Declassified

A lively, insightful, and hilarious modern guide that explores the often intimidating and exclusionary world of classical music through the journey and expertise of a concert violinist and Juilliard graduate-the best masterclass on classical music you never knew you needed.

Most people have encountered classical music at some point in their lives and many have resolutely determined it's just not for them. That's baloney, explains accomplished violinist and Juilliard graduate Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch. What we call "classical" is really just centuries of (all sorts of) music shoved into one hodge-podge of a genre. Just as you can like Beyoncé without liking Justin Bieber, you can love Bach even if you hate Beethoven (Though really, no one who's heard more than just his "Für Elise" could hate Beethoven). With the right guide, anyone can understand classical music and find the right fit for them. This book is that guide.


In DeClassified, Warsaw-Fan Rauch flips the script on these antiquated stereotypes and reveals how fifteen centuries of music can provide solace, elation, inclusion, and transcendence for anyone-even those who don't know their Mozart from their Motown or their trumpets from their crumpets. She breaks down the different compositional periods and types, instruments, notable composers, and even explains how to hire a string quartet for your wedding or attend a fancy opera without embarrassing yourself...all while sharing her own complicated but always delightful journey with the genre-from her childhood to her time at Juilliard, through her period as a touring violinist, and up until her decision to leave the profession for good.

DeClassified cheekily demystifies the rarefied world of High Art, while making the case that classical music matters, perhaps now more than ever.