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Tradition Is Laziness: How classical music's past can inhibit or inspire
Paperback
Classical MusicGeneral MusicMusic Reference
ISBN13: 9781919200453
Publisher: Peacock Press
Published: Feb 26 2026
Pages: 212
Weight: 1.02
Height: 0.58 Width: 6.69 Depth: 9.61
Language: English
Challenging and entertaining... The historical knowledge Simon presents is as wide-ranging as it is fascinating. Doubtless some of this will be new to you, as it is to me. But even when the subject under discussion is music I know well, I'm being encouraged to think of it in a different way.' - Andrew Parrott
This is a history book concerned with the future of classical music. In its traditional guise, classical music can appear to be a thing of fixity and tradition - and of ageing, dwindling audiences. But what its history shows us is a process both fluid and vibrant, which might inspire and encourage those invested in classical music's ongoing health.
In this book Simon Ravens offers countless historical examples of the radically varied ways in which classical music has been made and received. From inspiration, through preparation, to performance and reception, the author traces each stage in the musical process. Drawing on material from every period and of every kind, he shows how our received traditions of music-making are rigid in a way which would mystify composers, performers and listeners of the past. The book offers no dogmatic agenda, but instead aims to probe and question our received traditions.
Simon Ravens is a writer, performer and teacher. His first book, The Supernatural Voice - a history of high male singing, was BBC Music Magazine's Book of the Month, and has become the seminal book on the subject. As director of Musica Contexta, he performed throughout Britain and Europe, regularly broadcast, and made numerous acclaimed recordings. As a teacher, and in his YouTube videos, Simon encourages students to explore performance beyond the strictures of the standard educational framework.
REVIEWS FOR THE SUPERNATURAL VOICE'...an excellent book, a must read... I might even say it is the book I have been waiting to read for the last 25 years...' - Nicholas Clapton, Early Music
'This unparalleled piece of scholarship provides the reader with an entrancing exploration of an often-misunderstood and much-debated topic... easily comprehensible writing infused with an entertaining wit.' - John P. Rakes, Choral Journal
'It's a convoluted story, but Ravens unravels it with admirable clarity in this fascinating and impressive book.' - Graham Lock, Agora Classical Review
'Ravens skillfully synthesizes and interprets a dizzying amount of information to give the clearest account available... a work of significance. Highly recommended.' - S. C. Champagne, CHOICE
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