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A review by spacewhombus
Declassified: How Anyone Can Listen To--And Fall in Love With--Classical Music by Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ah this was exactly what I was hoping it was!!! A really lovely mix of memoir and fun guide to classical music, from all the different musical periods, recommended pieces and composers, explanations of what the heck the difference is between symphonies/concertos/sonatas, listening tips, etc.
Some reviewers were disappointed by this and were hoping for more of a technical guide to classical music and less of a memoir, but I found that I loved this even more than I would have had there been no memoir aspect. That being said, if you are not a fan of memoirs, especially those with a funny and sarcastic voice, then you might want to stay away from this one. If you do like funny memoirs, then definitely give this a try even if you aren't interested in learning about classical music! The author's writing about what it was like to grow up as a privileged musical kid and play professionally as an adult (and also why she quit!) was very interesting to read since I have never had even one foot on that life path.
This is actually also a very quick read, but I took longer because I made playlists of all the stuff she was recommending and tried to listen to things along the way. I liked some classical music before, but never had the words to describe why I liked it or what I might then want to search for next that could be similar, and now I feel like I have such a better understanding of this "genre" and its variety. Rock on, Romantic and Contemporary classical music (and lowkey Medieval too.. the author hates Medieval music with a passion but it kind of slaps?), and sorry to the piano but I just Do Not Like It and prefer literally everything else and now I know that is due to its timbre!
I also loved that this was not just about orchestras and symphonies and stuff but that she included ballets and operas and choral music too! Again with great lists of recommendations to listen to/see. It was also wild how much classical music most people probably know from random commercials or movies, and now I know what they actually are called or who wrote them and when (and how professional musicians feel about playing them a billion times). Even like the typical bridal walk song, is a classical music piece! Maybe common knowledge but not to me! The author even provides a list of other pieces she would recommend for weddings, and another for chill background music. The lists are so extensive!
At the very least you can get a ton of cool Spotify recs from this- there is simply so much music suggested that everyone is bound to find something they really like. Definitely recommend!
Ah this was exactly what I was hoping it was!!! A really lovely mix of memoir and fun guide to classical music, from all the different musical periods, recommended pieces and composers, explanations of what the heck the difference is between symphonies/concertos/sonatas, listening tips, etc.
Some reviewers were disappointed by this and were hoping for more of a technical guide to classical music and less of a memoir, but I found that I loved this even more than I would have had there been no memoir aspect. That being said, if you are not a fan of memoirs, especially those with a funny and sarcastic voice, then you might want to stay away from this one. If you do like funny memoirs, then definitely give this a try even if you aren't interested in learning about classical music! The author's writing about what it was like to grow up as a privileged musical kid and play professionally as an adult (and also why she quit!) was very interesting to read since I have never had even one foot on that life path.
This is actually also a very quick read, but I took longer because I made playlists of all the stuff she was recommending and tried to listen to things along the way. I liked some classical music before, but never had the words to describe why I liked it or what I might then want to search for next that could be similar, and now I feel like I have such a better understanding of this "genre" and its variety. Rock on, Romantic and Contemporary classical music (and lowkey Medieval too.. the author hates Medieval music with a passion but it kind of slaps?), and sorry to the piano but I just Do Not Like It and prefer literally everything else and now I know that is due to its timbre!
I also loved that this was not just about orchestras and symphonies and stuff but that she included ballets and operas and choral music too! Again with great lists of recommendations to listen to/see. It was also wild how much classical music most people probably know from random commercials or movies, and now I know what they actually are called or who wrote them and when (and how professional musicians feel about playing them a billion times). Even like the typical bridal walk song, is a classical music piece! Maybe common knowledge but not to me! The author even provides a list of other pieces she would recommend for weddings, and another for chill background music. The lists are so extensive!
At the very least you can get a ton of cool Spotify recs from this- there is simply so much music suggested that everyone is bound to find something they really like. Definitely recommend!