Audiobook5 hours
The History of Classical Music
Written by John Stack
Narrated by Robert Powell
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki, the first living classical composer to get into the pop album charts, here is the fascinating story of over a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest of human feelings and emotions. Polyphony, sonata form, serial music – many musical expressions are also explained – with the text illustrated by performances from some of the most highly praised recordings of recent years. From Gregorian chant to Stravinsky and Gorecki, 150 musical excerpts illustrate the narrative.
Author
John Stack
John Stack was born and lives in County Cork. He has always wanted to write but spent a long time working in other fields. In 2009, with the publication of Ship of Rome, he fulfilled a lifelong ambition of becoming an author.
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Reviews for The History of Classical Music
Rating: 4.362745098039215 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
102 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So very educational, I want to listen to it again!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Exceptionally informative, wonderful combination of story telling and music only to be found in an audio book
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A great, board overview of classical music from the mid-1000s until modern instrumentals. It discusses theory, periods, eras, artists, schools, etc. Being an audiobook, it's accompanied by many samples of the music discussed.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book covers the development of classical music from the Gregorian chant through the twentieth century. This review of music largely dissects European music, although toward the end of the book American, South American, and Asian developments in classical music are also discussed. While the book sometimes examines large movements in the evolution of classical music, it mainly focuses on individual composers. It gives the reader a mini-biography on many composers, from the well known to some more obscure although still important figures. The reader learns a bit about the composers background, including some interesting factoids (for instance, Bach had 20 children!), and also about the composer’s most important contributions to classical music. In addition, the audiobook format is really a plus here, as the book is interspersed with excerpts from the works discussed. This really helps the reader to fully comprehend what the text discusses and develop an ear for individual composers' styles.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A terrific use of the audiobook format, this book contains music samples that reinforce the text. My only complaint is that it was so short; I'd love to see each period broken down further, with more composers profiled. I'd buy a separate book on each period if it came to it.