[ePub] The Essential Canon of Classical Music by David Dubal in Arts-Photography

Review

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A musically in-depth guide to the classical repertoireBy Alan LekanIf you are seriously beginning to get into classical music. this is a most fascinating and satisfying books for your journey. In this dense volume. pianist and Juilliard music scholar David Dubal gives a compelling overview of the major periods of classical music as well as the major composers and their major works in each period. For each composer. he tells their story and history in a very compelling way and then describes some background of the major works and their significance. His historical essays on the major music eras (Renaissance. Baroque. Classical. Romantic. Modern) are skilly written and make for very engaging reading. (I learned many fascinating tidbits on many a composer even after reading several books on each.) He gives some useful - but not too technical - descriptions of musical elements such the Classical-era "sonata form" and the Romantic-era "music drama." His discussion of the all-important sonata form is quite good and will deepen your music appreciation and ability to follow things when listening. Mr. Dubal also covers an impressive list of the "minor composers." their lives and their works (unlike NPR guide which lists only the major composers).Wisely. Dubal does not try to make this volume too comprehensive and rightfully stears away from being "Dubals Punguin Guide" by not listing and comparing all the various choices of available recordings (like Penguin. Gramophone or Third Ear Guides which are more buying guides than an introduction to classical music). FOr each major work. Dubal lists a few recommended recordings and leaves it to you to explore the possibilities. This aspect is not a strength of this book and other guides to the repertoire (The Rough Guide. NPR Guide or All-Music-Guide) give decent commentary of their 1-2 recommendations. Last. a nice added bonus is the meaty glossary of musical terms in the Appendix - something every beginner needs to grasp the concepts. If you are fairly serious about getting into the depths of classical music. this guide is most superb from its depth of treatment. richness of musicology and especially the most engaging writing style of Mr. Dubal who effectively draws one into the vast world of classical music. It has more of a scholarly tone to it - but still quite friendly to the beginner. The more I read it. the more I appreciate its depth and useful guidance. Dubals other book (The Art of the Piano) makes for very compelling reading of the lives of the great pianists through history as well as contemporary if you are a piano fan.8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. A Great GuidebookBy Aaron PercefullDubal is a wonderful educator. and this book is rewarding no matter how much you know about classical music. Most of us who love classical music have particular preferences. and so tend to know more about one area than another.For example I know the Romantic period pretty thoroughly and have a clear idea about what composers and pieces I like. why I like them. and best performances on CD. Most of the time my point of view coincides with Dubal. though not always. but I like it that way. I enjoy immensely hearing what he has to say and then deciding for myself how much I agree with him. Thank god Dubal has a point of view! How dreary this book would be if it were a mere recitation of facts annotated with lists.It would be a daunting task keep a list of recommended CDs up to date. so instead Dubal recommends a few. definitive performances that have stood the test of time and remain in the record companies catalogs -- which is to say. they are mostly old performances. They are a place to start. and I dont think one can go wrong starting there. A big part of the fun of classical music is comparing performances and discovering ones own favorite performers. Some of Dubals picks ARE among my favorite performances. so I think. all things considered. he does a good job in making these recommendations.The book is perforce not exhaustive. It is Dubals opinion as a music educator of what is "essential." He had to make some choices of who to emphasize. who not. who to include. who to leave out.For a one-volume guide to classical music. this book cant be beat!4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Superb book content / Completely garbage publishingBy Matt McQuillanThis is a fantastic book and is exactly what I was looking for. I had originally spotted this at the library many years ago and enjoyed the hardback version. When I saw this was finally back in print. I ordered a new paperback copy. I am giving it one star (deserves zero) based solely on the completely unprofessional publishing job. The print is faint. looks like it is printed from a scanned in version. the outer cover was scuffed and had oil marks and the binding is the worst I have ever seen. Looking at other comments. I see that the binding fails after minor use. I returned this and ordered a used hard back and it looks fantastic.NOTE - the book itself is superb and if the author or publisher would like to remedy the amateur publishing job. Ill gladly change to five stars.