The Symphony: A Listener's Guide

Rating:
Summary: Indispensable
Review: A wonderful book. Michael Steinberg is probably the premier writer of program notes for symphony orchestra concerts in the English-speaking world, and his two books, The Symphony: A Listener's Guide (Oxford University Press, 1995, 678 pages), and its companion volume The Concerto: A Listener's Guide (Oxford UP, 1998, 506 pages), are probably the two best collections of program notes on the symphony and the concerto that have ever been published in English. Steinberg formerly wrote the program notes for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and currently writes them for the New York Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. He was music critic of the Boston Globe for twelve years. These two books come with glowing recommendations from such distinguished musical figures as Seiji Ozawa, Michael Tilson Thomas, Andre Previn, Herbert Blomstedt, Roger Norrington, and John Adams. Speaking as one who has attended countless symphony orchestra concerts on the East Coast, West Coast, and in Dallas for more than forty years, and has always read the program notes, I can say that I've never read any as good as these. They are readable, learned, witty, accessible, and delightful, full of important biographical and historical information, and of course musical description, evaluation, and analysis that is genuinely illuminating and enlightening, without being so technical you need to be a musicologist or seated at a piano to understand it. (Inevitably, there are some musical examples, but these are relatively few, usually fairly simple, and you don't have to understand them to grasp the meaning of the text.) I would recommend these two books strongly to any lover of classical music, anyone who attends symphony orchestra concerts.

Having said this, I can't help noting a few unfortunate omissions. The Symphony is a thick book and perhaps one is ungenerous to cavil at such a generous and generally inclusive and comprehensive volume. All the Beethoven symphonies are included, of course, as are all the symphonies of Brahms and Schumann, and all the major symphonies of Haydn (only two symphonies before No. 86), Mozart (no Mozart symphonies earlier than No. 35, "Haffner"), Tchaikovsky (three symphonies), Dvorak (four symphonies), and Bruckner (six symphonies). The two greatest twentieth-century symphonists, Mahler and Sibelius, are covered in full, including all of their published symphonies and the unfinished Mahler Tenth (but not the early Sibelius "Kullervo" symphony). The third great twentieth-century symphonist, Shostakovich, is represented by seven of his fifteen symphonies. Both Elgar symphonies are included. The most striking lapses are in the French repertoire: the Franck D minor symphony and the Saint-Saens Third ("Organ") are unaccountably omitted, and these are serious omissions. The Schubert Fifth is omitted. Copland is represented by his Second ("Short Symphony"), not his much better known and more frequently performed Third. The same can be said of Hanson, who is represented by his Fourth ("Requiem"), not his Second ("Romantic"). Among the moderns, there are some strangely arbitrary (and, one suspects, personal) choices and omissions: for example, Roy Harris' Third is omitted, although symphonies by Harbison and Hartmann are included; the Harris is surely better established in the standard repertoire than either of these composers. For Vaughan Williams, two of his most popular and accessible symphonies, the First ("Sea") and Second ("London"), are omitted in favor three later symphonies (only 4, 5, and 6 are covered).

Despite these omissions, I recommend this book and its companion volume warmly and wouldn't be without them. Now I wish Mr. Steinberg and Oxford University Press would give us a third volume, covering the large body of orchestral music that is neither symphony nor concerto (such as tone poems and symphonic suites and dances, ballets and ballet suites, incidental music to plays and pageants, major overtures and preludes, et al.).

Rating:
Summary: Indispensable
Review: A wonderful book. Michael Steinberg is probably the premier writer of program notes for symphony orchestra concerts in the English-speaking world, and his two books, The Symphony: A Listener's Guide (Oxford University Press, 1995, 678 pages), and its companion volume The Concerto: A Listener's Guide (Oxford UP, 1998, 506 pages), are probably the two best collections of program notes on the symphony and the concerto that have ever been published in English. Steinberg formerly wrote the program notes for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and currently writes them for the New York Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. He was music critic of the Boston Globe for twelve years. These two books come with glowing recommendations from such distinguished musical figures as Seiji Ozawa, Michael Tilson Thomas, Andre Previn, Herbert Blomstedt, Roger Norrington, and John Adams. Speaking as one who has attended countless symphony orchestra concerts on the East Coast, West Coast, and in Dallas for more than forty years, and has always read the program notes, I can say that I've never read any as good as these. They are readable, learned, witty, accessible, and delightful, full of important biographical and historical information, and of course musical description, evaluation, and analysis that is genuinely illuminating and enlightening, without being so technical you need to be a musicologist or seated at a piano to understand it. (Inevitably, there are some musical examples, but these are relatively few, usually fairly simple, and you don't have to understand them to grasp the meaning of the text.) I would recommend these two books strongly to any lover of classical music, anyone who attends symphony orchestra concerts.

Having said this, I can't help noting a few unfortunate omissions. The Symphony is a thick book and perhaps one is ungenerous to cavil at such a generous and generally inclusive and comprehensive volume. All the Beethoven symphonies are included, of course, as are all the symphonies of Brahms and Schumann, and all the major symphonies of Haydn (only two symphonies before No. 86), Mozart (no Mozart symphonies earlier than No. 35, "Haffner"), Tchaikovsky (three symphonies), Dvorak (four symphonies), and Bruckner (six symphonies). The two greatest twentieth-century symphonists, Mahler and Sibelius, are covered in full, including all of their published symphonies and the unfinished Mahler Tenth (but not the early Sibelius "Kullervo" symphony). The third great twentieth-century symphonist, Shostakovich, is represented by seven of his fifteen symphonies. Both Elgar symphonies are included. The most striking lapses are in the French repertoire: the Franck D minor symphony and the Saint-Saens Third ("Organ") are unaccountably omitted, and these are serious omissions. The Schubert Fifth is omitted. Copland is represented by his Second ("Short Symphony"), not his much better known and more frequently performed Third. The same can be said of Hanson, who is represented by his Fourth ("Requiem"), not his Second ("Romantic"). Among the moderns, there are some strangely arbitrary (and, one suspects, personal) choices and omissions: for example, Roy Harris' Third is omitted, although symphonies by Harbison and Hartmann are included; the Harris is surely better established in the standard repertoire than either of these composers. For Vaughan Williams, two of his most popular and accessible symphonies, the First ("Sea") and Second ("London"), are omitted in favor three later symphonies (only 4, 5, and 6 are covered).

Despite these omissions, I recommend this book and its companion volume warmly and wouldn't be without them. Now I wish Mr. Steinberg and Oxford University Press would give us a third volume, covering the large body of orchestral music that is neither symphony nor concerto (such as tone poems and symphonic suites and dances, ballets and ballet suites, incidental music to plays and pageants, major overtures and preludes, et al.).

Rating:
Summary: great, but with 20 pages more it would have been perfect
Review: I greatly enjoyed this book: Steinberg's style is lively and full of wit, but authoritative nonetheless, which is rare. As a reference book, this is an invaluable "tool" for the music lover and the scholar alike. As a fan of British and American music I found the Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Schuman chapters really praiseworthy. So, why not 5 stars? I think that, if you write such a kind of book (a "guide"), you should try to find a balance between the objective and the subjective, Steinberg tends decidedly to the subjective, which is good when he gives us so many insights about composers or conductors he met, much less so when this affects the selection criteria. For example, talking about American music, he spends pages talking about the Steinberg-dedicated Harbison Second (I bought the CD after I read the book and I found it very empty and rambling) and just a few (denigratory) lines about the Copland Third, which is a a classic , like it or not. And what about the almost total omission of the French symphonies? You won't find Franck and Bizet, as Amazon points, but also Saint-Saens is missing , and I don't think a book about symphonies can be without his Third. All in all, an indispensable issue, but with some flaws.

Rating:
Summary: Not Comprehensive; Not for the Average Listener
Review: If you're like me what you desire from a book such as this is 1) Supplementary anecdotal and technical information to the liner notes of whatever piece you happen to be listening to; 2) Comprehensiveness (that is, a book that touches upon all the major symphonies in the repertory); and 3) Conciseness.

While Steinberg's book certainly provides an abundance of supplemental information, his excessive volubility on the works he does examine means that he simply doesn't have the space to address all or most of the symphonies in the repertory. Thus, in going far beyond the call of duty in regard to my second criterion, he severely violates the other two. Which means, in short, that this book is much too heavy for my everyday needs.

For example: Consider Steinberg's essay on Schubert's "Great" C Major Symphony. In it he supplies over FOUR pages of detailed examination of the FIRST movement alone. As a result of the lengthiness of this essay, there isn't enough space for Steinberg to address any of Schubert's first six symphonies.

Which begs the question: How can anyone write a book called THE SYMPHONY and ignore Schubert's delightful and essential 4th 5th and 6th Symphonies as if they were never written? Personally I'd prefer that Steinberg cut down on the verbiage pertaining to each work (where he is just as likely to be compelling as fussily pedantic) and simply address a greater number of canonic masterpieces.

But don't get me wrong: I'm just as likely as the next guy to sit down and listen to, say, the complete Mahler symphonies while reading Deryck Cooke's magnificent study; or to, say, check out the complete symphonies of Bruckner while perusing Robert Simpson's wonderful book on that composer. The point is, I just don't want to subject myself to this sort of effort EVERY time I throw a CD into my player.

For these reasons, and others, I would recommend to the average listener, if it's still in print, Edward Downes's THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC GUIDE TO THE SYMPHONY, both for its comprehensiveness AND its conciseness. Unlike Steinberg's book, it addresses most works in the canon, and is also something you can check out each time you sit down to listen to a symphony without feeling like you're sitting in some sort of graduate studies program.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful, Useful Guide
Review: Michael Steinberg has produced one of the best single-volume guides to the massive genre of the symphony. He made his living as a program annotator and writes this book in the same manner. Each entry gives a delightful, helpful mix of biographical and historical information, critical analysis, and personal insight. Steinberg's style is neither too simplistic nor too technical. There are useful musical examples, but the book will still make sense in layman's terms.

There are, of course, omissions. After all, this is only one book and we couldn't reasonably expect Mr. Steinberg to get to everything. Some of the coverage is admittedly haphazard. He omits most of the French romantics (no Bizet, no Franck, no Lalo, no Saint-Saens, etc.), a particularly peculiar choice considering how much respect he has for the historical and artistic significance of Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique." His choices in the 20th century repertoire also miss the some important works. None of Britten's symphonies are here. Oliver Messian's "Turangalila" Symphony, a work which could really use some decoding and solid analysis, isn't here either. Neither is Webern's symphony. Most strange, however, is the absence of an entry on Stravinsky's "Symphony of the Psalms," a work which Steinberg admits is his favorite in the 20th century repertory.

Let's not fuss over what didn't make the final edit. What this book does include is handled with confidant expertise. This book is fabulous for the Austro-Germanic Romantics and includes all the symphonies by: Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Schumann, and Sibelius. It also includes all of Mozart's late symphonies, all of Haydn's "London" symphonies (plus a nice mix of the others), and a fair sampling of Bruckner, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Nielsen, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, and Vaughan Williams. The other entries are spread out, but very useful.

Warmly Reccommend.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful, Useful Guide
Review: Michael Steinberg has produced one of the best single-volume guides to the massive genre of the symphony. He made his living as a program annotator and writes this book in the same manner. Each entry gives a delightful, helpful mix of biographical and historical information, critical analysis, and personal insight. Steinberg's style is neither too simplistic nor too technical. There are useful musical examples, but the book will still make sense in layman's terms.

There are, of course, omissions. After all, this is only one book and we couldn't reasonably expect Mr. Steinberg to get to everything. Some of the coverage is admittedly haphazard. He omits most of the French romantics (no Bizet, no Franck, no Lalo, no Saint-Saens, etc.), a particularly peculiar choice considering how much respect he has for the historical and artistic significance of Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique." His choices in the 20th century repertoire also miss the some important works. None of Britten's symphonies are here. Oliver Messian's "Turangalila" Symphony, a work which could really use some decoding and solid analysis, isn't here either. Neither is Webern's symphony. Most strange, however, is the absence of an entry on Stravinsky's "Symphony of the Psalms," a work which Steinberg admits is his favorite in the 20th century repertory.

Let's not fuss over what didn't make the final edit. What this book does include is handled with confidant expertise. This book is fabulous for the Austro-Germanic Romantics and includes all the symphonies by: Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Schumann, and Sibelius. It also includes all of Mozart's late symphonies, all of Haydn's "London" symphonies (plus a nice mix of the others), and a fair sampling of Bruckner, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Nielsen, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, and Vaughan Williams. The other entries are spread out, but very useful.

Warmly Reccommend.

Rating:
Summary: Beginner's perspective
Review: The other reviewers here have given you the perspective of die-hard classical music fans. I am not really expert enough to comment on ommisions and such. But I would like to present another possible reason to purchase this book. Classical music can seem kind of inscrutable to the outsider, but this book sort of walks the reader (and listener) through each piece. I've used it to pick what piece to track down next. This book will enrich the listening experience and the listening skills of the musically minded amateur i think. It did for me.

Rating:
Summary: Beginner's perspective
Review: The other reviewers here have given you the perspective of die-hard classical music fans. I am not really expert enough to comment on ommisions and such. But I would like to present another possible reason to purchase this book. Classical music can seem kind of inscrutable to the outsider, but this book sort of walks the reader (and listener) through each piece. I've used it to pick what piece to track down next. This book will enrich the listening experience and the listening skills of the musically minded amateur i think. It did for me.