Masterworks of 20th-Century Music: The Modern Repertory of the Symphony Orchestra [Paperback] Review

"Masterworks of 20th-century music" is written nicely enough, but I had hoped for something which focused more on the music and less on biographical tidbits.If I needed to know biographical info I would read a biography.
Of course, this is the same problem with 99% of the program notes written today; nobody seems to have ears for the music.

I give a minor warning to take things in this book cum grano solis. For example, the article on Ravel's G major piano concerto twice in one paragraph declares the second movement to have a 'languid horn' solo -- but it is an English Horn, not a horn.To musicians, a "horn" is a brass instrument with or without valves, while the lanquid tenor double reed instrument is the cor anglais or English Horn.

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Product Description:
Masterworks of 20th-Century Music introduces over 100 of the greatest compositions by world composers that have entered the standard orchestral repertory.The author surveyed dozens of major American orchestras to find which pieces are commonly performed, and has focused on these works that an average audience member is most likely to hear.Among the popular pieces profiled are Aaron Copland'sAppalachian Spring; Gustav Holst's The Planets; Igor Stravinsky's Le sacre du printemps; Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915; George Gershwin's An American in Paris; Charles Ives's Three Places in New England; and many more.With each entry is given a wealth of information about: the composer, when and where the piece was first performed, in what "style" it was composed, and a basic analysis of the music. This book serves the general reader interested in 20th-century music, plus students, teachers, and scholars.

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