Tchaikovsky 73

  Sergei Rachmaninoff 75

  Listening to Music of the 20th Century and Beyond 77

  Debussy and Ravel 78

  Igor Stravinsky 80

  Sergei Prokofiev 83

  Dmitri Shostakovich 84

  The Second Viennese School 86

  The Americans 87

  Chapter 3: Spotting a Sonata 95

  Symphonies 95

  First movement: brisk and lively 96

  Second movement: slow and lyrical 97

  Third movement: dancy 98

  Finale: rollicking 98

  Sonatas and Sonatinas 99

  Concertos 100

  Concerto structure 101

  The cadenza 101

  Dances and Suites 103

  Serenades and Divertimentos 104

  Themes and Variations 105

  Fantasias and Rhapsodies 106

  Tone Poems (Or Symphonic Poems) 107

  Lieder (and Follower) 107

  Leader of the Lieder 108

  Song forms 108

  Oratorios and Other Choral Works 109

  Operas, Operettas, and Arias 110

  Overtures and Preludes 110

  Ballets and Ballerinas 111

  String Quartets and Other Motley Assortments 112

  Why Do You Need a Form, Anyway? 113

  Part 2: Listen Up! 115

  Chapter 4: Dave 'n' Scott's E-Z Concert Survival Guide(TM) 117

  Preparing - or Not 117

  Knowing When to Arrive at the Concert 118

  Can I Wear a Loincloth to The Rite of Spring? 119

  The Gourmet Guide to Pre-Concert Dining 119

  Figuring Out Where to Sit - and How to Get the Best Ticket Deals 120

  To Clap or Not to Clap: That's the Question 122

  Why nobody claps 122

  More on the insane "no-clap" policy 123

  Who to Bring and Who to Leave at Home with the Dog 125

  Recognizing Which Concerts to Attend - or Avoid - on a Date 125

  Peeking at the Concert Program 126

  The typical concert format 127

  The music itself 129

  A different kind of program 130

  Introducing the Concertmaster 132

  Finding the pitch 133

  Twisting and turning, pulling and pushing 133

  Enter the Conductor 135

  Understanding interpretation 135

  Slicing up time 137

  Reading the job description 138

  Chapter 5: For Your Listening Pleasure 141

  1 Handel: Water Music Suite No 2: Alla Hornpipe 142

  2 Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue in C Major 143

  3 Mozart: Piano Concerto No 22 in E-Flat, Third Movement 145

  4 Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, First Movement 149

  Exposition 150

  Development 151

  Recapitulation 151

  Coda 152

  5 Brahms: Symphony No 4, Third Movement 153

  6 Dvöák: Serenade for Strings, Fourth Movement 155

  7 Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 6, Fourth Movement 156

  8 Debussy: La Mer: Dialogue du Vent et de la Mer 158

  9 Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring: Opening to the End of Jeu de Rapt 161

  Introduction 161

  Danses des adolescentes (Dances of the Adolescent Girls) 162

  Jeu de rapt (Ritual of Abduction) 163

  INTERMISSION: Backstage Tour 165

  Living in the Orchestral Fishpond 165

  What I Did for Love 166

  Going through an Audition 167

  An almost-true story 167

  Rigged auditions 169

  The list 169

  The prescription 170

  Playing the odds 170

  An unexpected meeting 171

  The return 171

  Onstage 172

  Behind the screen 172

  The wait 174

  The aftermat…