Books on Classical Music : Recommending / Considering

[San Antone]

I have had Taruskin's five volume set (4,000 pgs) staring at me from the shelves for a few years now. I occasionally dive into a section (to learn more about a composer, style or time period). A bit dry but very informative! The volumes can also make you suffocate if you read them while in bed. Fortunately there is a Kindle version. Do you guys read this (or refer to) at all?

I have the Kindle versions and have read much of the first two but haven't delved into the other three.  I like Taruskin, but have so many other books I can balance out his view easily.

[Papy Oli]

Does anybody own those below and are they worth the time please ? or is it more for "completists" as secondary reading ? I struggled to find a table of contents for the Brian and the Boult on Music. Would be interested to have a glimpse at those if you have them please. Thank you.

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[SonicMan46]

I have the Kindle versions and have read much of the first two but haven't delved into the other three.  I like Taruskin, but have so many other books I can balance out his view easily.

Hi San Antone - pardon my 'delayed' response -    But curious about the Taruskin 'Kindle Edition' - I own the book below (first pic) and enjoyed - the 17th/18th centuries are probably my favorite and the $14 Kindle price is quite appealing - just curious if the e-book is well done, e.g. are there illustrations (and of decent quality - often a limitation w/ these electronic books on my iPad).  Thanks for any info - Dave

 

[Florestan]

Hi San Antone - pardon my 'delayed' response -    But curious about the Taruskin 'Kindle Edition' - I own the book below (first pic) and enjoyed - the 17th/18th centuries are probably my favorite and the $14 Kindle price is quite appealing - just curious if the e-book is well done, e.g. are there illustrations (and of decent quality - often a limitation w/ these electronic books on my iPad).  Thanks for any info - Dave

 

Richard Taruskin is my favorite musicologist / music historian. His Oxford series is a well worth, provocative reading.

[San Antone]

Hi San Antone - pardon my 'delayed' response -    But curious about the Taruskin 'Kindle Edition' - I own the book below (first pic) and enjoyed - the 17th/18th centuries are probably my favorite and the $14 Kindle price is quite appealing - just curious if the e-book is well done, e.g. are there illustrations (and of decent quality - often a limitation w/ these electronic books on my iPad).  Thanks for any info - Dave

 

The Taruskin 5-volume Oxford Kindle books are very well produced, IMO: all the musical examples and illustrations are sized correctly and appear without distortion.  I feel confident in recommending them.

I enjoy his writing immensely, and find his conclusions apt.

[Florestan]

I enjoy his writing immensely, and find his conclusions apt.

+ 1.

[San Antone]

These three books by Daniel Heartz all look intriguing. Any further comments or recommendations in regards to these books?
Definitely expensive, so these will be library requests for sure.

"Leon/Franco" was a previous version of myself on this forum.  The Heartz books are excellent, I think they are the best coverage of the Classical period from both a historical and cultural/musical perspective. And yes, they are expensive and somewhat hard to find.  It took me a few years and a lot of searching to find them, used, in good condition, at a reasonable price.  It is possible, you just need to keep at it - but they are only for someone who has a strong interest in the period covering Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven and their contemporaries.

[SonicMan46]

+ 1.

Thanks Guys - the 'college edition' shown in my previous post was an excellent read w/ plenty of great illustrations - believe I'll go for that 17th/18th century Kindle option for that price!  Dave

[San Antone]

Stephen Walsh's two volume biography of Stravinksy and his one volume on Debussy are all great reads and well researched.



Alan Walker's biographies of Liszt and Chopin are excellent, probably best treatment of both composers.



Jan Swafford has written biographies of Brahms and Beethoven, both very good.

[Mookalafalas]

I read this bio of szell while enjoying the big Cleveland box.
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   Very workmanlike and informative. The author remains detached, and (over)protective of Szell's legacy.  It's very readable, but absolutely needs this as a countermeasure:
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Whether it's Brusilow or his co-writer that makes it so good, this is lively, fun, full of terrific anecdotes and insider's view of the conducting and playing world. Also a no-holds-barred look at the ugly side of the industry.  Brusilow comes across as a wonderful guy who is terribly wronged by everybody; I strongly suspect there is another side to some of his stories, but still a great read.

[Mookalafalas]

This book on the cello suites is a mixed bag. He's by no means an expert or authority in any way. He just became rather obsessed by the suites and did a lot of research and wrote a book on them, inserting himself liberally into the text. It's padded out with a bio of Casals, as a "reviver" of the suites' fame. I learned a lot from the book and enjoyed it, but it is by no means essential.
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[Gurn Blanston]

I have had Taruskin's five volume set (4,000 pgs) staring at me from the shelves for a few years now. I occasionally dive into a section (to learn more about a composer, style or time period). A bit dry but very informative! The volumes can also make you suffocate if you read them while in bed. Fortunately there is a Kindle version. Do you guys read this (or refer to) at all?

Review by Mark Sealey: https://www.classical.net/music/books/reviews/0195386302a.php
Review in NYRB Pt1: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2006/02/23/from-the-troubadours-to-frank-sinatra/
Review in NYRB Pt2: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2006/03/09/from-the-troubadours-to-sinatra-part-ii/
Review in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/man-who-heard-it-all/

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I have the "17th & 18th Century" volume. I read it to learn more about the 17th, while supplementing what I knew about the 18th. He tends to focus on small bits (certain composers but not most composers), which is, probably, the only way to tell the story of such a long period of time. He is controversial, but I was undeterred and that paid off for me, as it accomplished precisely the purpose I bought it for. It has been 4 years now, I am due to read it again as a refresher. The other volumes, I have no idea about (nor any particular interest in). 

[Gurn Blanston]

These three books by Daniel Heartz all look intriguing. Any further comments or recommendations in regards to these books?
Definitely expensive, so these will be library requests for sure.

Book 1
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Book 2
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I don't know, Moon, if you have already put this notion to bed or are still pondering. A short answer then, for now: I have volumes 1 & 2. I use them constantly as references while writing my Haydn blog. They give good contrast against other writers (like Robbins Landon), and he is very well respected among the scholarly set. I found them very readable, but I like stuff like that so your mileage may vary. Anyway, if it is just to get them from a library, not find/buy them, then by all means, do so.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I finally cracked this book about Shostakovich yesterday and am looking forward to diving in (hopefully) more this weekend.  I had heard good things from friends about it.  Also purchased around the same time is her, that being Elizabeth Wilson's book on Rostropovich.   





PD

p.s.  I did notice that another poster here (I'm afraid that I forget who) also purchased the Shostakovich book.....and I trust didn't take so long to get around reading it....and enjoyed it??

[Irons]

I finally cracked this book about Shostakovich yesterday and am looking forward to diving in (hopefully) more this weekend.  I had heard good things from friends about it.  Also purchased around the same time is her, that being Elizabeth Wilson's book on Rostropovich.   





PD

p.s.  I did notice that another poster here (I'm afraid that I forget who) also purchased the Shostakovich book.....and I trust didn't take so long to get around reading it....and enjoyed it??

I have read both, P. I found the Shostakovich bit of a slog and the Rostropovich a page-turner which is odd as I find Shostakovich more interesting then Rostropovich. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Wilson knew Rostropovich personally as a pupil. The reaction of Rostropovich to Jackie du Pré is particularly revealing.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I have read both, P. I found the Shostakovich bit of a slog and the Rostropovich a page-turner which is odd as I find Shostakovich more interesting then Rostropovich. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Wilson knew Rostropovich personally as a pupil. The reaction of Rostropovich to Jackie du Pré is particularly revealing.

Hi Irons,

Interesting.  I would certainly imagine that she developed a closer relationship to Rostropovich than to Shostakovich, as you said, due to the circumstances.  Note:  she did write in her preface to the second edition that "Having spent seven years as a student of Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatoire in the 1960's and early 1970's, I was privileged to be present at many of Shostakovich's triumphant premieres, all of them unforgettable occasions."  Will be interesting to see whether or not she goes into that further (I'm guessing yes) and as to what ones she did see/hear.  Also, whether or not she met the composer; I'd suspect that if so, it was probably a rather brief one as she was a student....but I'll find out eventually!   

Alas, I mucked up my eye (which is getting much better) and so hadn't felt like reading a lot over the weekend.

Best wishes,

PD

[Roasted Swan]

Does anybody own those below and are they worth the time please ? or is it more for "completists" as secondary reading ? I struggled to find a table of contents for the Brian and the Boult on Music. Would be interested to have a glimpse at those if you have them please. Thank you.

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Did anyone respond to your query about the Havergal Brian book?  I enjoyed it a lot both for his insight but also a portrait of British Music in the early 20th Century "as it happened".  Brian was obviously a very informed insightful and intelligent critic/writer....

[Papy Oli]

Hi RS,
I eventually bought all three at the time as I could get them very cheap on Ebay. I have so far only read the Boult on Music and have found it extremely interesting, informative and giving me some context to all the British composers I have discovered in the last year and the state of British music in the Boult era. The Brian Vol.1 also appears right up my alley in terms of such contents. I skipped his Vol.2 as the composers covered are not my cup of tea.

The book below is also informative and detailed. Highly recommended. About 180 pages in so far, up to Stanford and Parry. Learning an awful lot again about the historical context and progression of the British music and composers. It puts some structure to everything I am listening to. Loving it.

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[VonStupp]

The Infinite Variety of Music
286 pages

I have a colleague who has a surging interest in Leonard Bernstein, so I am lending him a few books I own, but not before I get a chance to reread them.

Those of a certain age will remember Bernstein gave a series of musical chats on television, often geared towards families. Of course, with the advent of YouTube, many of his broadcasts and rehearsals are available free online. I personally prefer his tightly-scripted, black & white 50's and 60's musings over his older-aged pontificating (boy did he like to hear himself talk). The video of him rehearsing Shostakovich's Symphony 1 for the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival is the worst of that latter aspect, complete with sunglasses on the podium. But I digress...

This book recreates a series of Bernstein's public presentations:
1. Five television transcripts of his espousing topics on The Infinite Variety of Music, Rhythm, Mozart, Jazz in Serious Music, and Romanticism in Music.
2. Four symphonic analyses including Dvorak's Symphony 9, Tchaikovsky's Symphony 6, Beethoven's Symphony 3, and Brahms' Symphony 4.
3. A college lecture on having Something to Say in composing music, plus a Q & A follow-up session.

If any of the topics above are of interest, Bernstein as educator tries to make everything graspable for everyone, but never does he reach for the lowest-common denominator.

[clarity82]

This is a great thread!

I'll second (or third, or fourth...) Richard Taruskin, both generally and that 5-volume Oxford set. I read Taruskin quite a bit during my college days and always found it to be a worthwhile experience. This has been a great encouragement to pick him back up at some point in the near future.

The aforementioned books on Stravinsky and Debussy by Walsh are excellent.

Copland's "What to Listen For in Music" is fascinating given its author if nothing else!

And Swafford's biographies of Brahms and Beethoven - and now Mozart - are all worth reading. If anyone is looking for a good introductory book, I read Swafford's "Language of the Spirit" last year and quite enjoyed it. Opinionated and not anywhere close to comprehensive, but definitely written by someone with a lifetime's worth of experience with the genre, which is valuable in and of itself.

I read Charles Rosen, Maynard Solomon, etc. during college. Definitely worth reading, but also rather academic.

I enjoyed the first volume of David Nice's biography on Prokofiev, "Prokofiev: From Russia to the West, 1891-1935" when it came out. Hope he actually gets around to finishing the second volume at some point.