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emlocke's review
4.0
For me, the companion playlist (http://www.therestisnoise.com/2007/10/twentieth-centu.html) and audio samples (http://www.therestisnoise.com/2007/01/book-audiofiles.html) online are essential and enlightening elements. Alex Ross and the music he explores enhanced my understanding of historical events and figures that I already knew and made approachable those that were unfamiliar. It reads a little like a snapshot album or a timeline, going from chapter to chapter (from piece to piece in The New Yorker) without showing tight, linear connections (maybe they just don't exist). Tackling classical music for the first time (you can't even Google the lyrics!) was less daunting in the comfortable territory of the 20th-century.
rachbreads's review
informative
slow-paced
4.75
...even if history can never tell us exactly what music means, music can tell us something about history.
This book was an incredible piece of work that showed how music, musicians, and composers changed over the course of the twentieth century, and how much that really had to do with politics and world events. I thought Ross's writing style was so engaging and clear - I never got bored reading this book despite the dense amount of information it contained.
My one criticism is that from a feminist perspective, this book really falls short. I understand that he had to focus on the major composers of the century, and hardly any of those composers were women. But to talk about a century's worth of music making and hardly any women to show up at all....that's problematic to me. Nadia Boulanger got three sentences, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge wasn't mentioned at all, nor was Amy Beach or Florence Price. I don't think an overview of music history is complete without talking about what women have historically contributed to music.
kevinpearce's review
3.0
If you're looking for a way to discover some new works of music from the 20th Century that you haven't heard yet, this is it. There are many interesting stories of composers from last century across the world, and it can lead you to appreciate music you had never heard before.
It isn't exactly a page-turner though, and it's very dense. If you like that, go for it.
It isn't exactly a page-turner though, and it's very dense. If you like that, go for it.
rainbow1218's review
I do not have the music theory background at this time to enjoy the book
bpicillo's review
4.0
(3.5/5) Helpful in connecting lots of dots in my modern musical knowledge. I often wasn't sure who this book was written for; most of it feels like it's for anyone interested in the topic but it does dive into music theory and analysis of works. It also wanders at time and sometimes loses track of the overall narrative. Still enjoyed it though.