YEAR OF WONDER: Classical Music for Every Day
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
As featured in the Telegraph and on Radio 4's Today programme.
'A magnificent treasury . . . a fascinating tour de force.' Observer
'Year of Wonder is an absolute treat - the most enlightening way to be guided through the year.' Eddie Redmayne
Classical music for everyone - an inspirational piece of music for every day of the year, celebrating composers from the medieval era to the present day, written by award-winning violinist and BBC Radio 3 presenter Clemency Burton-Hill.
Have you ever heard a piece of music so beautiful it stops you in your tracks? Or wanted to discover more about classical music but had no idea where to begin?
Year of Wonder is a unique celebration of classical music by an author who wants to share its diverse wonders with others and to encourage a love for this genre in all readers, whether complete novices or lifetime enthusiasts.
Clemency chooses one piece of music for each day of the year, with a short explanation about the composer to put it into context, and brings the music alive in a modern and playful way, while also extolling the positive mindfulness element of giving yourself some time every day to listen to something uplifting or beautiful. Thoughtfully curated and expertly researched, this is a book of classical music to keep you company: whoever you are, wherever you're from.
'The only requirements for enjoying classical music are open ears and an open mind.'
Clemency Burton-Hill
Playlists are available on most streaming music platforms including Apple Music.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
BBC radio host Burton-Hill (The Other Side of the Stars) is an evangelist for classical music, arguing that it enriches peoples' lives, and she's devised this welcoming day-by-day listening guide for readers new to the form. For each day of the year, she suggests one short piece no longer than seven minutes and provides brief reflections it that describe the historical and social context of the music and the artist who composed it. The selections illustrate the stunning variety of classical music, ranging from familiar works by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart to less familiar works by Delhi-born Param Vir and Hildegard of Bingen, whose "O virtus sapientiae," Burton-Hill notes, "was written nearly a thousand years ago, by a very busy nun." She introduces listeners to Symphony in G Major by Joseph Boulange, the 18th-century artist generally regarded as the first classical composer of African ancestry and often called the black Mozart. She recommends 19th-century composer Vincenzo Bellini's "Casta Diva" from the opera Norma because it is a bel canto classic with graceful, flowing curves in the music. Burton-Hill's delightful and informative guide provides a daily dose of the beauty of classical music and also an enticing introduction to it.