50 Moments That Rocked the Classical Music World

Darren Henley, Sam Jackson

• Publisher: Elliott & Thompson
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN:
  9781908739735
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Classical Music

An eclectic, fun, and informative guide to the 50 moments that changed classical music forever

From technological advances in music recording and practical innovations to landmark concerts and the births and deaths of the great composers, this book discusses the moments that defined classical music. Published in partnership with Classic FM, it will appeal to classical music fans of all kinds. Seeking equally to educate, inform, and entertain, this book uncovers a rich and often unexpected history of classical music—making it the perfect gift for a classical music aficionado, or for anyone new to the genre looking to get their first foothold on the mountain of classical music.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1 Banging and Blowing: The First Musical Instruments
• 2 Sing a Song of Christmas: The Development of the Carol
• 3 Getting it Written Down: The Introduction of Musical Notation
• 4 Changing the Tune: The First Use of Polyphony
• 5 The Cruellest Cut: Castrati Come to Prominence
• 6 Strike Up the Band: The Invention of the Symphony
• 7 Making it in a Man’s World: Hildegard of Bingen
• 8 Sharing the Music: The Invention of the Printing Press
• 9 By Royal Appointment: The Master of the King’s Musick
• 10 Music and Movement: The First Ballet
• 11 Baroque ’n’ Roll: A New Musical Era
• 12 A Capital Hit: Handel in London
• 13 Religious Change: Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation
• 14 Words and Music: The First Opera
• 15 The World’s Greatest Opera House: La Scala, Milan
• 16 Classic Discovery: Another Era of Change
• 17 The Instrument-Maker Extraordinaire: Antonio Stradivari
• 18 Taking the Orchestra to Another Level: Hector Berlioz
• 19 The World’s First Classical Music Superstar: Franz Liszt
• 20 Romanticism Arrives: Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’
• 21 Putting on a Show: The Founding of the Royal Philharmonic Society
• 22 Beating Time: The Baton and the Conductor
• 23 Rewriting the Rules: The ‘Tristan Chord’
• 24 A New World Order: Impressionism and Classical Music
• 25 A Matter of Record: The Invention of the Gramophone
• 26 Musical Numbers: The Advent of Serialism
• 27 We Predict a Riot: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring
• 28 The Lure of the Silver Screen: The First Film Soundtrack
• 29 A New Polish: ‘Furniture Music’
• 30 Making Money and All That Jazz: George Gershwin
• 31 Back to the Future: The Rediscovery of Vivaldi’s Violin Concertos
• 32 Silence Is Golden: John Cage’s 4'33"
• 33 The TV Age: Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts
• 34 After This Break: Classical Music and Advertising
• 35 Russian Revolution: The Death of Joseph Stalin
• 36 The Pianist Who Conquered Russia: Van Cliburn
• 37 Cartoon Classics: Walt Disney’s Fantasia
• 38 Less Is More: The Introduction of Minimalism
• 39 Hitting the Right Note: The 1980 International Chopin Piano Competition
• 40 The Medium Is the Message: The Invention of the Compact Disc
• 41 New Ways of Doing Business: The Budget Classical Label
• 42 On Top of the World: The Three Tenors in Rome
• 43 Music for the Masses: Classic FM Is Born
• 44 Classical – But Not as You Know It: Crossover Music
• 45 Digital Dexterity: Composing on Computer
• 46 Music as Peace: The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
• 47 The Next Generation: The Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra and El Sistema
• 48 Technology Changes Everything Again: The Digital Download Revolution
• 49 World Wide Web: Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
• 50 Could Video Kill the Classical Star? Videogame Soundtracks
• Where to Find Out More
• Acknowledgements
• About the Authors
• Index
• Copyright