Declassified
A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
“A refreshingly fun guide” that reads “as if you’re a fly on the wall in conservatory auditions, cutthroat competitions and the obsessive practice routines of professional musicians.” (The New York Times)
Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch’s life-long fascination with classical music has taken her through Juilliard and into the shiny world of symphony halls and international concert tours. She’s loved classical music her whole life. But she’s also hated classical music her whole life. After all, if you can like Beyoncé without liking Bieber, you can certainly like Brahms without liking Bach—especially since they were born 148 years apart and the thing we call “classical music” is really just centuries of compositions shoved into one hodge-podge of a genre.
In Declassified, Warsaw-Fan Rauch blows through the cobwebs of elitism and exclusion and invites everyone to love and hate this music as much as she does. She offers a backstage tour of the industry and equips you for every listening scenario, covering: the 7 main compositional periods (even the soul-crushingly depressing Medieval period), a breakdown of the instruments and their associated personality types (apologies to violists and conductors), what it’s like to be a musician at the highest level (it’s hard), how to steal a Stradivarius (and make no money in the process), and when to clap during a live performance (also: when not to). Declassified cheekily demystifies the world of High Art while making the case that classical music matters, perhaps now more than ever.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Insisting that classical music isn't merely for snobs, former professional violinist Rauch teaches readers "how to hear and truly appreciate" the art form in her scrupulous debut. In addition to attempting to dispel common stereotypes—from the "type A violinists to the rowdy, bald, brass-playing fraternity brothers of the orchestra"—the Juilliard graduate offers insight on musical terms, composition choices, concert etiquette, and shares a brief history of prodigious musicians ranging from Mozart to contemporary late-bloomer Yo-Yo Ma ("He's often referred to as a prodigy... but there's a recording of him performing at a benefit concert when he was seven—and at that age, he wasn't one"). She also dives into the darker side of classical music training, weaving in unsparing details of the extremes she went to, to ensure her success at Juilliard: "I once drank a whole liter of unsweetened, undiluted cranberry juice because I was peeing blood and I would have had to give up my practice room... to seek medical attention." While she acknowledges that violinists "struggle with arrogance," her acerbic humor unwittingly illustrates the fact: in one instance, Rauch sums up Juilliard's renown as "great because it means I can go around using its name to intimidate my kids' sing-along instructors." This insider's look at a rarefied world is sure to intrigue music lovers.
