Darren Henley - 50 Moments that Rocked the Classical Music World

T his is one of those books that might cause arguments. Not the sort of argument that results in slammed doors, long-term sulks and all-round falling out, but rather the sort of argument that you might have with a close friend over a pint in the pub or while sipping a tall skinny wet latte in Starbucks. It will probably spark more of what youd think of as an informed discussion than an out-and-out row. You see, its quite possible that we have set ourselves up for a bit of a fall with the whole concept of this book. Here we are writing the introduction and already we realise that we could be pilloried both for what we choose to include and because of what we choose to leave out.

If the truth be told, the idea of identifying 50 moments that have rocked the classical music world is a wholly subjective exercise. If you were sitting an exam and were asked to List the top 50 biggest changes in the development of classical music, there would be no definitive right and wrong answers, rather a set of differing points of view. This is the sort of book that critics love to review in the Sunday papers, because they can take issue with the central proposition and then give example after example of things that the author should have written. So, right at the start, we hold our hands up and admit the subjectivity of the book. Its partisan, and for that we are unapologetic. We realise it is unlikely that we have published a definitive list and that there could ever be complete consensus on how that list might look.

One of the great things about classical music is that its a voyage of personal discovery. Even though Classic FM has been broadcasting the worlds greatest music for more than two decades, every day we discover new classical works, exciting young artists and fresh recordings that cast old favourites in a completely new light. So, its quite possible that if we had written this book ten years ago, or we were to sit down and write it all over again in ten years time, then we might well arrive at a completely different set of 50 moments.

Its true to say that some of the moments we have chosen might unite pretty much all musicologists in agreement because there is a sense that they are universally regarded as being important factors in the way that music has developed; but other entries in our top 50 choices could bring some classical music experts out in hives. Equally, one or two musical historians will be very cross that their particular musical passions might seemingly have been overlooked altogether.

Those people who earn a living from composing and performing music right now might well take a different view again from those with a more historical perspective, possibly regarding the key points of substantial change in classical musics development as centring around their particular musical instrument or type of composition.

And then theres another group: those people who havent studied classical music and dont work in the classical music industry, but nonetheless have built up a good working knowledge of the genre. They know what they like and might be surprised to find that there is less of a reflection of their own personal tastes in this book than they would perhaps like to see.

When you add in that people also tend to regard classical music slightly differently depending on where in the world they come from and which aspects of the genre they have been exposed to during their formative years, then our job is even further complicated.

We believe that each one of these groups is absolutely right in its view of the important bits of classical music even though they all have slightly differing opinions of exactly what these important bits actually are. At the same time, were more than happy to defend our own choices over the following pages.

So, lets be clear at the start. We have chosen these 50 moments after a huge amount of debate between ourselves. At first, we wondered whether we should include many more examples, but after hours of discussions (some of them over a pint in the pub, but more often while sipping one of countless tall skinny wet lattes in Starbucks) we eventually arrived at these 50 particular moments.

What were the criteria that we used? Well, as with all of our Classic FM books, we have rooted ourselves in the world of Classic FM itself and used this as the starting point for our deliberations. Since we first began broadcasting back in 1992, we have crystallised a very clear idea of what music our listeners want to hear and also what they would rather we didnt broadcast. Much of this information has been gleaned through extensive research among those people who already tune in to Classic FM on a regular basis as well as among those who are potential future listeners to the station.

We know that there is a great thirst for knowledge among the millions of people who listen to Classic FM across the UK each week. So, this book should very much be seen as a companion to two of our previous books: The Classic FM Hall of Fame and Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Classical Music... But Were Too Afraid To Ask. The first of these books was an exploration of the top 300 most popular classical works, as voted in our annual listeners poll, while the latter was an introduction to the whole gamut of classical music. We didnt just attempt to demystify the composers, eras and general musical terminology, but also to lift the lid on attending live concerts and building a collection of recordings for those people starting to find out about classical music for the very first time. If you have already enjoyed reading these two books, you might well see this new addition to your bookshelves as a natural next step along your journey of classical music discovery, as it allows us to pause along the way and delve into those major moments in more detail than we have done previously.

We are unequivocal in our belief that classical music can and should be enjoyed by everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from. So, it is inevitable that our own personal choices of the 50 moments that rocked the classical music world will centre on those events that have tended to have a democratising and proselytising effect. For us, each one of the 50 moments that we have chosen marks an important turning point in classical musics history. Usually, it consists of a radical departure from what had previously been seen as the norm. This change could have come from within the music itself, from the composers or performers, or it could be as a result of external forces, such as a particular technological advance or a new invention.

Its worth noting at this stage that although we talk throughout the book about particular moments in classical music history, it would be fair to say that many of these moments are hard to pin down. For example, there wasnt a particular day in a particular month in a particular year when every composer woke up in the morning and suddenly decided that polyphonic music was the order of the day. Instead, this was a culmination of years of musical development and the growth of a particular sound and style as different composers wrote music that added to the music of the time. But, nonetheless, the introduction of polyphonic music remains a momentous occasion in the overall story of classical music and so we have chosen to include it here.

We hope that you agree with all 50 of our choices of the moments that rocked the classical music world, but were sure youll feel that some of your own personal favourites are missing. We would love to hear what you think you can let us know by going to our website and filling in the online form at www.ClassicFM.com/50moments . Perhaps we will very quickly end up with enough of your ideas to fill the pages of a second volume. In the meantime, happy reading!