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From Metal to Mozart: The Rock and Roll Guide to Classical Music
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 16, 2016
A clever, fun read, From Metal to Mozart is a fantastic intro to classical music for almost anyone. Heller focuses and writes for a very rock-and-roll-literate audience and many of his references and jokes refer to decently obscure rock bands. Putting obscurities aside, there is some fantastic, but extremely high-level (broad strokes type language), info that is helpful in beginning to navigate the classical music world. The second half of the book is broken into three "plans" which vary from a week by week listening guide (Plan Mozart) to a "Greatest Hits" list to go through at your leisure (Plan Chopin). If you are already inculcated into the classical world this book is ridiculously simple and plain, but I appreciate anyone who is trying to share the copious joy and pleasure that lies within the deep well of classical music. Again - best suited for someone who is decently knowledgeable about rock and knows next to nothing about classical music.
March 21, 2014
This is an unusual review, as I'm planning to be reading this book for quite some time. It is, as the subtitle states, "the rock and roll guide to classical music" -- an introduction for rock fans who want to learn more about classical music, but don't know where to start.
The book was first published in 1994 and it was born out of the kind of project that, in the twenty-first century, would undoubtedly have started life as a year-long blog. In the early 90s, Craig Heller became bored with rock music and decided to immerse himself in classical music for a year to see what it was all about. And he loved it.
It's not a personal account though: rather than trying to convert readers to his point of view, Heller assumes that the reader already has a degree of interest in classical music, and dives right into the meaty, informative stuff. The book is split into two parts: the first is an introduction to classical music that uses rock and roll reference points to introduce concepts, composers, and classic pieces. The second part comprises three separate plans for readers who want a systemic introduction to classical music: a year-long listening program with different pieces assigned each week; a list that matches up top rock acts with classical composers and pieces that reflect similar styles ("If you like X, you may also like..."); and a short list of highly accessible and significant pieces of classical music.
I'm having a crack at the year-long program (I'm six weeks in at the moment), and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it. Heller includes context, notes, and a list of musical elements to look out for with each title; the book is really informative and explains a lot of technical information without dumbing down the material. The section on building up a collection of classical music is from the pre-iTunes era, but if you don't feel like reading it purely for the nostalgia value, you can skip it without missing out on valuable info.
I'm not as hardcore as Heller, who stopped listening to all other kinds of music for his year-long project. But I will say that trying to listen carefully to classical music has not only opened up a whole new world of music to me, it's also made me appreciate the other music I listen to a whole lot more. It's going to be a good year. :)
The book was first published in 1994 and it was born out of the kind of project that, in the twenty-first century, would undoubtedly have started life as a year-long blog. In the early 90s, Craig Heller became bored with rock music and decided to immerse himself in classical music for a year to see what it was all about. And he loved it.
It's not a personal account though: rather than trying to convert readers to his point of view, Heller assumes that the reader already has a degree of interest in classical music, and dives right into the meaty, informative stuff. The book is split into two parts: the first is an introduction to classical music that uses rock and roll reference points to introduce concepts, composers, and classic pieces. The second part comprises three separate plans for readers who want a systemic introduction to classical music: a year-long listening program with different pieces assigned each week; a list that matches up top rock acts with classical composers and pieces that reflect similar styles ("If you like X, you may also like..."); and a short list of highly accessible and significant pieces of classical music.
I'm having a crack at the year-long program (I'm six weeks in at the moment), and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it. Heller includes context, notes, and a list of musical elements to look out for with each title; the book is really informative and explains a lot of technical information without dumbing down the material. The section on building up a collection of classical music is from the pre-iTunes era, but if you don't feel like reading it purely for the nostalgia value, you can skip it without missing out on valuable info.
I'm not as hardcore as Heller, who stopped listening to all other kinds of music for his year-long project. But I will say that trying to listen carefully to classical music has not only opened up a whole new world of music to me, it's also made me appreciate the other music I listen to a whole lot more. It's going to be a good year. :)
February 8, 2014
I like some classical music so maybe this wasn't exactly the book for me, but I still found it interesting and worthy of my time. I will copy some of the song lists, etc and make a point of finding those he mentions. Some of them I already know, but I've learned a little more about them and the people who created them, so maybe that will give it a new level of appreciation.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews