The History of Classical Music

by Richard Fawkes

From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki, the first living classical composer to get into the pop album charts, here is the fascinating story of over a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest of human feelings and emotions. Polyphony, sonata form, serial music - many musical expressions are also explained - with the text illustrated by performances from some of the most highly praised recordings of recent years.

Listening Length: 5 hours and 12 minutes

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Art, Historical, Reference

6 pages, Audible Audio

First published August 1, 1997

Reviews

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are really nice bits to this. He says at the start that the reason why people chanted parts of the Bible in Church was that chanting carried further than spoken words and also sounds ‘special’ and so ‘more holy’. I really like finding out things like that. Perhaps they are obvious to other people, but I’d never thought of chanting having a functional reason before. The irony is, of course, that then people became obsessed with the musicality of the chanting, and added increasing layers to the music, the words got lost and so the Church spent lots of time trying to stop composers making the music overpower the words.

For large parts of history the only music we have is Church music – not because that was the only music there was at these times, but because it was the only music that was written down. The nice thing about this talking book is that he includes snippets of music along the way to show what he is talking about. This is really lovely, but the problem is that I really don’t know enough about music for him to say something about the key that a piece is written in and to then even play three or four notes in that key and for me to really know what I’m supposed to hear.

Where this was really very good was in showing the differences between the various historical movements – Baroque, Classical , Romantic, Impressionist, Expressionist and so on – of music and the kinds of over-arching differences that separate those movements. The introduction to twentieth century music was also well worthwhile and while I still don’t really pretend to understand twelve tone music (it really sounds more like a maths problem than music to me), I feel like I’ve been given enough information to want to go on and find out more.

What I found particularly interesting were the number of composers who suddenly stopped writing music – you know, lived on for another 30 years without ever writing another piece. This really fascinated me.

There is also very high praise for Shostakovich. There is something about Shostakovich that resonates with my soul. Over the last two years I’ve become obsessed with his 24 Preludes and Fugues. I’ve had them virtually on repeat play. Take number seven as a case in point http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgEGAC... - the fugue in particular just makes me want to weep. Or, a much more challenging piece, this version of number fifteen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e15_ow... - I mean, good God… I mention these pieces as I believe Shostakovich was criticised by the Soviet authorities for these being both too conservative – they refer back to Bach’s Well-tempered Piano – and too modern. There was a very fine line one needed to walk to be a musician in the Soviet Union. But as I said, Shostakovich moves me in ways I can barely explain in words. And yes, I really do see that people might think him just wild, drunken noise. But I would find it hard to contemplate a world without his tenth or eleventh symphony or his first string quartet.

Sorry, off topic – like I said, this is a really quick and interesting introduction to the history of Classical music. I enjoyed it very much.

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unremarkable introduction. Somewhat Anglocentric.

[Chel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audio book was a great introduction to Classical Music history which seemed well researched, the audio excerpts a must to get the full mood of the era. I loved this so much I would like to get the hard copy book so I can make notes and refer to.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get the audiobook -- on Audible.com. They play examples. Good history, but beyond that, this book KNOCKS YOU OUT. Awesome for going to bed. :)

Sweet dreams!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this audiobook! The audiobook format is really great for histories of classical music because you get to hear snippets of the music along with the narration. I also liked how the narrator gave you just enough detail into the personal lives of the composers to make you want to read more about them.

I particularly loved the chapters on the Romantic composers - their lives are so interesting, and the music from that period is breathtakingly amazing! Thanks in large part to this book, I think I will pick up biographies of a few of my favorites. I will also mention that I already ordered some additional collections of music based on the descriptions of the composers and their styles from this narration, so it was also great for finding new music to play!

[Jonathan Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audiobook. Great high-level summary of classical music history. It's definitely a "101"-level introduction that made me want to dig deeper, particularly into the 1600-1800 period.

Agree with other reviewers - could benefit from a bit more detail. Also, there seemed to be disproportionate emphasis on the 20th century, which (in my view) is less interesting than the previous periods.

[Angus Mckay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook version, which was helpful because it would play clips of some of the pieces it referenced. At times I wished for more detail, but I guess that's to be expected when covering such a massive topic that has been developing for centuries. It's very accessible to anyone not familiar with musical terms.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this as spoken word and so had all the music played as illustrations.

There was nothing exciting about the prose and very few particularly interesting points were made. So I enjoyed without loving it, I benefited without being stimulated.

[Julio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luego de un excelente curso virtual en Coursera de introducción a la música clásica (https://www.coursera.org/learn/introc...), me dio curiosidad de buscar libros al respecto, para reforzar lo aprendido. Encontré éste en la biblioteca pública. Lo positivo: su amplia cobertura, desde la música del medioevo (como el Canto Gregoriano) hasta la música del siglo XX, con extractos de música (ventajas del audio libro) para ilustrar el texto. Lo negativo: un paseo extremadamente ligero, con más acento en los autores que en las obras y una calidad de sonido muy pobre de los extractos. Simpático en todo caso y, para aprendices como yo, útil.

[Alexios Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short audiobook with nice clips and a nice re intro to the big sweep of the classical tradition. Nothing unusual with few original takes. He got a bit more philosophical at the 20th century but I would have liked a bit more microscope and a bit more polarizing macro. I would have liked a bit more discussion of the instruments, and a bit more on relationship to jazz and other 20th century forms.

[Leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise, well presented, but probably highly selective, overview of classical music. No definition of classical music is given (or I missed it), but since we all know what it is, the author traces its development through more than a millennium in a series of anecdotes and factoids more than as analysis. It is a very good basis for further reading. As an audiobook, the insertion of musical examples is particularly helpful.

[Malachi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not an expert at any of this.
I'm enjoying learning.

Whereas Plotkin's book seems to be a more technical description of the music itself and the instruments, this book seems to be more of a personal description of the composers, context, and history around them.

This had very good referrals for listening and the audiobook had them right in it.
Will read (listen) again.

Plotkin's book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

[Nicolas Pratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of classical music, from it's first "inception" to the modern times. I appreciate Fawkes' short but informative look at various types of music, composers, etc throughout history. There is so much information available, this book could easily have been a 10-part series, but the short touches and perfectly chosen musical sections (recorded music playing in the audiobook), make this a short but very informative read.

[Ooi Ghee Leng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emanation of pure joy coloring a concise history detailing the innovations leading from the Medieval Period to 20th century, Fawkes is an excellent writer. The music snippets in this audiobook help me greatly in understanding the technical content discussed. I will be coming back often to this book, as it now has a firm place as a succinct compass to guide me through the maze of classical music.

[Mary Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose an okay place to start if you're new to the history. It's a fairly quick overview, but it's not too in-depth. There are examples, but if you're not familiar, you might not catch what is so special about the developments from period to period. It's hard to hear, and the structural changes are given short shrift, I think.

[Andrew Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I needed, a general overview of classical music. It is very much Western-focused though. This is not the book to read to get a global picture of music history. I appreciated the music clips for each composer.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, if cursory, introduction to the major periods, figures, and masterpieces of European art and concert music.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very broad overview of a complex topic but still a decent read.

[Carlo Iorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book!

[Aiden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting.

[Christabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I listened to the audio version!

[. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and historical, have to be read by audiobook and on 1x speed because it includes music

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent overview of European music.

[Daggry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this on audio, which on the one hand provides not just excellent narration but also illustrative snippets of music. On the other hand, for me it’s not a format that lends itself to remembering detail. Still, I enjoyed hearing descriptions and examples of how music in Europe grew from plainsong to polyphony and beyond—and how long and slow the journey was.

For an atheist who loves attending community Messiah sings but also feels a bit conflicted, it’s also a steadying reminder that Handel turned to oratorios because of the Lenten ban on theater music. Can’t revel in theatricals? Cadge from theatrical forms and write an oratorio in three weeks, then set it to somebody’s church words. Blasphemous! Or so audiences of the time thought.

Plus there’s the sometimes quite entertaining asides, such as that Bach probably had to churn out so much simply to feed his 20 (!) children, or startling revelations, such as that Glück of all composers played the transformative role in operatic history, taking it from a vehicle to showcase voices to a complete dramatic experience. Huh.

[Filip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this audiobook. It's well written, well narrated and there are some wonderful examples, if not only to tantalize an appetite to research more. Perhaps the history of classical music isn't a topic one would normally choose in an audiobook, but I found it interesting as a historical framework for much that has to do with western music and enjoyed understanding a little more about the chronology of events; which composers were contemporaries of each other, and who inspired by whom; and, at least the author's opinion of some of these composers' personalities.

It's impossible to summarize 2000 years of culture in 5 hours. With that in mind, Fawkes does about as well as anyone could. Beside the length, the only major flaw is an over-emphasis on English composers. For example, Edward Elgar receives more consideration than Cage and Stockhausen combined. And the medieval/renaissance periods were far less centered on Britain than Fawkes would have you believe. Nevertheless, the book is a worthwhile review and the listening snippets are fabulous.

And I must add that Richard Fawkes is the first who so clearly manages to define the concept of atonality as well as the person who offers the wisiest view of the music of the Twentieth century.

[G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that really takes advantage of the audiobook format. The descriptions of the music are backed by great examples, and the reader is instructed to listen to a piece closely to make a certain point. It also does a good job of overviewing the broad strokes of classical music history. However, because it is an overview, and actually pretty short, it kept me wanting more. The great composers were summarized at best. I also felt like the 20th Century was given a disproportionate amount of time, but perhaps that's because I didn't care for the music itself.

[Tam G · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone in the 'I took an instrument in school' crowd this is interesting and wide-ranging. It's great fun hearing the bursts of history intermingled with the beauty of the pieces themselves.

If it suffers at all it's from denseness. I would recommend spacing out the parts because it's easy to get fact fatigue. This denseness is most obvious when they try to pack musical theory into a paragraph. Then they start to lose the 'I took an instrument in school' crowd and you wonder who they saw as their audience.

[Rajesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened the audiobook version, which is good because it had classical music samples to illustrate. A fun romp through most of the majors and some of the minors, starting with Gregorian chants and moving up to Philip Glass. A bit rushed at the end. I feel slightly edified.

[Sergey Shishkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio version with examples of all discussed musical pieces is definitely the best format for such material. I liked the structure as well. I only wish the author would explain the major musical innovations and techniques in more detail for readers lacking formal music education.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good quick overview, but I wish it had gone more in depth on some of the composers.