Most people think of Mozart as primarily a composer of operas, and in fact he did compose some of the best operas ever penned. (*koffMarriageofFigarokoff*) but his output was enormous for a man who lived only 35 years, and included a good deal of chamber music. To be clear here, chamber music can be defined as instrumental music played by a small ensemble, with one player to a part; think quartets, trios, quintets, and the like.

One group of chamber pieces is known collectively as the Haydn Quartets, a set of six string quartets dedicated to Joseph Haydn, Mozart's dear friend and champion, is discussed at length by Professor Greenberg, who puts them into the context of the era, and the musical milieu of Vienna. He also explains that in spite of the fact that you can almost never say that such-and-such a composer invented such-and-such a form, Mozart did indeed invent the string quintet. Above and beyond the analysis of the actual music, it's information like that which makes Greenberg's lectures so interesting. He has a comprehensive knowledge of music, true, but his grasp of musical history, and history in general, is awesome.

The course itself is short, sixteen lectures, but with so much information packed into it that it felt like a semester's worth of music theory, history, and more. It's true that the good Professor can sometimes be a little much, but once I settle into the course I usually forget everything but the course itself. Over all the courses I've listened to, I've grown used to him, and find his humor endearing, if it does sometimes annoy me.

If you love music, Professor Greenberg is your guy. His explanations are clear and concise, and he has a gift for contextualizing the music he's teaching us, making the pieces, the composer, and the musical era much easier to comprehend, and to enjoy. ( )