Tovey, Keller & Philip

Sir Donald Francis Tovey's "Essays in Musical Analysis" is the quintessential work on appreciation of Western Classical Music compositions. They were first published between 1935-44 in seven volumes. They were program notes of a high order with numerous musical examples. Such was their authoritative nature that they are still in print. But they are not very accessible to those unable to read staff notation. Nowadays, not everyone is a Satyajit Ray, who was able to follow a pocket score, while listening to  records. A kindred soul & fellow Kolkatan, was Nirad Chaudhuri.

Coming to the present time, when many may  not have that ability, Keller & Philip have come up with reader friendly books. "Chamber Music - A Listener's Guide" by James M.Keller, published by Oxford University Press in 2011, contains analysis of nearly 200 popular pieces of Chamber Music. "The Classical Music Lover's Companion to Orchestral Music", compiled over a period of 30 years & published in 2020, is a labour of love by Robert Philip. A hefty volume of nearly 1000 pages, analysing 400 orchestral works, it is a tour de force of musical scholarship, published by Yale University Press. Together, they cover most of the repertoire of Western Classical Music & make accessible the wondrous world of Western classical music, even for those unable to read music. Now all music being available to listen online, books like the above help us to heighten our enjoyment.