The Book of Musical Knowledge
Arthur Elson
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
This book has been planned with a view to placing before the general reader the main facts that will enable him to appreciate music intelligently. One often hears the remark, "I’m fond of music, but I don’t understand it." The present work has been written with the idea of enabling the non-musician to comprehend the real meaning of the tonal art, and to familiarize himself with the value of the great composers’ works, the use of the instruments, the various musical forms, and a number of subjects of similar importance.
At the same time, certain other technical topics have been included. While these have been presented in such a way as to be understood by the non-musician, they have been given with sufficient thoroughness to make the work useful also as a textbook. It is therefore fitted to the needs of students and teachers, as well as amateurs. An effort has been made to condense the chief points of a general musical education into a single volume. While this book should prove of interest to the average reader, a course of study has been added, which will make it suitable for use in high schools or colleges also, or in any institution that aims to give a course in the understanding of music. - Summary by Preface
NOTE: As with all historical texts, the language used in this volume should be interpreted within the context of the entire work and the cultural context of its publication. (23 hr 42 min)
Chapters
Primitive and Savage Music | 23:52 | Read by Gillian Hendrie |
Greece and Rome | 24:51 | Read by LadyBirdD |
Early Christian Music | 19:36 | Read by LuellaMargaret |
The Minstrel Knights | 23:11 | Read by Ben Ellis |
The Schools of Counterpoint | 31:08 | Read by Beeswaxcandle |
The Harmonic Style | 19:40 | Read by Ben Ellis |
Bach | 25:54 | Read by Andrew Mauls Byron |
Handel | 18:03 | Read by tshoes76 |
Gluck | 15:59 | Read by John Leloup |
Haydn | 17:19 | Read by Julie Anne Thompson |
Mozart | 23:55 | Read by tshoes76 |
Beethoven | 32:58 | Read by Jane Park |
Schubert | 22:16 | Read by jenno |
Weber and Romanticism | 17:09 | Read by Gillian Hendrie |
Mendelssohn | 19:50 | Read by John Leloup |
Schumann | 20:55 | Read by Chuck Lavazzi |
Chopin | 22:00 | Read by Jane Park |
Italian Opera | 32:15 | Read by Chuck Lavazzi |
Cherubini and French Opera | 23:38 | Read by Chuck Lavazzi |
Berlioz and Other Frenchmen | 22:37 | Read by Jennifer Wilson |
Liszt and his Circle | 24:49 | Read by Jane Park |
From Glinka to Tschaikovsky | 29:00 | Read by Olga10K |
Wagner and his Reforms | 36:11 | Read by Michael Fassio |
Brahms and the Symphonists | 23:19 | Read by LadyBirdD |
Grieg and the Northern Countries | 22:57 | Read by Julie Anne Thompson |
Strauss and Recent Germans | 35:48 | Read by John Leloup |
Franck and Modern France | 27:40 | Read by Chuck Lavazzi |
The Russian School | 26:01 | Read by Douglas Wood |
Other European Nations | 53:39 | Read by Julie Anne Thompson |
America | 44:55 | Read by Douglas Wood |
Melody and Appreciation | 20:06 | Read by Jane Park |
Figures and Phrases | 19:02 | Read by Jane Park |
The Song-Forms | 16:09 | Read by Jennifer Wilson |
The Rondos | 12:57 | Read by PaulGrancio |
The Sonata-Allegro Form | 14:36 | Read by Andrew Mauls Byron |
Other Sonata Movements | 11:17 | Read by Julie Anne Thompson |
The Orchestral Forms | 12:05 | Read by Douglas Wood |
Dances and Piano Styles | 24:04 | Read by Douglas Wood |
The Vocal Forms | 14:47 | Read by Cathy S. |
The Contrapunctual Forms | 24:22 | Read by Lori Arsenault |
The Piano and its Predecessors | 20:04 | Read by Louis Hehman |
The Organ | 19:17 | Read by Adrian Stephens |
The Voice | 19:13 | Read by Tim Rowe |
The Violin | 21:55 | Read by Julie Anne Thompson |
Other Bowed Instruments | 17:04 | Read by Douglas Wood |
Pluck-String Instruments | 16:02 | Read by LuellaMargaret |
Flute and Piccolo | 17:08 | Read by ShrimpPhish |
Oboe and English Horn | 16:23 | Read by Lori Arsenault |
The Bassoons | 14:11 | Read by ShrimpPhish |
The Clarinets | 13:25 | Read by Mythili |
Horns, Trumpets and Cornets | 15:46 | Read by Gillian Hendrie |
Trombones and Tubas | 11:46 | Read by Douglas Wood |
Instruments of Percussion | 15:55 | Read by dporter3744 |
Some Famous Pianists | 24:53 | Read by Louis Hehman |
Some Famous Singers | 24:29 | Read by jenno |
Violinists and Violin Music | 18:14 | Read by Arnav Darnal |
Orchestration | 11:59 | Read by CaptainWedlly |
Conducting | 16:23 | Read by Cathy S. |
Acoustics | 36:08 | Read by Andrew Mauls Byron |
How to Read Music Part 1 | 1:00:44 | Read by lightcrystal |
How to Read Music Part 2 | 20:56 | Read by lightcrystal |
Appendix: Important Music Terms | 39:38 | Read by AliceStein |