The BEST book on contemporary music history. So entertaining and alive, so interesting and challenging. Being a composer myself, I have always had a kind of love-hate relationship towards a lot of contemporary classical music. I love many of the ideas of Stockhausen, Boulez and others, but don't always like how the outcome turned out. So I'm intrigued by a lot of modern classical music, but when at home, I'd rather put on a record with Purcell or Dufay.Ross' book explains the background to the composers' lives and their works, and places everything in a historical context that is very good to have in mind whilst listening to the music of the time. Quite often in the 20th century, classical music was meant to sound completely different to all other kinds of music, so it isn't odd that so many people find it difficult to listen to.There's no need to feel great aversion to modern music, since it has played such a great part in influencing things to come. The boring bit of so called "art music" is when it takes itself too seriously. A lot of music, such as Stockhausen's, opened many new doors, but the music is not something you would play during a fine dinner. It is supposed to be experienced with an open mind, and not be in the background.If you do or don't like modern classical music, this book is for you. It is simply that darn great. This is billed as a history of 20th century music, but really it's a study of the culture of 1900-1960 through the lens of music. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the interplay of economics (war, depression, boom & bust), politics and international affairs, theater & film, and literature with the music and performances of great composers, which basically created Modernism. The book drops off in quality by the 3/4 mark -- once you've read about the 60s, you're basically done. But everything before that is solid gold -- the men like Mahler & Stravinsky and Schonberg who set the wheels of modern music in motion; the silent suffering of brilliant minds like Prokoviev and Shostakovich under despotic regimes; the dirty underbelly of Nazi racism via music. Ross created a companion website with mp3 clips of many of the works he discusses. That's great too.
What do You think about The Rest Is Noise (2007)?
before this, I was like "wtf atonal aw;tijaw4t" after this, I was like "ALL THE SCHOENBERG"
—princesscourtni
This book was so good it has me listening to 20th century classical music.
—ges3367
A must read for anybody interested in the music of 20th century
—ruzanna
Excellent beginning. The rest is noise...
—charleenta
