Table of Contents

Preface. Foreword. Introduction. Part I: Welcome to the Classics. Chapter 1: Prying Open the Classical Music Oyster. Chapter 2: The Entire History of Music in 80 Pages. Chapter 3: How to Spot a Sonata. Part II: Listen Up! Chapter 4: Dave 'n' Scott's E-Z Concert Survival Guide. Chapter 5: A Spin through Your Free CD. Part III: A Field Guide to the Orchestra. Chapter 6: Keyboards & Co. Chapter 7: Strings Attached. Chapter 8: Gone with the Woodwinds. Chapter 9: The Top (And Bottom) Brass. Chapter 10: Percussion's Greatest Hits. Part IV: Backstage in the Composer's Brain. Chapter 11: The Dreaded Music Theory Chapter. Chapter 12: Once More, with Feeling: Tempo, Dynamics, and Orchestration. Part V: The Part of Tens. Chapter 13: The Ten Most Common Misconceptions about Classical Music. Chapter 14: The Ten Best Musical Terms for Cocktail Parties. Chapter 15: Ten Great Chamber Music Pieces. Chapter 16: Ten Great Classical Music Jokes. Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Go Beyond This Book. Part VI: Appendixes. Appendix A: Starting a Classical Music Collection. List 1: Old Favorites. List 2: MILD on the Taste Meter. List 3: MEDIUM on the Taste Meter. List 4: MEDIUM HOT on the Taste Meter. List 5: HOT on the Taste Meter. Appendix B: Classical Music Timeline. Appendix C: Glossary Index. About the CD. Book Registration Information.

About the Author

David Pogue studied music at Yale and has been a conductor on Broadway. He is a bestselling author and New York Times columnist. Scott Speck, an award-winning music director and conductor, has led symphony orchestras from coast to coast and around the world.