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Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music
“A refreshingly fun guide” that reads “as if you’re a fly on the wall in conservatory auditions, cutthroat competitions and the obsessive practice routines of professional musicians.” ( The New York Times )
Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch’s life-long fascination with classical music has taken her through Juilliard and into the shiny world of symphony halls and international concert tours. She’s loved classical music her whole life. But she’s also hated classical music her whole life. After all, if you can like Beyoncé without liking Bieber, you can certainly like Brahms without liking Bach—especially since they were born 148 years apart and the thing we call “classical music” is really just centuries of compositions shoved into one hodge-podge of a genre.
In Declassified, Warsaw-Fan Rauch blows through the cobwebs of elitism and exclusion and invites everyone to love and hate this music as much as she does. She offers a backstage tour of the industry and equips you for every listening scenario, the 7 main compositional periods (even the soul-crushingly depressing Medieval period), a breakdown of the instruments and their associated personality types (apologies to violists and conductors), what it’s like to be a musician at the highest level (it’s hard), how to steal a Stradivarius (and make no money in the process), and when to clap during a live performance ( when not to). Declassified cheekily demystifies the world of High Art while making the case that classical music matters, perhaps now more than ever.
Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch’s life-long fascination with classical music has taken her through Juilliard and into the shiny world of symphony halls and international concert tours. She’s loved classical music her whole life. But she’s also hated classical music her whole life. After all, if you can like Beyoncé without liking Bieber, you can certainly like Brahms without liking Bach—especially since they were born 148 years apart and the thing we call “classical music” is really just centuries of compositions shoved into one hodge-podge of a genre.
In Declassified, Warsaw-Fan Rauch blows through the cobwebs of elitism and exclusion and invites everyone to love and hate this music as much as she does. She offers a backstage tour of the industry and equips you for every listening scenario, the 7 main compositional periods (even the soul-crushingly depressing Medieval period), a breakdown of the instruments and their associated personality types (apologies to violists and conductors), what it’s like to be a musician at the highest level (it’s hard), how to steal a Stradivarius (and make no money in the process), and when to clap during a live performance ( when not to). Declassified cheekily demystifies the world of High Art while making the case that classical music matters, perhaps now more than ever.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published October 11, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
October 20, 2022
I was very excited to receive an advance copy of this book, because I’ve long held the goal of becoming more literate about Classical music.
Im not a novice on the subject (I have a decent understanding of the basic terms and the, shall we say, classics of Classical in terms of works of composers, and I play piano passably). That said, I still felt my education in the musical genre was lacking and hoped to improve it at least in part with this book.
While I picked up a few bits and pieces of information from it, unfortunately the subject of this book is not exactly as advertised. This is more an education on what it’s like to be a classical musician rather than an informative text on classical music. Which I guess is fine, except that wasn’t how the book was billed.
This is largely a memoir and the author, while intermittently charming, is more interested in telling us about her life as a musician than she is on educating us about the subject itself. Which, again, would have been fine has the book been presented as such.
I’m no great fan of memoirs for the most part (if you are you’ll probably enjoy this more than I did), but mostly I was just disappointed that I didn’t get the information that I was promised and greatly looked forward to receiving.
Warsaw-Fan Rausch is…ok as a memoirist (read Sounds Like Titanic if you really want an exceptionally entertaining and funny music-driven memoir), but her personal tale isn’t particularly exceptional and while she is legitimately funny at times, the jokes miss more than they hit and the humor starts to feel a little try-hard.
When the author does give us real information on the music itself from a technical standpoint or on the historical significance of composers and their works, she does a good job of it. I only wish that this had been the focus of the book, especially since it is advertised as such.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Im not a novice on the subject (I have a decent understanding of the basic terms and the, shall we say, classics of Classical in terms of works of composers, and I play piano passably). That said, I still felt my education in the musical genre was lacking and hoped to improve it at least in part with this book.
While I picked up a few bits and pieces of information from it, unfortunately the subject of this book is not exactly as advertised. This is more an education on what it’s like to be a classical musician rather than an informative text on classical music. Which I guess is fine, except that wasn’t how the book was billed.
This is largely a memoir and the author, while intermittently charming, is more interested in telling us about her life as a musician than she is on educating us about the subject itself. Which, again, would have been fine has the book been presented as such.
I’m no great fan of memoirs for the most part (if you are you’ll probably enjoy this more than I did), but mostly I was just disappointed that I didn’t get the information that I was promised and greatly looked forward to receiving.
Warsaw-Fan Rausch is…ok as a memoirist (read Sounds Like Titanic if you really want an exceptionally entertaining and funny music-driven memoir), but her personal tale isn’t particularly exceptional and while she is legitimately funny at times, the jokes miss more than they hit and the humor starts to feel a little try-hard.
When the author does give us real information on the music itself from a technical standpoint or on the historical significance of composers and their works, she does a good job of it. I only wish that this had been the focus of the book, especially since it is advertised as such.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
January 29, 2023
It was hard to finish this book, Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch's memoir masquerading as introduction to classical music, because of the heinous writing. Rauch, herself clearly a snob and enormously privileged in numerous ways, thought the way to make classical music accessible -- to free it from snobbery -- was to write abook about it in the style of an adolescent's Reddit post. Although in the acknowledgements Rauch professes to have read Henry James in the past, she mostly muses about binge-watching Netflix shows and browsing the Internet in telling her mundane and uninteresting life story, and it's clear this is the staggeringly incompetent prose style of someone who is not really a reader, let alone much of a writer. Worse still are her toe-curling attemps at humor, which feature on every single page of the book. Someone, likely her editor, came up with the idea of putting many of her jokes in footnotes, apparently smart enough to realize that giving readers the option of skipping them was the best way to salvage the situation. A woman of her age, a mother of two, writing in this horrific, 'hip', expletive-ridden style is simply embarrassing for everyone involved, and this book succeeds in being the worst written book I have ever encountered. Plowing through was an accomplishment for me, and many in the comments here noted that they failed.
Many also complain about the false advertising of the book. The marketing and title greatly downplay the fact that this book is a mix of memoir and guidebook to classical music, and as it happens, there is much more of the memoir. The story that memoir tells is, at best, uninteresting. Rauch played the violin from a young age, entered the prestigious Julliard school of music, and had a moderately succesful career as a performing artist for a few years. Everyone can guess what will be described in the memoirs of such a person: that the long hours of practicing are gruelling, that the world of performing musicians is very competitive, that you start to lose appreciation of the music you're playing. These are clichés of performing musicians, and frankly so banal that you could guess them even if you hadn't previously encountered them. Rauch tells the story in the idiom of a teenage girl whining to her boyfriend, with startling narcissism and a ranting quality. If I was her husband, I'd be bored and dozing off as she told her story, but as I was a paying reader, I was irritated constantly.
It's the narcissism that really gets me. Rauch does not come across as a particularly pleasant person, though she is not aware of it. Shining through all her stories is her desire to make it in some way, to be a bigshot, to impress people. Violinists, she notes, are notoriously competitive and high-strung, fine, but that doesn't make them pleasant people, or the kind whose writing you'd like to read. Rauch describes her obsession with technical perfection, in search of wider recognition, which the world is more inclinced to give to her fiancé, whom she calls 'Golden Violin Boy' (yuck), and with whom she eventually broke off the engagement. Since he was a more talented performer, the match was doomed. Playing in an orchestra is unthinkable to her, because then you'd have to give up the spotlight to others, and have to wear black. She prefers chamber music, or being the soloist in a performance, so she can be the center of attention and wear a nice, colored dress. In addition, members of orchestras do not get paid enough to satiate her. (She hopes, she notes, that this book will allow her to buy expensive speakers to install in her house.) When Rauch does later attempt to settle down with a local orchestra, to get a break from all her travelling, she only wants a role as concertmaster (the first violinist, the most important role in an orchestra). When that fails, she describes stunningly misguided (and unsuccesful) attempts to get modelling work -- out of politeness I won't itemize in detail why that would never be succesful. Being an author was the next best thing, I suppose. Later, in a particularly heinous passage, Rauch says she might become more succesful than Golden Violin Boy, if only this book sells well. Not content being a moderately succesful ex-musician, she now also wants to be a famous author, with a TikTok account to boot.
Her husband is described as a sort of lovable goof in a somewhat demeaning matter, despite being a very succesful, hard-working and good looking lawyer. In fact, it is very clear that Rauch moves in high circles and had important connections from the start, including a father who once performed with Yo-Yo Ma. Her parents bought an inordinately expensive violin for her when she was a teenager, worth more than what most people receive from their parents their entire lives. Little of this goes acknowledged, and it certainly doesn't assist in the supposed mission of this book, which is to demistify and make accessible classical music.
Not that much explaining of or guiding through the world of classical music really happens. The structure of the book is a mess, with chapters intermingling a guidebook approach with stories from Rauch's life willy-nilly. The first chapter describes the various time periods of classical music, but each is given less than 2 pages, before the first forays into fullsome boredom begin as Rauch begins the narrative of her life from childhood on. Worse, Rauch is not a particularly great guide. As an active musician she played a lot but did less listening, and less intelligent listening, than critics and scholars (who usually write such books) do. She chooses pieces to recommend here and there in lists you might as well have pulled from Google, and in fact the lists on websites devoted to classical music are much better. She singles out, for instance, a Haydn cello concerto, widely considered a slight, facile work in his immense oeuvre. Her lists of recommended composers are even worse, containing, for some reason, 41 contemporary composers, but only 3 from the classical era. Are we really supposed to believe that 41 composers in the 21st century are worth introducing to beginners, but only 3 from one of the golden eras? Yes, most guides leave out the other luminaries from the late 18th century, such as Rosetti, Carl Stamitz and Wranitzky, but one would have hoped that such a 'hip' and modern guide would not fall for the irritating misjudgment that the entire era produced only 3 worthwhile composers. Most of the contemporary composers she recommends are mediocrities she mentions as a nicety (and in fact all musicians she worked with and liked get somewhat irritating nods of approval in the book). Worst of all, she dismisses an entire period of music (medieval music) from the start, and throughout the book attacks many pieces held dear by people when they first start listening to classical music, such as Pachelbel's canon. I thought the book was supposed to be inclusive, to refrain from judgment? All that, but Hans Zimmer, a film composer with no background or training in classical music, who has not written any standalone classical works (unlike most film composers), had to get mentioned, of course, condescending to the reader. There are a lot of film composers who write (or wrote) in a classical idiom, and produced standalone classical works as well, but Zimmer's background is in electronic music and, though his scores sometimes employ an orchestra, he really has very little to do with the classical tradition. Poor judgment is shown again and again.
Towards the end of the book, Rauch clearly was out of ideas for chapters, so she writes about whatever she can think of. The most expensive instruments sold -- love affairs composers had (all the ones every intros to classical music endlessly regurgitate) -- stories of supposedly cursed classical pieces. Really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Could someone who devoted their life to classical music really not think of other things to write about those hundreds of years of musical history? The penultimate chapter is particularly awful and misguided, describing how to handle hiring musicians for your wedding. Make sure to pay them enough and to be extremely grateful, of course, because Rauch has had experiences being underpaid, so she has to lecture the reader about how much musicians deserve proper payment for their years of studying. You should also give them a chance to play something while everyone listens in silence, because Rauch can't stand not being the center of attention. I don't understand why she thinks most prospective readers would care about all this. I am not even close to the income bracket that could afford to hire live musicians for a wedding. Then again, you have to question how many people will make it far enough into the book.
Rauch thinks she is a comedian, an author, a world-class musician, an encyclopedia on classical music, TikTok star (although at barely 300 followers even she has to see she might as well throw in the towel there...) and a very interesting person. She is really a nearly illiterate, narcisstic bore. Stay away at all costs.
Many also complain about the false advertising of the book. The marketing and title greatly downplay the fact that this book is a mix of memoir and guidebook to classical music, and as it happens, there is much more of the memoir. The story that memoir tells is, at best, uninteresting. Rauch played the violin from a young age, entered the prestigious Julliard school of music, and had a moderately succesful career as a performing artist for a few years. Everyone can guess what will be described in the memoirs of such a person: that the long hours of practicing are gruelling, that the world of performing musicians is very competitive, that you start to lose appreciation of the music you're playing. These are clichés of performing musicians, and frankly so banal that you could guess them even if you hadn't previously encountered them. Rauch tells the story in the idiom of a teenage girl whining to her boyfriend, with startling narcissism and a ranting quality. If I was her husband, I'd be bored and dozing off as she told her story, but as I was a paying reader, I was irritated constantly.
It's the narcissism that really gets me. Rauch does not come across as a particularly pleasant person, though she is not aware of it. Shining through all her stories is her desire to make it in some way, to be a bigshot, to impress people. Violinists, she notes, are notoriously competitive and high-strung, fine, but that doesn't make them pleasant people, or the kind whose writing you'd like to read. Rauch describes her obsession with technical perfection, in search of wider recognition, which the world is more inclinced to give to her fiancé, whom she calls 'Golden Violin Boy' (yuck), and with whom she eventually broke off the engagement. Since he was a more talented performer, the match was doomed. Playing in an orchestra is unthinkable to her, because then you'd have to give up the spotlight to others, and have to wear black. She prefers chamber music, or being the soloist in a performance, so she can be the center of attention and wear a nice, colored dress. In addition, members of orchestras do not get paid enough to satiate her. (She hopes, she notes, that this book will allow her to buy expensive speakers to install in her house.) When Rauch does later attempt to settle down with a local orchestra, to get a break from all her travelling, she only wants a role as concertmaster (the first violinist, the most important role in an orchestra). When that fails, she describes stunningly misguided (and unsuccesful) attempts to get modelling work -- out of politeness I won't itemize in detail why that would never be succesful. Being an author was the next best thing, I suppose. Later, in a particularly heinous passage, Rauch says she might become more succesful than Golden Violin Boy, if only this book sells well. Not content being a moderately succesful ex-musician, she now also wants to be a famous author, with a TikTok account to boot.
Her husband is described as a sort of lovable goof in a somewhat demeaning matter, despite being a very succesful, hard-working and good looking lawyer. In fact, it is very clear that Rauch moves in high circles and had important connections from the start, including a father who once performed with Yo-Yo Ma. Her parents bought an inordinately expensive violin for her when she was a teenager, worth more than what most people receive from their parents their entire lives. Little of this goes acknowledged, and it certainly doesn't assist in the supposed mission of this book, which is to demistify and make accessible classical music.
Not that much explaining of or guiding through the world of classical music really happens. The structure of the book is a mess, with chapters intermingling a guidebook approach with stories from Rauch's life willy-nilly. The first chapter describes the various time periods of classical music, but each is given less than 2 pages, before the first forays into fullsome boredom begin as Rauch begins the narrative of her life from childhood on. Worse, Rauch is not a particularly great guide. As an active musician she played a lot but did less listening, and less intelligent listening, than critics and scholars (who usually write such books) do. She chooses pieces to recommend here and there in lists you might as well have pulled from Google, and in fact the lists on websites devoted to classical music are much better. She singles out, for instance, a Haydn cello concerto, widely considered a slight, facile work in his immense oeuvre. Her lists of recommended composers are even worse, containing, for some reason, 41 contemporary composers, but only 3 from the classical era. Are we really supposed to believe that 41 composers in the 21st century are worth introducing to beginners, but only 3 from one of the golden eras? Yes, most guides leave out the other luminaries from the late 18th century, such as Rosetti, Carl Stamitz and Wranitzky, but one would have hoped that such a 'hip' and modern guide would not fall for the irritating misjudgment that the entire era produced only 3 worthwhile composers. Most of the contemporary composers she recommends are mediocrities she mentions as a nicety (and in fact all musicians she worked with and liked get somewhat irritating nods of approval in the book). Worst of all, she dismisses an entire period of music (medieval music) from the start, and throughout the book attacks many pieces held dear by people when they first start listening to classical music, such as Pachelbel's canon. I thought the book was supposed to be inclusive, to refrain from judgment? All that, but Hans Zimmer, a film composer with no background or training in classical music, who has not written any standalone classical works (unlike most film composers), had to get mentioned, of course, condescending to the reader. There are a lot of film composers who write (or wrote) in a classical idiom, and produced standalone classical works as well, but Zimmer's background is in electronic music and, though his scores sometimes employ an orchestra, he really has very little to do with the classical tradition. Poor judgment is shown again and again.
Towards the end of the book, Rauch clearly was out of ideas for chapters, so she writes about whatever she can think of. The most expensive instruments sold -- love affairs composers had (all the ones every intros to classical music endlessly regurgitate) -- stories of supposedly cursed classical pieces. Really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Could someone who devoted their life to classical music really not think of other things to write about those hundreds of years of musical history? The penultimate chapter is particularly awful and misguided, describing how to handle hiring musicians for your wedding. Make sure to pay them enough and to be extremely grateful, of course, because Rauch has had experiences being underpaid, so she has to lecture the reader about how much musicians deserve proper payment for their years of studying. You should also give them a chance to play something while everyone listens in silence, because Rauch can't stand not being the center of attention. I don't understand why she thinks most prospective readers would care about all this. I am not even close to the income bracket that could afford to hire live musicians for a wedding. Then again, you have to question how many people will make it far enough into the book.
Rauch thinks she is a comedian, an author, a world-class musician, an encyclopedia on classical music, TikTok star (although at barely 300 followers even she has to see she might as well throw in the towel there...) and a very interesting person. She is really a nearly illiterate, narcisstic bore. Stay away at all costs.
August 21, 2023
Not as good as it should have been.
Tries to be breezy and accessible but ends up being scattered, incomplete, and disorganized.
Tries to drop names, most of which are pointless and don’t help the reader better understand the classical music world.
Tries to make jokes, most of which don’t land.
Tries to integrate pieces of memoir and musical explanations, but these sections that sit next to each other have nothing to do with each other.
Tries to be breezy and accessible but ends up being scattered, incomplete, and disorganized.
Tries to drop names, most of which are pointless and don’t help the reader better understand the classical music world.
Tries to make jokes, most of which don’t land.
Tries to integrate pieces of memoir and musical explanations, but these sections that sit next to each other have nothing to do with each other.
February 4, 2026
As the title states, this book is a low-key guide to an inside look at the classical music world. As a person who enjoys classical music and opera tremendously, I found this book entertaining through the stories and humour as well as some new factoids. This is not geared for classical snobs. It is for people who would like to have a glimpse into this fascinating world through the eyes and experiences of one main individual with some side characters.
December 2, 2022
Pretty disappointing, for a number of reasons.
First, I found the snark to be too much -- the coy allusions (well this musician did something BAD but I'm not going to say who they ARE wink wink), snarky footnotes that don't seem to add anything useful, and the general trying-really-hard-to-be-cool tone fell completely flat for me.
Second, honestly, I picked this up because it was advertised as a guide to the world of classical music, but a disproportionate amount of time is spent on the author's own experience (like her classical music teachers, what her sibling does, her practice, her childhood, etc.) I understand of course that an (ex) practicing musician is of course going to refer to her own experience, but frankly, I didn't care at all about her experience.
I don't read that many memoirs, and I particularly don't care to read a memoir by an ex-classical musician who writes with a forced humorous tone. Not for me, and not what was advertised.
First, I found the snark to be too much -- the coy allusions (well this musician did something BAD but I'm not going to say who they ARE wink wink), snarky footnotes that don't seem to add anything useful, and the general trying-really-hard-to-be-cool tone fell completely flat for me.
Second, honestly, I picked this up because it was advertised as a guide to the world of classical music, but a disproportionate amount of time is spent on the author's own experience (like her classical music teachers, what her sibling does, her practice, her childhood, etc.) I understand of course that an (ex) practicing musician is of course going to refer to her own experience, but frankly, I didn't care at all about her experience.
I don't read that many memoirs, and I particularly don't care to read a memoir by an ex-classical musician who writes with a forced humorous tone. Not for me, and not what was advertised.
November 21, 2022
The subtitle of this book is “A Low Key Guide to the High Strung World of Classical Music”, but I think this is really better described as a partial memoir with a lot of musical background thrown in. Which is actually great! Since I consider this book to be something of an abbreviated memoir, let’s start with the author.
Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch is the daughter of an English teacher mother who loved classical music and her concert pianist father who also taught music theory among other things. They both taught at schools such as Phillips Academy and Andover, so her parents are both high achievers. The author learned how to play violin and attended Northwestern University School of Music before switching over to Juilliard School of Music. She became a professional musician who played with the likes of James Galway and Chris Botti at Ravinia and Carnegie Hall, so Ms. Warsaw-Fan Rauch has had a front row seat at the highest levels of classical music.
Anyway, I picked up this book because while I am not a professional (or even amateur) musician, I used to play and can still read music. I enjoy all kinds of music, including classical. I was hoping to gain a little more knowledge about the classical genre as it is immense and oft intimidating with its own language. Instead of dry recitations of classical nomenclature and time signatures, the author provides a first person narrative about growing up as a musician who happens to play classical music. For example, after she broke up with her fiancé, she landed a gig with Chris Botti (noted jazz trumpeter of impressive range and tone).
p. 150 “I felt like Alice, slingshot through the looking glass into a world of larger-than-life characters, bewildering topography, and nonsensical rhetoric. The band seemed to speak in code - or in telegrams ending with the words ‘Send money.’ (Things like: ‘Ibiza is great. Stop. Lots of girls and strange white powder. Stop. Send money.’)... I was constantly disoriented.”
Here she is on p. 156 describing playing with a full symphony orchestra... “As a performer - and specifically a violinist - I’ve always found this problematic. First of all, it’s very hard, when you’ve been raised to think you’re God’s gift to the world of music, to take a seat beside thirteen other violinists and not only play but also to wear the exact same thing as the rest of them.” Like much of the book, that made me smile.
This isn’t just an autobiography either; Ms. Warsaw-Fan Rauch delivers a plethora of helpful information such as Dos & Don’ts of wedding music; differences between concertos and serenades; how to listen to classical music and so on. While I might be wrong, I got the overall sense of a funny, smart and warm young woman who wants to share her joy of classical music. Bravo! (or perhaps, Woo Hoo!) 4 stars
Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch is the daughter of an English teacher mother who loved classical music and her concert pianist father who also taught music theory among other things. They both taught at schools such as Phillips Academy and Andover, so her parents are both high achievers. The author learned how to play violin and attended Northwestern University School of Music before switching over to Juilliard School of Music. She became a professional musician who played with the likes of James Galway and Chris Botti at Ravinia and Carnegie Hall, so Ms. Warsaw-Fan Rauch has had a front row seat at the highest levels of classical music.
Anyway, I picked up this book because while I am not a professional (or even amateur) musician, I used to play and can still read music. I enjoy all kinds of music, including classical. I was hoping to gain a little more knowledge about the classical genre as it is immense and oft intimidating with its own language. Instead of dry recitations of classical nomenclature and time signatures, the author provides a first person narrative about growing up as a musician who happens to play classical music. For example, after she broke up with her fiancé, she landed a gig with Chris Botti (noted jazz trumpeter of impressive range and tone).
p. 150 “I felt like Alice, slingshot through the looking glass into a world of larger-than-life characters, bewildering topography, and nonsensical rhetoric. The band seemed to speak in code - or in telegrams ending with the words ‘Send money.’ (Things like: ‘Ibiza is great. Stop. Lots of girls and strange white powder. Stop. Send money.’)... I was constantly disoriented.”
Here she is on p. 156 describing playing with a full symphony orchestra... “As a performer - and specifically a violinist - I’ve always found this problematic. First of all, it’s very hard, when you’ve been raised to think you’re God’s gift to the world of music, to take a seat beside thirteen other violinists and not only play but also to wear the exact same thing as the rest of them.” Like much of the book, that made me smile.
This isn’t just an autobiography either; Ms. Warsaw-Fan Rauch delivers a plethora of helpful information such as Dos & Don’ts of wedding music; differences between concertos and serenades; how to listen to classical music and so on. While I might be wrong, I got the overall sense of a funny, smart and warm young woman who wants to share her joy of classical music. Bravo! (or perhaps, Woo Hoo!) 4 stars
October 20, 2022
[stopped at page 30, although I poked around in the rest of the book, here and there]
While I can appreciate the author's intention to introduce classical music in a lighthearted way to folks who may not be a familiar with it, I found her tone -- arch by turns, forced-jokey at others -- rather off-putting. As might be expected, she is Politically Correct in her choices of composers to mention in her period overview, but some of the selections, to my way of thinking, seem rather weak. (While it is certain that Lili Boulanger showed great gifts in her short life, I am not sure her actual achievements merit inclusion in this exalted company. And Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson? Really? And where is Louise Farrenc?) The author also trots out the debunked myth of Tchaikovsky's suicide. She intersperses her discussion of music and composers with autobiographical details about her truncated career as a concert violinist. I was intrigued (why pursue things to such a high level, then walk away from it all?), but insufficiently so to keep reading. -- I find it difficult to recommend this. For the record, though, I quite agree with her assessment of Medieval music. (It *is* awful!)
While I can appreciate the author's intention to introduce classical music in a lighthearted way to folks who may not be a familiar with it, I found her tone -- arch by turns, forced-jokey at others -- rather off-putting. As might be expected, she is Politically Correct in her choices of composers to mention in her period overview, but some of the selections, to my way of thinking, seem rather weak. (While it is certain that Lili Boulanger showed great gifts in her short life, I am not sure her actual achievements merit inclusion in this exalted company. And Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson? Really? And where is Louise Farrenc?) The author also trots out the debunked myth of Tchaikovsky's suicide. She intersperses her discussion of music and composers with autobiographical details about her truncated career as a concert violinist. I was intrigued (why pursue things to such a high level, then walk away from it all?), but insufficiently so to keep reading. -- I find it difficult to recommend this. For the record, though, I quite agree with her assessment of Medieval music. (It *is* awful!)
October 13, 2025
A book on classical music with a sense of humour! The book describes different areas of classical music such as the different eras of music, the presumed personalities of musicians according the instrument they play (funny!), personalities of conductors (they're @$$holes), and even when to clap at a concert. The author describes what it is TRULY like to be a student at a famous conservatory like Juilliard. In several chapters, examples of music to listen to are given by period.
You don't just learn a lot in this book. The information is given with humour. I'd recommend this book as the first book to suggest to anyone who expresses interest in exploring classical music.
You don't just learn a lot in this book. The information is given with humour. I'd recommend this book as the first book to suggest to anyone who expresses interest in exploring classical music.
October 18, 2023
I really liked this! The author is a fun writer and a good reader, and I want to be friends with her. She has the perfect combination of smarts and humility (i.e., not trying too hard to show off either quality), and this book not only seems like a great primer for people who don't already know classical music but is also an enjoyable read for those of us who know some but always want to know more. She does a superb job of blending her personal story into the straightforward information, which ranges from music theory to art history to scandals and love triangles, and I came out of it all with exciting lists of things to listen to, read, and watch (from YouTube performances to classic and modern movies).
The book didn't move me enough to inspire a five-star rating, but I really can't think of anything it could have done better.
The book didn't move me enough to inspire a five-star rating, but I really can't think of anything it could have done better.
December 29, 2024
DNF. While funny at times, the attempts at humor were far too heavy handed and the author is incredibly snobby and self-centered. Despite the author’s supposed attempt to do the opposite, I walked away from this book significantly more put off of classical music than I was going into it.
January 26, 2023
3.5
Audiobook narrated by the author who has a great reading voice.
I enjoyed this but I think I would have taken more away if I had a physical copy I could flip back and forth in, and reread. Also I rented it as a library book which means the PDF she refers to that accompanies the book was sadly not available to me.
There are a lot of ideas in here. It’s a good jumping off place for this world.
Audiobook narrated by the author who has a great reading voice.
I enjoyed this but I think I would have taken more away if I had a physical copy I could flip back and forth in, and reread. Also I rented it as a library book which means the PDF she refers to that accompanies the book was sadly not available to me.
There are a lot of ideas in here. It’s a good jumping off place for this world.
April 21, 2024
I think this would work for many as a very basic, if snarky, introduction to “European Art Music.” I’m being arch here, because the one thing the author (she has too many names for me to list) does well is separate classical music into its various styles and periods, only one of which is “classical.”
I learned this at about age ten. Anyone else who’s a musician or just an amateur listener (I fall into the second category) will find this more gossip than good. And more autobiography than actual theory. The author, it’s fair to say, is something of a brat, a fact she doesn’t hide even in Chapter 1. But as a true introduction for those without prior knowledge, you could do worse.
I learned this at about age ten. Anyone else who’s a musician or just an amateur listener (I fall into the second category) will find this more gossip than good. And more autobiography than actual theory. The author, it’s fair to say, is something of a brat, a fact she doesn’t hide even in Chapter 1. But as a true introduction for those without prior knowledge, you could do worse.
November 16, 2022
I grabbed thisoff the library shelf because i’m woefully ignorant about classical music, and I wanted to learn how to approach it. This seemed like a great book to do that.
At first I was put off by the blending of Memoir with exposition. I thought that I’d be learning less about classical music and more about a classical musician. This turned out not to be the case. Rauch has enough background information and lists to satisfy the most ignorant listener (me). I’ve been working my way through the historical periods Rauch covers. I’m currently enamored with Handel’s “Zadok the Priest,” so I’m not even out of the Baroque period yet.
Instead of being a distraction, Rauch’s Memoir bits make the book even more entertaining. I really enjoy her sharp wit. I laughed out loud at her description of Medieval music and why she dislikes it.
I just got done ordering a copy of this book. I need a copy on my shelf so I can refer back to all the great information Rauch provides.
At first I was put off by the blending of Memoir with exposition. I thought that I’d be learning less about classical music and more about a classical musician. This turned out not to be the case. Rauch has enough background information and lists to satisfy the most ignorant listener (me). I’ve been working my way through the historical periods Rauch covers. I’m currently enamored with Handel’s “Zadok the Priest,” so I’m not even out of the Baroque period yet.
Instead of being a distraction, Rauch’s Memoir bits make the book even more entertaining. I really enjoy her sharp wit. I laughed out loud at her description of Medieval music and why she dislikes it.
I just got done ordering a copy of this book. I need a copy on my shelf so I can refer back to all the great information Rauch provides.
November 27, 2022
This book is a great idea, with a pretty mediocre execution. It definitely spurred my interest in classical music, but didn’t teach me much about it. It highly focuses on protagonist’s life as a violinist, and is more of an autobiography than a guide. It doesn’t really focus on the music; the part that does, the first few chapters, is fantastic. But some of the later chapters (describing the violin market in elaborate detail, or random love stories from the classical music world) were unbearable. It’s worth it for the good parts, but what really makes this book not great is the forced type of humor that fell flat every single time; and the author is relentless about it. I had to put the book down after reading some of her very cringy jokes. 2.5/5. What made this experience great though is the Spotify playlist called ‘Declassified’. It’s a collection of her suggestions. Whoever created it is a genius.
December 16, 2022
My partner is a classically trained percussionist. Everytime he talks about classical music, my eyes glaze over. This book is perfectly written for people like me who just want to “get the whole classical music” thing. The author does a great job of explaining classical music, its history, and famous composers at a 101 level, without making the reader feel talked down to. She also gives great music recommendations that help you learn as you read. 10/10 recommend!
June 11, 2023
TW: sexism
This book was far more of a memoir than promised. It did not go into history in much detail or discuss any piece at length. While it was cute and humorous at times, it also felt like the author’s personal therapy. It is hard to embrace the thing she herself abandoned.
It could be that this title just didn’t work as an audiobook. I got the sense I was missing out on a lot. It also doesn’t prompt the slow downs and pauses of a paper book. That said, this audio version missed out on a massive opportunity to both include music excerpts and discuss them. It did not take advantage of the format at all.
This book was far more of a memoir than promised. It did not go into history in much detail or discuss any piece at length. While it was cute and humorous at times, it also felt like the author’s personal therapy. It is hard to embrace the thing she herself abandoned.
It could be that this title just didn’t work as an audiobook. I got the sense I was missing out on a lot. It also doesn’t prompt the slow downs and pauses of a paper book. That said, this audio version missed out on a massive opportunity to both include music excerpts and discuss them. It did not take advantage of the format at all.
April 11, 2024
I love this book. It's funny and warm and self-aware, and I can't wait to listen to all of her musical suggestions now that I know how they're supposed to make a person feel. Learning more about the current landscape of the genre, the historical legends, and the intersection of the two makes it more fun to think about how the lives of composers affect their music. Thoroughly enjoyed. My only complaint is that I wish the audiobook had a few snips of music to illustrate certain points.
June 28, 2025
Šiek tiek autobiografijos, šiek tiek muzikos enciklopedijos, viską sumaišom ir gaunam "patiekalą" apie klasikinės muzikos kompozitorius, jų kūrybą, instrumentus, aukštąjį mokslą, orkestrus bei ką (ko) (ne) daryti koncerto metu.
Būtų gal ir neblogai, bet tie nuolatos mėtomi menkinantys ir žeminantys juokeliai... žavesio nekelia, priešingai, veikia atstumiančiai...
Būtų gal ir neblogai, bet tie nuolatos mėtomi menkinantys ir žeminantys juokeliai... žavesio nekelia, priešingai, veikia atstumiančiai...
December 12, 2023
Neat idea and I learned several new things about music. Probably would have been better to read the print and pause frequently to actually listen to the music she talks about, but this was my car ride audiobook, so it wasn't exactly an option. A+ viola jokes, though.
June 27, 2024
Якщо вам хочеться заглянути за куліси сучасної академічної музики, з її шаленою конкуренцією і важкою працею.
Авторка описує свій досвід, а також ділиться рекомендаціями як і що слухати в класичній музиці
Авторка описує свій досвід, а також ділиться рекомендаціями як і що слухати в класичній музиці
January 4, 2023
In this book, there are no stupid questions. It's a smart, genuinely funny, haphazardly organized handbook to classical music that addresses topics as vast as the key pieces to listen to from every major musical era and as minute as where to sit at a concert and how to not be a dick to the other concertgoers.
It's also an episodic memoir of the author's own life in music: her childhood obsession, relentless training, and short-lived professional career. This was my favorite aspect; some of the anecdotes were hilarious, some were compelling in a TMZ kind of way, and a few were deeply moving.
The entire project here is to loosen the grip of snobbery and elitism on classical music, and she's as good as her word.
Exhibit A: In the final chapter she devotes a paragraph to tips on searching for classical music pieces on Spotify—you know, because they often have generic and unmemorable names. While I didn't necessarily need these tips, it struck me as really thoughtful. Knowing what to search for is a barrier that most insiders would never even consider, but could actually be quite a stumbling block for the newbie. I think that exemplifies the spirit of this book. Without dumbing down the material, it extends a helping hand to the masses.
I definitely skimmed some of the chapters, either because I was already pretty familiar with the topic or because I just wasn't that interested. But since it's as much a reference book as a narrative, I don't think that's a knock against it. Recommended for the classical-curious.
It's also an episodic memoir of the author's own life in music: her childhood obsession, relentless training, and short-lived professional career. This was my favorite aspect; some of the anecdotes were hilarious, some were compelling in a TMZ kind of way, and a few were deeply moving.
The entire project here is to loosen the grip of snobbery and elitism on classical music, and she's as good as her word.
Exhibit A: In the final chapter she devotes a paragraph to tips on searching for classical music pieces on Spotify—you know, because they often have generic and unmemorable names. While I didn't necessarily need these tips, it struck me as really thoughtful. Knowing what to search for is a barrier that most insiders would never even consider, but could actually be quite a stumbling block for the newbie. I think that exemplifies the spirit of this book. Without dumbing down the material, it extends a helping hand to the masses.
I definitely skimmed some of the chapters, either because I was already pretty familiar with the topic or because I just wasn't that interested. But since it's as much a reference book as a narrative, I don't think that's a knock against it. Recommended for the classical-curious.
December 14, 2022
This book is a hoot! Brava!
My wife received a paperback and hardcover ARC of this book after interviewing the author, Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch for her podcast. She does many of these and normally they are books I'm not much interest in. This one caught my attention. It is not everyday I find a book on the world of contemporary music artists that struggle to make their living in the concert halls and opera houses of the world. I studied as a singer, conductor, and composer for years and did some performing but not near her level. The book is a great tongue in check look at the world and business of classical music (I agree with the author that this term is misleading and a terrible label). Once started it was difficult to put down. Any musician would find much familiar and hilarious in the book. I have run into many of the types of artists she mentioned (and may be one of them myself). the non-musician will also love this book with its sparkling writing and insight into the authors struggles with being a professional performing artist. It also teaches a little about music and concert going in it's funny and delightful narrative. I especially loved her music examples and listening recommendations. I spotted a few I had never considered before and will add them to my list.
Brava Arianna, excellent first book. Looking forward to another.
My wife received a paperback and hardcover ARC of this book after interviewing the author, Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch for her podcast. She does many of these and normally they are books I'm not much interest in. This one caught my attention. It is not everyday I find a book on the world of contemporary music artists that struggle to make their living in the concert halls and opera houses of the world. I studied as a singer, conductor, and composer for years and did some performing but not near her level. The book is a great tongue in check look at the world and business of classical music (I agree with the author that this term is misleading and a terrible label). Once started it was difficult to put down. Any musician would find much familiar and hilarious in the book. I have run into many of the types of artists she mentioned (and may be one of them myself). the non-musician will also love this book with its sparkling writing and insight into the authors struggles with being a professional performing artist. It also teaches a little about music and concert going in it's funny and delightful narrative. I especially loved her music examples and listening recommendations. I spotted a few I had never considered before and will add them to my list.
Brava Arianna, excellent first book. Looking forward to another.
June 29, 2025
The self-deprecation could be funny and endearing, but it wasn't. Gave this two stars for suggestions (reminders) of music to listen to and the general advocacy that classical music is about listening, and not about perfection. The writing style and the pseudo-memoir approach were real distractions to the point that were not helped by the change in structure including random sections peppered throughout that felt like a whispered gossipy side bar. The author comes across as being very neurotic and introspective that is introspective but not really - an introspective version of a humble brag (if there is no word for this, we need one!).
July 17, 2023
It really seemed more like a memoir of some person I have no reason to waste my time reading of their ordinary life. There was nothing that educated me on classical music.
December 26, 2024
So awful in so many ways. Just read Tom’s review below.
November 24, 2024
Rounding up from 3.5 stars.
Not long ago, I published a book in which I said that I was not truly passionate about music. Here's the evidence for that statement: In the previous 10 years, I had almost -never- listened to music of any kind, anywhere. I sang with the congregation in church services, and that's about it.
This happened after a life spent almost completely immersed in music. I started singing in preschool and sang in choirs, musicals and in vocal lessons almost non-stop until about 13. My parents played classical music almost non-stop (and pop music, never). I also studied ballet from preschool to eighteen which -also- involves listening to a lot of music. Then I was a worship leader at my church for twenty years, meaning most Sundays I was singing in front of a hundred people.
But when I stepped down from church music leadership and slowly realized how much sound sensitivity I have (sound wears me out SO quickly it's not even funny), music basically disappeared from my life. and...I did not think I missed it all that much.
Then on a whim, I joined our church's choir. It turns out I had missed singing like you miss your best friend from elementary school who moves away and you aren't mature enough to actually grieve so instead you pretend you didn't ever really like her that much in the first place?
I've realized I am deeply, deeply passionate about -participating- in music, at whatever level. And of all the kinds of music I do like, I realized I missed classical the most.
But despite my childhood immersed in classical music in particular, I felt a alienated from the genre. There's just -so much- of it, and besides the pieces I already know, I don't often connect with it. I was tired of my spotty understanding of both the music theory behind it (like sight reading) and the history of it (when exactly did Brahms live? Was he closer to Beethoven or Bach?)
Also, that childhood spent performing...was often not healthy. Part of my alienation from music was grieving how complicated my relationship to it is.
So: It was a relief to discover Warsaw-Fan Rauch's book (from here on out, I'll just call her Arianna, for typing simplicity). Her alienation from music is different from mine, but reading that you can know classical music theory, history and the canon backwards and forwards and still feel alienated from music was...validating.
Here's what's great about Arianna's book. It's practical and funny. She explains why Mozart gets K numbers and Bach gets B! She explains what to listen for in symphonies and also admits she also finds them a little harder to follow than works that have soloists (like a concerto). She breaks down the ginormous musical canon into periods and gives listening suggestions for each era. She also points out some of the not-healthy aspects of classical music culture (snobbery, competition, perfectionism) and antidotes to them.
She also explains how a prize-winning violinist can end up quitting and not being able to listen to the music she was once so passionate about--and how she's recovering.
However, structurally the combination of memoir and how-to (and also classical music trivia like superstitions or viola jokes)...ended up feeling really uneven. This was especially true of the juxtaposition of darker portions of her memoir sections with the lighthearted trivia sections of the book. It was...strange.
Which bummed me out, because we care about music -because- of our dark stories, and music is also about fun, jokes, and delight. It makes sense to me why Arianna wanted to combine all this material.
But it's hard to do dark, funny memoir, and harder still to mix it with two other genres (how-to and trivia). Unfortunately, despite good overall material and even better expertise and passion, Arianna doesn't really pull it off.
Because of that, I'm not sure how much this book will connect with people who don't have a relationship with classical music already. It's just not quite coherent enough to work as a nonfiction book that transcends its subject to grab readers on the basis of its story-telling and humor. But if you're like me and Arianna, with a troubled relationship you're looking to heal--this book is super, super helpful.
Not long ago, I published a book in which I said that I was not truly passionate about music. Here's the evidence for that statement: In the previous 10 years, I had almost -never- listened to music of any kind, anywhere. I sang with the congregation in church services, and that's about it.
This happened after a life spent almost completely immersed in music. I started singing in preschool and sang in choirs, musicals and in vocal lessons almost non-stop until about 13. My parents played classical music almost non-stop (and pop music, never). I also studied ballet from preschool to eighteen which -also- involves listening to a lot of music. Then I was a worship leader at my church for twenty years, meaning most Sundays I was singing in front of a hundred people.
But when I stepped down from church music leadership and slowly realized how much sound sensitivity I have (sound wears me out SO quickly it's not even funny), music basically disappeared from my life. and...I did not think I missed it all that much.
Then on a whim, I joined our church's choir. It turns out I had missed singing like you miss your best friend from elementary school who moves away and you aren't mature enough to actually grieve so instead you pretend you didn't ever really like her that much in the first place?
I've realized I am deeply, deeply passionate about -participating- in music, at whatever level. And of all the kinds of music I do like, I realized I missed classical the most.
But despite my childhood immersed in classical music in particular, I felt a alienated from the genre. There's just -so much- of it, and besides the pieces I already know, I don't often connect with it. I was tired of my spotty understanding of both the music theory behind it (like sight reading) and the history of it (when exactly did Brahms live? Was he closer to Beethoven or Bach?)
Also, that childhood spent performing...was often not healthy. Part of my alienation from music was grieving how complicated my relationship to it is.
So: It was a relief to discover Warsaw-Fan Rauch's book (from here on out, I'll just call her Arianna, for typing simplicity). Her alienation from music is different from mine, but reading that you can know classical music theory, history and the canon backwards and forwards and still feel alienated from music was...validating.
Here's what's great about Arianna's book. It's practical and funny. She explains why Mozart gets K numbers and Bach gets B! She explains what to listen for in symphonies and also admits she also finds them a little harder to follow than works that have soloists (like a concerto). She breaks down the ginormous musical canon into periods and gives listening suggestions for each era. She also points out some of the not-healthy aspects of classical music culture (snobbery, competition, perfectionism) and antidotes to them.
She also explains how a prize-winning violinist can end up quitting and not being able to listen to the music she was once so passionate about--and how she's recovering.
However, structurally the combination of memoir and how-to (and also classical music trivia like superstitions or viola jokes)...ended up feeling really uneven. This was especially true of the juxtaposition of darker portions of her memoir sections with the lighthearted trivia sections of the book. It was...strange.
Which bummed me out, because we care about music -because- of our dark stories, and music is also about fun, jokes, and delight. It makes sense to me why Arianna wanted to combine all this material.
But it's hard to do dark, funny memoir, and harder still to mix it with two other genres (how-to and trivia). Unfortunately, despite good overall material and even better expertise and passion, Arianna doesn't really pull it off.
Because of that, I'm not sure how much this book will connect with people who don't have a relationship with classical music already. It's just not quite coherent enough to work as a nonfiction book that transcends its subject to grab readers on the basis of its story-telling and humor. But if you're like me and Arianna, with a troubled relationship you're looking to heal--this book is super, super helpful.
February 1, 2023
The book that I chose for the January Book Challenge was Declassified by Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch. The author is a professional concert violinist, and the book is non-fiction. In it, Ms. Rauch details her career as a professional classical musician and additionally informs the reader about the behind the scenes of performance of classical music in the modern age, information about classical periods, composers, etc…
The book starts off assuming the reader is someone who doesn’t know anything about classical music and gives a description of what it is, its origins, the different eras, styles, etc... She also explains how and when she started playing the violin. I knew most of the technical things that described what classical music was, but there were other things I didn’t really know. Specific composers’ names in the less common eras (such as medieval, or renaissance) sounded familiar, but I didn’t really know them or their work. I wondered why I wasn’t as familiar with these periods, and only a few paragraphs later she explained that the three periods I knew the most about (Baroque, Classical, and Romantic) were the periods known as, “Common Practice Period” which means that these are the most widely studied and performed by musicians.
This book doesn’t have a specific hook that could inspire people, but it does have other passages that others could find inspiring. One that I thought could inspire someone who doesn’t listen to classical music was in chapter 2. One of the topics in chapter 2 was how there are so many snobs who listen to classical music. It gave some stories and examples of snobs acting in a superior way. But she then described how snobs might indeed listen to classical music, but it does not mean that classical music is for snobs. Beautiful and timeless music is for everyone. The book gives many listening suggestions to further expose one’s ear to classical music – to train a novice to love classical music. I think this could inspire someone because involving yourself in something that you know very little about can be intimidating and not easy to start. This book, however, tries to encourage the reader to listen to classical music instead of acting like you have to be very sophisticated and mature to even listen to a few seconds of a piece.
I think the text is very good and well-written. There weren’t any glaring grammatical errors or spelling mistakes that made me feel that the author did not give more thought than was needed to the book. The author seems very passionate about classical music. I’ve looked her up on Youtube to see some of her performances and I thought she sounded excellent and very talented. I don’t think there was much to improve on in the text.
The only thing that I didn’t love was how a lot of her experiences on the violin were not applicable to the piano. If she played piano then I think I could relate a lot more to her stories because I am a pianist. Obviously, this isn’t a fair criticism, it’s more of a personal problem and I wouldn't say if she would’ve played piano professionally this book would be better because there was so much valuable information and many good stories already given. Besides that, I had no other problems. The book is very sarcastic and very funny. I read a review and found that one of the things this book is criticized for is its use of profanity, but I didn’t mind it. I think it makes sense because many people who listen to classical music are of older generations and many could be opposed to using language like that. I, however, do not mind it. I thought the author was trying to take away the seriousness/stuffiness of classical music. It felt more fun to me as a reader when more relaxed language was used.
Overall, I thought it was a very good book and I am glad I read it. Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch is a very skilled violinist and a skilled writer. I couldn’t count how many times I was reading and was motivated to go and practice. She seems to have an infectious work ethic towards many things she does and that was motivating to me. I enjoyed reading this book and hope that she continues to write more excellent books.
The book starts off assuming the reader is someone who doesn’t know anything about classical music and gives a description of what it is, its origins, the different eras, styles, etc... She also explains how and when she started playing the violin. I knew most of the technical things that described what classical music was, but there were other things I didn’t really know. Specific composers’ names in the less common eras (such as medieval, or renaissance) sounded familiar, but I didn’t really know them or their work. I wondered why I wasn’t as familiar with these periods, and only a few paragraphs later she explained that the three periods I knew the most about (Baroque, Classical, and Romantic) were the periods known as, “Common Practice Period” which means that these are the most widely studied and performed by musicians.
This book doesn’t have a specific hook that could inspire people, but it does have other passages that others could find inspiring. One that I thought could inspire someone who doesn’t listen to classical music was in chapter 2. One of the topics in chapter 2 was how there are so many snobs who listen to classical music. It gave some stories and examples of snobs acting in a superior way. But she then described how snobs might indeed listen to classical music, but it does not mean that classical music is for snobs. Beautiful and timeless music is for everyone. The book gives many listening suggestions to further expose one’s ear to classical music – to train a novice to love classical music. I think this could inspire someone because involving yourself in something that you know very little about can be intimidating and not easy to start. This book, however, tries to encourage the reader to listen to classical music instead of acting like you have to be very sophisticated and mature to even listen to a few seconds of a piece.
I think the text is very good and well-written. There weren’t any glaring grammatical errors or spelling mistakes that made me feel that the author did not give more thought than was needed to the book. The author seems very passionate about classical music. I’ve looked her up on Youtube to see some of her performances and I thought she sounded excellent and very talented. I don’t think there was much to improve on in the text.
The only thing that I didn’t love was how a lot of her experiences on the violin were not applicable to the piano. If she played piano then I think I could relate a lot more to her stories because I am a pianist. Obviously, this isn’t a fair criticism, it’s more of a personal problem and I wouldn't say if she would’ve played piano professionally this book would be better because there was so much valuable information and many good stories already given. Besides that, I had no other problems. The book is very sarcastic and very funny. I read a review and found that one of the things this book is criticized for is its use of profanity, but I didn’t mind it. I think it makes sense because many people who listen to classical music are of older generations and many could be opposed to using language like that. I, however, do not mind it. I thought the author was trying to take away the seriousness/stuffiness of classical music. It felt more fun to me as a reader when more relaxed language was used.
Overall, I thought it was a very good book and I am glad I read it. Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch is a very skilled violinist and a skilled writer. I couldn’t count how many times I was reading and was motivated to go and practice. She seems to have an infectious work ethic towards many things she does and that was motivating to me. I enjoyed reading this book and hope that she continues to write more excellent books.
September 25, 2022
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this memoir on life and loving classical music, and how the unfamiliar can become listeners also.
Fans of something can sometimes be welcoming, but a lot of the time fans put up barriers to not only make their fandom seem important, but also as a way of controlling who might want to listen. Comics and anime are known for this, Star Wars is getting like this, but classical music has been doing this for a much longer time. Well to enjoy this piece you have to understand this, well you might know this piece as this, but the real name is that. People can be awfully protective of music that can be heard in thousands of commercials from cars to diamonds and movie trailers. Even the books that are there to introduce people to classical music the NPR or Penguin Guides are guilty of this inherent snootiness. Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music by Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch is only guilty of being well written and highly entertaining, a combination of memoir, musical instruction and plenty of jokes featuring viola players.
Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch can probably called someone who loved the playing but hated the game. Starting at an early age Warsaw-Fan Rauch started first on piano before switching over to violin, training constantly for hours a day, something which at the time she thought she enjoyed. Summers were spent in music camps, some of which sounded fun for reasons other than playing music, where Warsaw-Fan Rauch was introduced to the world of show moms and a taste of what a career in music might be like. Juilliard was her school of choice and soon she found a job and love with another violin player, and at the same time realized she did not like playing music any more, at least orchestral music. Tours with Chris Botti, and others gave Warsaw-Fan Rauch a chance to think about life, a new love gave her a chance to find writing which she loved, and hence this book.
Throughout the book stories about Warsaw-Fan Rauch's life equally shared with information about classical music, what is classical music, what to do and where to sit at a concert. What all those numbers in the titles of the music mean. A few viola jokes. Actually there is a lot of humor, and a lot of very good writing. Warsaw-Fan Rauch has a gift in that the reader learns quite a lot about music, history, even tones, sounds and various instruments, and yet never reads like a textbook. More conversation with someone that really enjoys a subject and wants others to enjoy it also. No cows are sacred, composers are not geniuses, more please give this a try no pressure, here is why people like it, I might not, but here you make up your own mind. Plus Warsaw-Fan Rauch has lived an interesting life and it is very fun to read about.
I really enjoyed this book, and found I was listening to Spotify a lot more than I had been. This is a book that can be recommended to a lot of people, people who like memoirs about creative types. Classical music fans, and people who want to know more than the Imperial March from Star Wars. More importantly this might be a good book for young girls and boys who are thinking about a professional career in music, and what that world might be like. I look very forward to more books by Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch.
Fans of something can sometimes be welcoming, but a lot of the time fans put up barriers to not only make their fandom seem important, but also as a way of controlling who might want to listen. Comics and anime are known for this, Star Wars is getting like this, but classical music has been doing this for a much longer time. Well to enjoy this piece you have to understand this, well you might know this piece as this, but the real name is that. People can be awfully protective of music that can be heard in thousands of commercials from cars to diamonds and movie trailers. Even the books that are there to introduce people to classical music the NPR or Penguin Guides are guilty of this inherent snootiness. Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music by Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch is only guilty of being well written and highly entertaining, a combination of memoir, musical instruction and plenty of jokes featuring viola players.
Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch can probably called someone who loved the playing but hated the game. Starting at an early age Warsaw-Fan Rauch started first on piano before switching over to violin, training constantly for hours a day, something which at the time she thought she enjoyed. Summers were spent in music camps, some of which sounded fun for reasons other than playing music, where Warsaw-Fan Rauch was introduced to the world of show moms and a taste of what a career in music might be like. Juilliard was her school of choice and soon she found a job and love with another violin player, and at the same time realized she did not like playing music any more, at least orchestral music. Tours with Chris Botti, and others gave Warsaw-Fan Rauch a chance to think about life, a new love gave her a chance to find writing which she loved, and hence this book.
Throughout the book stories about Warsaw-Fan Rauch's life equally shared with information about classical music, what is classical music, what to do and where to sit at a concert. What all those numbers in the titles of the music mean. A few viola jokes. Actually there is a lot of humor, and a lot of very good writing. Warsaw-Fan Rauch has a gift in that the reader learns quite a lot about music, history, even tones, sounds and various instruments, and yet never reads like a textbook. More conversation with someone that really enjoys a subject and wants others to enjoy it also. No cows are sacred, composers are not geniuses, more please give this a try no pressure, here is why people like it, I might not, but here you make up your own mind. Plus Warsaw-Fan Rauch has lived an interesting life and it is very fun to read about.
I really enjoyed this book, and found I was listening to Spotify a lot more than I had been. This is a book that can be recommended to a lot of people, people who like memoirs about creative types. Classical music fans, and people who want to know more than the Imperial March from Star Wars. More importantly this might be a good book for young girls and boys who are thinking about a professional career in music, and what that world might be like. I look very forward to more books by Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch.
May 24, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ah this was exactly what I was hoping it was!!! A really lovely mix of memoir and fun guide to classical music, from all the different musical periods, recommended pieces and composers, explanations of what the heck the difference is between symphonies/concertos/sonatas, listening tips, etc.
Some reviewers were disappointed by this and were hoping for more of a technical guide to classical music and less of a memoir, but I found that I loved this even more than I would have had there been no memoir aspect. That being said, if you are not a fan of memoirs, especially those with a funny and sarcastic voice, then you might want to stay away from this one. If you do like funny memoirs, then definitely give this a try even if you aren't interested in learning about classical music! The author's writing about what it was like to grow up as a privileged musical kid and play professionally as an adult (and also why she quit!) was very interesting to read since I have never had even one foot on that life path.
This is actually also a very quick read, but I took longer because I made playlists of all the stuff she was recommending and tried to listen to things along the way. I liked some classical music before, but never had the words to describe why I liked it or what I might then want to search for next that could be similar, and now I feel like I have such a better understanding of this "genre" and its variety. Rock on, Romantic and Contemporary classical music (and lowkey Medieval too.. the author hates Medieval music with a passion but it kind of slaps?), and sorry to the piano but I just Do Not Like It and prefer literally everything else and now I know that is due to its timbre!
I also loved that this was not just about orchestras and symphonies and stuff but that she included ballets and operas and choral music too! Again with great lists of recommendations to listen to/see. It was also wild how much classical music most people probably know from random commercials or movies, and now I know what they actually are called or who wrote them and when (and how professional musicians feel about playing them a billion times). Even like the typical bridal walk song, is a classical music piece! Maybe common knowledge but not to me! The author even provides a list of other pieces she would recommend for weddings, and another for chill background music. The lists are so extensive!
At the very least you can get a ton of cool Spotify recs from this- there is simply so much music suggested that everyone is bound to find something they really like. Definitely recommend!
Ah this was exactly what I was hoping it was!!! A really lovely mix of memoir and fun guide to classical music, from all the different musical periods, recommended pieces and composers, explanations of what the heck the difference is between symphonies/concertos/sonatas, listening tips, etc.
Some reviewers were disappointed by this and were hoping for more of a technical guide to classical music and less of a memoir, but I found that I loved this even more than I would have had there been no memoir aspect. That being said, if you are not a fan of memoirs, especially those with a funny and sarcastic voice, then you might want to stay away from this one. If you do like funny memoirs, then definitely give this a try even if you aren't interested in learning about classical music! The author's writing about what it was like to grow up as a privileged musical kid and play professionally as an adult (and also why she quit!) was very interesting to read since I have never had even one foot on that life path.
This is actually also a very quick read, but I took longer because I made playlists of all the stuff she was recommending and tried to listen to things along the way. I liked some classical music before, but never had the words to describe why I liked it or what I might then want to search for next that could be similar, and now I feel like I have such a better understanding of this "genre" and its variety. Rock on, Romantic and Contemporary classical music (and lowkey Medieval too.. the author hates Medieval music with a passion but it kind of slaps?), and sorry to the piano but I just Do Not Like It and prefer literally everything else and now I know that is due to its timbre!
I also loved that this was not just about orchestras and symphonies and stuff but that she included ballets and operas and choral music too! Again with great lists of recommendations to listen to/see. It was also wild how much classical music most people probably know from random commercials or movies, and now I know what they actually are called or who wrote them and when (and how professional musicians feel about playing them a billion times). Even like the typical bridal walk song, is a classical music piece! Maybe common knowledge but not to me! The author even provides a list of other pieces she would recommend for weddings, and another for chill background music. The lists are so extensive!
At the very least you can get a ton of cool Spotify recs from this- there is simply so much music suggested that everyone is bound to find something they really like. Definitely recommend!
July 25, 2026
I felt deceived. I picked this up hoping to learn more about classical music, but instead I got subjected to endless whining of a woman I'd never even heard of. If the book had been billed as an autobiography, I never would have taken it off the shelf - though for people who do want to learn about the author's life, it might be right up their alley.
For me, though, it's been incredibly disappointing. Every time she starts writing about the music, she gets carried away and injects far too much of herself into the narrative. Since I have zero interest in her personal life, most of the book feels practically useless to me. It's only a guide for about half of its length, you really have to strip away all the filler to get to anything substantive.
The description promises a "cheeky" read, but honestly, it's rather dull. Arianna isn't a great writer. At one point, she even admits that there's probably a simple and engaging way to explain variations on a theme, but she just won't do it?! aren't you supposed to at least try for your readers? What's the point of writing a book, then? I mean, I've put up with her complaining about almost everyone she's ever met (even though I know nothing about these people), including the mother of a girl she lived with at camp when she was eleven. I read about her not liking certain foods (again, who decided this would be relatable)? Couldn't she have at least made an effort with the music sections?!
There's also a "classification" of musicians based entirely on her own acquaintances. The whole thing boils down to: "These people I know are chill, these are bad." (The writing here is literally at a six-year-old's level.) Again, why devote so much space to her own biased taxonomy? I call it biased because she only mentions her personal feelings, with zero references to books or studies to back any of it up.
If you're thinking of reading this because of the title and the description, don't make my mistake. It's a real waste of money! That said, if you already know the author and genuinely want to learn more about her, then this book is actually for you. Overall, there were a few interesting parts scattered here and there, so I wouldn't give it one star. But in general, I hope that if she ever decides to write another book, she improves her writing skills first!
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