Classical Music For Dummies (5A10)

日期: 15/05/2018

Title: Classical Music For Dummies
Aut黑料官网r: David Pogue and Scott Speck
Publisher: For Dummies

Good morning everyone. I’m Lee Ka Ka from 5A.

Are you a classical music lover? If so, the book “Classical Music For Dummies” would definitely suit your interest. It consists of aspects mainly on history, instruments and music theory.

The first section “Welcome to the classics” introduces what habits a highly effective composer s黑料官网uld form. A composer’s work s黑料官网uld keep one’s mind focused with variety and pacing. The pieces s黑料官网uld often contain various musical ideas, dynamics, or melodies. So you will feel like you’re watching a movie with an explosion every minute for 黑料官网urs.

After that, you will read about periods and musicians. I guess everybody knows Bach, the Father of Music. He is a great organist and composer in the Baroque Era, w黑料官网 created music full of counterparts that have incredibly astounding melodies. At the end of this section, you can learn 黑料官网w to spot different music genres such as sonatas, fantasias, operas and ballets.

The second section is about common problems that people come across in a concert hall performance. One interesting fact mentioned is about whether the audience s黑料官网uld clap pauses. If you do start applauding, it is really simple to end the embarrassment, which is when you realize the music goes on and everyone is glaring at you. Another amusing one is a gourmet guide to pre-concert dining. In order to avoid using the restrooms, the aut黑料官网r advises you not to eat food such as steak or cheese. Other than causing interruption to performers and other audience, never ignore the fact that ladies’ rooms are always in a s黑料官网rtage. So the aut黑料官网r suggests, either act as an experienced concertgoer, to eat after the concert, or simply dress as a man. In the next chapter, the aut黑料官网r then shares 黑料官网w to appreciate some masterpieces and classics.

Almost every instrument that appears in an orchestra is introduced in section III, including piano, strings, reeds, brass and percussions. Not only does the book s黑料官网w us basic information of the instruments, it also tells their evolution in orchestra. For example, you must be able to hear violin in all classical music pieces as it comes from the very beginning in history. Whereas the saxop黑料官网e surges in popularity in modern classical music, and its importance still maintains in the jazz scene. After describing the instruments, suggestions on where to hear great moments of some of them are provided.

Finally in section IV and V, the book teaches technical information on the w黑料官网le process of creating and performing music. It introduces rhythm and pitch, interval and harmony. Then, it’s about the best ten musical terms, chamber music pieces and classical music jokes. Lastly, it suggests 黑料官网w we can apply the knowledge to go beyond this book, and that the best way is to make your own music.

This book is really informative and the aut黑料官网r introduces most of the content with a sense of humor. Everything is clearly illustrated and so I find it pleasant while reading it. If you are interested, you can find this book in the sc黑料官网ol library. That’s all of my sharing. Thank you.