<<  -- 2 --  Ron Bierman    A TERRIFIC INTRODUCTION

Hurwitz takes a softer position. He doesn't want us to feel guilty if we respond emotionally, and it's ok with him if we don't know where we are in a sonata form. He just wants us to realize that understanding structure and how the composer achieves his effects can make listening even more satisfying. There is no better example than Mozart. Hurwitz points out that even his instrumental music is usually based on melodies that could be 'spiced up' vocal phrases, and this increases its emotional impact and appeal. But Mozart's extraordinary technical facility means there is much for the intellect as well. Getting The Most Out Of Mozart demonstrates how true this is.

The book is divided into four main sections. The first is a general discussion of some of the elements of Mozart's style. It makes effective use of an accompanying eleven-track CD containing extracts from some of the composer's works. Hurwitz, for example, drives home the point about Mozart's vocally-related melodies by first pointing to an aria [listen -- track 7, 0:20-0:43] he wrote for another composer's opera. (It was at the request of one of the opera's performers, which must have delighted the original composer.) He then refers us to an extract from the 41st symphony in which the melody of the aria, with a change in mood and tempo, reappears as one of the main themes. Q.E.D. [listen -- track 1, 2:33-3:02]

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