Opera for Dummies by David Pogue (1997-09-23)

I really hated this. I WAS learning some things as I read it, but at what cost? These guys Pogue and Speck - were SO sarcastic in almost EVERY sentence you wanted to beat them over the head. Overall, it was like listening to fingernails screech on a blackboard while trying to learn something you were very interested in. Also, their own "interpretations" of composer's lives leaves much to be desired. Everything you're learning you're learning through Pogue and Speck's eyes! Their write-up on Tchaikovsky makes great assumptions about his life which are needlessly distracting. I understand they decided to embrace the notion that Tchaikovsky was gay, but elaborating on it is simply a lie because they do not know and they were not there and the man is not here to speak for himself. The rest of the biographies couldn't be trusted either - they chose to emphasize the worst of every composer and play-up gossip about each one! Again though, the most annoying thing was their stupid stupid stupid attempts at sarcasm in every sentence. Some occasional wit would have been fine, but these guys needed a good sound thrashing and told to shut up!

The authors know their stuff; they cover every aspect of opera. Probably my favorite part of the book is the enclosed cd with selections from various operas. The authors give detailed instructions about each selected opera so that the reader/listener can learn what is unique about each piece played.

The authors have wit and style and explain things in clear, jargon-free language. I learned so much about all aspects of opera: From buying a ticket to learning how to get backstage after the play.

I can't think of enough good things to say about this book; I have other opera books that just recount the storyline of the major operas. This book does so much more. I walked away from this book with a new appreciation for opera -- and these authors.

I feel compelled to give a standing ovation to the Authors of this book. I'll admit it, I'm an opera lover and live for the purity of moment when a human voice, a dynamic orchestra, and a fantastic stage setting all come together in a powerful moment and literally raise every hair across my body. That thrill is rapturous and intoxicating.
When I first picked up the book, even I was skeptical about how interesting this book could be. However, from the opening page the humor in it had me laughing while giving me a greater insight into the opera world. You'll get an education in the components of opera, styles of opera, composers and their contributions, opera etiquette and some just plain fascinating stories about the lives of people who advanced this art form.
If the Authors could give High School students across the country some of the toungue in cheek insight into opera this book is filled with, we would see a dramatic increase in the opera crowd and gain new converts in the process.
Opera seems to be on the rise thanks in part to a book like this, Broadway Musicals and movies such as Moulin Rouge that allow people to take baby steps towards the ulitmate, bonafide, time honored Classics. Way to go David Pogue & Scott Speck, you definately deserve a Bravi! (Note to readers, see page 134 under variations of Bravo)

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. For instance, the authors were very successful in describing the history of classical music in 80 pages. That section is organized by composer, giving the reader a 2-3 page description of the life, work, and unique contributions of the major composers (e.g., Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, etc.) and a 1 page description of the less influential composers (e.g., Mahler, Sibelius, etc.) After reading that section of the book, I found that I'm familiar with 80-90% of the composers whose work is played on classical radio in our area (WNYC New York).
The book also contains a CD which has some very well known pieces (e.g., excerpts from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony) and some less well known pieces. I thought the read-along descriptions of these pieces in the book were very well done and quite helpful in developing a good "ear" for classical music.
The book could have been improved in at least one area. I thought the shameless hawking of the publisher's other related book "Opera For Dummies" was excessive - it seemed like every other page had some quip about why the reader should buy the other book. I kept asking myself, "Why did I pay $20-25 for this book and then have to endure commercials for other books on every other page????" Hopefully, this can be addressed in the next edition of the book.
In general, this book is a great way for laypeople to improve their knowledge in this fascinating area quickly so that they can begin enjoying classical music to a greater extent.

I've always liked listening to Classical Music but didn't know my Brahms from my Bach. I decided recently to try and learn more about this music. There are plenty of books that are hard to read and technical and then there's this book. This is a great crash course in classical music. Learn what all those Allegro con moto things mean. How many movements are there in a symphony, in a concerto?
The book contains a ton of short light biographies on composers along with nice recommendations. Besides that, the book comes with a CD with nine selections of classical music that are broken down moment by moment in the book. It was sheer joy learning how sophisticated and structured the music is. How themes are introduced and worked, how some works tell stories or represent storms, tranquil seasons or the struggles of heros!
If you know almost nothing about classical music and want a great introduction, this is the book. I read it cover to cover in a week and now I can't stay out of the library, I'm too busy listening to classical music with a much greater appreciation!!

My music education, having been neglected, is in better shape after I read this book. The appendices direct the reader where to start buying good classical music, the names of the various works, and their difficulty.

The authors do an amazing job of condensing 2000 years of classical music into one slim book.

The attached CD is very helpful. Chapter 5 explains the eight selections on the CD. There is a represenative sample of the best composers on it.

The authors try a little too hard to be funny. They seem to feel they have to end every paragraph with a one liner. I ignored this annoying trait because the rest of the book is so informative.

I plan to start my classical music collection soon.

This is a great book. But there's nothing "dumb" or "for dummies" about it. Any person who is bright and has a sense of humor and who is just beginning to be interested in opera will find this funny, clever, irreverent book to be fascinating. Plus, the included CD is of high quality and has a great selection of tracks.
In sum, this book (while being not as hefty or as chock full of information as competing introduction-to-opera guides) is an intelligant, useful, user-friendly welcome to the universe of opera. The genuine passion of the authors shines through, a trait not found in many of the more traditional guides. All in all, "Opera for Dummies" is not at all for dummies, and is a "must-have" item for the opera beginner.

The authors were informative, and kept it interesting and real, throughout.
They used just enough humor, interspersed with many facts, which prompted me to
either look up the term, listen to the music on UTube, or look to see if my public
library had MORE books on the particular composer they would mention.
I highly, highly recommend this book, for anyone who loves classical music, but doesn't
have much knowledge about the basics, and would like to learn more.
I even emailed the authors, and both were pleasant, and helped me find more out about
classical music history.
This book also comes in audiobook form.

This books deserves a BRAVO!

You have to be careful with the Dummies series. Some authors use humor with discretion, others, as in this case, lard on so much humor that it gets in the way of learning and turns what should be a pleasure into an ordeal of extracting the useful information from the attempt at clever wise-cracks, puns and general satire.

Yes, there is information here if you are willing to work to get it, but a good 50% of the text is gratuitous laughs. There are other books, such as "The Classical Music Experience" by Jacobson, that treat the reader as someone intelligent who seeks to know rather than to be entertained.

The best advice is to go to the library and look in the music appreciation section. You'll find many superior alternatives to this book.

My mother is a singer, and I fought against Opera, Classical Music, etc. through my childhood and teen years. I never took the time to understand it. As an Audiobook addict, I picked this up and absolutely loved it. The authors are quite funny and teach you to think of Opera as entertainment. It goes through Opera's history, how it is perceived in other lands, do's and dont's of opera, and helps you understand how to get the most out of it. It really makes you want to see one! In fact, I ran to the library and checked out Don Giovanni! This audio book gives you the tools to begin exploring Opera for your own benefit...and will be a big plus in case you are ever a Millionaire or Jeopardy contestant!

I bought this book to learn more about Classical music, what am I listening to? What era? Is it the entire work or an excerpt? ...and so on. Unfortunately, every paragraph ends with some horrible attempt at a joke, sometimes more than one. I tried, but I made it about 10 pages and started looking for another book.

Many avenues of culture are closed deliberately to people by insiders who use the jargon of the trade with sophistication and snobbery to raise themselves above the poor unknowing multitudes who have not a clue what is being said.
Here, authors do a credible and entertaining aid of unpacking the wonderful world of classical music. As one internet classical station puts it, "Classical music without the attitude."
Here, although they do make light of it, it aids the uninformed what is at the heart of things classical. From different periods, to how to attend a concert, to beginning a CD collection, to understanding some theory, this is just excellent entrance.
Especially fascinating are the peeks into this world, e.g. the audition of the flute players, divorced and their trials at securing a major symphony chair.
The interactive materials with CD make their points well, and aid many in enjoying more fully this delightful world.

Yes. Everybody is an expert. I've almost given up on making my bed. AND I'M 48! Why does the informational community ASSUME that we know certain things? In "Cooking for Dummies", I didn't want to know how to make a Greek soufle or whatever...now read my lips...I WANTED TO LEARNED HOW TO COOK! And it told me how. The classical music bit is much harder to crack. "That was a 4 flute concerto by List in D flat" they say on the radio. Oh yeah! Of course. Everybody knows that catchy tune! I love this book. I keep playing the CD they give you over and over again on my stereo. It will break you in. I doubt any other book will. But this one will. And when your date or spouse says, "Do you like Baroque?", you won't have to say, "No. That's okay. I have enough money." This book is a Godsend. If you really love rock or rap, give this jazz (oops! I said an unintentional funny) a try. I've had my ears cleaned my the Who and Jimi Hendrix. So gives this other weird but magnificent universe a try. I think that I am going to stay in this galaxy of melody (did I say that? A "galaxy of melody"? And my college teachers said I was gifted). Let's get on with it. BUY THE BOOK!

I bought this book when I knew absolutely nothing about opera, other than a lot of big people sing very loudly in Italian.
After reading this excellent book, I now consider myself an opera snob, I mean I know when to say Bravo or Brava or Bravi. Okay, well actualy I am not an opera snob, but after reading this book I know enough about opera to be one, if I so chose.
For anyone who wants to know anything and everything about opera this is an excellent resource. It is entertaining and Pogue and Speck have a humorous and easy to follow style. I highly recommend this book.

This book is wonderful from start to finish. They make classical music very accessible and do a fine mix of the tedious and the exciting. I have found my interest in classical music skyrocketing since reading this book. The included CD is splendid and has made me a Damon Evans fan (and here (I thought he was just George Jefferson's son...and, yes, he was). In short...BUY THIS BOOK!!!!

Classical Music for Dummies is a wonderful introduction to the world of classical music.
The authors have taken a subject that is often regarded by the non-enthusiast as hopelessly highbrow and made it approachable and fun.
I found the brief history of classical music informative and entertaining, and the frequent integrated references to the CD (included with the book) set this volume apart from many others on the subject.
But it's not all history. The authors also describe how various instruments produce sound. They take us back stage and give us insight into how an audition for a major orchestra works. And they provide the best intro to basic music theory that I've come across. No prior knowledge is assumed.
Highly recommended.

In the school of the "--For Dummies" introductions to basically every topic in life, David Pogue is the class clown. I became acquainted with his breezy style in the "Macs for Dummies" series. Here he leaves the dry world of computers for the even drier world of classical music and succeeds in making it accessible and fun. Along with Scott Speck, he tackles topics like the entire history of music in 80 pages, how to upgrade your seat in a live concert for free, and why the shoes of brass players tend to stick to the stage. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels there's more to classical music than the movie "Amadeus". The tone in "Classical Music for Dummies" is refreshingly irreverent. They even have a little "snob alert" icon to prepare you for the blusters of philharmonic poseurs. Be warned though that the constant stream of one-liners in the book tend to miss as often as hit. One other word of warning: forget the video portion of the attached CD-ROM. It's worthless and actually corrupted some of my computer files. Just listen to the CD through your stereo and follow along in Chapter 5 of the book. After reading the book and listening to the CD I'm fired up to broaden my classical music CD collection and attend more live symphonies - upgrading my seat for free, of course.

Funny, entertaining, and packed with very important information, such as that Handel's name is pronounced HEN'del, that you might be able to snub an opera snob by talking a bunch of nonsense about such things as legato, rubato and da capos, and and that it is often possible to sneak in to the opera during intermissions because the ticket-takers don't check to make sure you've got a ticket! I have not yet tried going to the backstage entrance and giving my name to the security guards to possibly be chosen to meet with the opera stars. But I will. Get this book, it will hold your interest and make you well informed.

These same authors wrote Opera for Dummies, a book I enjoyed very much. So I gave this one a try too.

The pluses:
I enjoyed the sections on the composers, their lives, and their notable works, as well as the section on the instruments in the orchestra and the personality types that play them. I also liked that the authors go into the definitions and structures of symphonies, sonatas, concertos, etc.

The minuses:
Much of the material in this book is identical to that in Opera for Dummies. But then of course you can't blame the authors for not re-writing the biographies of the composers for each separate book. But the thing I was most disappointed in was the very large musical theory section in this book. I felt this would be more suited to a "Music for Dummies" book. It's not necessarily necessary to understand music theory in order to appreciate classical music. I would have liked more biographies of lesser known composers; or more discussions of particularly famous works of classical music.

All in all I appreciate the approachable nature of this book.

I had the pleasure of hearing the audiobook. My sons (ages 18 and 11) and I frequently take long car trips, so audiobooks are essential. My 11 year old usually falls asleep in the middle of the first tape of any audiobook (except Stephen King), but Opera For Dummies kept his attention throughout. I don't know how the book would fare, but the audiobook was funny, informative, and the perfect length to whet any music-lover's appetite.

I wasn't expecting to be entertained when I picked up Opera for Dummies, but the book is like having a personal stand-up comedian (and one who is well informed in all things operatic) around your house to tell you stories about opera and systematically building up your knowledge in it.
But make no mistake, this is not "merely" a funny book, it is a well researched miniature course on opera. If schoolteachers and professors taught the way the authors of this book do, I'd been a Nobel laureate years ago as opposed to not yet... Imagine attending an opera class taught by Victor Borge or Eddie Izzard , and you'll get my drift.
With a sound music background the authors can make generalizations of opera phenomena, getting beginner going; e.g. telling what kind of "voices" usually play what kinds of characters, etc.
Even if you will never go to opera, reading this book is worth your time (and I am not related to the authors).
I am writing these lines at 1:55 a.m. while suffering from stomach influenza and fever, and although I feel like I'd eaten acouple of kilos of soap, shampoo and baking powder, I don't mind being awake as this book keeps me company.
P.S. A minor minus, but not one concerning the book itself: The enclosed CD tried to install Quicktime without informing me whether it would be replacing my newer version with an older one or vice versa. When I tried to cancel the installation (leaving my version of Qt intact and skipping the installation of the version on the CD was not an option) my Win98 halted like a donkey, and only got going after two power-ups and some automatic file recovering. I might just stick to listening to the CD with my CD player while browsing the book. (No big deal, really.)
By the way, during my life I have seen one opera, Don Pasquale. I considered it higly (and hopefully unimitably) boring. This stomach thing is much more fun than that opera was. (Feh!) Maybe one day I will go to see some other opera; now that I know which ones I might hate the least.
A flu patient from Finland.

If you love--or would like to at least understand--classical music, then this is the book to read. It is fun, quick and not so technical or snooty as many books on this subject. In fact, it's not snooty at all. I learned a bunch I had no idea of, reaffirmed things I did know, and corrected several misconceptions. Read this if you are going to be around "high-brow" snooty types and then just smile quietly as they rattle on and on. Little will they know that you "understand the language."

If you want to educate yourself on classical music and are serious about it then stay well away from this book.

To begin with the book has , as far as I know, the worse history of music ever written. Pogue's and Speck's views on history of music are arrogant, mean spirited, prejudiced, misleading and extremely dumbed down.

I always liked classical music but, in the last years, I decided to educate myself on classical music and started to read about it, to compare and select performances etc. I ordered this book after a quick "look inside". It was a mistake. I traded the book for £1.10 on the store UK, more than this book is worth

The first thing I check when I read about history of music is what the author has to say about Wagner. It always give me a good idea of how good the book is.

The authors say that Wagner was an "arrogant, dishonest, jealous, hypocritical, racist, sexist scumbag". ( page 56 ). I was shocked by the mediocrity, cowardice and hypocrisy of Pogue and Speck.

They even write a justification for having Wagner in the book as they obviously considered not even including Wagner in the 80 pages of the book dedicated to history of music.
This is what they wrote: " We included Wagner in this particular opus, however, for three reasons".

I would like to see Pogue and Specks calling sexist or racist some extremely popular Reggae and Hip Hop singers . Say, after listening to songs preaching the killing of homosexuals or calling women "bitches". To call a woman a "bitch" is worse
than anything that Wagner ever said about women but Pogue and Speck would never dare to criticise in public hip hop singers as they criticised Wagner. It is a sign of their cowardice, their mediocrity.

I think the best way to show the real face of Pogue and Speck is to compare what
they wrote about Wagner with what other authors wrote. Let's see:

The A-Z of Classic FM music, by Henley and Lihoreau on page 163 : "...he possessed deeply unpleasant views and was racist, egotistical and often completely amoral. But, unpalatable though such views were and are, there is no gainsaying the undeniable beauty , power and sheer grandeur of his best work".

This book will mislead uninitiated people who are trying to know more about classical music. They don't mention, for example, how the Lutheran Church was absolutely central in Bach's life and work. Maybe because any Christian religion is politically incorrect?

When they describe Beethoven (BAY-toe-ven. The dumbing down of this book goes to the length of teaching how to pronounce Beethoven's name )
they mentioned how his "fiery personality got him in fights with his landlords and girlfriends". What girlfriends?

And, about fighting with landlords because of his "fiery personality": Was Bach a "fiery" man too? He was in constant rows with Leipzig City Council on wages and other matters and he even got involved in a street fight because he criticised a singer.

They say that Beethoven's letter about going deaf was "pathetic and courageous". Pathetic? Really? The letter is described by John Suchet, who wrote several books about Beethoven, as "poignant". A word far more appropriate than "pathetic".
Pathetic? The guy was going deaf in a time when medicine was pretty much impotent to deal with most serious health matters. It wasn't only going death, I am sure. It was also the idea that he didn't know what was going on, why he was going deaf and if there was any way to stop or slow the process down.

They criticised New York's ruthlessness but they don't seem to be any better when they decided that Beethoven's letter was pathetic. No wonder that their advice on concert manners is so idiotic. Go there and applaud between movements. The two stooges write about "the insane no clap policy".

Unless you are in a film festival, the audience will not clap during a film. That never stopped people of enjoying cinema. But the authors think that the lack of claps is one of the reasons why classical music is not so popular as it was in the past.

Authoritarianism and a deep anti democratic spirit is typical from politically correct minds, such as the authors of this book. They pretend to be civilised, modern, progressive and so on but they are really small time dictators who would like to erase from history of the the most influential names of classical music and consider "insane" anyone who doesn't agree with their dumbed down view of how to behave in a concert. They say that classical music was, in the past, like rock concerts today. This is one of the most misleading statements of this book and shows frames of mind that favour sameness instead of diversity.

The book has, besides its pedestrian history of music and its awful guide of how to behave in a concert, whole sections about musical theory, instruments and so on. My problem there is that, after seeing what they did with music history, I don't trust them and have no interest in reading any further.

If you are trying to educate yourself on classical music and want serious, open minded books then I would suggest the following:

The Oxford History of Western Music - College Edition - by Richard Taruskin and Christopher Gibbs . 1200 pages.

Listening to Music, by Craig Wright 7th edition. Here, it is very important that you get the seventh edition because it is easy to find and order the cds that accompany the book.

The A-Z of Classic FM, by Darren Henley and Tim Lihoreau

I thought I was pretty knowing of classical music, but I bought this book anyway, hoping to gain a little more knowledge. This book was extremely funny and it still told enough about classical music to really appreciate it. I would reccomend this book to anyone, especially if they never enjoyed classical music before.

I basically enjoy the "Dummies" books... I find the information often extremely insightful and helpful. It also is a great pleasure to order the books through the store.com and be spared the 'embarrassment' of having to march up to the local bookstore counter with a "Dummies" book in tow. That being said, this book at times seems painfully silly. Although obviously now somewhat dated, comparing Paganini to "Saddam Hussein," Vivaldi to a "Xerox machine," and commenting that without Beethoven, "we'd have no Barry Manilow," are just a few examples of pithy comments from the authors. Of course, the basic aim of these books is to be entertaining and to reach out to individuals. The book is funny and perhaps needs to be given the fact that most people approach the subject with a lot of trepidation and a readiness to be bored out of their minds. However, fewer sarcastic remarks and far reaching attempts to be 'humorous' is something this book could do without.

This is an excellent book for people who knows nothing or too little about classical music. I read it and I found it funny and esay to read. It shows you why not to be afraid of going to concerts and tries to demonstrate that that music is not only for snobs. You can learn about music history, instruments, music theory,notes,how to go to a concert and so on. The CD it contains is not really good, but the way the book introduces you to the classical music world is worth.

This is a very good entry level book, about classical music.

It's fun to read and it's written in an easy to understand level.

I recomend this book for all the people who likes classical music and wants to learn more before moving to more serious books.

This book is perfect for beginners who enjoy listening to classical music and trying to understand it. If you want to learn about the things you should know before listening to classical music then this book is just for you.

This book has a different "dummies" approach to opera, which is very entertaining. This is excellent, easily readable and very comprehensive. The "50 big cahunas" gives a good introduction to these operas.