Language of the Spirit: An Introduction to Classical Music

Covers history of music, succinctly, and tastefully.

This book is a summary of all of the beautiful music that makes up Classical today. The author starts with prior to Baroque and continues into the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern periods of Classical music. During each period, he briefly (approximately 5 pages each) reviews each major composer including what he suggests to be their best music. During this review, he covers Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Chopin, Wagner, Brahms, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Strauss, Debussey, and many others. He recommends that the reader listen to some of the pieces of music provided in the book. Many of them I have heard as a governing member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but some I have not (especially the chamber music stuff). Some of the music I have on CD, so I took this opportunity to listen to them again. In most instances, his states are close to mine (I can't say he was right, because taste is personal). However, some music by modern composers were not enjoyable when I first heard them (and I don't intend on listening to them again unless the CSO plays them) - like Bartok's 2nd piano concerto, and Three Piano Pieces of Op 11, Both of these pieces of music give me a headache, but maybe you will like them.I think that if you have any interest in classical music or are just wondering if you might have an interest, you should try out this book. If you haven't followed classical music, this is a good primer for you. Read the book and listen to the pieces of music that he recommends. Since I am a Beethoven, Brahms and Dvorak lover, I would recommend starting with them. You can't go wrong there. If you already follow classical music, like me, I think that you will still find this to be interesting.

This is a wonderful book about classical music! It is better than wonderful. Disclosure: Jan Swafford is a friend of mine from the early 1970s. Back when he was teaching high school music, he developed a reputation for being a great writer. Not just good, but great. His career became teaching music at the college level (Harvard undergrad, Yale PhD), composing music, and writing. He has written biographies of Charles Ives, Brahms, and Beethoven, all well received, as well as a guide to classical music. But first and foremost he has taught music for nearly 40 years. This book is a highly readable, brief history of classical music. It gives short and fascinating biographies of the major composers from each each era, and a listening guide to selected pieces from each composer. Even while not listening to the music, those guides are good reading. I suspect even serious, well-read music aficionados will enjoy this fast read. For those of us who like to casually listen to the classics, but know little about the music or composers, it is a real treat. This book would be a great way to begin a study of the classics at home, which is what I plan to do. Jan's enthusiasm is contagious. Highly recommended.

Language of the Spirit is a short and breezy survey of the Western musical tradition from earliest times to the present. The author is noted music teacher, author and guide to all things classical the inimitable Jan Swafford. I previously enjoyed his long and insightful works on Brahms and Beethoven as well as his Vintage Guide to Classical Music. The book gives thumbnail biographies of composers from Bach to today. Each major period of music is surveyed from Baroque to Classical, Romantic to atonality in the twentieth century. Short but vivid sketches are given of composers in each era, a reason for their importance and a brief commentary on some of their major works. Such composers include Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Wagner, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Ives, Ravel, Debussy, Richard Strauss, Mahler, Stravinsky and many others.. Operatic composers with the exception of Richard Wagner are given short shrift; the emphasis is on instrumental and orchestral music through the ages. A good work for people getting interested in the many faced world of classical music. A fun journey with an expert teacher as our guide. Recommended for music lovers of any age and level of musical knowledge.

This book will go down as one of the three most important books in my library! Mr. Swafford masterfully gives a brief yet concise history of the origins and development of classical music in addition to colorfully written glimpses of the most influential composers of the different periods. I did not think that I could love or appreciate classical music any more than I already did, but I frequently found myself in awe and wonderment. Mr. Swafford manages to provoke these feelings with a level of knowledge, wit, and humors that keeps the reader raptly engaged and eargerly turning the pages. Whether one wants a solid introduction to the classics or simply a refresher, this is THE book to read. I cannot recommend it enough and will use it in the future as a reference tool in my writing. Mr. Swafford will take you on a grand journey, and you will NOT be disappointed!

Interesting book but more for the classical muaic novice. The author's likes and dislikes stood out a bit too much for my taste and so some very powerful composers as well as some excellant American composers (Gershwin anyone?) were left out. It appeared that he has an antipathy towards composers of "nationalistic" music--Smetana? Sibelius? If the book brings more people to the appreciation of classical music, and I think it might, good. It IS very well written.

Well written but primary for non- musicians. However, it introduced me to Ligeti so was well worth the purchase.

Good as an introduction generally, being a music lover and coming from Europe, we have already a deeper understanding of that kind of music, but I'll pass it on to someone who might enjoy expanding their knowledge!

Swafford ist Musiker und das merkt man auch, eine gewisse Grundkenntnis über die Musik sollte man schon mitbringen, sonst ist der Genuss nicht komplett. Sein Schreibstil ist eine herrliche Mischung aus Fakten in der Musik verbunden mit dem gesamt geschichtlichen Zusammenhang in dem die jeweilige Musik entstanden ist und das macht es so spannend!

Beautifully written, very informative. If you are a fan of classical music, as I am, this is a must-read book.

Excellent introduction to classical music. A delight!

A must have book if you love music history

As a primer to classical music, this book works wonders. It covers in an overarching yet concise manner the history and development of western classical music. Two things that I particularly enjoyed were the suggested listening pieces, and the author’s explicit opinions on his likes and dislikes. The first, as it makes the book a very useful pedagogical tool, particularly in the era of instant accessibility to music through the internet; and the second, because it acknowledges that objectivity can only go so far when writing about art and artists. If you are a classical music connoisseur you probably won’t learn anything you didn’t already know, but surely this book can be enjoyed by all regardless of their familiarity with the subject.