As one of America's most important music critics, B.H. Haggin commented on the American musical scene for over half a century. When he died in 1987 at the age of eighty-six, he left behind a vast body of beautifully-written, compelling commentary on the state of Western music. His extraordinary power and range as a critic have contributed greatly to the enduring enthusiasm of his readers and supporters even today. First published in 1956, The Listener's Musical Companion has received wide acclaim over the years. A book for readers of all degrees of musical experience, it is partly an introduction to concert music and its major composers and partly a highly discriminating and knowledgeable commentary on the best performances of great music, as heard through the outstanding recordings from the beginning of recorded sound to the present. Highlighting what to listen for in the greatest works in Western music, Haggin offers a sweeping survey of composers from every period, including the early music of Gregorian and Ambrosian Chant; the early eighteenth-century music of Bach and Handel; the later work of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert; the music of such nineteenth-century composers as Wagner, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky; twentieth-century music composed by Ravel, Stravinsky, and Vaughan Williams; and a wide range of American music by Carter, Ives, Copland, Menotti, Gershwin, Porter, Bernstein, and others. Every reader--beginning and seasoned listeners alike--will benefit from what Haggin says about the meaning of music and its procedures and forms; from his splendid analyses of particular pieces of music; from his critical exploration of the literature of music in all periods; and from his evaluation of this century's heritage of great recorded performances. Compiled and edited by Thomas Hathaway, this new edition includes material that Haggin wrote in the last years of his life. A classic in its field, The Listener's Musical Companion advocates the best way to discover the meaning in a piece of music--by listening to it.

B.H. Haggin's profile page

Thomas Hathaway's profile page

About the Author: B.H. Haggin was a prominent music critic who wrote regularly for The Nation, The Hudson Review, The Yale Review, and The New Republic. His books include Arturo Toscanini: Contemporary Recollections of the Maestro, Music in the Nation, and Music and Ballet 1973-1983. About the Editor: Thomas Hathaway is Haggin's literary executor. He writes regularly on musical matters for Musical America, The Queen's Quarterly, Sonance, and Fanfare.

"This delightfully printed, conveniently arranged book talks candidly and intelligently, with discrimination and affection, about an extraordinary number of things....Haggin [was] one of the best, most courageous, and most individual critics alive, this is a unique book, one that will be a help and joy to many people."--Randall Jarrell, The New York Times

Praise for previous editions:

"First class....The best appreciative-writing being done....Makes fine reading; even its opinions seem to me sound, as well as refreshingly non-canonical."--Virgil Thomson

"[Haggin] writes with grace, polish, and admirable clarity. No one would question his integrity."--Library Journal

"No other compilation offers such careful, sharpwitted, confidence-inspiring comments on...recorded performances."--Commentary

"Shows the continuing growth of a mind and sensibility which have never settled into established grooves and which are never overwhelmed by the fashionable clichés of contemporary criticism."--The New York Herald Tribune Book Review

"First there is the candor and power of the prose itself, the voice of a music critic who can actually think. This is rare in the field. Then you notice, with astonished relief, the sensible attitude Mr. Haggin is taking toward you. He is neither Olympian nor 'friendly,' neither a shocker nor a relaxer."--The Nation

"An excellent gift idea for both neophytes and seasoned collectors."--Classical Music Magazine

"The expository prose would be the best I've ever read, even if it did not express the most convincing judgments I've ever had the chance to verify for myself; but it does that too, and so is a complete marvel."--Marvin Mudrick

"[Haggin] talks about the major composers and what they are up to, and he beautifully conveys what is most difficult to convey--how they are good....In a class with lectures by the occasional great teacher whose genuine enthusiasms spark his classes and whose frank hatreds are signs not of narrowness but of life....The book is a pleasure to read."--The New Yorker