Classical Music For Dummies. Scott Speck

a text in classes about music history, theory, composition, orchestration, or appreciation. Works for us!

Foolish Assumptions

      We, your trusty authors, have made some mighty foolish assumptions about you.

       You have a healthy and active pulse.

       This pulse sometimes races when you hear a surging phrase of classical music, whether on a recording, in a movie or show, in a video, or in a commercial.

       You have a sneaking suspicion that a little more understanding of the music that makes your pulse race might add immeasurable joy and fulfillment to your life.

       You’d love to enhance that understanding with one lighthearted, breezy, easy-to-read resource.

      If we’re right about any of these things (and we’re hardly ever wrong), then this book is for you. It will deepen your understanding of music, make you comfortable discussing it, and help you understand its form. And although this book isn’t a suitable alternative to a graduate degree in music, it’s much more fun and costs about $90,000 less.

      Believe it or not, you have a great advantage over many of the world’s classical music fanatics. You enter this amazing artistic realm unencumbered by preconditioning or music prejudice. You enter the concert hall with an open mind, a clean slate, and an empty canvas upon which the great composers can paint their emotional landscapes.

      This situation is what many music aficionados often forget: In classical music, the intellect should take a back seat to emotion. More than many other arts, classical music is meant to appeal directly to the senses. In this book, we show you how to activate those senses — and unlock your capacity to experience one of life’s greatest highs.

Icons Used in This Book

      Throughout the book, icons clue you in about certain topics. They indicate material in which you may be especially interested, or material you may be eager to skip. Let them be your guide.

This icon clues you in on a handy shortcut, technique, or suggestion that can help you get more out of your classical music life.

      

This icon alerts you to what we think are important pieces of information that you should stow away in your mind.

      

This icon marks an opportunity for you to get up, march over to a keyboard or a sound system, and run a little experiment in real life.

      

If you go online to www.dummies.com/go/classicalmusic3e, you can find nine excerpts from the greatest music in the world. Whenever we discuss one of them, this icon lets you know.

      

Music has been around longer than most countries. This icon alerts you to the beginnings of trends and rituals that are still around today. This information isn’t essential to understanding classical music, but it sure is downright interesting.

Beyond the Book

      In addition to the very book you’re holding in your eager little hands, we provide some delicious online goodies for your enjoyment. For example, take a look at the Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com. Once there, just search for “Classical Music For Dummies Cheat Sheet.” There you can find a quick description of the instruments and their locations in a typical symphony orchestra, as well as a timeline of classical music, for easy reference next time you attend a concert.

      Best of all, we provide many, many musical examples, in the form of links to recordings online at www.dummies.com/go/classicalmusic3e. These recordings are your key to entering the world of classical music — a painless introduction to all different styles and time periods. As we describe some of the great masterpieces, you can actually listen to them right away. These recordings set Classical Music For Dummies apart from all the other books on the shelf.

Where to Go from Here

      We design this book so that you can start reading anywhere. But to help you figure out what might excite you the most, we give you six different areas to choose from:

       Part 1 introduces you to the world of classical music, including a brief history and descriptions of the common packages — such as symphonies, string quartets, and so on — that classical music comes in.

       Part 2 takes you into the concert hall to experience some real music-making, and then takes you on a backstage tour of the professional classical music world.

       Part 3 is a field guide to all the instruments that make up an orchestra.

       Part 4 puts classical music under the microscope, explaining the creative little molecules that make it up.

       Parts 5 and 6 take you even deeper into classical music and help you get more out of it.

      You don’t need to finish one part, or even one chapter, before starting another. Use the table of contents or the index as a starting point, if you want. Or, if you’re in a romantic mood, turn on some sensual classics, cuddle up with a loved one, and start at the very front of the book. (You may want to skip the copyright page, however, because it can deflate that romantic mood rather quickly.)

Part 1

      Getting Started with Classical Music

IN THIS PART …

      Discover that you’ve been listening to classical music all your life — on elevators, in movies, in TV commercials, in video games, and just about anywhere else sound waves are available.

      Find out what separates mediocre music from humanity’s greatest musical masterpieces.

      Explore the different packages that classical music comes in, from symphonies to sonatas.

      Meet all the lovable (and not-so-lovable) characters who collectively created the history of classical music.

Chapter 1

      Prying Open the Classical Music Oyster

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      

Understanding what’s so great about classical music

      

Identifying the seven habits of highly effective composers