Classical Music 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Classical Music

The author who has taught tens of thousands of people to love opera now introduces readers to the rich and soul-stirring world of classical music.

From the author of the bestselling Opera 101 comes a comprehensive and highly accessible guide to discovering the glories of classical music, based on the fundamental principle of developing the skills to truly listen. In clear and entertaining prose, Plotkin explores a thousand years of music, introducing listeners to more than one hundred great works and profiling in depth many significant composers, including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Dvorák, and Mahler. Plotkin illustrates how each piece of music possesses its own sound world, which is created by the unique style, voice, and vision of each composer, and made even more distinct by every musician who plays it. He defines major musical terms, and makes music theory comprehensible for the uninitiated. Conversations with important musicians offer fascinating insights into the art.

Fred Plotkin has written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Opera News, and other publications. He lectures frequently at the Smithsonian Institution, the Juilliard School, and Columbia University. He is the author of nine books, many of them on Italian topics. He lives in New York and Italy.