The complete idiot's guide to classical music

©1997 Robert Sherman and Philip Seldon

All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. For information, address Alpha Books, 201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46290.

THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO & Design are registered trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

International Standard Book Number: 0-02-861634-0 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-071181

05  04  03   8  7  6  5  4

Interpretation of the printing code: the rightmost number of the first series of numbers is the year of the book’s printing; the rightmost number of the second series of numbers is the number of the book’s printing. For example, a printing code of 97-1 shows that the first printing occurred in 1997.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 1-101-15834-4
Electronic edition: December, 2005

Part 1 Overture

Chapter 1 If You Know Nothing About Classical Music, Start Here . . .

Chapter 2 Where Do You Find Classical Music?

Chapter 3 How Do You Listen to Classical Music?

Chapter 4 What Is Concert Hall Etiquette?

Part 2 The Sound of Music

Chapter 5 What Are the Basic Elements of Classical Music?

Chapter 6 What Are the Instrumental Sounds of Music?

Chapter 7 How Can I Tell the Singers Apart Without a Program?

Part 3 Orchestra, My Kingdom for an Orchestra

Chapter 8 What Is an Orchestra?

Chapter 9 How Does the Instrumental Garden Grow?

Chapter 10 What About All the Other Instruments?

Chapter 11 Musicians Are People, Too: The Makers of Music

Chapter 12 More Makers of Music: Bows and Batons Department

Part 4 So Tell Me About Classical Music

Chapter 13 Understanding Those Scary Music Terms

Chapter 14 Go for Baroque

Chapter 15 Roll Over Beethoven: The Classical Composers

Chapter 16 Say You Want a Revolution: The Romantic Era

Chapter 17 Grooving to the Classics in the 20th Century

Chapter 18 The 20th Century Mainstream and Beyond

Part 5 The Vocal Chord

Chapter 19 Singing in the (Vocal) Reign

Chapter 20 It’s Not Over Till the Fat Lady Sings

Chapter 21 Those Dirty Plots and Plans: Dramatic Opera

Chapter 22 Comedy in the Buff-a

Chapter 23 Richard Wagner—En Route to Valhalla

Chapter 24 Let Us Pray

Appendix A Building Your Record Collection

Appendix B Singers You Will Want to Know

Appendix C Musicians You Will Want to Know

Appendix D Conductors You Will Want to Know

Appendix E Music Words

Index

How many times have you heard yourself say, “I feel like a complete idiot! I should have known that!”? Well, this book will help you feel less like a complete idiot . . . at least about classical music.

Actually, you may know more about classical music than you think. Come to think of it, most complete idiots I’ve known have been people who
think
they know more about classical music than they really do. Never mind.

You’ll have fun with this book. You’ll be much better informed when you’ve finished reading it. Maybe you’ll learn so much about classical music you’ll be able to write your own layperson’s book on the subject—and then you’ll be qualified to write a
Complete Idiot’s Guide
on how to write a
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Classical Music.
But, at least for now, you’re best off starting with Chapter One.

Best of luck in your quest for musical knowledge.

—Beverly Sills

Chair, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

If you like classical music but don’t quite know why, this book is for you. And if you love classical music but are afraid to admit it because you really don’t understand what it’s all about, this book is also for you. If you think you hate classical music because you’ve never been to a concert, guess what? This book is for you as well. Forget the highfalutin language, and the litany of boring facts contained in so many music textbooks: Here you’ll find practical, down-to-earth information in plain English. Let others issue proclamations from their ivory towers; we’re sitting in the balcony, or home by the hi-fi, basking in the music that has given us such deep satisfaction and pleasure over the years. We want to share some of that joy with you, and unravel some of the mysteries of music in the simplest possible way. We also want to let you in on some of the fun facts of music. After all, the greatest composers and performers were people too, with hilarious faults and sometimes unbelievable foibles.

In short, this book will help you:

 

• Untangle the seemingly complicated web of classical music.
  
 

• Recognize a symphony, concerto, or sonata when you hear one.
  
 

• Understand the different periods of music, and what distinguished each of them.
  
 

• Feel comfortable at a concert or opera performance.
  
 

• Build your own classical music collection.
  

Most importantly, this book will help you understand, appreciate, and enjoy classical music, and to hold your own in conversations with friends who fancy themselves musical connoisseurs. Here’s how we’ve set it up:

Part 1, “Overture,” offers some basic information—where to find classical music, how to listen to it, and concert hall etiquette.

Part 2, “The Sound of Music,” explores the basic elements of classical music, describing the building blocks of melody, rhythm and harmony, and more subtle matters such as tempo, color, texture, and form. You’ll learn about scales and keys, get to meet each of the instruments, and learn how to tell the difference between them.

Part 3, “Orchestra, My Kingdom for an Orchestra,” goes further in this instrumental direction, describing the various kinds of ensembles you’ll be likely to encounter, and how the players are grouped in them.

Part 4, “So Tell Me About Classical Music,” follows the evolution of the art form through its major periods—Baroque, Classical, Romantic, etc.—right up to the present day. Here’s where you’ll learn about the great composers and performers, complete with information about their major works and a few of their minor peccadillos.

Part 5, “The Vocal Chord” puts singers in a similar spotlight, along with the composers who brought songs, oratorios, and operas to heights of glory (and occasionally depths of disaster). The story lines of many of your favorite operas are included here as well.

 
Bet You Didn’t Know
These boxes contain oddball facts and fancies to make you smile and add to your trivia collection.

 
Warning
These alerts will caution you about things in the music world that can cost you money or cause you grief.

 
Music Words
These are easy-to-understand definitions of terms as they are used throughout the book.

 
Important Things to Know
These are tips for the reader to help you gain additional understanding of classical music.

With great thanks to Veronica Bravo for her compilation help in the appendix listing of recommended recordings; to Lisa Chisholm, for her delightful infusions of humor in several chapters of Part 4; to Lesley Pratt for her tireless assistance in the preparation of the manuscript for this book, and to our editor Gary M. Krebs, for his inspiration and motivation.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Classical Music
was reviewed by an expert in the field who not only checked the technical accuracy of what you’ll learn here, but also provided insight to help us ensure that this book tells you everything you need to know about classical music. Our special thanks are extended to Ira Taxin.

Ira Taxin, who received his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in music composition from The Juilliard School in New York City, is currently the Chairman of the Theory Department at The Juilliard Pre-College Division and is on the faculty of the Juilliard School Pre-College Division. He has received Fellowships from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, The Juilliard School, and the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, as well as endowments from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Music Center. Dr. Taxin has also earned a number of professional commissions and prestigious awards for his musical compositions. He lives in New York City.