Classical Music (Eyewitness Companions) - John Burrows

...begins this Eyewitness Companion to Classical Music.

Musically, I'm a bit of a butterfly. I flit around between all kinds of music, but as I've got older I've found myself listening to an increasing amount of classical. Partly this is because I am at home more and classical music seems better for my concentration when I'm doing any sort of work on the computer. I decided it was time I needed a handy music reference book that I could ...
...designed reference books. Classical music station Classic FM were also involved in putting this book together. Like every Eyewitness guide that I've looked at, it's really packed with information. The cover is glossy and colourful, while inside there are 500 pages of facts, analysis and biographies of composers from over 1000 years of music. There are plentiful illustrations throughout, making it a very attractive book to use.

The ... more

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." This is the quotation from French writer Victor Hugo which begins this Eyewitness Companion to Classical Music.

Musically, I'm a bit of a butterfly. I flit around between all kinds of music, but as I've got older I've found myself listening to an increasing amount of classical. Partly this is because I am at home more and classical music seems better for my concentration when I'm doing any sort of work on the computer. I decided it was time I needed a handy music reference book that I could dip into. Something that would help me identify one Bach from another and give me some background on composers I am interested in learning more about. When I was browsing in the bookshop, this Eyewitness Companion really stood out. It is published by Dorling Kindersley, a company that puts a strong emphasis on producing comprehensive and well designed reference books. Classical music station Classic FM were also involved in putting this book together. Like every Eyewitness guide that I've looked at, it's really packed with information. The cover is glossy and colourful, while inside there are 500 pages of facts, analysis and biographies of composers from over 1000 years of music. There are plentiful illustrations throughout, making it a very attractive book to use.

The book is edited by John Burrows, OBE, who organises and promotes concerts. He has worked with many big names in the classical world. In his Foreword to the book he says he wanted the guide to "inform, excite, inspire and be very accessible." I would say he has certainly achieved that aim.

There is a short introduction by Lady Solti, widow of conductor Georg Solti. This gives an interesting insight into her late husband's work and his passion for music. In the introduction the point is made that many music books with more technical language may be offputting to people who are just beginning to learn about classical music. I think that this is very true and this Eyewitness guide is clearly intended for folk like me who are not experts and need everything explained at an understandable level.

The book is then divided into the following sections, which are colour coded so it is easy to flip straight to the section you need.

Introducing Classical Music

I have learned so much from this section of the book. It is only 36 pages long but covers many basics. It explains the elements of music, including pitch, notation, harmony and rhythm. These are terms we often hear, but it was useful to have them clearly defined before I proceeded to the rest of the book. Next the book explains how orchestras developed and changed to meet the needs of concert audiences. Different groups of instruments are described and illustrated, including early instruments such as the serpent, lute and crumhorn. I enjoyed reading this part and it increased my understanding of the place of the various instruments within the orchestra. Thirdly, there is a bit of history about how classical music is performed. From this I learned that there is a standard layout for an orchestra, which may be an obvious thing but was not something I had ever really thought about before. So for example now if I see a picture of an orchestra I know that to the conductor's left will always be the first violins and to the right will be the cellos.

Now we come to the main part of the book, dealing with specific eras and composers. Each musical era has its own introduction giving an overview of the period. There is also a 'Timeline' in each section to set musical developments into a historical context. Composers are covered in date order, each one having a little box of 'Milestones' which tells you the most significant events in their lives. There are symbols indicating birth and death dates, nationality and many other details. Major composers are covered in greater depth than the more obscure ones, with more background about their lives and important works. I found it very easy to find information on composers I was looking for and enjoyed generally flicking through the book to pick out interesting snippets.

Early Music 1000 - 1600

This era is given 30 pages of the book. It's incredible that music from this early period has survived at all. Ok, so Hildegard of Bingen may not exactly be a household name, but the book told me enough to make me curious about her and want to know more. She lived from 1098 to 1179, experienced visions, was renowned for her prophecies, and for a woman living in her era she was quite an influential figure. Other early composers covered in this section of the book include Thomas Tallis, William Byrd and Palestrina.

The Baroque Era 1600 - 1750

This period covers about 70 pages. It is a period that I like and it includes some of the composers that I am most familiar with. One new person I learned about in this section was the French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully. He died as a result of gangrene in his foot, which had unfortunately developed after he bashed his toe with his cane while conducting. Also included in this section are people such as J.S Bach, Monteverdi, Vivaldi and Handel.

The Classical Era 1750 - 1820

There are nearly 40 pages on this period. During this time the musical forms of the sonata and the symphony became established. In this section we meet Beethoven and Mozart among others. 10,000 people attended Beethoven's funeral in Vienna. Mozart by contrast was buried in a mass grave without mourners. Also covered in some depth are Haydn and C.P.E. Bach (son of J.S).

The Romantic Era 1810 - 1920

This era receives nearly 60 pages. Music now became more experimental, with landscape and nature being important influences. Composers' emotional lives also found greater expression in their work. Schubert, Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Mahler, Richard Strauss and Tchaikovsky are all dealt with in some detail - the real big hitters of the music world! One of the new things I learned from this section:- Mendelssohn died at the young age of 38, having suffered several strokes.

Romantic Opera 1810 - 1920

Although this section covers the same period as the previous one, there were so many developments in the world of opera that it is dealt with separately, in nearly 40 pages. Some of the most famous operas were written in this era, often inspired by classic literature, legends and poems. In this section we find Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini, Bellini and Wagner. I have to feel sorry for Bizet. His opera Carmen is nowadays his most popular work, but when it was first performed in 1875 critics were unimpressed. Bizet died only three months later, never to know how well-loved Carmen would eventually become.

National Schools 1830 - 1950

A long section of the book, just over 100 pages. During this time another trend emerged, the use of music as an expression of a nation's cultural identity. In Britain Elgar, Delius and Vaughan Williams contributed to a distinctively English style of music. We may not be able to say exactly why we recognise it as English, we just know it when we hear it. To me the music of these composers makes me think of rolling countryside and cornfields. Likewise, Spain, France, Italy, Eastern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and America all had their own composers who came to typify the music of those regions. One interesting fact from this section of the book:- Russian composer Rachmaninov was so upset after a concert of his first symphony went horribly wrong that he could not compose anything for three years afterwards. Hypnotism helped him overcome this experience and he went on to compose many great works.

Modern Music 1900 Onwards

This is the longest part of the book at 120 pages. The twentieth century saw much crossing over between musical styles. Jazz, folk and musical theatre all influenced (and were influenced by) classical composers. Technology allowed more innovation. For example, Stockhausen wrote a piece intended to be performed airborne in 4 helicopters! I cannot imagine how that would work. In this section of the book we also meet Philip Glass, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten and many more. To me modern classical music often seems a mystery. Sometimes discordant and tuneless; sometimes a throwback to a more traditional style. This section of the book was particularly helpful as it explained the developments and trends in modern music in a very clear and logical way.

Following this section of the book there is a glossary and index.

In My Opinion...

I have to give this book five stars out of five because I am finding it invaluable. It does exactly what I needed it to do, i.e it's a handy reference tool when I want to find any information about classical composers. Also this book is sufficiently readable to sit down with it and spend a few evenings gaining a better understanding of the history of classical music. I cannot find any negative points about this book. It would perhaps be too basic for someone who is already well versed in classical music, but then it is not written for music scholars. I would highly recommend it to anyone with a broad general interest in classical music. It would also make a lovely gift as the layout and presentation are so well done.

I have just checked on Amazon and the book is currently priced at £10.99 on there. I paid the full cover price of £16.99 in Waterstones, which may seem expensive for what is really a glossy paperback. However as soon as I saw it I knew it was what I was looking for so I did not want to put off buying it. I am sure I'll be using it for years to come and it isn't the kind of information that will go out of date. This book is such a pleasure to read that I think it's worth every penny I spent, and there aren't too many books I can say that about! 

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