bookrev: 101 Masterpieces of Music and Their Composers by Martin Bookspan

Spring cleaning…the only part I enjoy about it is finding things I’d forgotten about or thought I’d lost. Luckily, I found my 1973 copy of Martin Bookspan’s brilliant compendium of classical music. Though the references to recommended LP and Tape recordings (LP and Tape!) are dated, the biographies and descriptions of the pieces are not.

This is an excellent introductory guide to classical music, and is also a thorough reference to the great composers and their works. Unfortunately you will have to look at your local used bookstore or on eBay, as this book is no longer in publication. It is well worth the hunt, however.

The book is structured alphabetically by composer. Each composer has a biographical sketch, each piece is discussed historically and structurally.

Bookspan, who was the announcer for Live at Lincoln Center from 1976 – 2006, originally wrote these as monthly articles for Stereo Review in the 60’s. As such, though most of the information is still germane, this 1973 publication references recordings of these pieces that are not easy to find; for example, he references a recording of Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 in D Major “Clock” by Woldike from Vangaurd…it shows out of stock and unavailable on Amazon, and is non-existant on iTunes (there are copies on eBay).

Mr. Bookspan’s list references 36 Composers for 101 Masterpieces of Music. The top composers by number of pieces out of the 101:

  • Beethoven – 15
    • Concerto No. 3 in C Minor for Piano, Op. 37
    • Concerto No. 4 in G Major for Piano, Op. 58
    • Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major for Piano, Op. 73, “Emperor”
    • Concerto in D Major for Violin, Op. 61
    • Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor,Op. 27, N. 2, “Moonlight”
    • Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21
    • Symphony No. 2 in D Major,Op. 36
    • Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55, “Eroica”
    • Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60
    • Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
    • Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, “Pastoral”
    • Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
    • Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93
    • Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125
    • Trio No. 6 in B-flat Major, Op. 97, “Archduke”
  • Brahms – 8
    • Concerto in A Minor for Violin and Cello, Op. 102
    • Concerto No. 1 in D Minor for Piano, Op. 15
    • Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major for Piano, Op. 83
    • Concerto in D Major for Violin, Op. 77
    • Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
    • Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73
    • Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90
    • Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98
  • Mozart – 7
    • Concerto No. 20 in D Minor for Piano, K. 466
    • Quintet in A Major for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581
    • Sinfonia Concrtante in E-flat Major for Violin and Viola, K. 364
    • Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385, “Haffner”
    • Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543
    • Symphony No. 40 in C Minor, K. 550
    • Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551, “Jupiter”
  • Tchaikovsky – 7
    • Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 23
    • Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 35
    • The Nutcracker, Op. 71
    • Serenade in C Major for Strings, Op. 48
    • Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op.36
    • Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64
    • Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, “Pathetique”
  • Dvorak – 4
    • Concerto in B Minor for Cello, Op. 104
    • Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70
    • Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88
    • Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, “New World”
  • Schubert – 4
    • Quintet in A Major, Op. 114, D. 667, “Trout”
    • Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 959
    • Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, D. 759, “Unfinished”
    • Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944, “The Great”
  • Bach – 3
    • Brandenburg Concertos (S. 1046/51)
    • Chaconne (from Violin Partita No. 2, S. 1004)
    • Magnificat in D Major, S. 243
  • Gershwin – 3
    • An American in Paris
    • Concerto in F Major for Piano
    • Rhapsody in Blue
  • Haydn – 3
    • Symphony No. 94 in G Major, “Surprise”
    • Symphony No. 101 in D Major, “Clock”
    • Symphony No. 104 in D Major, “London”
  • Mahler – 3
    • Symphony No. 1 in D Major
    • Symphony No. 4 in G Major
    • Symphony No. 9 in D Major
  • Mendelssohn – 3
    • Concerto in E Minor for Violin, Op. 64
    • Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56, “Scotch”
    • Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90, “Italian”
  • Schumann – 3
    • Concerto in A Minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 129
    • Concerto in A Minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 54
    • Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 38, “Spring”
  • Sibelius – 3
    • Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39
    • Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43
    • Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82
  • with 23 composers accounting for the remaining 35 pieces.

Pick us this book if you can find it.

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