Dictionary of Foreign Classical Music Appreciation

Author: Luo Chuan Tian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: In 1986, Professor Luo Chuankai painstakingly compiled the "Dictionary of Foreign Popular Classical Music Appreciation," which explained over 500 popular and enjoyable foreign classical pieces in an accessible manner. After its publication, it was widely welcomed by music enthusiasts. Now, Professor Luo Chuankai has thoroughly revised the original book, adding many new entries and renaming it "Dictionary of Foreign Classical Music Appreciation," which is considered an "improvement over the original" and offers a fresh perspective. With over 600 world-famous musical works, along with explanations of composers, musical ensembles, and musical terms, it provides more comprehensive guidance for music lovers to appreciate music in depth. This book is a supplement to the "Dictionary of Foreign Popular Classical Music Appreciation," also including foreign instrumental works that are easy to understand, frequently performed, and available on recordings. It primarily adds more popular symphonies and concertos, aiming to help music lovers better understand these famous large-scale instrumental works. Additionally, to facilitate readers in searching for titles and composers, this edition includes a Pinyin index of titles and composers, while retaining the original title index by stroke order and composer index by title.
With the popularization of art music, in addition to small and medium-sized instrumental works that are widely accepted by audiences, large-scale symphonies and concertos have also become beloved art music pieces. The main works included in this book are vocal and instrumental arrangements, which are products of the popularization of music and a standard for measuring its popularity. For example, Dvo?ák's "Humoresque" and Schubert's "Serenade" have become more widely known due to their various arrangements. Of course, not all works become popular through arrangements. Many symphonic poems, orchestral overtures, and suites, such as Beethoven's "Egmont Overture" and Dukas's "The Little Magic Shop," gained popularity primarily through their original performance forms.
While introducing works and composers, this book also provides information on some famous foreign conductors and ensembles, allowing readers to gain a deeper understanding of their styles after appreciating the pieces.
[Preface]
In 1986, Professor Luo Chuankai painstakingly compiled the "Dictionary of Foreign Popular Classical Music Appreciation," which explained 502 popular and enjoyable foreign classical pieces in an accessible manner. After its publication, it was widely welcomed by music enthusiasts and became a trusted guide for appreciating foreign popular music.
In traditional Chinese music, there is a distinction between "elegant music" (Yangchun Baixue) and "popular music" (Xiachilabaren). Similarly, modern Western music is often divided into "serious music" (high art) and "popular music" (light music). Listeners can choose based on their artistic preferences and listening habits. However, as Professor Luo Chuankai stated in the preface of the "Dictionary of Foreign Popular Classical Music Appreciation," "There is no clear boundary between serious and light music, nor an insurmountable gap."
Generally speaking, symphonies are considered "serious music," but even within their four movements, there are variations in tone: movements composed in sonata form are typically more "serious," while the third movement (minuet or scherzo), composed in ternary form, is lighter. Suites are lighter instrumental compositions than symphonies, but music can also be "light" or "heavy," with significant differences. For example, Mozart's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" in G major and Tchaikovsky's "String Serenade" in C major are both "light" instrumental suites, yet in terms of genre, form, and content, they have no fundamental difference from a four-movement symphony—only a smaller scale. Conversely, Mozart's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" in D major and Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" are also suites, but in terms of genre, form, and content, they are much "lighter" than the above examples. Moreover, like symphonies, the movements within a suite also vary in tone.
As for Rimsky-Korsakov's "Symphony No. 2," later renamed "The Antara Suite," even the composer himself was unsure whether the music was "heavy" or "light."
More interestingly, Prokofiev referred to such works as "light serious music" or "serious light music." His "Cupid and Psyche Suite," "Peter and the Wolf," and the three "Romeo and Juliet Suites" all fall into this category.
Nowadays, the distinction between "heavy" and "light" music is a complex and unresolved issue. From a practical perspective, it is better to categorize music into "lyrical," "folk," "dramatic," "philosophical," and "programmatic" based on genre, form, and content. Each type of music has its unique expressive function, but composers must embrace all of them to fully reflect reality and ideals, as no category should be neglected. Therefore, different types of music are often combined within a single work and cannot be strictly separated.
Similarly, when listening to music, listeners should be open-minded and not biased. The principle of "listening to both sides leads to clarity, while listening to one side leads to darkness" applies equally to music appreciation.
Now, Professor Luo Chuankai has thoroughly revised the "Dictionary of Foreign Popular Classical Music Appreciation," adopting a policy of "embrace all and learn from all," adding many entries on "serious music" and renaming it "Dictionary of Foreign Classical Music Appreciation." Compared to the original, it feels like "climbing one more level to see a thousand miles," offering a fresh and revitalizing experience. With this book, it is certain to provide higher, broader, and better guidance for audiences in their comprehensive appreciation of music.
February 5, 2002