Your first classical music book?

[Dr. Dread]

Man, is this dude opinionated! I wish I still had it so I could compare notes with him.

[Dr. Dread]

What made that the first one, James?

[Dr. Dread]

This may have been the second one. A fine companion on symphonic journeys.

[Franco]

[Dr. Dread]

I've owned that as well. But the books I've listed have all been sold.

[Franco]

The second:

[Opus106]

First and only one at hand

What to Listen for in Music
Aaron Copland

[Szykneij]

For freshman music history class --



... as dry in the inside as the cover on the outside .

[Opus106]

First and only one at hand

What to Listen for in Music
Aaron Copland

I know you meant western classical, Dave, but if I were to generalise the term "classical music," I'd have to include some elementary books on Carnatic music which I used while learning the violin (just for a couple of years). The first one was bought while the other (more like next level) was the one my sister had used for her vocal training.

[bhodges]

When I was a freshman in college I took a seminar in the Beethoven late quartets, and one of the books we used was J.W.N. Sullivan's Beethoven: His Spiritual Development.  Haven't read it since, but it impressed me greatly at the time. 

--Bruce

[bhodges]

bruce just curious, when you really 'got into' western art music did you start with the 20th century and work backwards to the older stuff eventually, or was it the other way round?

More the former.  When I was growing up, our LP collection had a little bit of everything but was heavy on Rachmaninov and Prokofiev (my mother was very much a fan of Russian composers).  But the "big moment" came when I bought Berio's Sinfonia, the recording with the composer and the New York Philharmonic.  I saw it in a record store and thought the cover was really cool (see below), and loved the piece immediately.

The LP came with a small sampler record that had excerpts of pieces by Terry Riley, Nancarrow, Partch, Reich and Lasry-Baschet (two guys who made sculptures that made sounds).  I ended up buying all of them.  (Reich's It's Gonna Rain drove my parents crazy.  )

--Bruce

[DavidW]

NPR's Guide to Classical Music.

[Dr. Dread]

NPR's Guide to Classical Music.

Yep. Had that one too.

[ChamberNut]

Classical Music, The 50 Greatest Composers and their 1,000 Greatest Works - by Phil Goulding

Wonderful, wonderful intro.  I couldn't read it fast enough!!

[Diletante]

So far I've only read two classical music-related books, both great.

Aaron Copland's What to listen for in music. Beginner-friendly explanations about form, texture, etc. It would be awesome if it were re-released with some kind of CD with examples.

Harold Schonberg's The Lives of the Great Composers. Incredibly interesting, compelling. I couldn't wait for the chapters of my favorite composers.

[Dr. Dread]

Classical Music, The 50 Greatest Composers and their 1,000 Greatest Works - by Phil Goulding

Wonderful, wonderful intro.  I couldn't read it fast enough!!

Still have that one. Not sure if I like it anymore. 

[ChamberNut]

Still have that one. Not sure if I like it anymore. 

You could write your own version! 

[Dr. Dread]

You could write your own version! 

Oh, what a chore!

[ChamberNut]

Oh, what a chore!

Get crackin'! 

[bhodges]

Not to digress too much from the topic, but I think you have to pay attention to what your ears are telling you, e.g., your fascination with Stockhausen and the other composers you mentioned.  It seems perfectly normal to me to start with whatever composers you like, wherever you're comfortable.  I've run into a number of people over the years who got into classical music from an unexpected entry point, e.g., by listening to a composer other than Mozart or "the three B's."  Another example: a friend whose very first classical loves were Berg, Webern and Schoenberg. 

--Bruce