From Publishers Weekly
"No one book can include everything that's important to everybody," notes music critic Libbey in his introduction, and the flawed work that follows confirms this. Limited space and Libbey's emphasis on popular performers reduces the volume's historical comprehensiveness (Hilary Hahn appears but not Reynaldo Hahn). The book targets the general public, which may explain its superficiality but not some of the chances it misses. And it doesn't explain numerous factual errors: among them, Libbey erroneously states Mahler was ousted from the Vienna Hofoper, when he resigned; he also neglects to note that the main Allegro theme of Saint-Saëns's Third Symphony ("Organ") is based on a melody associated with Liszt, the work's dedicatee. The misguided pop-culture tone of the tome is exemplified by photos of F. Murray Abraham as Salieri and Tom Hulce as Mozart in Amadeus in their respective entries-despite the fact that portraits of the actual men are available. Despite its faults, this is a good book for those curious about terminology and names they encounter in broadcasts or CD booklets. Some entries are gathered into thematic sections, such as "exotic instruments," "American Mavericks" and "New Voices" (i.e. young composers), that will help direct a reader's exploration of the repertoire. Additionally, a companion website has free audio links to over 500 pieces mentioned in the book. Hundreds of b&w photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --Ce texte fait référence à l'édition Relié .
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --Ce texte fait référence à l'édition Relié .
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 8 Up–An outstanding classical music resource, worth every moment devoted to its 11-year creation. With 1500 entries on composers, performers, instruments, musical terms, compositions, and historical periods, this clearly written, witty overview accomplishes the author's stated intent: to connect with the broadest possible public, and to focus on those areas of the literature that are well represented on recordings and accessible to the general listener. The encyclopedia is a perfect general introduction for novices or casual listeners, as well as an informative review for more seasoned classical music fans. Almost every entry for a composer, performer, or composition includes a small text box of Recommended Recordings, most of which are reviewed in The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection (Workman, 1999). Many clear, captioned black-and-white photos, primarily portraits, are included. One unique and particularly useful feature is a series of links to more than 500 musical selections on a Web site created by Naxos, a large classical music label. Readers can access more than 75 hours of music using the log-in code to gain initial access and register as users. Every library will want this excellent book.–Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --Ce texte fait référence à l'édition Relié .
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --Ce texte fait référence à l'édition Relié .
