Ten Masterpieces of Music

by Harvey Sachs

Some pieces of music survive. Most fall into oblivion. What gives the ten masterpieces selected for this book their exceptional vitality? In this penetrating volume, Harvey Sachs, acclaimed biographer and historian of classical music, takes readers into the hearts of ten extraordinary works of classical music in ten different genres, showing both the curious novice and the seasoned listener how to recognize, appreciate, and engage with these masterpieces on a historical and compositional level. Far from what is often thought, classical music is neither dead nor dying. As a genre, it is constantly evolving, its pieces passing through countless permutations and combinations yet always retaining that essential élan vital, or life force. The works collected here, composed in the years between 1784 and 1966, are a testament to this fact. As Sachs skillfully demonstrates, they have endured not because they were exceptionally well-made or interesting but because they were created by composers―Mozart and Beethoven; Schubert, Schumann, Berlioz, Verdi, and Brahms; Sibelius, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky―who had a particular genius for drawing music out of their deepest wellsprings. “Through music,” Sachs writes, “they universalized the intimate.” In describing how music actually sounds, Ten Masterpieces of Music seems to do the impossible, animating the process of composing as well as the coming together of disparate scales and melodies, trills and harmonies. It tells us, too, how particular compositions came to be, often revealing that the pieces we now consider “classic” were never intended to be so. In poignant, exquisite prose, Sachs shows how Mozart, a former child prodigy under constant pressure to produce new music, hastily penned Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, one of his finest piano concertos, for a teenage student, and likewise demonstrates how Goethe’s Faust, Part One, became a springboard for the musical imagination of the French composer Berlioz. As Sachs explains, these pieces are not presented as candidates for a new “Top Ten.” They represent neither the most well-known nor the most often-performed works of each composer. Instead, they were chosen precisely because he had something profound to say about them, about their composers, about how each piece fits into its composer’s life, and about how each of these lives can be contextualized by time and place. In fact, Sachs encourages readers to form their own favorites, and teaches them how to discern special characteristics that will enhance their own listening experiences. With Ten Masterpieces of Music , it becomes evident that Sachs has lived with these pieces for a veritable lifetime. His often-soaring descriptions of the works and the dramatic lives of the men who composed them bring a heightened dimension to the musical perceptions of all listeners, communicating both the sheer improbability of a work becoming a classic and why certain pieces―these ten among them―survive the perilous test of time. 13 illustrations

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published October 26, 2021

Reviews

[Jay Clement · Rating 4 out of 5]

39-2022. The author dives deep into the titular 10 Masterpieces, chosen by him, and ties them with each other as an arc of music over the ages. It is not intended to be the 10 Greatest Pieces ever written, but is instead his choices of pieces from important composers starting with Mozart and ending with Stravinsky. It gets very deep into musical nerdiness when analyzing the music, but I appreciated that. And it has caused me to seek out these pieces and carefully listen to them, so in that way, the book was successful in reaching me.

[William Dury · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know the drill. Music appreciation. Well, why not. Very nice, very insightful. I loved the biographies, and will listen to the pieces and return to Dr Sachs for his analysis. He really does a beautiful job and seems to care very much about the music. That’s something right there, isn’t it?

[petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read, if a bit repetitive at times. Catch me cheering in the background every time I saw Schubert mentioned.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this at the Taoyuan Library. What a nice surprise. Lovely book doing a nice job of balancing historical and musical information with his own opinions and reasons why he loves these pieces.

Mozart: Concerto No 17 in G Major for piano and orchestra K. 453
Mozart wrote this piece for a student to perform.
Also references the catalogue M started to keep record of pieces( after he had already composed many pieces). Included short written out motifs on staff paper to help remind him. This document is at the British Library!
“We can’t speak of M without wondering where it all comes from, without touching on certain “eternal, mysterious” questions.

Beethoven: Trio in Bb Major for piano, violin and cello. Op 97. Archduke
Written when the archduke his student canceled a lesson due to a hurt finger. One of the “sunniest” of all his works.

Schubert: String Quartet No 5 in G Major.
Op posth 161 D. 887
S was among the torch-bearers at Beethoven’s funeral.

Schumann: Dichterliebe (Poet’s Love) op 48
I love this cycle. :) (maybe a first for me with lieder)
1840 S’s “year of song.” Wrote over 140 lieder including many of his or anyone’s greatest works in the genre.

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust op 24.
Really my first experience of Berlioz. I think he could grow on me. Cool piece.
He was an anomaly among 19th century European composers. Often attacked for his innovation.
Hearing Beethoven transformed B’s life. Grasped his importance and then his own epiphany for where he must go on his composing journey.

Verdi: Don Carlo
Nope. Not a fan.

Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 in G Major op111
Love. Of course.
The quintet begins with profound joy and ends in exuberant high spirits, but each of its 4 mvmts contains an abyss.

Sibelius Symphony No 4 in A Minor. Op 63.
Also discovered his etude op 76 no 2.
Blank stares at the premier. Eventually gained more popularity but not one of his hits. I like it. And him.

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No 8 in Bb Major op 84.
I love me some P. This renewed my interest in studying him and adding a piece to my repertoire.
Sonatas 6-8 called war sonatas as they were composed during WW2. Author speculated how much that was in P’s soul when he composed these.

Stravinsky: Requiem Canticles
Commissioned to honor an important person but damn…wish it would have happened NOT in his serial phase. 12 tone all that. Not a fan. But the early pieces finally listened to and enjoyed and appreciated! Firebird. Rite of Spring. Symphony of Psalms especially.
Good read this one.
Taiwan October 2025.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, interesting essays on ten pieces. The biographical details of the composers and their place in their times was a good review as well.

I wish that the audio of the pieces could have been included in the audio version of the book, though of course, it is easy enough to find them elsewhere for parallel listening.

[Shuying · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how the pieces chosen were lesser known and that there were brief snippets into the composers' lives. The connection between chapters were tenuous at some points, but I appreciated the efforts.

[The_J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beethoven and Motzart of course, the rest eh.