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How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 36 hrs and 34 mins
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Publisher's summary
Great music is a language unto its own, a means of communication of unmatched beauty and genius. And it has an undeniable power to move us in ways that enrich our lives - provided it is understood.
If you have ever longed to appreciate great concert music, to learn its glorious language and share in its sublime pleasures, the way is now open to you, through this series of 48 wonderful lectures designed to make music accessible to everyone who yearns to know it, regardless of prior training or knowledge. It's a lecture series that will enable you to first grasp music's forms, techniques, and terms - the grammatical elements that make you fluent in its language - and then use that newfound fluency to finally hear and understand what the greatest composers in history are actually saying to us.
And as you learn the gifts given us by nearly every major composer, you'll come to know there is one we share with each of them - a common humanity that lets us finally understand that these were simply people speaking to us, sharing their passion and wanting desperately to be heard. Using digitally recorded musical passages to illustrate his points, Professor Greenberg will take you inside magnificent compositions by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Verdi, Wagner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and more. Even if you have listened to many of these illustrative pieces throughout your life - as so many of us have - you will never hear them the same way again after experiencing these lectures.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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Story
The glorious repertoire for solo piano includes many of classical music’s most beloved masterpieces. In these 24 musically rich lectures, you’ll dig deeply into this magnificent tradition, in an in-depth exploration of the art of listening. With Professor Kautsky’s inspired guidance and expert playing, you’ll highlight key works of each composer, and unpack their structure, the musical materials that drive them, and the specific features that affect listeners so strongly, giving you a clear grounding in how to approach and hear this great music.
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Highly recommended!!
- By Meichiko on 10-27-22
By: Catherine Kautsky, and others
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How Music and Mathematics Relate
- By: David Kung, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David Kung
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
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Great minds have long sought to understand the relationship between music and mathematics. Both involve patterns, structures, and relationships. Both generate ideas of great beauty and elegance. Music is a fertile testing ground for mathematical principles, while mathematics explains the sounds instruments make and how composers put those sounds together. Understanding the connections between music and mathematics helps you appreciate both, even if you have no special ability in either field....
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No visuals provided! Very hard to follow without.
- By Anonymous User on 03-23-20
By: David Kung, and others
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The American Civil War
- By: Gary W. Gallagher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gary W. Gallagher
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
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Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.
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Excellent Series
- By Rodney on 07-09-13
By: Gary W. Gallagher, and others
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Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion
- By: Bill Messenger, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bill Messenger
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
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Jazz is a uniquely American art form, one of America's great contributions to not only musical culture, but world culture, with each generation of musicians applying new levels of creativity that take the music in unexpected directions that defy definition, category, and stagnation. Now you can learn the basics and history of this intoxicating genre in an eight-lecture series that is as free-flowing and original as the art form itself.
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A Disappointingly Distorted, Myopic View Of Jazz
- By Parallax View on 08-18-13
By: Bill Messenger, and others
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Basic Music Theory, 4th Edition
- How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music
- By: Jonathan Harnum
- Narrated by: Jonathan Harnum
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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What do all those lines and squiggles and dots mean? Basic Music Theory takes you through the sometimes confusing world of written music with a clear, concise style that is at times funny and always friendly. The book is written by an experienced music teacher using methods refined over more than 30 years in schools and in his private teaching studio. Lessons are fun, well-paced, and enjoyable.
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A very good portable and study anywhere book
- By Amazon Customer on 06-03-17
By: Jonathan Harnum
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Great Music of the 20th Century
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Robert Greenberg PhD
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
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The 20th century was a hotbed of musical exploration, innovation, and transformation unlike any other epoch in history. Ranging across the century in its entirety, these 24 lectures present a musical cornucopia of astounding dimensions - a major presentation and exploration of the incredible brilliance and diversity of musical art across a turbulent century. Far more than simply a series of lectures, the program comprises a huge and many-sided resource for discovering the endless riches of 20th-century concert music across the globe.
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Disappointment
- By MAdison on 03-11-18
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Great Piano Works Explained
- By: Catherine Kautsky, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Catherine Kautsky
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Original Recording
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The glorious repertoire for solo piano includes many of classical music’s most beloved masterpieces. In these 24 musically rich lectures, you’ll dig deeply into this magnificent tradition, in an in-depth exploration of the art of listening. With Professor Kautsky’s inspired guidance and expert playing, you’ll highlight key works of each composer, and unpack their structure, the musical materials that drive them, and the specific features that affect listeners so strongly, giving you a clear grounding in how to approach and hear this great music.
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Highly recommended!!
- By Meichiko on 10-27-22
By: Catherine Kautsky, and others
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How Music and Mathematics Relate
- By: David Kung, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David Kung
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Great minds have long sought to understand the relationship between music and mathematics. Both involve patterns, structures, and relationships. Both generate ideas of great beauty and elegance. Music is a fertile testing ground for mathematical principles, while mathematics explains the sounds instruments make and how composers put those sounds together. Understanding the connections between music and mathematics helps you appreciate both, even if you have no special ability in either field....
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No visuals provided! Very hard to follow without.
- By Anonymous User on 03-23-20
By: David Kung, and others
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The American Civil War
- By: Gary W. Gallagher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gary W. Gallagher
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Story
Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.
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Excellent Series
- By Rodney on 07-09-13
By: Gary W. Gallagher, and others
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Classical Music for Dummies, 2nd Edition
- By: David Pogue, Scott Speck
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Classical Music for Dummies is a friendly, funny, easy-to-understand guide to composers, instruments, orchestras, concerts, recordings, and more. Classical music is widely considered one of the pinnacles of human achievement, and this informative guide will shows you just how beautiful and rewarding it can be. You'll learn how Bach is different from Beethoven, how Mozart is different still, and why not all "classical" music is actually Classical if it's really Baroque or Romantic.
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It's Fine
- By I. Donovan on 03-31-23
By: David Pogue, and others
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A Day's Read
- By: The Great Courses, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth, and others
- Narrated by: Arnold Weinstein, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
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Join three literary scholars and award-winning professors as they introduce you to dozens of short masterpieces that you can finish - and engage with - in a day or less. Perfect for people with busy lives who still want to discover-or rediscover-just how transformative an act of reading can be, these 36 lectures range from short stories of fewer than 10 pages to novellas and novels of around 200 pages. Despite their short length, these works are powerful examinations of the same subjects and themes that longer "great books" discuss.
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Stories not included, only discussed
- By Julie Jester on 01-15-16
By: The Great Courses, and others
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History's Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach
- By: The Great Courses, Gregory S. Aldrete
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
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Military history often highlights successes and suggests a sense of inevitability about victory, but there is so much that can be gleaned from considering failures. Study these crucibles of history to gain a better understanding of why a civilization took - or didn't take - a particular path.
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Martial Chaos
- By Cynthia on 08-16-16
By: The Great Courses, and others
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The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
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For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
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Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
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The Foundations of Western Civilization
- By: Thomas F. X. Noble, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Thomas F. X. Noble
- Length: 24 hrs and 51 mins
- Original Recording
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What is Western Civilization? According to Professor Noble, it is "much more than human and political geography," encompassing myriad forms of political and institutional structures - from monarchies to participatory republics - and its own traditions of political discourse. It involves choices about who gets to participate in any given society and the ways in which societies have resolved the tension between individual self-interest and the common good.
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Not Engaging or Very Interesting
- By Tommy D'Angelo on 03-05-17
By: Thomas F. X. Noble, and others
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The Search for Exoplanets: What Astronomers Know
- By: The Great Courses, Joshua N. Winn
- Narrated by: Professor Joshua N. Winn
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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As recently as 1990, it seemed plausible that the solar system was a unique phenomenon in our galaxy. Thanks to advances in technology and clever new uses of existing data, now we know that planetary systems and possibly even a new Earth can be found throughout galaxies near and far.
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Fun across the universe
- By Mark on 01-08-16
By: The Great Courses, and others
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The Theory of Evolution: A History of Controversy
- By: Edward J. Larson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Edward J. Larson
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Original Recording
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Charles Darwin's theory of organic evolution-the idea that life on earth is the product of purely natural causes, not the hand of God-set off shock waves that continue to reverberate through Western society, and especially the United States. What makes evolution such a profoundly provocative concept, so convincing to most scientists, yet so socially and politically divisive? These 12 eye-opening lectures are an examination of the varied elements that so often make this science the object of strong sentiments and heated debate.
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Little mistakes here and there
- By Daniel on 06-21-16
By: Edward J. Larson, and others
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Food: A Cultural Culinary History
- By: Ken Albala, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ken Albala
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
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Eating is an indispensable human activity. As a result, whether we realize it or not, the drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history, from prehistoric times to the present. Epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said it best: "Gastronomy governs the whole life of man."
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One of my top 3 favorite courses!
- By Jessica on 12-28-13
By: Ken Albala, and others
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The Life & Times of Beethoven
- The First Angry Man
- By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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In The Life & Times of Beethoven, celebrated composer and music historian Professor Robert Greenberg of San Francisco Performances gives you a unique perspective on a musical genius the likes of which the world had never seen before - or since. Blending biography, history, and music appreciation, these 10 lectures portray Beethoven’s extraordinary (and still modern-sounding) music as a direct outgrowth of his life, environment, and interior emotional landscape.
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WHAT no music????
- By THS on 11-12-19
By: Robert Greenberg, and others
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How Music Works
- The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond
- By: John Powell
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Have you ever wondered how off-key you are while singing in the shower? Or if your Bob Dylan albums really sound better on vinyl? Or why certain songs make you cry? Now, scientist and musician John Powell invites you on an entertaining journey through the world of music. Discover what distinguishes music from plain old noise, how scales help you memorize songs, what the humble recorder teaches you about timbre (assuming your suffering listeners don’t break it first), and more.
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Nearly everyone will get something out of this!
- By Tim on 02-18-11
By: John Powell
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Piano + Music Theory
- Start Playing the Piano, Songwriting & Reading Music Theory Right Away. Lessons for Beginners or Refreshing the Advanced Via This Book + Diagrams, Charts & Bonus Videos
- By: Tommy Swindali
- Narrated by: Joseph Turner, Brian Cohen
- Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Traditionally, piano lessons can be boring and require a fixed time. And most books are either too complex or boring. This often leaves people frustrated and feeling like giving up. Instead, this book explains the essentials in an easy to understand way. The lessons build on skills one by one, plus bonus videos to really guarantee you learn everything you need to play the piano. It’s like having a teacher in the room with you! By the end of this book, you will be able to understand the core concepts of playing piano and reading and composing music.
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Good music foundation
- By Sholom Proudlove on 01-27-21
By: Tommy Swindali
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Thinking Like an Economist: A Guide to Rational Decision Making
- By: Randall Bartlett, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Randall Bartlett
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Original Recording
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Economic forces are everywhere around you. But that doesn't mean you need to passively accept whatever outcome those forces might press upon you. Instead, with these 12 fast-moving and crystal clear lectures, you can learn how to use a small handful of basic nuts-and-bolts principles to turn those same forces to your own advantage.
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Great for beginners, nothing you for an economist
- By V. Taras on 07-08-15
By: Randall Bartlett, and others
What listeners say about How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Adam
- 05-26-16
Crack the concert music code with this book!
I was brought up to appreciate music. My fondest childhood memories are of listening to music with my father as he explained what the music meant, who the people were who wrote it, why they wrote what they did, and what the cultural context surrounding the music was. I learned to analyze and appreciate music, but the music I was raised to appreciate was rock music. My father is a child of the 70s; I am child of the 80s. The music I was brought up with was Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis, et al.
Growing up, I wasn't exposed to concert music and knew nothing about it. I'm a bit of a history buff, so I recognized and appreciated the cultural and historical importance of concert music. That said, I couldn't understand concert music when I heard it. I had no grounding in the forms, knew nothing about the cultural context, and generally had no idea what I was hearing. Concert music sounded like impenetrable alien noise, devoid of form and completely mysterious. It was a language I could not speak.
This course (and other courses from the fantastic Robert Greenberg) changed that all for me. I now have a small but useful command of the vocabulary and grammar of concert music. I understand the forms and can listen actively to what the composer is doing. I can anticipate what the composer "should" be doing based on the form employed and thus recognize and appreciate when these forms are deviated from. I know my minuet-in-trio from my rondo and my ritornello from my sonata. I can hear a piece of classical music and place it roughly in its proper cultural time and place. I can often guess the national origin of a piece of work, and can make pretty good (and sometimes accurate) guesses as to who composed pieces I hear. I can understand, and thus enjoy concert music.
This course will improve your appreciation for music both historical and contemporary. Learning about concert music will deepen your understanding of all music, and will help you grow and evolve. I cannot recommend this course enough. It didn't just entertain me, it improved my life.
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- Eric Kerr
- 06-10-16
A masterwork about masterworks
Would you listen to How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition again? Why?
This course ties together history, people, music, and art. The world of concert music is open to me now; I have a framework and background that makes concert music sound like more than pretty sounds. In the meantime, I learned a lot about European history; fitting the history with the music helps both stick in my head. And I learned a lot about teaching - the structuring of this course is masterful. It returns to the same pieces to show new angles, it weaves individual composers into tapestries of influences and revolutions and evolution of sound.
What does Professor Robert Greenberg bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
This is, indeed, a performance.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I listened to no more than one lecture per day. You need a quiet place or noise-cancelling headphones to hear the music samples properly.
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- Regina
- 03-19-14
Love this course!
If you could sum up How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition in three words, what would they be?
This course is thorough without being overwhelming. It contains interesting antidotes which give the information personality. The benefit of the audiobook format is being able to listen to the selections of the music being discussed.
What other book might you compare How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition to and why?
This is the first "Great Courses" selection that I've made, but this one has piqued my interest in purchasing other Great Courses.
Which scene was your favorite?
I cannot choose a "favorite" section. There are so many sections that gave me the sense of traveling through time to "witness" the culture and social structure of the period influencing each category of music.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
The narrator, Professor Robert Greenberg, is very entertaining. This was important because the course is 33 hours long.
Any additional comments?
The only improvement I would suggest is a companion quiz or exam to test how well I've retained all of the information.
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- Brian VK
- 10-26-18
Greenberg is brilliant in this course
Notwithstanding the content, which I thoroughly enjoyed, Greenberg's performance may be the best I've heard in any course. The task of summarizing centuries of musical evolution within 36+ hours is daunting, to say the least, and Greenberg does so admirably, accenting the timeline with highlights of key contributors, liberal use of examples, humor, and a consistent emphasis on how each facet reflects on the evolution of each particular period and musical evolution as a whole. His exposition of how music is reflective of the societal and cultural factors of the time, in conjunction with the personal framework of many of the composers, gives an added depth and perspective on the music which enriches listening to other works away from the course. While I normally gravitate toward courses on quite different subjects, I have been duly converted and already downloaded Greenberg's course on Opera to continue the journey. Only caveat: my Spotify is overloaded with new playlists reflecting the last month of learning.
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- cduarte
- 04-22-17
worth every minute. beautiful.
history, anecdotes stories and music all part or a great discovery of the links in all western music a great time!
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-11-17
Great enlightening listen for every music lover
Great lectures and brilliant narrative performance by the author. Good musical examples. Highly recommended listen!
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- Stef
- 08-02-19
Robert Vermont passion is infectious
Greenberg is informative and excited about music. The content is accessible to beginners (like me) and fun to learn.
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- frosphate
- 12-10-22
Another Excellent Book
I decided to pick up one “The 30 Greatest Orchestral Works” on a whim. I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. “How to Listen to and Understand Great Music” was just as awesome as my first Robert Greenberg book. He is wildly interesting to listen to, engaging and informative. I have learned so much about music and interesting music history facts. The author makes the topic compelling. His enthusiasm for the top is abundantly apparent; a truly special teacher.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-27-23
Greenberg is a legend
Robert Greenberg keeps your attention, often hilariously, while entertaining with history and context of many notable works
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- KZ
- 06-26-23
Very entertaining and informative
Great material presented in the book.
Very passionate and vivid reading performance! It is a great way to learn about European concert music.
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