E-Book Content
The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to
Classical .Music
TIM SMITH
A Grand Central Press Book A Perigee Book
The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to
Classical Music
The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to
Classical .Music
TIM SMITH
A Grand Central Press Book A Perigee Book
" Perigee Book Puhhshed by The Berkley Pubhsluug Group A drvrsion of Pengum Pumain lnc H5 H udson Street Ne-w Vork, :\ew York 10Cl14 Produced by Grand Centra] "re« Paul Forgas. Director .Iudy Pr ay. Execun ve Ed 11", l\lC'k \',orst, Series Ed,tOJ NATIOi'o,\L PUII.le II.-\I)j( I Murray Horwuz, Vrce-Presidenr, Cultural Programming Andy Trudeau Execuuve Producer, Culmral Programming Benjamm Roe, Senior Producer, Special Projecr-, Cultural Programrmng Barbara A Vrerow. Project \Ja"ager, Bus"IC" Developrnen. Kate F.lhOtl, PrO)E"f:( \lanagpr, Rll,)H1f'S~ 1)f'\r\oplnPIlI
NPR, opr, and Nanonal Public Hadlo 'HP Sp')\'I('P marks 01 '\;\t1onal P\lhhr. Harhn, lnr and may not bp used wu hnut thp pp.rrlll')!ann of ,PR. Copynght © JOCl9- by (hand Cenrral Press and 'vanonal Puhlll' Radar> Text cleSlgn by 'I.ffany K"k," Cover rleSlgn by .lrll Boltm f :"\,("f a r t 11)" Dau R~xtp.r All nghts re-served Ttus book, or part' thereof may not be reproduced tII anv form wn hour permlc;colOJl.
VISH
our wf"ho;1tp at ww w.pt;ngmoIIlHnam r-om
Smith, Trm The NPR cuneus l",eupr', glllde
p
Ir> r ]ass",,,1
music / Tirn Srmth
CIll
Includes Index ISBN 0·399·52795 Il I Music apprec,aw,n MT90 565 20097111 n'Il' ·rlc21
I "atlonal Puhhc' Rad,o It.' S )
11 T,tle
20010551n2 plll"1l:n
10
I~
9
I'm. r"IIF.!) S1.\IE" (,I
R
7
\\If-I\IL\
I
Contents
Acknowledgment"
vii
Foreword
IX
Introduction
xi
1.
What Is Classical Music?
1
2.
The Story of Classical Music
7
3.
Varieties of Classical Music
33
4.
Classical Music Deconstructed
51
5.
The Composers
87
6.
The Performers
1:/7
7. The Music
151
8.
Classical Music on CD
191
9.
The Language of Classical Music
215
Resources for Curious Listeners
227
Index
233
Acknowledgments
My thanks, first of all, to the late music lustoriau and photo archivist OUo Bdllnallll,'wllO kept encuuraging me to write a hook; I'm sorry it Look me so long to folluw his advice. And
thanks tu my parlner, Hobert Leiuinger, for pushing me to finish the product and helping' me ill various ways durillg the process. Another round of t h.mks tu my editor, Nick Viorsi, for his remarkable pat.ir-uce alld good judgment. Aud to Michael Tilson Thomas tor his invaluable foreword, 1I0t to mention the Illauy years of inspiration his ever-curious musical mind has given me. I also grt·atly appreciate all the folks at NPH, especially Bell Hoc, who endorsed my part icipat ion project.
III
this
Foreword by Michael Tilson Thomas
N
PR is one of America's greatest cultural resources, Its spirit
of operi-m iuded inquiry into the nature of things has made
it all informative and entertaining part of our lives. It is the sty le of NPR lo offer a fresh and direct approach tu all t be areas of its wide-ranging curiosity. It makes us aware of so wallY new thoughts, as well as bringing us new insights into t~ose that are familiar. With this guid~, NPR fans will have the «hance to discover refreshing new perspectives about Western civilization's most abstract and emotionally affec