Guide to Chamber Music

Rating:
Summary: Best available
Review: As far as we know, this is the best available book of commentary on standard repertoire of chamber music. It is also terrific - gives a little relevant biographical information on composers as well as notes on the works. Useful to look at before hearing a performance of a work, and great material (when combined with other sources) for writing program notes.

Rating:
Summary: A must have for all lovers of chamber music
Review: This book covers quite a vast output and describes each work movement by movement. A very useful reference.

Rating:
Summary: Best available
Review: Two plus points here: Berger possesses keen musical insight into the works he discusses, and writes with clarity and enthusiasm without either oversimplifying or condescending to the technically challenged. The other great thing about this book is that it's the only thing of it's kind that I'm aware of that's currently in print.

On the downside, contrary to the publisher's review above, GUIDE TO CHAMBER MUSIC is most emphatically NOT comprehensive. First of all, no chamber music that employs less than three instruments is included. That's right: No Beethoven Violin Sonatas and no Prokofiev Sonatas and no Martinu Cello Sonatas (not to mention the fact there's no Martinu). Worse, there's a staggering abundance of wonderful music that does employ three instruments or more that is simply left out.

For example, look up any composer in the book -- for the sake of argument, let's say Faure. The only listing given on Faure is for his C Minor Piano Quartet. In other words, aside from the annoying exlusion of Faure's wonderful Violin and Cello Sonatas (which, of course, violate the restriction against two instruments), there's no mention of either Faure's other piano quartet, his two piano quintets, his piano trio or his ethereal and otherworldly string quartet. And that's just for Faure.

I'm sure this book has its reasons for excluding many delightful and important works in the classical canon. But whatever those reasons are, they make for an emphatically uncomprehensive -- and thus unsatisfactory -- overview of the chamber repertory. Still, all things considered, I'm glad to have it for what it DOES include.

Rating:
Summary: Adequate, For Now
Review: Two plus points here: Berger possesses keen musical insight into the works he discusses, and writes with clarity and enthusiasm without either oversimplifying or condescending to the technically challenged. The other great thing about this book is that it's the only thing of it's kind that I'm aware of that's currently in print.

On the downside, contrary to the publisher's review above, GUIDE TO CHAMBER MUSIC is most emphatically NOT comprehensive. First of all, no chamber music that employs less than three instruments is included. That's right: No Beethoven Violin Sonatas and no Prokofiev Sonatas and no Martinu Cello Sonatas (not to mention the fact there's no Martinu). Worse, there's a staggering abundance of wonderful music that does employ three instruments or more that is simply left out.

For example, look up any composer in the book -- for the sake of argument, let's say Faure. The only listing given on Faure is for his C Minor Piano Quartet. In other words, aside from the annoying exlusion of Faure's wonderful Violin and Cello Sonatas (which, of course, violate the restriction against two instruments), there's no mention of either Faure's other piano quartet, his two piano quintets, his piano trio or his ethereal and otherworldly string quartet. And that's just for Faure.

I'm sure this book has its reasons for excluding many delightful and important works in the classical canon. But whatever those reasons are, they make for an emphatically uncomprehensive -- and thus unsatisfactory -- overview of the chamber repertory. Still, all things considered, I'm glad to have it for what it DOES include.