Beethoven and the Classical Age (Masters of Music)

Rating:
Summary: A very informative look at Beethoven and the Classical Age
Review: "Beethoven and the Classical Age" explores the musical world of Ludwig van Beethoven. The book has lots of full-color illustrations: a two-age spread shows and explains the mechanics and design of the piano as it was constructed during Beethoven's lifetime. Each double page constitutes a chapter regarding Beethoven's life and music, great feats in the musical culture of his time, and detailed analysis of the instruments and musical theory. The top of the left page and the large central illustration refer to the principal theme (e.g., "The Ninth Symphony"). The text (in italics) narrates the life of Beethoven in chronological order. The portraits, printed reproductions of the era, and photograph complete the treatment of the discussion.

At first glance you might get the idea this is essentially a picture book, but the text would earn it five stars without the illustrations (in fact, I am not predisposed to like this style of graphic art, having grown up on Marvel Comics and owning several autographed Barry Windsor-Smith prints). My bias is that in these juvenile histories of the great composers I have been less interested in the biographical details, which are fairly standard in such books, and more in how well they give young readers an education in music appreciation. The section on "The Symphonies" not only goes into details on how Beethoven modified the orchestras that he used, but provides a concise summation of the symphonic forms he used over his career. Those two pages told me more about Beethoven's symphonies than the other juvenile biographies I have read about the composer combined.

The Barron's "Masters of Music" series is aimed at young adult readers and provides an introduction to the accomplishments of many of the world's greatest composers, as well as exploring details of the historical background and insights into how the music was composed and performed. The title is correct: young readers will learn as much about the Classical Age of music as they will about Beethoven's life and music. "Beethoven and the Classical Age" are not the first book about Beethoven that a young student is going to read, but for those who really want to understand his impact on the world of classical music, this is the book they are going to want to end up reading.

Rating:
Summary: A very informative look at Beethoven and the Classical Age
Review: "Beethoven and the Classical Age" explores the musical world of Ludwig van Beethoven. The book has lots of full-color illustrations: a two-age spread shows and explains the mechanics and design of the piano as it was constructed during Beethoven's lifetime. Each double page constitutes a chapter regarding Beethoven's life and music, great feats in the musical culture of his time, and detailed analysis of the instruments and musical theory. The top of the left page and the large central illustration refer to the principal theme (e.g., "The Ninth Symphony"). The text (in italics) narrates the life of Beethoven in chronological order. The portraits, printed reproductions of the era, and photograph complete the treatment of the discussion.

At first glance you might get the idea this is essentially a picture book, but the text would earn it five stars without the illustrations (in fact, I am not predisposed to like this style of graphic art, having grown up on Marvel Comics and owning several autographed Barry Windsor-Smith prints). My bias is that in these juvenile histories of the great composers I have been less interested in the biographical details, which are fairly standard in such books, and more in how well they give young readers an education in music appreciation. The section on "The Symphonies" not only goes into details on how Beethoven modified the orchestras that he used, but provides a concise summation of the symphonic forms he used over his career. Those two pages told me more about Beethoven's symphonies than the other juvenile biographies I have read about the composer combined.

The Barron's "Masters of Music" series is aimed at young adult readers and provides an introduction to the accomplishments of many of the world's greatest composers, as well as exploring details of the historical background and insights into how the music was composed and performed. The title is correct: young readers will learn as much about the Classical Age of music as they will about Beethoven's life and music. "Beethoven and the Classical Age" are not the first book about Beethoven that a young student is going to read, but for those who really want to understand his impact on the world of classical music, this is the book they are going to want to end up reading.