This guide aims to unlock the world of Richard Wagner and his works, his monumental achievements, and, ultimately, the great emotional power inherent in his art. Decoding Wagner presents a straightforward, fresh overview of what Wagner attempted to achieve with his “artwork of the future.” Two accompanying full-length CDs illustrate and trace his growth as a composer.

Since Gustav Mahler was rediscovered in the early 1960s, his symphonies have become arguably the most popular works in the modern orchestral repertoire. Mahler's An Owner's Manual is the first discussion of the ten completed symphonies (No. 1-9 plus “The Song of the Earth”) to offer music lovers and record collectors a comprehensive overview of the music itself, what it sounds like, how it is organized, its form, content, and meaning, as it strikes today's listeners. The book caters to the novice as David Hurwitz describes what the listener will hear, section by section, using simple cues such as important instrumental solos, recognizable tunes, climaxes, and other easily audible musical facts. He explains how each work is arranged, how the various parts relate to each other, and how one work leads to the next. It describes the emotional extravagance that lies at the root of Mahler's popularity, the consistency of his symphonic thinking, the relationship of each work to its companions, and his dazzling and revolutionary use of orchestral instruments to create an expressive musical language that is varied in content and immediate in impact. The accompanying CD contains recordings from Symphony No. 1, Third Movement; Symphony No. 2, First Movement; Symphony No. 5, Third Movement ; and Symphony No. 7, Second Movement : “Nachtmusik I.”

This new book/CD set examines Mozart's work and his lasting impact with a guided tour of seven pieces. Includes explanations of the various ensembles, historical information on each work's composition, and an analysis about what makes each piece truly noteworthy.

Unlocking the MastersMozart was the first composer whose operas have never left the international repertoire, and for many he remains one of the finest vocal composers who ever lived. In a sense, all of his music is vocal music, depending as it does on arresting, singable melodies, but in his great operas, single arias and sacred works, Mozart put his melodic gift to work, revealing the subtleties and expressive potential of a wide range of texts in languages ranging from Italian to Latin to German. In every case, he created masterpieces, from operas such as The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute to the sacred choral motet Ave Verum Corpus and, of course, the unfinished Requiem, his final project.This second Getting the Most Out of Mozart volume in our Unlocking the Masters series focuses on Mozart's great operas and other vocal works, but also discusses numerous lesser-known compositions, from operas he wrote as a child to "insertion arias" for favorite singers or operas by other composers. In each case, David Hurwitz describes how the musical setting and choice of instruments supports the text. He takes readers through the seven major operas aria by aria, showing how Mozart uses vocal style and orchestration to create believable and moving characters that remain the standard for characterization in music to which all composers and dramatists aspire. "

A New York freelance percussionist/Classical Internet awards founder identifies themes of some 90 works of Dvor k (1841- 1904), going beyond the familiar. Hurwitz includes a timeline of Dvor k's compositions in the context of contemporaneous musical landmarks. Listening guides are grouped by themes both expected (e.g., Slavonic Works, American W

Unlocking the MastersNo composer has ever achieved the amazing progression that Haydn has. He invented the string quartet as we know it today, became "the Father of the Symphony," and founded the greatest school in the history of music. His life was one of ceaseless experimentation and invention, of problems surmounted and challenges met. "

From Mozart to Debussy to Olivier Messiaen, the works of 50 composers are closely examined in The Great Instrumental Works . It is a book for anyone who enjoys the lively arts of opera, drama, film, literature, and popular song and who wants to find out what is really going on in the symphonies of Mozart, the string quartets of Beethoven, the orchestral works of Debussy and Ravel, and the contemporary pieces of Olivier Messiaen and Arvo Pärt. The author, Father Owen Lee, is an internationally known commentator on music and the arts, and writes with a style that has been called “rich, dense, and profound” (Citizen's Weekly), “highly readable” (Choice), and “often irreverently amusing” (Opera News). With Father Lee as a guide, the intricacies of classical forms and key relationships are rendered not only intelligible but meaningful, the music itself becomes life-enhancing, and its great composers come vividly to life.

Unlocking the MastersClaudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was the first great opera composer and is often hailed as the creator of modern music. His genius was often likened to that of Mozart, Wagner, and Verdi, but in many of the world's opera houses his operas often receive an almost chilly respect, far removed from the nearly universal love aroused by those later masters. This book, the first layperson's guide to Monteverdi, seeks to stimulate appreciation for his operas by examining them not as musicological relics but as the vital theatrical experiences they are. Ringer places Monteverdi's operatic works within the musical and theatrical framework of his era, offering a brief sketch of the composer's early years and detailing the complex forces that led to the emergence of opera in late sixteenth-century Florence. Opera's First Master enables opera lovers to see and hear Monteverdi's masterpieces anew, while opening new channels of inquiry into how Monteverdean opera "works" in the theater.

The fall of the Soviet empire has not diminished the popularity of Dmitri Shostakovich's great symphonies and concertos one bit, despite the fact that most literature on him neglects any substantive discussion of the music itself in favor of biographical speculation on the relationship between the composer and the political climate of the day. This is the first book to provide a detailed, descriptive analysis of the 21 symphonies and concertos, work by work, explaining not just why they are significant documents of their time and place, but why they are great music in general. This offers readers an understanding of why Shostakovich's music enjoys the enduring support of performers and listeners alike, and how it fits into the great tradition of Western classical music generally.

(Unlocking the Masters). Composer and author Daniel Felsenfeld takes the reader on a tour of some of the "Little Russian's" most beloved works, including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, 1812 Overture, Romeo and Juliet, Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6, the Serenade for Strings, and his Violin Concerto. The book is a series of blow-by-blow listening sections matched to the music on two accompanying CDs, guiding the reader through these magical compositions, illuminating their edges and fine points.

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Unlocking the MastersJean Sibelius was not only Finland's greatest composer, he was one of the most distinctive and appealing musical voices in the first half of the 20th century, especially renowned for his characterful handling of the romantic symphony orchestra. His example has led directly to an unprecedented cultural flowering in his homeland, making this small country of 5 million people a powerhouse in the world of classical music composition and performance. Sibelius The Orchestral Works An Owner's Manual considers over 80 individual orchestral pieces, from songs and choruses to symphonies, tone poems, overtures, and theatrical music. Along the way, readers are invited to identify and enjoy the fascinating mix of elements that make up Sibelius' colorful personal idiom. Two CDs accompanying the text offer not only a rich selection of music by Sibelius, including two complete symphonies and two of his most popular tone poems, but also a representative selection of the best Finnish music by his contemporaries and successors. This approach offers a unique opportunity: to hear Sibelius in context and gain an understanding of exactly what distinguishes him from his contemporaries, how he influenced later generations, and how it was that he came to be viewed as the musical spokesperson of an entire nation.

Debussy's music, some of the greatest composed in the twentieth century, also ranks among the century's most challenging. His influence on other composers was enormous: Bart k, Stravinsky, Webern, Boulez, and Messaien all freely acknowledged their debt to their groundbreaking predecessor. Author Victor Lederer explores the extraordinary sophistication and refinement of Debussy's music, pointing out subtleties that otherwise could take years of careful listening to fully appreciate. He shows how the composer developed his own unmistakable sound from a variety of musical inspirations, including folk, medieval, the musical languages of Spain and Java, as well as the seventeenth-century French clavecinistes and his musical ancestor and idol, Chopin. Lederer also illustrates how Debussy's exquisite music, with its shimmering tonalities and bold harmonies, parallels the impressionist movement in painting. An accompanying full-length CD includes selections from the maestro's masterworks.

The latest release in this value rich book/CD series brings us the great German composer who bridged the classical and romantic eras. In Beethoven's Symphonies - A Guided Tour, readers are treated to a detailed nuts-and-bolts description in easy-to-understand English of each of the famous nine Beethoven symphonies. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to read, listen, and learn more about Beethoven (1770-1827), and discover how this musical genius changed the face of orchestral music forever.

(Unlocking the Masters). In this survey of Brahm's music, John Bell Young explores in depth the composer's private world of musical intimacies that infuriated Wagner, but inspired Schumann, Schoenberg, and millions of music lovers for generations to come. He also addresses a controversial issue long-neglected by biographers and Did Brahms sire an illegitimate child, and in the absence of concrete evidence, did he leave behind clues in his allusion-rich music? Accompanying the book is a CD featuring rare performances of Wilhelm Furtwangler, alongside brand new recordings of three extraordinary pianists.

In this comprehensive exploration of Puccini's most beloved operas, on the 150th anniversary of his birth, John Bell Young celebrates some of the most moving music ever composed. In clear-cut, concise, but also entertaining prose, the author conveys the poignant stories that inspired these great works, elaborating their musical as well as dramatic content. An ideal companion for experienced opera devotees as well as those who are discovering opera for the first time.

Ringer sheds new perspectives on Schubert's songs, focusing on their incomparable dramatic power, which often exceeds that of many a full-fledged opera. But Schubert's “stage” was not to be the public theaters of the repressive Metternich regime in Vienna, but the far less censorable “theater of the mind.” Schubert's theater of song would spring to life in intimate social gatherings of like-minded friends, wherever a singer and a fortepiano were available. They rightfully belong to every music lover. This is the first introductory guide for the general reader to appear in many years.

Unlocking the MastersComposer, bon vivant, pianist, teacher, superstar showman, raconteur, writer, entrepreneur, ladies' man, philanthropist, and priest, Franz Liszt is widely viewed today not only as a great composer, but also as the greatest pianist of the 19th century. Yet his enormous body of piano music, by turns poetic, glittering, acrobatic, prophetic, profound, and haunting, failed to command the acclaim it deserved in his lifetime. In Liszt, John Bell Young takes a close look at this opulent music, illuminating its many facets and challenges from a pianist's engaged perspective. An accompanying CD contains five works played by Claudio Arrau: 1\. Sonata in B Minor 2\. "Dante" Sonata 3\. Jeux d'Eau a la Ville d'Este 4\. Ballade No. 2 5\. Transcendental Etude No. 10

John Bell Young explores some of the richest and most memorable instrumental music ever written. How did this prolific musician compose more than a thousand masterpieces in a career that spanned less than two decades? Young's colorful analysis of a Schubert's greatest orchestral, piano and chamber works deftly illuminates these issues. The accompanying CD features superb performances by Claudio Arrau.

Along with Beethoven's sonatas and the purely idiomatic works for piano of Chopin and Debussy, the solo keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach represents the heart of the pianist's repertory; in the more specialized field of music for the organ, Bach's primacy seems beyond challenge. This listener's guide to Bach's music for the keyboard provides the interested amateur with a close but non-technical look at these two crucial parts of the master's oeuvre. The composer's tendency to work exhaustively in tightly structured formats – such as the 48 preludes and fugues of The Well-Tempered Clavier – provides a natural framework for this study; but the power, beauty, high polish, and occasionally the sheer strangeness of Bach's imagination are carefully examined as well.

Leonard Bernstein's fame as a conductor and general cultural phenomenon has overshadowed his genius as a composer, despite the fact that at least some of his orchestral music has entered the standard repertoire and achieved a well-deserved measure of popularity. In fact, his achievement in the field of “serious” music is both larger and more significant than is usually acknowledged. It includes three symphonies, several noteworthy pieces for soloists and orchestra, ballets that are often performed in concert, suites from his various stage works, music for voices and orchestra, and a substantial numbers of overtures and shorter pieces. In all of this music, Bernstein's level of craftsmanship and inspiration remains consistently high. Even more remarkably, and despite his lifelong involvement as a conductor in presenting the works of other composers, his distinctive personality and style animate every bar. The direct emotional appeal of Bernstein's original work has always spoken most directly to music-loving audiences (as opposed to critics or academics), and so this book, in tandem with the accompanying CD, describes all of his significant concert music in a detailed but approachable way for listeners who want to explore his richly varied and colorful orchestral output – both the familiar and the unfamiliar – in greater depth.

Beethoven's works for solo piano – the sonatas, variations, and bagatelles – and the five concertos for piano and orchestra stand at the heart of the repertory. Beethoven's Piano Music: A Listener's Guide, by Victor Lederer, will help the motivated reader understand this popular but often knotty music. The bulk of the text consists of a movement-by-movement analysis of the 32 sonatas, fascinating for their individuality and for the way they trace the master's development. In addition to the sonatas, Lederer also takes the reader through the most significant of the variations. The greatest is the Diabelli, Beethoven's monumental takeoff on a trivial theme, but three more sets, the 32 Variations in C minor, the Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 34, and the “Eroica” Variations, Op. 35, are also of the highest quality. And the Bagatelles, Opp. 33, 119, and 126, are short but strong studies that display different aspects of Beethoven's musical personality. Finally, Lederer discusses the five piano concertos in detail, showing the influence of the sublime models of Mozart in the first three concertos, with Beethoven boldly finding his own voice with the beloved Fourth and Fifth Concertos. The book comes with a Naxos CD containing performances by pianist Jenö Jandó that illustrate the text.

Ludwig van Beethoven's chamber works are some of his most revered compositions. Victor Lederer guides the serious nonprofessional listener through this oeuvre in his new book Beethoven's Chamber A Listener's Guide . Lederer shows how Beethoven's sonatas for violin and piano overflow with high energy and spirits, showing a creative force that transcended personal struggles. The “Kreutzer” sonata, Op. 47, displays all the power of the master's middle period, while the G Major sonata, Op. 96, foreshadows Beethoven's mellower late works. The author also considers the sonatas for cello and piano, which span Beethoven's early, middle, and late periods, and examines the piano trios, including the immense “Archduke” trio. A highlight of the book is an exploration of the sixteen string quartets, which represent the pinnacle of Beethoven's achievement in chamber music. Lederer explains how the middle-period quartets, starting with the epic “Razumovsky” set, shatter molds and create new procedures, often on a stunning scale, and why the five late quartets and the Great Fugue are considered the peaks of the quartet literature and of Beethoven's own output. Lederer helps both new and experienced listeners grasp the strangeness and grandeur of these astonishing creations. The book comes with a compact disc containing musical selections drawn from critically acclaimed performances on Naxos Records.

Giuseppe Verdi's career forms one of the loveliest arcs in musical history. The passion of his works resonates universally, while the sophistication of his middle and late operas satisfies demanding ears and tastes. In The Operas and Choral Works, Victor Lederer surveys every one of the master's 28 operas and his greatest choral pieces, showing Verdi's growth as a musical dramatist – he would revolutionize the hidebound conventions of 19th-century Italian opera – and his single-minded pursuit of dramatic truth. After describing the chaotic milieu in which Verdi learned his craft, the book provides act-by-act analyses of the early masterpieces Nabucco, Ernani, and Macbeth . The neglected operas from the composer's self-described “years in the galleys” are covered together. Lederer then takes readers through the magnificent sequence of Verdi operas from Luisa Miller onward, including the fine but underrated Stiffelio . Each of the late operas – Don Carlo, Aida, and Otello and Falstaff, the twin Shakespearean masterworks that crown Verdi's oeuvre – is discussed at length in its own chapter. Lederer also examines Verdi's monumental Requiem along with the choral Quattro pezzi sacri, Verdi's sublime final achievement. The book comes with a Naxos CD of musical selections representing highlights from throughout Verdi's long, remarkable career.