soothing

When I have trouble going to sleep, I turn on my computer and hook up my good speakers, and listen to this history. It is like a review of western civ. with music in the background. Instead of lying awake, I learn something, and I fall asleep. If you are feeling frustrated with the everyday grind, the beautiful music and the celebration of human achievement will give you a peace of mind.

32 people found this helpful

highly recommend

This excellent value is a great journey from the origins of classical music through the present day. There are tons of great musical illustrations, and each period and sub-genre of classical music is treated in a balanced, excellent manner. This work is great for those wanting to learn about great music, and for those whose rooms are filled with records and CD's (like mine!). I recommend this in opposition to 'The History of Opera' by the same author. 5 stars!

24 people found this helpful

Excellent

Among my top three Audiobooks, "History" is a concise-yet-complete overview of the development and evolution of classical music. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, an authority on classical music...and this book was a wonderful overview. There is enough music to gain an appreciation for the school while also illustrating the transition from one era to the next.

I have listened to this at least five times and can imagine listening another five. I highly recommend the book to anyone with even a passing interest in classical music.

22 people found this helpful

Needs more music, less talk

I don't doubt that there is much good information here. But, for a non-musician, a person interested in better understanding the music, I found the music snippets way too short and the monologue way too long.
Before I listened to "The History of Classical Music", I listened to "The Story of Classical Music". The latter was much more interesting and attuned to my level of knowledge, though it was written for children. I was hoping "The History" would be the next step in my education. But, alas, it was not for me.

9 people found this helpful

a fine intro to music history

This audio-book was perfect as a general review or an intro to further studies in Music History. Some strange selections of "important musicians" and some odd selections of music but overall fairly interesting. Reads a little like liner- notes, and is somewhat textbook-ish in tone.

8 people found this helpful

beautiful music

This is probably best suited for musicians and those more familiar with musical terminology. Nonetheless I learned some things that I didn't know before, and the music was beautiful.

6 people found this helpful

Excellent, too short though, history of music.

What did you love best about The History of Classical Music?

The narrator has a wonderful british accent and is so smooth and easy to listen to. History of music makes you want to go into more detail. 5 hours is just not enough. Wish it were longer.

3 people found this helpful

Informative and enjoyable

Very enjoyable, and still informative without being superficial. Short enough to be entertaining, yet mentioning most, if not all the different streams of classical music worth knowing. Recommended.

3 people found this helpful

Inaccuracy found

They play a recording of the rather famous second aria from the second act of the magic flute (Der Hölle Rache) and proceed to state that it is from the first act and is her first aria. This makes me very concerned about the accuracy of the rest of the book. It is not an obscure piece, it is one of the most famous aria's in the canon.

2 people found this helpful

A good introduction

I listen to it for the fun, and ended with a greater desire to deepen my knowledge about the genius of classical music. The book is a good introduction, and traces a timeline in history with a brief sample of music when he talks about each musician.

2 people found this helpful