-
Bach, Beethoven, and the Boys
- Music History as It Ought to Be Taught
- Narrated by: Jean-Michel George
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Music
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $14.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The History of Classical Music
- By: Richard Fawkes
- Narrated by: Robert Powell
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 323
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 170
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 171
From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki, the first living classical composer to get into the pop album charts, here is the fascinating story of over a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest of human feelings and emotions. Also available: The History of Opera.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
highly recommend
- By Walter on 02-09-04
By: Richard Fawkes
-
Language of the Spirit
- An Introduction to Classical Music
- By: Jan Swafford
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16
In Language of the Spirit, renowned music scholar Jan Swafford argues that we have it all wrong: classical music has something for everyone and is accessible to all. Ranging from Gregorian chant to Handel's Messiah, from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons to the postmodern work of Philip Glass, Swafford is an affable and expert guide to the genre. He traces the history of Western music, introduces listeners to the most important composers and compositions, and explains the underlying structure and logic of their music.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great intro to various important composers & works
- By Jay G on 06-14-18
By: Jan Swafford
-
The Indispensable Composers
- A Personal Guide
- By: Anthony Tommasini
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 20 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 16
In The Indispensable Composers, Tommasini offers his own personal guide to the canon - and what greatness really means in classical music. What does it mean to be canonical now? Who gets to say? And do we have enough perspective on the 20th century to even begin assessing it? To make his case, Tommasini draws on elements of biography, the anxiety of influence, the composer's relationships with colleagues, and shifting attitudes toward a composer's work over time.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A little disappointed.
- By Sher from Provo on 10-19-19
-
Music as a Mirror of History
- By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,088
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 970
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 963
In Music as a Mirror of History, Great Courses favorite Professor Greenberg of San Francisco Performances returns with a fascinating and provocative premise: Despite the abstractness and the universality of music - and our habit of listening to it divorced from any historical context - music is a mirror of the historical setting in which it was created. Music carries a rich spectrum of social, cultural, historical, and philosophical information, all grounded in the life and experience of the composer.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Unique interdisciplinary music-history treatment
- By Charles J. Bumgardner on 08-06-16
By: Robert Greenberg, and others
-
Wagnerism
- Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music
- By: Alex Ross
- Narrated by: Alex Ross
- Length: 28 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Alex Ross, renowned New Yorker music critic and author of the international best seller and Pulitzer Prize finalist The Rest Is Noise, reveals how Richard Wagner became the proving ground for modern art and politics - an aesthetic war zone where the Western world wrestled with its capacity for beauty and violence.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Not Just for Wagner Experts!
- By Rupert Pupkin on 09-26-20
By: Alex Ross
-
The History of Rock & Roll
- Volume 1: 1920-1963
- By: Ed Ward
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 63
Ed Ward covers the first half of the history of rock & roll in this sweeping and definitive narrative - from the 1920s, when the music of rambling medicine shows mingled with the songs of vaudeville and minstrel acts to create the very early sounds of country and rhythm and blues, to the rise of the first independent record labels post-World War II, and concluding in December 1963, just as an immense change in the airwaves took hold and the Beatles prepared for their first American tour.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Better than several college texts on the topic
- By TL on 07-15-17
By: Ed Ward
-
The History of Classical Music
- By: Richard Fawkes
- Narrated by: Robert Powell
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 323
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 170
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 171
From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki, the first living classical composer to get into the pop album charts, here is the fascinating story of over a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest of human feelings and emotions. Also available: The History of Opera.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
highly recommend
- By Walter on 02-09-04
By: Richard Fawkes
-
Language of the Spirit
- An Introduction to Classical Music
- By: Jan Swafford
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16
In Language of the Spirit, renowned music scholar Jan Swafford argues that we have it all wrong: classical music has something for everyone and is accessible to all. Ranging from Gregorian chant to Handel's Messiah, from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons to the postmodern work of Philip Glass, Swafford is an affable and expert guide to the genre. He traces the history of Western music, introduces listeners to the most important composers and compositions, and explains the underlying structure and logic of their music.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great intro to various important composers & works
- By Jay G on 06-14-18
By: Jan Swafford
-
The Indispensable Composers
- A Personal Guide
- By: Anthony Tommasini
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 20 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 16
In The Indispensable Composers, Tommasini offers his own personal guide to the canon - and what greatness really means in classical music. What does it mean to be canonical now? Who gets to say? And do we have enough perspective on the 20th century to even begin assessing it? To make his case, Tommasini draws on elements of biography, the anxiety of influence, the composer's relationships with colleagues, and shifting attitudes toward a composer's work over time.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A little disappointed.
- By Sher from Provo on 10-19-19
-
Music as a Mirror of History
- By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,088
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 970
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 963
In Music as a Mirror of History, Great Courses favorite Professor Greenberg of San Francisco Performances returns with a fascinating and provocative premise: Despite the abstractness and the universality of music - and our habit of listening to it divorced from any historical context - music is a mirror of the historical setting in which it was created. Music carries a rich spectrum of social, cultural, historical, and philosophical information, all grounded in the life and experience of the composer.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Unique interdisciplinary music-history treatment
- By Charles J. Bumgardner on 08-06-16
By: Robert Greenberg, and others
-
Wagnerism
- Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music
- By: Alex Ross
- Narrated by: Alex Ross
- Length: 28 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Alex Ross, renowned New Yorker music critic and author of the international best seller and Pulitzer Prize finalist The Rest Is Noise, reveals how Richard Wagner became the proving ground for modern art and politics - an aesthetic war zone where the Western world wrestled with its capacity for beauty and violence.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Not Just for Wagner Experts!
- By Rupert Pupkin on 09-26-20
By: Alex Ross
-
The History of Rock & Roll
- Volume 1: 1920-1963
- By: Ed Ward
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 63
Ed Ward covers the first half of the history of rock & roll in this sweeping and definitive narrative - from the 1920s, when the music of rambling medicine shows mingled with the songs of vaudeville and minstrel acts to create the very early sounds of country and rhythm and blues, to the rise of the first independent record labels post-World War II, and concluding in December 1963, just as an immense change in the airwaves took hold and the Beatles prepared for their first American tour.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Better than several college texts on the topic
- By TL on 07-15-17
By: Ed Ward
-
This Is Your Brain on Music
- The Science of a Human Obsession
- By: Daniel J. Levitin
- Narrated by: Daniel J. Levitin
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 57
Whether you load your iPod with Bach or Bono, music has a significant role in your life - even if you never realized it. Why does music evoke such powerful moods? The answers are at last becoming clear, thanks to revolutionary neuroscience and the emerging field of evolutionary psychology. Both a cutting-edge study and a tribute to the beauty of music itself, This Is Your Brain on Music unravels a host of mysteries that affect everything from pop culture to our understanding of human nature.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Really boring.
- By alex velasquez on 11-24-20
-
Music Production Mastery:
- All You Need to Know About Producing Music, Songwriting, Music Theory and Creativity (Two Book Bundle)
- By: Tommy Swindali
- Narrated by: John York, Robert Plank
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 31
With all the music production advice out there, it can be very easy to get overwhelmed. You may get a vague idea of the general topic, but you're more likely to be confused, and you definitely won't have any workable knowledge. Well, the good news is this book changes that. Designed to take the complex world of music production, and explain it in simple terms. If you are a home-based musician then this is a must have for making your music sound professional. For the pros and semi-pros out there, this is a great book for understanding what good music production entails.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not for producers past any point of beginner
- By Clint on 11-11-20
By: Tommy Swindali
-
A History of Music in Western Civilization
- By: various
- Narrated by: various
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 57
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 25
From anonymous 10th-century troubadours to world-renowned 20th-century composers, this comprehensive commentary explores the roots of the most influential music genres of our time. Essential listening for students and lovers of great music, A History of Music in Western Civilization features music performed by world-renowned orchestras and enlightening discussions by 15 prominent music authorities, including Christopher Hogwood, Dr. Wilfrid Mellers, and others.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
a nice overview
- By NickBatonRouge on 04-25-11
By: various
-
England, the 1960s, and the Triumph of the Beatles
- By: Michael Shelden, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael Shelden
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
How did four young men from a faded old seaport in Northern England lead such an epic musical and cultural revolution? Why could the story of the Beatles only have happened in such a charged decade? What remains to be said about this British band that hasn’t been said before? Questions like these lie at the beating heart of these 12 lessons that offer a fresh look at how this celebrated band became one of the most compelling voices against the status quo.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Delightful and smart
- By Lee Ward on 12-12-20
By: Michael Shelden, and others
-
Great Masters: Shostakovich - His Life and Music
- By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 256
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 232
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 224
Dmitri Shostakovich is without a doubt one of the central composers of the 20th century. Drawing on both the flood of declassified documents from the Soviet Union that began in 1991 and Shostakovich's own extraordinarily frank posthumous reminiscences, Professor Greenberg shows how Shostakovich, who, in the words of a friend, "did not want to rot in a prison or a graveyard" was still unwilling to become a docile instrument of the Soviet regime.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Living the Great Terror
- By Cookie on 08-14-13
By: Robert Greenberg, and others
-
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
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 484
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 402
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 394
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.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Nearly everyone will get something out of this!
- By Tim on 02-18-11
By: John Powell
-
The 30 Greatest Orchestral Works
- By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 24 hrs and 53 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,204
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,082
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,061
Over the centuries, orchestral music has given us a category of works that stand apart as transcendent expressions of the human spirit. What are these "greatest of the greats"? Find out in these 32 richly detailed lectures that take you on a sumptuous grand tour of the symphonic pieces that continue to live at the center of our musical culture.These 30 masterworks form an essential foundation for any music collection and a focal point for understanding the orchestral medium and deepening your insight into the communicative power of music.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
If they cut off both hands, I will compose music..
- By Kristi R. on 02-01-15
By: Robert Greenberg, and others
-
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
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 86
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 88
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Music Man
- By whatithinkofstuff on 09-08-17
By: Jonathan Harnum
-
The Classical Music Book
- By: DK
- Narrated by: Peter Forbes
- Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 6
Including an insightful foreword by Katie Derham, The Classical Music Book analyses over 90 works by famous composers. From Thomas Tallis in the early period to baroque masters like Bach and Handel, to the classical genius of Beethoven and Wagner and beyond to the modern day, The Classical Music Book explores the key ideas underpinning the world's greatest classical compositions and musical traditions, and defines their importance to the musical canon, placing them into their wider social, cultural, and historical context.
By: DK
-
Bach and the High Baroque
- By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Robert Greenberg Ph.D. University of California Berkeley
- Length: 25 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 659
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 584
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 573
Though unappreciated in his own time, Johann Sebastian Bach has ascended to Olympian heights, the verdict of contemporary audiences long since overruled by succeeding generations of music lovers. But what makes his music great? In this series of 32 lectures, a working composer and musicologist brings his exceptional teaching skills to the task of helping you hear the extraordinary sweep of Bach's music. You'll understand the compositional language that enabled him to compose such extravagant, unbridled music while still maintaining precise control of every aspect - beat, melody, melodic repetition, interaction, and harmony.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Bach Treasure Box Opened by a True Enthusiast
- By Dickens Groupie on 09-07-13
By: Robert Greenberg, and others
-
Concert Masterworks
- By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 24 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 200
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 179
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 179
Have you ever thought about the creative process that boiled inside geniuses like Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorák, Strauss, Brahms, Mendelssohn, or Liszt-or any composer, for that matter?What goes through a composer's mind when a musical composition is being set to paper? Are those magical weeks or months spent in an agonizing creative blur of ideas first tried and then discarded, or it a matter of pure inspiration?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Down the rabbit hole with Dr. G!
- By Kindle Customer on 11-09-14
By: Robert Greenberg, and others
-
Composers
- Their Lives and Works
- By: DK
- Narrated by: Richard Trinder
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Introduced with more than 90 biographical entries that trace the friendships, loves, and rivalries that inspired each musical genius and their work. Profiles offer revealing insights into what drove each individual to create the musical masterpieces - symphonies, concertos, and operatic scores - that changed the direction of classical music and are still celebrated as masterpieces today.
By: DK
Publisher's Summary
David W. Barber has delighted fans around the world with Accidentals on Purpose, When the Fat Lady Sings, and other internationally best-selling books of musical humor. His best-selling Bach, Beethoven and the Boys chronicles the lives of the great (and not-so-great) composers, exploring their sex lives, exposing their foibles, and expanding on our understanding of these all-too-human creatures.
Filled with information, interesting facts, and trivia, this hilarious history covers music from Gregorian chant to the mess we're in now. From Bach's laundry lists to Beethoven's bowel problems, from Gesualdo's kinky fetishes to Cage's mushroom madness, Barber tells tales out of school that ought to be put back there (think how much more fun it would be if they taught this stuff).
"My heartiest commendation for an admirable work of scholarship.... I will not say again that it is funny, since this will compel you to set your jaw and dare Barber to make you laugh." (Anthony Burgess on Bach, Beethoven and the Boys)
What listeners say about Bach, Beethoven, and the Boys
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Ruffkutt
- 08-20-18
Wanted: More audiobooks from the author
Fun listen owed in large part to narrator JM George's patrician nobility accent which adds a Pythonesque quality. Would purchase Mr. Barber's other works as audiobooks with this form of narration.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 10-31-18
MARVELOUS
I highly recommend this to any student of music that has endured a 3:00pm music history class.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jack Frasier
- 03-02-19
funny and whimsical
very enjoyable and quick audiobook. only 3 hours or so. nice for funny history lesson
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jeri
- 04-11-20
The Most Fun You’ll Have Learning Something
A delightfully irreverent take on classical music 🎶 it is quite funny and definitely a great way to spend time. The narrator is a perfect fit for the material.