Page 13 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

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FOREWORD

Music has a certain magic. It can transport us to a You might know that Beethoven was deaf later in life,
different world, drive us to dance, or remind us of lost but learning which of his works he composed yet never
loved ones. A single chord can reduce us to tears. Far actually heard adds a poignancy and an increased
from being an exclusive, elite preserve, the kind of sense of wonder to the listening experience. Realizing
music that provided people in the Western world with that Mozart was effectively an 18th-century pop star
pleasure and inspiration for most of the past 1,000 might convince you to give the Marriage of Figaro
years—and now commonly known as classical another try. Power, patronage, and censorship have
music—is still delighting listeners today. It toys with each played a part in the genesis of some of the best-
our emotions in our favorite movies; its symphonic loved pieces of music. As you will discover, the real-life
swells add drama to the action of computer games; drama and scandals often kept pace with the musical
and it hides in the structure and melodies of everyday dramatics on the stage and in the score.
pop songs. Its magic is of a very special sort—one that
has grown and evolved over the centuries, shaped These, then, are the worlds that the book you are
by politics, geography, religion—and the particular holding invites you to explore. It will be an invaluable
genius of a multitude of great composers. companion as it takes you on a journey through the
different periods of musical history, deepening your
Sometimes it’s enough just to listen and let the understanding and appreciation of some of classical
music wash over and through you without asking music’s greatest works. It will delight those of you who
why, when, or how, this piece originated. However, already love classical music but may have never—until
the classical music canon can seem intimidatingly now—come to grips with the component elements of
vast, encompassing many different styles and genres. musical vocabulary and theory. And best of all, it will,
For example, the early music of the medieval church— I hope, encourage endless hours of new listening.
plainsong and chant—is a sonic world away from
the waterfalls of sound created by the 19th-century Classical music, like all music, has passion at its heart.
symphony orchestras employed by romantic composers, It’s why the great works of the past have endured for
such as Tchaikovsky and Brahms, or the atonal centuries, why contemporary composers still strive to
experimentation of Schoenberg in the early 20th match and challenge that beauty, and why millions of
century. At times exploring new sound worlds can us love to play, listen, and be transported by it today.
be unfamiliar, or even a little uncomfortable, as the There is so much wonderful, passionate music out
composer may have intended. there—let this book open your eyes and your ears to it.

With The Classical Music Book, you will discover the
context of the great musical works of the last 1,000
years. Understanding who the composers were and
why they were writing can be a revelation and can add
a new layer of enjoyment and insight to your listening.
A familiar piece such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons takes on
a whole new resonance when you learn that Vivaldi
demonstrated the true potential of the concerto form
for the first time and that his reputation spread from
Italy to Germany, where he inspired a young organist
named Johann Sebastian Bach. Katie Derham
Classical music commentator

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