The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical .Music TIM SMITH AGrand CentralPressBook APerigeeBook The NPRCurious Listener's Guide to Classical Music The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical .Music TIM SMITH AGrand CentralPressBook APerigeeBook " Perigee Book Puhhshed byThe Berkley PubhsluugGroup Adrvrsion of Pengum Pumain lnc H5 Hudson Street Ne-w Vork, :\ew York 10Cl14 Produced by Grand Centra] "re« Paul Forgas. Director .Iudy Pray. Execunve Ed11", l\lC'k\',orst,Series Ed,tOJ NATIOi'o,\L PUII.le II.-\I)j(I Murray Horwuz, Vrce-Presidenr,Cultural Programming Andy Trudeau Execuuve Producer,Culmral Programming BenjammRoe, Senior Producer,Special Projecr-, Cultural Programrmng Barbara A Vrerow. Project \Ja"ager, Bus"IC" Developrnen. Kate F.lhOtl, PrO)E"f:( \lanagpr, Rll,)H1f'S~1)f'\r\oplnPIlI NPR, opr, and Nanonal Public Hadlo'HPSp')\'I('P marks01 '\;\t1onal P\lhhr.Harhn, lnrI and may not bpused wuhnut thppp.rrlll')!ann of ,PR. Copynght© JOCl9- by (hand Cenrral Press and 'vanonal Puhlll' Radar> TextcleSlgnby 'I.ffany K"k," Cover rleSlgn by .lrll Boltm f:"\,("f art 11)" Dau R~xtp.r All nghts re-served Ttus book, or part' thereof may not be reproduced tII anv form wnhour permlc;colOJl. VISH our wf"ho;1tp at www.pt;ngmoIIlHnamr-om Smith,Trm The NPR cuneusl",eupr',glllde Ir>r]ass",,,1music/ Tirn Srmth p CIll Includes Index ISBN 0·399·52795 Il I Musicapprec,aw,n I "atlonal Puhhc'Rad,o It.'S) 11 T,tle MT90 565 2009- 7111n'Il' ·rlc21 20010551n2 plll"1l:n I~ I'm. r"IIF.!)S1.\IE"(,I \\If-I\IL\ 10 9 R 7 Contents Acknowledgment" vii Foreword IX Introduction xi 1. What IsClassical Music? 1 2. TheStoryofClassical Music 7 3. Varieties of Classical Music 33 4. Classical Music Deconstructed 51 5. TheComposers 87 6. ThePerformers 1:/7 7. TheMusic 151 8. Classical Music onCD 191 9. TheLanguage ofClassical Music 215 Resources for Curious Listeners 227 Index 233 Acknowledgments My thanks, first of all, to the late music lustoriau and photo archivistOUo Bdllnallll,'wllO kept encuuraging me to write a hook; I'm sorry it Look me so long to folluw his advice. And thanks tu my parlner, Hobert Leiuinger, for pushing me to finish the product and helping' me ill various waysdurillg the process. Another round of th.mks tu my editor, Nick Viorsi, for his remarkable pat.ir-uce alld good judgment. Aud to Michael Tilson Thomas tor his invaluable foreword, 1I0t to mention the Illauy years of inspiration his ever-curious musical mind has given me. I also grt·atly appreciate all the folks at NPH, especially Bell Hoc, who endorsed my participation III this project.