Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 316 pages
• Published by: Boxtree Ltd December 31, 2004
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0752225340
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0752225340
• Book Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 1 pounds

Book Description
Hello, Im Stephen Fry. Now time for the first outing of a brand, spanking new feature here on The Incomplete Utter History of Classical Musicputting some unsuspecting figure in music under the spotlight. In his Incomplete Utter History of Classical Music, Stephen Fry presents a potted and brilliantly rambling 700-year History of classical music and the world as we know it. Along this musical journey he casually throws in references to pretty much whatever takes his fancy, from the Mongol invasion of Russia and Mr. Khan (Genghis to his friends), the founding of the MCC, the Black Death (which once again became the new black in England), to the heady revolutionary atmosphere of Mozarts Don Giovanni and the deep doo-doo that Louis XVI got into (or du-du as the French would say). Its all hereAmbrose and early English plainsong, Bach, Mozart (beloved of mobile phones everywhere), Beethoven, Debussy, Wagner (the old romantic), right up to the present day. Entertaining and brilliantly written, this is a pretty reckless romp of a History through classical music and much much more.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music (Paperback) I like classical music, and Stephen Fry is a humorous sort of fellow. Put those together, and I eagerly bought this book that supposedly tells us the history of classical music. Now pretend you are locked up in a room with someone, and must spend the next ten hours conversing with each other. To your dismay you find that this new acquaintance mouths nothing but wisecracks and silly remarks. After an hour you are pulling your hair out, and after two hours you have been reduced to a mindless, blubbering hulk. Somehow I survived a similar experience reading this book. Now that I have recovered sufficiently I've decided to warn you about the dangers of reading it. First of all there is very little about classical music to be found in these 300 pages. We trudge through history, and are told what happened on various dates. Take 1764 for example. We are informed that Kenwood house was built in Hampstead, and La Madeleine went up in Paris. House numbering started for residences in London. A discussion ensues on how this made things easy for the postal service. Oh yes. This was also the year that Mozart wrote his first symphony. More about Mozart later, says the author as he skips on to 1772 to tell us that that was the year that Captain Cook discovered Botany Bay. Oh yes, about the "humor". Here's a sample: "Bach, in a breathtaking display of foresight, wrote the music for a mobile telephone incoming call alert, although he called it the Anna Magdalena Notebook. But hey, where exactly are we? What age is it now? Who's in, who's out, who's up, who's down? And why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?" Please, someone get the hook, and get Mr. Fry off the stage. Now for a full confession. My rule is that I don't write reviews unless I've read the entire book. I'd reached page 187 of this one, and could no longer stand this frenetic foolishness. So, for the sake of my mental health I tossed it in the trash. Comment | Permalink | (Report this)