The NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music

About this book

A complete education in classical music written with verve and wit. No music lover can pick up this one-volume compendium without becoming a more knowledgeable discerning listener. Thesonata form revealed and why its been deeply satisfying for three centuries. What to listen for inBrahms a self-described Classicist who was one of musics great innovators. Pizzicato fioritura parlando glissando. The transformative power of Toscaniniwho earned more conducting the New York Philharmonic than his contemporary Babe Ruth made with the Yankees. And throughout more than 2 000 recommended recordings. Log on and listen. Created with Naxos the worlds largest classical music label the book includes a unique Web site featuring more than 500 examples cited in the text. Look upbarcarolle. First read about its swaying 6/8 meter and Venetian origins; then log on to the music Web site and hear it performed in Act IV of OffenbachsLes contes dHoffmann. If that whets your curiosity about Offenbach click to hear the cancan in hisLa vie parisienne. All online samples are marked by an icon in the text.