- ISBN13: 9780785817376
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Time magazine music critic Michael Walsh has created for the mellowing rock ‘n roll generation a complete and totally irreverent guide to listening to, collecting and enjoying classical music.Amazon.com Review
Walsh, the classical music critic for Time magazine, writes in a humorous, easy-to-read style that aids in making classical music accessible. A good choice for those with a newfound interest in good music. … More >>
Who’s Afraid of Classical Music
Tags: Afraid, amazon, Classical, classical music critic, good music, irreverent guide, magazine music, michael walsh, Music, newfound interest, remainder mark, roll generation, time magazine, Who's
#1 by Adam Washington on April 22, 2010 - 9:46 pm
Imagine that you are a music critic and a publisher asks you to write an introduction to classical music book for novices. You say, sure; you’ve got an ego, a book publication looks good on the resume, and you can knock down a few bucks as well. Heck, maybe you can even make a contribution to the spread and enjoyment of the music. But, after you sign the contract and get a small advance, it turns out you don’t have the time, or the interest, or maybe the talent to write the book you had imagined. As your deadline nears you turn on your tape recorder and spew out your stream of consciousness trying to be humorous and occasionally outrageous. Although you claim you do, you really don’t much take into consideration that your intended audience presently knows little or nothing about classical music. You just try to overwhelm that audience with the impression that you know a lot but you don’t take it seriously. Well, if you wrote a book like that you’d have something remarkably like Who’s Afraid of Classical Music by Michael Walsh. If you are, like me, largely ignorant of classical music but you want to learn more then don’t bother with this book. Buy Classical Music for Dummies by David Pogue and Scott Speck instead.
Rating: 1 / 5
#2 by Clarinerd85 on April 22, 2010 - 11:34 pm
I read this book way back in 6th grade. Even then, it was very enjoyable, honest, and witty. A must for anyone who loves classical music.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Anonymous on April 23, 2010 - 12:26 am
This is a highly readable, funny, interesting and technically impeccable account of the world of classical music for the laypeople and the aficionados alike. It has helped me become an active listener, a passionate concert & opera goer, and entirely respected in my musical judgement by my brother the conservatory pianist. Buy it. The only reasons why I do not give it top marks are: the technical explanations are not very clear (if you get technical, get technical, not shy-technical, ok Mike?) and the recommendations for specific works may be too daring for the uninitiated (“Lulu” for beginners??!!), but then the author lives in New York City (and so do I). I loved “Lulu”, by the way.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by James Ma on April 23, 2010 - 1:36 am
I enjoyed this book and still refer to its recommendations for music to listen to. Walsh’s recommendations are not always the obvious warhorses and popular pieces; rather they are truly insightful and inspired choices that dig deep into the classical repertoire. For example, instead of recommending Beethoven’s most popular 5th Piano Concerto (the famous “Emperor” concerto), he suggests the 4th instead, a piece which I also find to be a much more profoundly moving and enduring.
However, you have to put up with Walsh’s constant attempts at irreverent humor, which I found tiresome and somewhat irritating.
I’ve also purchased “The Vintage Guide to Classical Music” by Jan Swafford and “Classical Music” by Phil Goulding. The former is an excellent introduction that is easy-to-read while being very educational about music history and major musical concepts as well. Its approach is more straightforward than the Walsh book, which is highly opinionated and idiosynchratic. Both books are worth getting and they are complementary to each other.
Goulding’s book is the weakest of the three. It is not bad, but is more of a synthesis of conventional wisdom rather than a reflection of the author’s own views and tastes. It tends to simplify a lot, but is presented in a very clear, easy-to-navigate format. If you already have the other two books, you can pass on this one.
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 by Jeffrey A. Spenner on April 23, 2010 - 2:57 am
This book, though by nature opinionated at times, is a very good look into classical music as something other than the sacred form it has taken. My favorite parts of the book look at composers not as demi-gods, but people. An amusing chart in the back lists major composers with their main vices! A joy to read, for sure.
Rating: 4 / 5