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The Rest Is Noise Is Enthralling
Classical music and the 20th century is not a topic that you hear on most people’s lips.
And that’s a real shame.
Why? Because some of the greatest works of classical music were composed in the 19XXs.
Alex Ross’s The Rest Is Noise is the definitive history of that period in the evolution of classical music and it’s amazing.
Why We Love The Rest Is Noise
Classical music saw huge shocks in the 20th century as the traditional landscape fragmented over and over again to create new and diverging strands that would each have their own composers, innovations and world class performers.
Alex Ross, the New Yorker’s music critic, adeptly slices each segment up and then unfolds it for the reader to grasp the significance within the development of classical music.
He’s not afraid to touch on the political influences of the music either and learning about how “Nixon in China” changed classical was enthralling.
We’d never really considered how big and influential the classical music scene of the last century was until we picked up this book.
It was a deserved winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Guardian First Book Award and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize! You can’t go wrong with The Rest Is Noise, it’s superb.
You can grab a copy online here.
If this has put you in the mood to listen to some classical music, why not download one of these free music apps to get you started? And if, instead, you feel like reading more about music check out this list of awesome music bloggers or our list of the most essential music books.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is *The Rest Is Noise* about?
*The Rest Is Noise* is Alex Ross’s sweeping cultural history of twentieth‑century music, showing how composers and political events intertwine from 1900 through the Cold War and beyond.
*The Rest Is Noise* is Alex Ross’s sweeping cultural history of twentieth‑century music, showing how composers and political events intertwine from 1900 through the Cold War and beyond.
Who is Alex Ross and why does he matter?
Alex Ross is The New Yorker’s music critic since 1996; his first book became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award, making him one of today’s most influential music writers.
Alex Ross is The New Yorker’s music critic since 1996; his first book became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award, making him one of today’s most influential music writers.
Why is the book so highly regarded?
It won multiple prestigious awards—including the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Guardian First Book Award—and was listed among the New York Times’s “10 Best Books of 2007.”
It won multiple prestigious awards—including the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Guardian First Book Award—and was listed among the New York Times’s “10 Best Books of 2007.”
What are the book’s strengths?
Ross combines lucid storytelling, vivid analysis of politics and music, and broad cultural context to make avant‑garde and classical music accessible, compelling, and dramatic.
Ross combines lucid storytelling, vivid analysis of politics and music, and broad cultural context to make avant‑garde and classical music accessible, compelling, and dramatic.
Are there any limitations to the book?
It focuses almost entirely on composers and music composition rather than performance contexts, conductors, audiences, or technology, and includes occasional deep musical analysis that assumes some musical literacy.
It focuses almost entirely on composers and music composition rather than performance contexts, conductors, audiences, or technology, and includes occasional deep musical analysis that assumes some musical literacy.
Who should read *The Rest Is Noise*?
It’s ideal for readers curious about how twentieth‑century history shaped modern music—from seasoned classical enthusiasts to newcomers seeking a thrilling narrative history.
It’s ideal for readers curious about how twentieth‑century history shaped modern music—from seasoned classical enthusiasts to newcomers seeking a thrilling narrative history.
