This is one of those books that you would never want to miss even 1 page of it and is so so easy and is full of lovely illustrations of big composers.


http://www.forbeginnersbooks.com/historyofclassicalmusicfb.html

The History of Classical Music For Beginners provides the necessary scholarly muscle to entice and inform the reader, yet it does not require an understanding of music theory or force the reader to wade through hundreds of pages of jargon and details. Anyone can pick up this book and instantly start learning about—and understanding—classical music. Music theory, the study of how music is written and the fundamental elements of music, is excluded from the discussion of music to the greatest extent possible, so that one can read and understand without prior musical knowledge. The use of jargon and terminology has been kept to a minimum; in instances where it is necessary, a straightforward explanation is provided both in the prose and in the glossary. The words are both italicized and bolded the first time they are presented to draw the reader's attention to them.


Covering fifteen hundred years of music history is no easy task. Doing so in the span of a couple hundred pages is even more difficult, necessitating the exclusion of some musical styles and composers. You will notice that even some notable composers (like Tchaikovsky) are absent from this book. The aim of this book is to cover those musical styles and composers who exerted the greatest influence in the history of classical music to give the reader the greatest overall understanding of classical music possible.


Contents
I. Music of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds
1. Ancient Music and Philosophy
2. Music in the Early Church
3. The Roman Liturgy
4. The Beginnings of Polyphony (and what polyphony is)
5. Music in Fourteeth Century France and Italy
II. A Rebirth: Music of the Renaissance
6. The Musical Renaissance
7. Josquin: The Next Generation
8. The Reformation and Its Effect on Music
9. Madrigals (they aren't always accompanied by dinners) and Other Secular Songs
10. Strike Up the Band: Instrumental Music Takes the Stage
III. The Baroque Period: The Music of Bach and Vivaldi
11. The Beginnings of a New Style
12. Chamber and Church Music in the Seventeenth Century
13. Music of the World in the Seventeenth Century
14. The Late Baroque Period: Italy and France
15. The Late Baroque Period: J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel
IV. Finally! Classical “Classical Music”
16. Classical Music and Classical Style
17. Instrumental Music Takes the Stage (Again)
18. Mozart, Haydn, and Quintessential “Classical” Composition
19. Beethoven: To Be Classical or Romantic, That is the Question
V. It's Not All Lovey-Dovey: the Romantic Period
20. What is Romanticism Anyway?
21. Innovation in Vocal and Piano Music
22. The Development of Chamber, Choral, and Orchestral Music
23. The Fat Lady Sings: Innovation in Italian and German Opera
24. Late Romanticism: Brahms and the Wagnerians
VI. Bucking the Trend: Music in the Twentieth Century
25. Is it Late Romantic or Modern?
26. Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater: Schoenberg and Friends
27. Igor Stravinsky
28. Music and Postmodernism
29. Y2K: It's Not as Bad as They Thought It Would Be

 

Last edited by a moderator: Mar 12, 2016

Haha Great cover! I think I might have to pick this one up.

 

The last chapter of the book:
( Y2K: It's Not as Bad as They Thought It Would Be)

The end of the millennium brought about a changing world of music, with globalization playing a key role in the expansion and development of other types of music as art music. The term art music itself broadened, encompassing not only the work of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, but also music from the jazz repertoire, rock and roll, and musical theatre. One indication of this is the role of these types of music in education, with all of them serving as areas of scholarly research and publishing. Globalization has also expanded the appetite of listeners, with many now becoming aware of and interested in East Asian music.

One of the most popular trends in what we will continue to call classical music has been minimalism, a compositional technique in which musical materials (i.e. pitches, rhythms, etc.) are kept to a minimum and simplified so that music itself is transparent and obvious. Minimalism can also be seen in the visual arts, as well as in the culinary art of gastronomy, where complex dishes are reduced down to their most basic components. Three American composers have contributed the most to bring minimalism to a broad artist: Steve Reich (b. 1936), Philip Glass (b. 1937) and John Adams (b. 1947). They all have enjoyed success in their own right: Reich with his own music ensembles, Glass primarily in film music, and Adams almost exclusively in the classical vein.

Towards the end of the twentieth century, composers were faced with the reality that in order to obtain performances for their works, they must find a way to make it more accessible for audiences. While it was relatively easy for a composer to receive a commission for the premiere of a new work, securing subsequent performances was a difficult feat. At the same time, audiences for classical music seemed to be dwindling, with long-standing orchestras even shutting their doors due to budgetary shortfalls. Minimalism was one solution to the accessibility dilemma, while for others the answer was polystylism (a combination of old and new styles through direct quotation or stylistic allusion), neo- Romanticism (an adoption of the expressive toolbox from the Romantic period), and the invocation of extra musical imagery and meanings.

It is too early to say what music of the last seventy-five years will be remembered by music history, which pieces will enter the permanent repertoire of classical music. While there does not appear to be a leading figure in this time period, it just might be good thing for music. With advances in technology encouraging the constant creation and dissemination of new music, it is no longer necessary to focus our listening on just a few great composers.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Mar 12, 2016