Why does anyone still bother with classical music?How can the string quartets of Brahms or the symphonies of Beethoven possibly be relevant in our post-9/11 world?In this stimulating and provocative book, composer and broadcaster Andrew Ford argues that it is because we live in such discordant times that classical music is more valuable than it has ever been.Beginning with a discussion of some common cliches, he considers the nature of classical music: whether it is, for example, an international language. Then in a series of short essays, each taking as its starting point the music of a single composer including Dowland, Haydn, Berlioz, Ravel and the contemporary Finnish composer, Kaija Saariaho, he presents a composite picture of what classical music is, what it is capable of, how it works, and how it differs from other sorts of music. Finally, Ford draws on his own music as a means of explaining what goes on in a composer's mind.Classical music, says Ford, is a source not only of consolation, but of certainty. It reaffirms creativity because it has survived, he writes. It connects us to the best of civilisation at a time when we find little civilisation in our own world.
Title: In Defence of Classical Music
ISBN Number: 0733315941
ISBN-13: 9780733315947
Location Published: Australia, ABC Books: 2005
Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: New
Size: 21.7 x 14.0 x 1.8 cm
Kg: 1.00 Kg
Type: Book
Categories: D5, Classical Music
Seller ID: 003908
Keywords: 9780733315947, andrew ford, australia, in defence of classical music, the really good book shop
