The Vintage Guide to Classical Music
An Indispensable Guide for Understanding and Enjoying Classical Music

This is as fine an introduction to Wester classical music as I've come across, although the title is somewhat of a misnomer. The book is a guide to classical composers. The other side of the musical equation - performances - is not discussed. Jan Swafford gives his reasons for this omission and I'm......more

This is a fantastic book. Jan Swafford is not only intelligent but approachable. His vocabulary astounds me, and the there is nothing to say about how enriching the biographies and "side-bars" are. This book is fantastic for every level of music lover - from performer to listener to historian to vet......more

It sounds simple enough: write a series of short essays about all the classical composers that truly matter. The result though is actually a coherent and comprehensive tour through the language of the music, the composers themselves, and the evolution of the techniques and orchestration used over th......more

Esta es mi segunda lectura (o tercera, o cuarta, muchas veces leo compositores concretos una y otra vez) y solo quería dejar por escrito que este libro es maravilloso y que Jan Swafford es un verdadero genio con las palabras, consiguiendo que te intereses por un tema tan aparentemente inaccesible. H......more

My favourite introductory guide to classical music. I love Swafford's style - high-flown, personal, inspiring, sometimes touching, sometimes snarky. The little essays on technical subjects are clear but it's the historical overview that has been really helpful to me. I've got books on most of my fav......more