50 Musical Masterpieces. A Popular History of Classical Music

Olga Leonenkova is a musicologist and the author of the popular channel Kultshpargalka on Zen. The democratic format, easy style, and plenty of interesting information about classical music and musicians have attracted a large audience to her blog. One of the angles of Kultshpargalka – an overview of famous musical compositions – formed the basis of this book. In what life circumstances did great composers create their most recognizable works? What is the secret of their irresistible appeal to millions of people around the world? And what are the mechanisms of popularity based on? In this book, you will find captivating stories about the works of Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Prokofiev, and other famous composers. Each chapter is a small novella about one of the classical masterpieces, music that anyone can say they’ve heard somewhere. By the way, you can listen to all these compositions without closing the book: at the beginning of the chapters, there is a QR code that will take you to a video with the music. To read 50 musical masterpieces, it is not necessary to have a deep understanding of the world of classical music. The author offers to go through the first level together, necessary for any cultured person interested in developing their musical erudition. The book can be read together with children.