What it's about: Why love complex music? How does an experienced listener 'read' a piece? Why is it important to know different performances of the same piece? What are theorbo, ground, and sonorica? Which Russian composer was a contemporary of Mozart? How can you tell Verdi and Monteverdi apart? Quote: The book has five parts: the first is devoted to the rules of a good listener, the second is a reminder of why we listen to music in the first place, the third covers the fundamental components of musical art, the fourth is about its history and past, and the fifth is about the present and future. It's not at all necessary to read the book in this order—cover to cover. You can use it as a guidebook, which we open to whichever part of an unfamiliar city our feet and chance lead us to. This book is a pilot in the ocean of classical music for schoolchildren and their parents. Briefly, honestly, cheerfully, and systematically, this book explains how to get ready to explore classical music, cast aside silly stereotypes, call everything by its proper name, and find your way through centuries of Western and Russian music. The text is accompanied by QR codes with dozens of audio illustrations that make the discussion of music clear and transform reading into an engaging multimedia experience.