Bach, Beethoven and the Boys: Music History As It Ought to Be Taught

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Summary: music history with humour
Review: A relatively concise history of Western music with quite a lot of comic flair. One also learns about aspects of Western culture one may have forgotten: such as, that musicians were commonly supported in Europe by their patrons who were wealthy dukes or had other hereditary claims. Also I learned that Handel visited Italy spent the latter part of his life in London and grew quite wealthy; that Bach was happily married but never wealthy, and that he lived in many different German cities; that Mozart was not rich at all;that Haydn visited London; that Tchaikovsky was prone to nervous ailments. In the course of reading this book I borrowed the following CD's which assisted me in my understanding, as well as being enjoyable listening: Schumann's "Songs For Children"; Tchaikowsky's "Symphony #6 (Pathetique)", several Beethoven piano sonatas including the Appassionata and Pathetique, Handel's "Water Music"; Mozart's opera overtures, Haydn's "Surprise" and "Military" symphonies.

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Summary: This was a great book.
Review: Bach, Beethoven, and the boys, was a great book. It was hysterical and insightful. While giving you all the facts, it let you know a little bit about composers private lives.

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Summary: Fun, but not that funny....
Review: Barber's book was fun, but not all that funny. Some parts invoke a robust chuckle, while other parts were quite lame. But I suppose that is the point. I paid [good money] for this book. In hindsight, it's hardly worth it. I think the glossy cover is to blame. I'd be much more enthusiastic if I paid what the book is actually worth, ... With that said, if you are determined to add this to your library I'd sincerely recommend searching your local used book store for this gem.

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Summary: A Fun Lesson in Music History
Review: David W. Barber is an excellent writer and writes about music history in a way that makes it highly enjoyable. It consoles the mind to know that even though they wrote incredible music, all of the famous composers were most definitely human. Bach, Beethoven, and the Boys is a fabulous book and I would recommend it to anyone who has any interest in music

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Summary: This funny book is a must for anyone interested in music.
Review: David W. Barber is to music history what Victor Borge is to classical piano; both invigorate their subject with fresh humor and insight. This book is a wonderfully funny look at classical music, and it is all true! Read this book and you will know that classical music is not the stuffed shirt that many believe it to be. Barber's history is especially humorous for musicians and the musically savvy. One gets the impression that Barber has waded through many scholarly works to pull out these gems of information. It is easy to distinguish between the information and the embellishments, making this a perfect companion to any hard working music student. The illustrations by Dave Donald compliment the text perfectly and are also good likenesses of the composers. The text begins with a painless history of Gregorian Chant and proceedes through 20th Century music, discussing all of the big composers and the major movements in music history. I wholeheartedly recommend this! book to the musically educated and those who want to be.

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Summary: A review for Teachers
Review: I read this book when I was in high school and used it on a few papers. I plan to buy it, either here or elsewhere. If you are a teacher, I recommend this book as it presents a different view of these mythical heroes and shows them as heroes. It also teaches what most historians won't touch in their books and is an easy read for every student. If you are just interested in musical history, I recommend this book as general reading as it is humourous as well as informative.

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Summary: Great read for quick understanding of the famed musicians
Review: I received this book from my violin teacher when I was about 8 years old or so, and when I read this book it really helped me to quickly understand the lives behind the music I was playing. The book also had a great sense of humor, and was easy to understand but also not overly simple.

It's a great way to have fun and learn about the great classical musicians, and also for a musician like myself to learn early on about the composers who wrote the music that I now play.

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Summary: Facts or slander?
Review: It was my impression that the point of this book is to "demythologize" (or should that be denigrate?) the great composers. Although it is informative in a very lightweight and breezy way, it also presents some rather dubious statements as if they were commonly accepted facts (best example: "Beethoven had syphilis") in an off-handedly casual way that does not encourage readers to question the source. Separating the fact from the fiction in this book is no simple chore, so don't start here if what you want is real information. If you want to feel justified in treating classical composers with disdain, this book will certainly help.

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Summary: Doesn't do the "boys" justice.
Review: Most of this book is limited to very brief biographical summaries of pop culture composers. Barber also seemed to be trying a little bit too hard to be humourous, and his frequent banteresque footnotes were distracting and for the most part unncesessary. This book IS good for a general overview of composers and as a very sparse outline of Western music's greatest composers.

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Summary: Doesn't do the "boys" justice.
Review: Most of this book is limited to very brief biographical summaries of pop culture composers. Barber also seemed to be trying a little bit too hard to be humourous, and his frequent banteresque footnotes were distracting and for the most part unncesessary. This book IS good for a general overview of composers and as a very sparse outline of Western music's greatest composers.