Alex Ross, The New Yorker’s classical-music critic, wants to break down musical barriers. In a new essay in LISTEN TO THIS (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $27), he traces the chaconne’s and the lamento’s descending bass line across the ages, ending with blues and rock standards. His collection ranges from explorations of Mozart, Brahms, and Schubert to profiles of Björk and Radiohead, and heartfelt appreciations of the voices of Marian Anderson, Frank Sinatra, and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. After The Rest is Noise, his musical history of the 20th century, Ross collects some of his best pieces here: expeditions to China, Alaska, and the Marlboro Festival; following the St. Lawrence Quartet and Bob Dylan on the road; and essays on changing technology, and the plight of our music education (with some hopeful exceptions). Ross also has a great discography at the end (and audio and video examples on his blogs).