The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century @ richardeward.com

The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century
by Alex Ross
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

• Knows nothing about music
  I am astounded at the glowing reviews for this intellectual lightweight of a book about music in 20th century. Author Alex Ross does a frantic tap dance of maintaining a narrative with critical insights, but ultimately, he has created a vapid work of no real insight into 20th century music, except those created by popular tastes. In fact, no one I know in serious musical discussions considers his commentary worthwhile. I do not believe he understands anything about music in form, in taste, and in historical... more info

• jack's pick
  This is a great read. There are very few books on this subject.
  This book has taken some of the enigma out of this style of music.
  

• intellectually exciting
  This is an exhilirating intellectual tour de force. Ross is the best "describer" of music I've ever read. Music resists being put into words -- they are two very different media. But Ross has the ability to do this -- his descriptions of works I am familiar with is always both precise and exciting. He makes the reader hear or at least want to hear the music.
  But his major contribution is to fuse 20th century music with the many political and social forces that shaped it. His description of the... more info

• excelent introduction to 20th century music and its context
  This book addresses a long-standing desire to familiarize myself with 20th Century "classical" music. I really enjoyed it and found it a very educational resource for my musical exploration. I know the term "classical" is incorrect - call it concert music, music in the European tradition of composed music, art music, WHATEVER! For better or for worse using the term "classical" allows most people to know what you're talking about. For that reason I will use that term in the rest of the review.
  In a TV... more info

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