I’ve been a big fan of Anthony Tommasini’s reviews and articles in the New York Times for years. The Indispensable Composers: A Personal Guide provides a guided tour of the composers Tommasini loves and the music they created. Tommasini takes a chronological approach while putting the composer and his music into a larger context. I particularly enjoyed Tommasini’s chapters on Haydn and Mozart.
In addition, I found Tommasini’s “Recommended Recordings” list useful. I have some of the recordings Tommasini recommends, but I’ll have to buy several that I don’t own. If you’re a fan of classical music, there’s a lot in The Indispensable Composers you’ll find fascinating and enlightening. Tommasini’s writing is clear and lucid. Highly recommended! Do you have a favorite classical composer? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
AUTHOR’S NOTE xii
Introduction: The greatness complex 1
Creator of modern music : Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) 19
Music for use, devotion, and personal profit : Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 39
“Vast effects with simple means” : George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) 65
The “Vienna Four” : an introduction 91
“I had to be original” : Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) 97
“Right here in my noodle” : Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) 113
The gift of inevitability : Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) 145
“When I wished to sing of love it turned to sorrow” : Franz Schubert (1797-1828) 175
An unforgettable day in 1836 : Fryderyk Franciszek (Frédéric François) Chopin (1810-1849), Robert Schumann (1810-1856) 205
The Italian reformer and the German futurist : Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), Richard Wagner (1813-1883) 247
The synthesizer : Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) 307
The refined radical : Claude Debussy (1862-1918) 339
“The public will judge” : Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) 369
New languages for a new century : Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), Bela Bartók (1881-1945) 397
EPILOGUE 433
Recommended recordings 441
Acknowledgements 447
Notes 449
INDEX 467
Well, yes, I have a favorite classical composer, and it’s Beethoven. I never tire of listening to Beethoven. But most of my favorite composers are 20th century: Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, Stravinsky, Mahler, Bartok, Shostakovich. (Mahler’s 6th Symphony is playing now.)
I certainly like some of the music Tommasini talks about in his book, but it’s not the stuff that generally speaks to me. I doubt I’ll read this.
Jeff, Tommasini tends to discuss the music (and composers) he loves. Musical tastes vary. I’m mostly a Bach, Haydn, and Mozart guy.
He admits this! Also he offers some lovely and nuanced insights into the lives and intrigues of composers. It’s worth a read if you want a smart primer from an incisive but open-hearted critic. Also, you can tell Tommasini is also a musician—that may be the real draw for me.
Jeffrey, I enjoy “personal” guides to music and Life. If you love music as much as I do, you might want to check out Bob Dylan’d THE PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN SONG: http://georgekelley.org/the-philosophy-of-song-by-bob-dylan/
So who are the “dispensable” composers?
Dan, plenty of composers don’t get a chapter in Tommasini’s book. The Russians–Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Khachaturian–get short shrift.
What Jeff said. Definitely Beethoven.
Jeff, I’m a big fan of Beethoven’s “Emperor” concerto. I must have at least a dozen different performances on CDs.
Back when I listened to a lot more classical music than I do today, I could name my favorite works by many composers. Now I’ll just have to say Beethoven (especially the fourth movement of Symphony #9–Song of Joy), Bach (especially Toccata and Fugue in D Minor), and Mozart (anything, really).
Deb, Mozart is my go-to composer. Yes, I have hundreds of other classical music CDs, but the ones that get played most often are Mozart pieces.
I’m not such a fan of classical music – maybe because it was played too much in school – and I really can’t stand operas – just sitting there listening and watching for more than two hours!
But I could listen to Beethoven symphonies all day.
I was so proud when the European Council made Ode to Joy the anthem of Europe and later the EU.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthem_of_Europe
Wolf, Beethoven seems to be the favorite composer of the commentators on this blog. He lived a tragic life, however.
I believe that’s “Ode to Joy”, Deb.
I agree on Mozart, too. Definitely 18th to 19th Century. I am not a fan of most 20th Century classical composers.
Jeff, my 20th Century composers would be Bob Dylan, Goffin & King, Bacharach & David, Joni Mitchell, and Mann & Weil.
Got to add Leonard Cohen Bruce Springsteen to that mix.
Steve, you’re right. Cohen and Springsteen wrote brilliant songs!
I also was thinking about adding those two – still remember the late 60s when I heard “Bird on the Wire” for the first time – and then the version by Joe Cocker!
Springsteen I discovered only in the 80s.
And for me, there are only a few (Jupiter, Clarinet Concerto) Mozart pieces that I can even stand to listen to.
Jeff, Mozart’s produced a vast amount of music. When working on the computer, I like to play Mozart’s divertimenti as background music. I find my thoughts are clearer and my mood is elevated.
I have a lot of classical music survey books (mostly acquired cheap or free), and the contents page of Tommasini’s reads just like all the others. Yawn, nothing new here. Any eccentric, obscure choices for recordings? I rather doubt it; Jim Svejda’s my go-to for that. If Jeff Smith does one of these books, I’ll read it; his tastes are neatly aligned with mine.
Art, I bought Jim Svejda’s book (in various editions) and that spurred some serious buying of classical music CDs. I’m still a subscriber to the AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE that you recommended years ago. However, the AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE seems to be shrinking in size with each issue. It used to be twice as thick!
Physical media like CDs are on the way to vanishing entirely (LPs are a somewhat different story). Ray, my expert on the music resale market, says there’s more demand for tape cassettes (for nostalgists driving old cars with tape players) than CDs these days. There are almost no new CD players being marketed, even at the high end. I’ve been buying DVD players (that also play CDs) at estate sales and thrift stores as backups, since I’ve had a string of failures with my CD-only machines. Unless ARG starts reviewing the music online from streaming services they will soon shrink to nothing. Apart from CD reviews (and Vroon’s delightful rants) its coverage of the concert scene, competitions and the like is a valuable resource for folks like me who are presenting classical concerts. Would hate to lose that.
Art, I’m considering buying a ROTEL CD player: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/rotel-cd-player-silver-and-black/5590423.p?skuId=5590423
I like the ROTEL CD player we bought at the SPEAKER SHOP so I’m in the mood for a backup…just in case.
Mahler, Delius, (both of whom seem to be missing here), Haydn (very relaxing), Bax (a favorite), and many others. Sure I like most of the war horses featured in this book, but there are so many others. I agree with Art on the Jim Svejda book.
Rick, I used to listen to Jim Svejda’s radio program and found it informative…and costly. I was buying new CDs that Svejda recommended each week!
Lennon-McCartney, Brian Wilson, Hank Williams.
Bob, have you seen YESTERDAY yet?
No. Reviews weren’t encouraging.
Bob, some reviewers (and audience members) didn’t get the joke in YESTERDAY with the lead character mangling the lyrics to the Beatle songs because he can’t remember them perfectly. I thought it was a funny twist on the plot.
Wasn’t Johann Sebastian the one who put the bach in bach-de-bach-de-bach?
Jerry, I hope you’ll come Bach for more!