Language of the spirit : an introduction to classical music /
Jan Swafford.
- xiii, 321 pages ; 22 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 304-305) and index.
Music from the beginning. Through the Middle Ages (up to 1400) ; The Renaissance (ca. 1400-1600) -- Baroque. The Baroque period (ca. 1600-1750) ; Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) ; Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) ; George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) ; Further Baroque listening -- Classical. The Classical period (ca. 1750-1830) ; Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) ; Wolfgang AmadaÌe Mozart (1756-1791) ; Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) -- Romantic. The Romantic period (ca. 1830-1900) ; Franz Schubert (1797-1828) ; Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) ; Robert Schumann (1810-1856) ; FraÌedaÌeric Chopin (1810-1849) ; Richard Wagner (1813-1883) ; Franz Liszt (1811-1886) ; Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) ; Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) ; AntonaÌin DvoeÌraÌak (1841-1904) ; Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) ; Further Romantic listening -- Modernism and beyond. The 20th and 21st centuries (ca. 1900-present) ; Claude Debussy (1862-1918) ; Richard Strauss (1864-1949) ; Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) ; Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) ; Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) ; Charles Ives (1874-1954) ; BaÌela BartaÌok (1881-1945) ; Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975) ; Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) ; Aaron Copland (1900-1990) ; GyeÌorgy Ligeti (1923-2006) ; Further Modernist listening.
For many of us, classical music is something serious-something we study in school, something played by cultivated musicians at fancy gatherings. In Language of the Spirit, renowned music scholar Jan Swafford argues that we have it all wrong: classical music has something for everyone and is accessible to all. Ranging from Gregorian chant to Handel's Messiah, from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons to the postmodern work of Philip Glass, Swafford is an affable and expert guide to the genre. He traces the history of Western music, introduces readers to the most important composers and compositions, and explains the underlying structure and logic of their music. Language of the Spirit is essential reading for anyone who has ever wished to know more about this sublime art.