Product Description
The All Music Guide to Classical is the definitive source for composers, compositions, and genres. The book contains over 500 composer and 800 performer biographies, from traditional names like Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Bach to surprising entries like Brian Eno and Pete Townshend (for ambient music, which influenced the Minimalist movement, and the rock opera Tommy, respectively). Each artist entry includes vital statistics and album recommendations. The book covers t… More >>
All Music Guide to Classical Music: The Definitive Guide to Classical Music
Tags: album recommendations, brian eno, Classical, Definitive, definitive guide, Guide, minimalist movement, Music, opera tommy, performer biographies, pete townshend, rock opera, traditional names, vital statistics
#1 by Albert A. Poths on April 22, 2010 - 11:55 pm
I’LL SAY IT’S FAIR IN THE REVIEW. SOME CONDUCTORS WHERE NOT MENTIONED,
OUT DATED WITH CONDUCTORS NOW LIVING AND MAY BE NOT LIVING SOME NEWER
CONDUCTORS THAT ARE NEW WHERE NOT EVEN MENTIONED, SO I WOULD SAY ITS FAIR
NOT ENOUGH WHEN INTO RESEARCH ON CERTAIN, IN CLOSING SHOULD HAVE BEEN
IMPROVED.
Rating: 3 / 5
#2 by Howard Rice on April 23, 2010 - 2:30 am
This is an extremely valuable reference book on classical music, even for the sophisticate music lover. Highly recommended.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Myrna Dixon on April 23, 2010 - 3:08 am
This big volume gives the reader an excellent overview of the periods in music by difining the era and then listing the composers in Alphabetic order with a further list of their music.
Great volume to have in your home library.
mDixon
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Music Traveler on April 23, 2010 - 3:44 am
This is a work of vast knowledge which encompasses not only biographies of composers and artists, but analysis of well known and obscure compositions. And although there are CD buying recommendations, this is not really the choice for that. If that is your preference then The 2008 Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music is a much better choice. This book is much more for enlightment than browsing.
Beware,though, of the fine print. If your vision is not the best you might want to buy a magnifying glass before purchasing this enormous wealth of information.
One could buy multiple volumes of other material before approaching what is found between the covers of this massive work. And you can’t beat the price for what you’ll get. Do yourself a favor and buy this book.
If you possessed limited knowledge of classical music before, after you purchase this book that will all change. And deepen your enjoyment of the greatest music ever written.
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 by Redgecko on April 23, 2010 - 5:22 am
The previous reviewer made it seem as though the only disadvantages to this book were the small print and the dry writing style–those are minor flaws. The main disadvantage to the AMG is that it is a very, very poor buying guide. There is no discussion of the many CDs that are usually available for a particular piece with an analysis of the orchestras, conductors and soloists. There is simply a write-up about the particular composition followed by typically 2-4 recommendations. There is no mention in the write-up about orchestra, conductors, musicians or anything else relevant to helping one choose one particular recording over another. The write-up is not tied to their recommendations–they’re totally independent! I gave the AMG 2 stars because it is marketed as a shopping guide, which it is not. If it were marketed as an encyclopedia of musical data it would earn 4 stars.
By contrast, The Third Ear discusses enough about the music to give you some sense of it and a broad and sometimes comprehensive discussion of the various performances of the piece. It often traces the earliest recordings of the piece and tells you whether or not they are available on CD. For Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, for example, The Third Ear cites over 30 different recordings with key aspects about each performance along with the recording label and catalog number. The Third Ear gives you lots of data with which to make a shopping decision or, at least, to narrow down your search. I found it useful to know that it is the opinion of some musicologists that Stokowski’s various pre-stereo versions of Scheherazade are considered by some to be definitive and which labels they are available on. I like knowing that Reiner’s interpretation of the final movement is “hair-raising” and that the “Living Stereo” (RCA 68168) release is superior to the Gold Seal (RCA 60875) pressing. I will stay away from Jarvi because his “tempos are sluggish and the acoustics are over-reverberant”.
In summary, the AMG discussions of the musical piece are disembodied from the recommendations. It’s like one person wrote about the composition and another spat out 2 or 3 labels with catalog numbers. One has no clue as to why the particular recommendations were made which are sometimes poorly reviewed by Amazon reviews, The Third Ear, Gramophon (which is also a poor buying guide for different reasons than for why the AMG is poor) and Penguin (also not good compared with The Third Ear). If you need an encyclopedia of music and want to know, for instance, the story of Scheherazade, then you’ll need an encyclopedia of music–maybe the AMG. But if you want a shopping guide, then The Third Ear is your best choice.
I do find it curious, however, that both The Third Ear and the AMG are both published by Backbeat Books!
Rating: 2 / 5