Review of 'The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Very complete examination of twentieth century classical music, including the effects from and on people, politics, and other forms of music - from jazz and musicals to punk and hip-hop. The effects of World War II (many composers were Jewish, gay, or both) is strongly felt, but the impact of other politics is also shown.
This is very much an examination of western music, and while influences from Africa color many earlier compositions, Asian countries don't come into play until the end. But this doesn't hit every composer either - the focus is on those who step outside the norm in many ways, including obscure harmonies and outright oddities. These are well represented by author Alex Ross, who deftly describes the tones, textures and timbres of various pieces.
It is not a short book or a breezy read, and apparently the individual chapters (which mostly stand alone) have been released …
Very complete examination of twentieth century classical music, including the effects from and on people, politics, and other forms of music - from jazz and musicals to punk and hip-hop. The effects of World War II (many composers were Jewish, gay, or both) is strongly felt, but the impact of other politics is also shown.
This is very much an examination of western music, and while influences from Africa color many earlier compositions, Asian countries don't come into play until the end. But this doesn't hit every composer either - the focus is on those who step outside the norm in many ways, including obscure harmonies and outright oddities. These are well represented by author Alex Ross, who deftly describes the tones, textures and timbres of various pieces.
It is not a short book or a breezy read, and apparently the individual chapters (which mostly stand alone) have been released as smaller books. It definitely could be a textbook for a music appreciation or theory course, while remaining accessible to the rest of us. The end of the book provides a list of recommended recordings, and the author gives an even more comprehensive list on his website. When reading the description of a piece like Metastasis by Iannis Xenakis, hearing it is beyond valuable. With much or all of this freely available in one form or another, there's no excuse not to.
I have been a musician for most of my life, at various times singing Schoenberg or playing Shostakovich, playing Bartok or singing Britten. That said, I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommended!