Karl Hass Was a Well-Known

¶ … Karl Hass was a well-known musician and author, and this book is famous in the music world. It describes classical music for the non-musician, so they can appreciate and understand the nuances of classical music and more fully enjoy it.

"Inside Music" looks at all aspects of classical music, from the composers to the orchestra and the instruments that make it up. His explanations are clear and easy to follow, and he writes with a lively style that makes the book enjoyable to read. For example, he writes, "Now we have gained the status of a gourmet, having access to a huge spice box of instrumental flavors, as well as to the spacious orchestral kitchen equipped with many tools to combine them" (Haas 197). The book is full of analogies and descriptions like these, showing the author's command of the language and understanding of his topic. In the early sections of the book, he introduces the instruments, and gives example drawings of them, along with musical notation so the reader can familiarize himself or herself with the "language" of music, and be familiar with the various orchestra instruments and what purpose they serve in the orchestra.

He also gives recommendations for the beginner to begin building their own music library, and he chronicles the history of music, and how it related to certain points in history. (Such as how it related to the impressionist artistic movement, and how it formed in America.) Thus, the book is really a history book and a commentary rolled into one. It literally covers every aspect of music from its early roots to its place in society today, as well as serves as an introduction on how to enjoy and collect classical music. Therefore, the book really serves two diverse markets, which is probably why it has remained popular for so long. It serves someone who wants to learn more about classical music so they can enjoy it more, but it serves the reader who wants to know more about history, too.

The author is extremely qualified to write this book. He began studying piano at the age of six, and remained a musician throughout his life. He also hosted a radio program from 1959 until his death in 2005 about classical music, and he traveled the globe to bring music to people everywhere. He also won several awards and accolades for his work, including two Peabody Awards for excellence in broadcasting for his radio show. He clearly researched the book, and his bibliography shows that he used a wide variety of sources to help with the historic and musical parts of the book.

The only thing that might have made this book better is to include a CD with the purchase, so the reader could listen to the music in question as the author continues through the book. He refers to certain musical pieces throughout the book, and even gives the musical notations for many, so it would be nice to follow along and listen to the specific pieces he mentions, it would make the book a lot more interesting and easy to follow. When this book was first printed, CDs did not exist, but the publisher could update it now, and it seems that would make it even more appealing to a general audience.