The Vintage Guide to Classical Music: An Indispensable Guide for Understanding and Enjoying Classical Music

If you have any interest in music at all I highly suggest giving this a read. It gives you an incredible perspective on the history of classical music and the composers that changed the world of music forever. It also has a “classical music library” at the back of the book, which has all the composers and their most relevant works/titles. It’s a fantastic reference for collecting the music.

Classical music composers are inspired and influenced by absorbing nature in the broadest interpretation of the word. Appreciating classical music requires listening the same piece over and over to be able to distinguish the nuances of pace, tones, instrument changes, length of a theme repetition and changes in the interpretation of the theme.

Music has been an important part of my life from the beginning. Somewhere in a dust-covered box lies a 45-RPM vinyl record of me as a 2 year-old belting out "Jesus Loves Me" at a church fair in Newburyport, Massachusetts! Beginning in the third grade, I studied violin and piano, and added organ in my junior high years. Singing has continued to be part of my life - solo work, choruses, church choirs and on stage - since my auspicious beginnings as a tuneful toddler! I took some basic courses in music appreciation as part of my liberal arts undergraduate education.So, my knowledge of classical music is probably deeper than that of most individuals who are not professional musicians. Consequently, I was amazed and delighted with how much new information I learned as I worked my way through Jan Swafford's "The Vintage Guide to Classical Music: An Indispensable Guide for Understanding and Enjoying Classical Music." Mr. Swafford is an award-winning composer and musicologist who currently lectures in English as a faculty member at Tufts University here in the Boston area.Swafford sets the tone for the book in the opening paragraph of his introduction:"Enduring works of music not only refelct their composers and their times, but have the capacity to reflect many peoples and many times. While every kind of music is intended to be heard, some is meant to be reheard and re-created in new performances, to grow in meaning, to become part of our lives and our culture, to represent the best we've done. In societies both Western and Eastern, these qualities define a body of music that is called 'classical.'"This very helpful tome is actually comprised of several books in one. At one level it is a chronological history of classical music. At another level, it is a compendium of mini-biographies of close to one hundred significant composers. Each biography ends with suggestions regarding which compositions by this composer would serve as the best introduction to his work. The book also contains a comprehensive glossary of musical terms, and offers a practical guide to building a classical music library. This volume is a portable treasure chest of fascinating and useful information for any lover of music - or for anyone who wants to learn more about, and better appreciate, good music. It has already made a difference in the way that I listen to music - my own CD's and WCRB, Boston's local classical FM station (102.5 on your FM dial!)Before reading this book, I had little exposure to, or appreciation of, American composer Charles Ives. Swafford has managed the whet my appetite for Ives' music, and I plan to add some of Ives' compositions to my personal collection. I also found fascinating the relationships and interconnections among many of the 19th century European composers. For example, the complex relationships among Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Schumann's wife, Clara, are the stuff of soap opera.For Swafford, this book was clearly a labor of love. He does a masterful job of harmonizing his passion for music with his erudition and broad knowledge of the full spectrum of classical music - from the Renaissance up to recent times.I can't think of a single music lover I know who would not find something of value and delight in this book.Enjoy!Al

If you are looking for a single book to introduce you to the great classical composers, this is the one. The book is arranged historically and takes the reader from medieval music through the twentieth century. The author writes in an engaging, opinionated, and often humorous style which kept me interested throughout. One of the best features of the book is the short biography of each composer. Swafford does a great job of bringing these musical geniuses to life, warts and all. Forget any preconceived notions you have about stuffy historical figures. These guys were quirky, colorful, and very human. Many of them were so vividly portrayed I could imagine a screenplay being written about their lives. For each composer, he describes their key musical contributions with recommendations for listening. I added his recommendations to my Spotify account so I was able to listen to each work as I read the book. It was like taking a fun course in classical music (without the tests). There were only a couple of things to quibble about with the book. First, I am a lifelong classical music lover but I do not read music, so some of the more technical sections on music theory were a bit hard for me to follow. There is however, a glossary in the back which was quite helpful with this. Second (and I know this is a matter of my personal taste), a great deal of time is spent on atonal composers of the 20th century, a style of music I find (with a few exceptions) to range from unpleasant to unlistenable, while Johann Strauss is mentioned in passing in a single sentence. Again, these are quibbles reflecting my own background and tastes. Overall, this is an excellent book which I highly recommend.

This paperback book (just slightly larger than a standard bookstore paperback) contains a set of biographies of composers. Despite the title, there's no essay here about classical music as a subject, so those looking for a deeper understanding or an analysis of classical music will not get much information until they dive into the look at various compositions in context.The book is divided into music periods, and each period does start with an explanation of the history, driving forces, and main players of the era, as well as briefly touching on what developments were made in the music field between eras, but the main focus is the biographies of major composers in each period, along with the major pieces of their catalog and some historical information about those pieces. Putting all these tidbits together, you can get an analysis of the evolution of classical music from the composers' works (and evolution) point of view, which is an interesting approach. explaining the developments that Haydn or Handel brought to music, for example, major piece by major piece, leads you through the classical music eras and shows how music changed and developed over time.OK, so as a biography book more than a music book, how does it stack up? To really understand classical music, you do need to understand the composers and their times, and how small changes during their lifetime added up to the evolutionary path classical music took. The writing style is good, although not gripping (hard to do in a book like this!). There's a few advantages to this approach: instead of a dry textbook about changes in scales, for example, the author ties the subjects to pieces, and listening to the works mentioned helps put classical music evolution in context. This is also a great way to build a library of significant works by almost 100 composers studied.I enjoyed reading through, learned a few things about composers' lives, and their music, and also put some works in context of the larger classical music timeline. This is an interesting approach to the subject of classical music, and one I can recommend, although this is not a light, quick read.

A great reference source and an excellent guide to much of the vast catalog of classical music.

I’ve always been a fan of classical music, but didn’t know much about it, or who was who, or what was what. Recently I decided to learn more about it. This book has been great.

Excellent and comprehensive ,, refer to it often

I have recently started exploring classical music and this guide was essential. It is a great read, and discovering the lives of these past geniuses was really interesting. I flick between sections depending on who I am listening to, rather than reading straight through. It's a great accompaniment when listening to the compositions recommended within.