|
Getting the Most Out of Mozart: The Instrumental Works - Unlocking the Masters Series, No. 3 |  | Author: David Hurwitz
Creator: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Publisher: Amadeus Press
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $13.00
as of 9/10/2010 16:06 CDT details
You Save: $9.95 (43%)
New (11) Used (10) Collectible (1) from $9.96
Seller: zamataz
Rating:  6 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 187
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.9 x 0.6
ISBN: 1574670964
Dewey Decimal Number: 784.092
EAN: 9781574670967
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In this book, the first of two, David Hurwitz takes the reader/listener through Mozarts chamber and orchestral music. Fifty years ago the only Mozart that anyone cared about consisted of several symphonies, a dozen or so concertos for various instruments (mostly piano), five operas, two or three sacred works, and a small handful of chamber pieces in the quartet and quintet genres. Even these may be thought of as approaching the outer limits of enthusiasm. Today, with at least two complete recorded editions and innumerable boxed sets containing all of the sacred works, symphonies, concertos, chamber works, and even operas, there are more than 600 magnificently played and beautifully presented works. Somewhere between the traditional "cream of the crop" approach and the current mania for "its all wonderful" complete editions, lies a body of work unique in style, expressive range, emotional depth, formal perfection, and sheer beauty. This music doesnt sound like anyone elsesonly Mozart could have written it. What makes it so special and how to enjoy it are explored in this book. Volume two of this series will cover the composers great vocal works.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
A really excellent guide to Mozart February 24, 2005
Alan Lekan (Boulder, CO)
36 out of 37 found this review helpful
Unlocking the vast rewards of classical music takes more than just casual listening - it requires learning some of the basic aspects of music (rhythm, structure, harmony, etc) and a little of the historical context of the composers and his/her predecessors. Mozart is an excellent place to start into classical music for many reasons - one being his highly-melodic music is considered easily "accessible" to the average listener who can appreciate and enjoy it without any musical know-how.
In this fresh and much-needed new series, vetern music-writer David Hurwitz gives us an enticing roadmap to understanding the music of Mozart in a way that most anyone can deepen their music appreciation and enhance their listening experience. The text is friendly, well writen, without complex jargon and analyzes Mozart's music in simple but enough detail to reveal just exactly "what makes Mozart's music sound like Mozart."
Mr. Hurwitz takes the classical enthusiast through the some fifty major works of Mozart's instrumental music, focusing each chapter on one category (chamber music, symphony, concerto, church music). The vocal works (opera, concert arias, masses) are in a separate volume with the green cover. Within each major work, Hurwitz describes the most common musical "structures" Mozart used - such as the all-important sonata form, theme-and-variations, rondos, and the minuet. His "analysis" of Mozart's well-loved piano concertos is quite interesting and helpful, breaking them down into 10 'groups' to help get your hands around the differences in composition and effect of each. The accompanying CD of several movements helps bring to life Hurwitz's commentary of several featured works that are discussed in more depth.
I also appreciated his defense of "delightful music" such as Mozart's from the critical voices that sometimes devalues such music as merely "cute" - while giving elevated status to the later, more troubling-sounding music of the Romantic or Modern eras ... or as he jokingly terms it: "the suffering, Romantic, artist-hero expressing personal misery in their creations." Great music is not only about dramatic tension, disturbing dissonances and individual emotional expression but also about pleasant, happy tones that anyone can enjoy.
Hurwitz' book is one of the "fun to read" intros to Mozart and classical music appreciation and is highly recommended. It should appeal to both the newcomer as well as those with more experience in classical music as it also has great depth and detail. If your interest is to follow in more detail the actual musical scores for several popular works, a similar but slightly more musically-involved book is by Robert Harris' ("What To Listen For In Mozart"). Harris' books are also easy and interesting to read for the non-music major types.
Opens the treasure box of Mozart July 17, 2009
C. Huygen (New York, New York)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm a pretty intelligent person, but Mozart's music has always made me feel stupid. It's obviously finely crafted and beautiful, but I've always felt I was missing out on a lot of what's there, and that was frustrating to me - for years. David Hurwitz' book gave me just the right amount of information to unlock this box of treasures.
One of my favorite things about Hurwitz' writing and teaching style is that he reassures you that you don't need to "catch" everything. Page 53: "[i]t's usually more important to get a feel for the contrast between periods of "motion" and "rest" than it is to be able to say for certain exactly what tune belongs to what section of the movement." Page 123, after a very brief discussion of A Little Night Music: "That is truly all you need to know." What a relief! And quite true.
I've gone on to enjoy a lot of the pieces Hurwitz recommends, and now I'm enjoying Beethoven too (another vast body of work that always intimidated and irritated me before). I feel like I "get it" now - not all of it, but enough to enter into it and enjoy myself, and to learn and discover more as I listen. I went out and bought 3 more of Hurwitz' books, too. Enjoy!
Great for classical fans and a great intro for others. March 17, 2005
Fruit Loop (Down South)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
As another reviewer has already pointed it, this collection would make an EXCELLENT intro to the wonders of classical music, as well as a must-have for Mozart fans. Even if you already have these pieces, having it on one collection makes the drive to work a pleasure rather than a chore. Highly recommend.
Brilliant and deceptively simple - hold that - elegant March 8, 2006
R. Prada (New York City)
David Hurwitz is fantatically insightful. Himself a composer, he gets to the heart of Mozart. His discussion is the sort that enlightens newbies, and stimulates the professional by going back to basics.
I enjoyed every page of both the Mozart books, and the musical cds were full of well chosen examples.
Roberta Prada, contralto, author of "The Ear and the Voice" in English, with Francis Keeping andPierre Sollier, and translator of J Faure: "The Voice and Singing" with Francis Keeping. Principal of Vocalimages.com, and voxmentor.com
Insight from a Pro August 16, 2005
John Matlock (Winnemucca, NV)
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
This is the second volume of a two volume series explaining the genius in Motzart's work. This folume concentrates on the Instrumental Works. To listen to great music and to enjoy it is one thing. Yet the professional student of classical music sees/hears/understands so much more than the rest of us.
In this book David Hurwitz, the founder and executive editor of daily classical music magazine, takes readers through Mozart's seven major operas, one part at a time explaining what he sees in each area. This provides an insite that most of us, particularily those of us living in remote areas, can never see.
I never imagines that you could see so much in this music.
The book comes with a full length CD that includes eleven of Mozarts pieces.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
|
|
|
|
| |
|
