What to Listen for in Music

A superb analysis of how to listen to music intelligently

Legendary composer Aaron Copland raises two basic questions: Are you hearing everything that is going on? Are you really being sensitive to it? If you cannot answer yes to both questions, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Whether you listen to Mozart or Duke Ellington, Copland's provocative suggestions for listening to music from his point of view will bring you a deeper appreciation of the most rewarding of all art forms.

This classic work, the only book of its kind written by an eminent American composer, features:
• Chapters on contemporary music and film music
• Recommended recordings for each chapter
• A selected list of books for further reading and reference

In this edition, leading music critic Alan Rich continues Copland's discussion of contemporary music for today's listeners and traces the composer's success in bringing music lovers "closer to the magical mysteries of the music we can hear and want to hear better."

Aaron Copland’s well-known and highly regarded compositions, performed and recorded extensively throughout the world, include the Pulitzer Prize–winning ballet Appalachian Spring, as well as Billy the Kid, Rodeo, Lincoln Portrait, and the film scores of Our Town and The Heiress. On being awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 1986, Copland was praised for his “uniquely American music that reflects the very soul and experience of our people.” During his career, Copland taught composition at Harvard and the Berkshire Music Center, lectured all over the United States, and wrote Our New Music and Music and Imagination. He died in 1990.