Rating: 
Summary: The Music's Essential Companion
Review: 'Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works' by Phil G. Goulding is a superb account of the masters who infused our creative culture with immeasurable richness. While we might question the rankings Goulding assigns each composer, because of personal preference, there would be an almost unanimous acceptance of the composers themselves.My favourite is Franz Schubert, and Goulding, in a deliciously revealing biography, finally solves the mystery surrounding the 3rd and 4th movements of Schubert's famous 'Unfinished' 8th Symphony. After months of research at the University of Vienna, Goulding discovered an unpublished letter dated April 6, 1822, from Schubert to his friend, the German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. After weeks of meticulous translating, Goulding was both astonished and gratified. He had the answer that had evaded scholars for years. The translated letter, on page 73, reads: 'Dear Wolfie Last night occurred a profound event. I was engaged upon the creation of my most ambitious work, my Eighth Symphony. I had taken no solid sustenance or beverage for 72 hours, and my eyes were heavy from fatigue. As I began the 3rd movement, utterly detached from prosaic cogency by some mystical, musical maelstrom, Heidi, my young housekeeper, suddenly burst into the room and said, "Herr Schubert, you must rest and take nourishment. Would you like to see my dumplings?" Ah, Wolfie, such dumplings I saw! Whereupon the maelstrom calmed, the muse misted and that was it. Kaput. I now wonder if I will ever get the wretched thing finished. In fact, I've even lost interest in finishing this let...' 'Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works' is an essential text for all who admire genius.
Rating: 
Summary: A GOOD START
Review: Gould's book is an enjoyable and informative primer for anyone wishing to expand a tentative interest in classical music. A large part of its charm is the author's admitted non-expertise on the subject; he does not forget that his reader is probably as daunted by it as he once was. The first section of the book is a discussion of musical forms and structures(helpful if you don't know a nocturne from an overture), followed by a brief but useful chronology of the classical music periods. Thereafter begins a profile of 50 composers in order of their greatness, as perceived by Gould. The text and sidebars are lively and humorous enough to be enjoyed even by those who care not one whit about classical music and includes a list of recommended works for those who might. I am not certain why some reviewers were offended that Gould ranked the composers instead of say, listing them alphabetically. Surely these reviewers have at least one private list ranking the greatest of some subject or other; I guess Gould's trespass was in making his list public. Also, one reviewer was displeased that virtually no 20th century composers were among Gould's 50 greatest. I believe this was because A) it can be argued that the music of some 20th century composers has deviated too far from classical models to be considered classical in the traditional sense. And B) this book was meant as a beginner's guide, and recommending Ives or Messiaen to a classical music novice would make as much sense as recommending Joyce's "Ulysses" to a classic literature novice.
Rating:
Summary: A GOOD START
Review: Gould's book is an enjoyable and informative primer for anyone wishing to expand a tentative interest in classical music. A large part of its charm is the author's admitted non-expertise on the subject; he does not forget that his reader is probably as daunted by it as he once was. The first section of the book is a discussion of musical forms and structures(helpful if you don't know a nocturne from an overture), followed by a brief but useful chronology of the classical music periods. Thereafter begins a profile of 50 composers in order of their greatness, as perceived by Gould. The text and sidebars are lively and humorous enough to be enjoyed even by those who care not one whit about classical music and includes a list of recommended works for those who might. I am not certain why some reviewers were offended that Gould ranked the composers instead of say, listing them alphabetically. Surely these reviewers have at least one private list ranking the greatest of some subject or other; I guess Gould's trespass was in making his list public. Also, one reviewer was displeased that virtually no 20th century composers were among Gould's 50 greatest. I believe this was because A) it can be argued that the music of some 20th century composers has deviated too far from classical models to be considered classical in the traditional sense. And B) this book was meant as a beginner's guide, and recommending Ives or Messiaen to a classical music novice would make as much sense as recommending Joyce's "Ulysses" to a classic literature novice.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for beginners, annoying for more educated
Review: I found this book to be a rather enjoyable read as I slowly began submerging myself into the world of music history. Now that I am in college and doing much more in depth research, I have found that not all of Mr. Goulding's book is 100% accurate, nor can I say I approve of rating composers the way he does. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Probably my biggest complaint is in his section on Bach, where he suggests (as many less informed people may) that the Baroque period ended with Bach's death, since everyone knew that this style could not be done any better. This is not true. People were writing in the "new style" (i.e. classical) even in Bach's lifetime, and very few people even knew of J.S. Bach until he was revived by Mendelssohn some 100 years later. Other small things bothered me, but as long as you aren't writing a dissertation, then you shouldn't run into any big problems reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: A must have
Review: I have had this book for a number of years and I still go back to it for very valuable suggestions on what CD to buy next. This book is a must-have for anyone who has the slightest interest in classical music, and for those who are serious enough to build their very own classical music library. We all know that classical music is an acquired taste. Nobody likes this stuff from birth (except perhaps Mozart or Mendelssohn) but Phil Goulding will surely convince you to plunge into this worderful world of "organized music".
Rating:
Summary: very helpful for beginners!
Review: I knew next to nothing about classical music, but wanted to add some to my music collection. Browsing through the classical section in stores got overwhelming in a hurry. This book helped me a great deal to narrow down what CDs to look for. It's easy to read and understand, includes bios of the 50 most popular/important composers and which of their works are the most well-known, popular, or historically important. Also some suggestions on CDs to buy for various works. You don't need to read the chapters on musical history or instruments, but they are interesting and informative. This same author has a similar book on opera, too. I'm not as interested in building a collection of opera, but I plan on buying the book just to read and educate myself a little more on opera. Highly recommended as an easy introduction to classical music, or if you're looking to build or expand your classical libary.
Rating:
Summary: Some good information, but there exists a certain silliness
Review: Mr. Goulding offers some very good suggestions for embarking on a better understanding of classical music. His recommendations for repertoire are solid and his anecdotes keep one engaged. I have no problem with rankings for the purpose of instilling in the neophyte a rough understanding of who has the largest stature in music, but Goulding's inclusion of some dubious names and his exclusion of some obvious choices indicate more of a pandering to the pop-saturated listener rather than a true concern for recognizing the influential. (By the way, designations such as "composers of genius" made me laugh....as if the composers ranked below this category or composers not appearing on his list did NOT have genius...ha ha ha.)
Still, the spirit of the book is genuine and despite the obvious flaws one should be able to get a great deal of direction from it. But there are much better guides when it comes down to it and upon repeated readings the book seems more and more trivial in nature. Try Jim Svejda's "Record Shelf" for a comparable but more satisfying product.
Rating: 
Summary: Why rank.....?
Review: Mr. Goulding's book has helped this fledgling ease his way into the world of classical music, the highest of arts and justification for mans existance (along with the great literature), but then again, it has also, for this first year of listening, dictated the idea that composers should be ranked.
Being new to classical music, I readily swallowed Gouldings ranking system hook,line and sinker. It has obvious appeal- to the neophite totally confused on where to begin, what better way to have the great ones ranked in order of their "greatness" so as to know where to start. But the problem is, once you introduce that vein of thinking into the consciousnes of the avid, eager to learn listener, you automatically condemn him or her to the neverending and frantic fate of comparing and crosscomparing over and over again.
I was so busy aguring with myself why Bach should be better then Beethoven or Wagner that I became so swept up in this ranking so as to forget that it's the quality of each indivual piece of music that determines it's worth.
There's no reason to debate who was the "greatest". Everyone should decide that for themsleves, and even if their #1 isn't consider the "greatest", so what? As long and that music moves them, to each his own. Rather, Goulding preoccupies us with ranking them. To say Bach is #1, to me, is to automatically render any of Mozart's music just slightly inferior to Bach's.This should not be. I realize this wasn't Gouldings intention, but that's what it turns out to be.
Aside from the top three, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, his ranking seems very arbitrary and at times ludicrous. Example- he ranks Vivaldi somewhere in the 30's(I think) but then explains that he doesn't even LIKE Vivaldi very much, and a preferable choice would be Rachmaninoff, and there proceeds to render in two paragraphs his life and top five works. Really, what's the point?
And then, even amoung the top three, why rank them?
I happen to like Bach the most out of those three as he does, but that doesn't mean Bach is "better" then Mozart or Beethoven, but Goulding had me convinced of that for a long time.I stress again that it is in each persons own judgement to decide their own favorite, and not to negate other composers in the name of rank.
If only he had chosen not to rank and instead just appreciate each composer for their own unique qualities and the beauty of their music, this would have turned out far better. The great composers should be ordered chronologically, not ranked. Neophytes should look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: I'm Sorry, But Why Did You Bother?
Review: The high marks that this book has received from reviewers really puzzles me. Apart from Goulding's extremely dubious attempt to "rank" the great composers (an utterly subjective call, if you ask me), the anecdotes and histories of these men are written on an extremely superficial level & the writing style is somewhat amateurish. In fact, the author celebrates his non-expert status; not the most comforting posture if a reader is reading a supposedly authoritative book on a complicated subject. Beethoven is treated in the traditional manner as "Thor", the angry, deaf genius. OK, sometimes true, but Beethoven's frequent bouts of humor & his fondness for scatological wordplay aren't emphasized. Mozart is portrayed as a supernatural wunderkind; undeniably true in some respects, yet he worked increasingly laboriously on his later masterpieces, and often revised them before being finished. Haydn is pictured as "Mr. Sunshine", yet his sometimes petty behavior & none-too-nice treatment of his wife are not considered. And Wagner (of course) is portrayed as Evil Incarnate. Wagner's prodigal generosity & his occasional tender behavior towards others is never mentioned. In other words, it seems to me that to pigeonhole the great composers is rather a disservice. Also, this ranking thing really irritates me. Goulding takes the safe way out & ranks Bach as #1, as I suppose most classical commentators would. He then, however, admits that it's quite possible that Beethoven is the champ. Well, personally I much prefer Beethoven, but what do you care? Conversely, why should I care how another person would rank them? Perhaps enjoying the great composers' own individual merits without having them compete by proxy would be a better format. Incidentally, I find Sibelius, Borodin & Shostakovich to be ranked much too low. On the other hand, the unimaginative Mendelssohn & the repetitive Handel have a much too high ranking. I wouldn't have even included Palestrina. I don't mean to jump all over this book, but there are much more responsible intro-to-classical music books out there. The Rough Guide to Classical Music has a much greater selection of composers, the important works are described in greater detail, and there isn't a ridiculous ranking system. Jan Swafford's Guide to Classical Music is more engagingly written & includes many worthwhile composers left out of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Gets you started--then you can make up your own mind!
Review: This book makes an excellent addition to the library of any budding classical music aficionado. It is informative and presented in a clear format that gives the reader a foundation for musical exploration as well as logical direction. Much of the early chapters ("The Organization of Sound," "Setting the Stage") is written for the rank beginner. I found myself skimming these chapters, as will most readers who already know the differences between melody and harmony, strings and woodwinds, baroque and romantic. A beginner will find it helpful while not dry, and it's well-organized for later reference. The bulk of the book is then given to a discussion of "The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works." Goulding gives a nutshell biography, with some colorful sidebars, that gives a good overview of the composers' lives, times, influences, strengths, and weaknesses. After the bio is the most valuable part of the book--the greatest works of that composer. Goulding presents a "Starter Kit," a "Top Ten," and a "Master Collection" for each of the 50 composers. This allows a classical music newcomer to get the breadth of composers and the depth of a composer that appeals to them. That's what makes this book one that will be a long-time reference work rather than a one-off "beginners only" guide. Most "composer's guides" seem to favor an egalitarian, arbitrary ordering--alphabetical, chronological--rather than passing judgment about the composer's worth. (I guess it's fortunate for the music beginner that one encounters Bach and Beethoven early on in either an alphabetical or chronological ordering!) I find that Goulding's rankings give direction to exploring classical music. By the time the reader is through the top 10 or top 20 in the list they've gotten to know the majority of the most important composers and their most important works. It's easy to quibble with individual rankings--for example, I would place Sibelius (ah, his wonderful Third Symphony!) higher than #28, and there's no way you could convince me that Wagner is a better composer than Haydn or Schubert--but hard to say with a straight face that a beginner should learn Hindemith before Strauss, or Verdi before Bach. Ultimately, there's no ranking that matters, other than one's own. Even that's a difficult proposition. Do I like Bach or Beethoven better? Darned if I know--they both "do it" for me, and (to quote Forrest Gump) that's all I've got to say about that. My fault with the book is that Goulding's Chapter I amounts to an unnecessary justification of his ranking system, rather than diving into musical "required knowledge" and then discussing composers after laying the groundwork. Just note all the reviews more concerned with presentation (i.e., the ranking system) rather than content! He also wastes some ink on some contrived statistics based on his rankings--ranks by nationality, century of birth, etc.--that don't do much of anything that someone who cared about that sort of thing couldn't do for themselves in an Excel spreadsheet in a half hour. Buy this guidebook for its clear direction on where to start listening and how to broaden and deepen one's knowledge, take Goulding's opinions with a grain of salt, and acquire enough experience to form your own opinions.
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