Product Description

How long did it take Rossini to compose The Barber of Seville? Which composer named five of his children Johann? Why was Elgar depicted on the back of a £20 note? Find out all this and more in the brand new edition of Classic Ephemera: A Classic FM Musical Miscellany, an irresistable comilation of facts, figures and amusing anecdotes. Written by the authors of the Classic FM Pocket Book of Music (9780851624303), Classic Ephemera covers everything from composer biographies to a guide to the ten most famous operas. Accessible and informative, it contains everything you need to know about classical music, and more besides. Amusing, light-hearted but always enlightening, Classic Ephemera is the perfect gift for any classical music lover.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #734 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-02
• Released on: 2009-10-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Review
From Adagio to Zipoli, by way of Intermezzo and Tavener, this perfect little book takes all the mystique out of classical music, pulling off the trick of being neither pompous nor patronising. --Stephen Fry

A wonderful miscellany of musical information - marvellous! --Alex James

A fun way to discover the joys of classical music. --Julian Lloyd Webber

About the Author
Darren Henley is the station manager for Classic FM. He writes regularly for the Classic FM magazine and is also the author of The Friendly Guide to Music (9780340940198) and two audio books for children, one of which was nominated for a Grammy award in 2005. Tim Lihoreau is the creative director of Classic FM and is responsible for writing and producing many of the station's most acclaimed programmes. His books include Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music (9780752225340).

Customer Reviews

A great gift for a classical music lover

I bought this for a friend who is very well read, but is just broadening his interests into classical music. He listens to Classic FM a lot, and when he talks about his love for paintings and art, he describes his favourite pieces in terms of the stories behind them.

This book suited him down to the ground as it shares facts and details behind the composers, and scores - but in a personable and idiosyncratic way. As an example, I opened the book randomly, and the quote I my eyes picked out immediately (I believe attributed to Tchaikovsky) was "I write music like a sow piddles". Unusual to say the least.

This book is sure to do well in the Christmas market and I wouldn't be sad to receive one myself!

Hitting the right notes
One of those rare products that does exactly as the adverts say it does. A delightful book,practically something on every page making me laugh out loud, and filling in many facts about my favourite composers and others that I never knew. I certainly don't hesitate to recommendd it to others, and it will make a marvellous Christmas gift (if you can get hold of it in time!).

Enjoy it, I know you will.

Classic Ephemera
Very good book. My husband thought it a great present and keeps reading bits of it to me. Would recommend to anyone who likes to know unusual information about music. Good price too.