I remember a similar thread on the "old" forum, and couldn't find it here, so here goes. Please post the classical music related books that you own and would recommend or those that you are considering and would like advice on.
Personally, i am considering either of the following on Mahler :
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51X7849YYXL._AA240_.jpg)
(http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/41K6EZZZXVL._SS500_.jpg)
and this one on general approach to the genre :
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YW9YXQE9L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU02_AA240_SH20_.jpg)
Any good please ?
Thanks.
The Music of Elliott Carter by David Schiff helped my get a grasp on Carters music. For anyone who has a hard time with this music but feels there is something there for them, this is a book that unlocked a lot for me.
(http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/3010000/3010803.gif)
Allan
The Orchestra - Origins and Transformations...absolutely the best collection I've ever read.
http://www.amazon.com/Orchestra-Collection-Essays-Origins-Transformations/dp/0823083853/ref=sr_1_1/102-7082628-5212909?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180894927&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Orchestra-Collection-Essays-Origins-Transformations/dp/0823083853/ref=sr_1_1/102-7082628-5212909?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180894927&sr=8-1)
Much needed topic, good friend :)
I've got a couple of Shostakovich reccomendations to lead things off:
A collection of Shostakovich's Memoirs and Letters
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41W9NK06N1L._BO2,204,203,200_PIlitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg)
Another book on Dimitri
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DPSCCMCSL._AA240_.jpg)
I'm going to be the traditionalist and say Charles Rosen - The Classical Style, Sonata Forms, and Schoenberg - all riveting reading! ;-)
The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera - good for background detail.
Thanks for the recommendations, Keep'em coming ! :)
btw, I haven't bought the 3 i have put in the OP, I am still considering them..any comments very welcome :-[ 0:) Thank you ;)
Started a thread on Music Appreciation (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,184.0.html) a few months ago - got to one page at least, but hopefully was to encompass not only books, but also listings of AV offerings, websites, etc. :)
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/516T4R3FG5L._BO2,204,203,200_PIlitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg)
The first half reads like a Dickens' novel.
(http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/41K6EZZZXVL._SS500_.jpg)
This book on The Mahler Symphonies is one of the series: Unlocking the Masters. There are about 12-14 books in this series and a new one comes out every 3-6 months.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_/002-8946394-4608867?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Unlocking+the+Masters+Series&Go.x=9&Go.y=11
Quote from: SonicMan on June 03, 2007, 11:00:11 AM
Started a thread on Music Appreciation (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,184.0.html) a few months ago - got to one page at least, but hopefully was to encompass not only books, but also listings of AV offerings, websites, etc. :)
Sonic,
Thanks for linking your thread, looks like i missed it when i initially searched for books here :-\
The Aroon Copland book mentionned there will seem to be very suitable for me. Added that one to the basket too :D
All serious Brucknerians will appreciate Robert Simpson's book:
(http://i22.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/98/41/e5b2_2.JPG)
It's particularly interesting for the insight it provides from a composer's perspective, e.g. in terms of the goals which Bruckner sets for himself, and the methods used to attain them (and the degree of success achieved.)
As you would expect, there are copious extracts from the scores but you don't need to be able to read music to get value from the book.
The edition to go for is the 1992 paperback (pictured) as Simpson had revised a lot of it after further study.
Quote from: Anne on June 03, 2007, 11:36:32 AM
This book on The Mahler Symphonies is one of the series: Unlocking the Masters. There are about 12-14 books in this series and a new one comes out every 3-6 months.
It's a great series too. Big print, organized layout, sample CDs, and interesting reading.
Quote from: hornteacher on June 03, 2007, 06:06:40 PM
It's a great series too. Big print, organized layout, sample CDs, and interesting reading.
This sounds neat....how much do they get into the actual music for someone like me that does not read music or is not that familiar with music theory?
Quote from: Bogey on June 03, 2007, 06:08:53 PM
This sounds neat....how much do they get into the actual music for someone like me that does not read music or is not that familiar with music theory?
That's why I like the series. It gets in depth enough to help you listen to the music better but doesn't read like a doctoral thesis.
The Dvorak book and the two on Mozart (one for vocal music, one for instrumental) are especially good.
Quote from: hornteacher on June 03, 2007, 07:04:00 PM
That's why I like the series. It gets in depth enough to help you listen to the music better but doesn't read like a doctoral thesis.
The Dvorak book and the two on Mozart (one for vocal music, one for instrumental) are especially good.
Can you link me to one HT?
Quote from: Bogey on June 03, 2007, 07:16:58 PM
Can you link me to one HT?
Dvorak
http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Romantic-Versatile-Unlocking-Masters/dp/1574671073/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4456605-3214401?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180955008&sr=1-1
Mozart (instrumental)
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Most-out-Mozart-Instrumental/dp/1574670964/ref=pd_sim_b_2_img/002-4456605-3214401?ie=UTF8&qid=1180955008&sr=1-1
A great overview book on instrumental compositions throughout the history of music
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Instrumental-Works-Unlocking-Contains/dp/1574671170/ref=pd_sxp_grid_i_2_0/002-4456605-3214401
Some books I always loved:
Joseph Kerman: Beethoven Quartets and Opera and Drama
Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt: Schönberg
Andre Boucorechliev: Stravinsky
Piotr Kaminski: Mille et un operas (in French)
Claude Rostand: Brahms
Martin Gregor-Dellin: Richard Wagner
Brigitte Massin: Franz Schubert
Lokspeiser / Halbreich: Claude Debussy
Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music (old but remarkable, with an extraordinary article of Vincent d'Indy about Beethoven's chamber music)
Quote from: papy on June 03, 2007, 10:13:37 AM
I remember a similar thread on the "old" forum, and couldn't find it here, so here goes. Please post the classical music related books that you own and would recommend or those that you are considering and would like advice on.
I'm not sure what you're looking for, really. Just any books on classical music? The responses you're getting are as scattershot and miscellaneous as the question. Are you looking for biographies or studies on individual composers; general works on music history and aesthetics; discussions of particular musical periods, genres, or works; books on music theory? And what is your background in classical music, so we know what level of understanding you have in order to pitch our recommendations?
I have about 150-200 books on classical music in my personal library. Many are very good. A few suck. I don't know what to recommend to you without knowing more about you to start with.
This is the best book I've read on classical musicians:
(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0679745823.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)
And also, for a general overview of the history of western music, this book by one of the most esteemed musicologists, Paul Henry Lang:
(http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H4K725S6L._SS500_.jpg)
Quote from: henry on June 04, 2007, 06:45:57 AM
This is the best book I've read on classical musicians:
Oh, I hope not!
Playing armchair behavioral analyst is quite the fad in biography these days.
Beethoven: The Universal Composer by Edmund Morris was well received when it came out. I've been meaning to pick it up. Has anyone read it?
Quote from: E d o on June 04, 2007, 07:25:49 AM
Beethoven: The Universal Composer by Edmund Morris was well received when it came out. I've been meaning to pick it up. Has anyone read it?
I have read it, and I didn't like it. I would like to recommend the biographies by Solomon or Lockwood, they contain all the information the Morris one offers, plus much more.
Quote from: henry on June 04, 2007, 07:50:10 AM
I have read it, and I didn't like it.
I started leafing through it, and couldn't bother to finish it.
Quote from: karlhenning on June 04, 2007, 06:56:44 AM
Oh, I hope not!
Playing armchair behavioral analyst is quite the fad in biography these days.
One reason I like Swafford's book on Brahms is that it reads almost like a novel, it portrays the character like an ordinary human being, unlike Solomon's book on Beethoven which has a lot of psychoanalysis and can be overwhelming sometimes.
Quote from: henry on June 04, 2007, 06:45:57 AM
This is the best book I've read on classical musicians:
(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0679745823.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)
This book was responsible for me finally learning to like Brahms. I recommend it very much.
(http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/41D2J88N4SL._AA240_.jpg)
A thorough analysis of the fifteen operas of Richard Strauss.
Quote from: Larry Rinkel on June 04, 2007, 05:20:16 AM
I'm not sure what you're looking for, really. Just any books on classical music? The responses you're getting are as scattershot and miscellaneous as the question. Are you looking for biographies or studies on individual composers; general works on music history and aesthetics; discussions of particular musical periods, genres, or works; books on music theory? And what is your background in classical music, so we know what level of understanding you have in order to pitch our recommendations?
I have about 150-200 books on classical music in my personal library. Many are very good. A few suck. I don't know what to recommend to you without knowing more about you to start with.
Hi Larry,
I didn't create this topic to be specifically about my original request. I thought such a topic might be of use to many, regardless of their level/knowledge or individual interests on the matter.
However, maybe my original post was indeed unclear on what I look for, so here goes :
- where i am at :
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,1252.0.html (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,1252.0.html)
- level of musical theory knowledge : very little.
- Only classical book so far : "All Music Guide To Classical Music"
- Book subjects i'd like to find :
*General history of composers and their historical context (more as an overview to start with, hence the book mentionned in my OP)
*1st approach on how to listen to classical music (ordered the Aaron Copeland's "What to listen for in Music" to cover that angle).
*A book about Mahler and more specifically his symphonies, so the David Hurwitz's might be the right one for my need, given the feedback given above.
Hope this helps.
Thanks. :)
I've read these two biographies of Ligeti
(http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PZ398JY1L._AA240_.jpg)
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NC6we2N5L._AA240_.jpg)
The Toop book was a quick easy read, but it didn't go into nearly enough musical details for me. If you just want an overview of Ligeti and his works, that's the one to read though. The Steinitz book went into much more detail about Ligeti's music. The section on his Etudes is especially good. I recommend it if you're interested in how Ligeti constructed his music from a high-level point of view.
I've also read this biography of Messiaen
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41F00ZEVTTL._AA240_.jpg)
It's good, but not what I was looking for. It's VERY detailed, following Messiaen's life at a very detailed level, sometimes day by day, and they provide very little discussion of Messiaen's works themselves. That's not what I wanted at all... can anyone recommend a book that analysizes Messiaen's work?? Something pretty high-level, like a dozen pages per major work, not a hundred page dissertation on just one work.
Quote from: andy on June 04, 2007, 02:04:06 PM
I've also read this biography of Messiaen
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41F00ZEVTTL._AA240_.jpg)
It's good, but not what I was looking for. It's VERY detailed, following Messiaen's life at a very detailed level, sometimes day by day, and they provide very little discussion of Messiaen's works themselves. That's not what I wanted at all... can anyone recommend a book that analysizes Messiaen's work?? Something pretty high-level, like a dozen pages per major work, not a hundred page dissertation on just one work.
Robert Sherlaw Johnson's book pretty much meets those criteria.
Quote from: lukeottevanger on June 04, 2007, 02:10:43 PM
Robert Sherlaw Johnson's book pretty much meets those criteria.
Did he ever revise it to cover the works from Messiaen's last ten years or so? I have an edition that stops at about
Petite esquisses d'oiseaux.
Quote from: lukeottevanger on June 04, 2007, 02:10:43 PM
Robert Sherlaw Johnson's book pretty much meets those criteria.
Thanks! I just reserved it from the library... can't wait to start reading it tomorrow.
Quote from: papy on June 04, 2007, 01:44:27 PM
Hi Larry,
I didn't create this topic to be specifically about my original request. I thought such a topic might be of use to many, regardless of their level/knowledge or individual interests on the matter.
However, maybe my original post was indeed unclear on what I look for, so here goes :
- where i am at :
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,1252.0.html (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,1252.0.html)
- level of musical theory knowledge : very little.
- Only classical book so far : "All Music Guide To Classical Music"
- Book subjects i'd like to find :
*General history of composers and their historical context (more as an overview to start with, hence the book mentionned in my OP)
*1st approach on how to listen to classical music (ordered the Aaron Copeland's "What to listen for in Music" to cover that angle).
*A book about Mahler and more specifically his symphonies, so the David Hurwitz's might be the right one for my need, given the feedback given above.
Hope this helps.
Thanks. :)
I see. Perhaps I mistook your original intent, while everyone else got it. Nonetheless, I could easily list 50-60 books I could recommend at any number of levels. That's more than I have the patience to do, so I'll start by answering your direct request:
*General history of composers and their historical context (more as an overview to start with, hence the book mentionned in my OP)
- Carter Harman, A Popular History of Music
- Janson and Kerman, A History of Art and Music
*1st approach on how to listen to classical music (ordered the Aaron Copeland's "What to listen for in Music" to cover that angle).
- Copland is all right, pretty elementary, but could suit your needs on that basis. A more interesting book is Roger Sessions's The Musicla Experience of Composer, Performer, and Listener.
*A book about Mahler and more specifically his symphonies, so the David Hurwitz's might be the right one for my need, given the feedback given above.
- Don't know Hurwitz. For a brief biography, I like Jonathan Carr. For discussions of the symphonies, I like the essays in Michael Steinberg's The Symphony.
Quote from: Larry Rinkel on June 04, 2007, 06:50:51 PM
I see. Perhaps I mistook your original intent, while everyone else got it. Nonetheless, I could easily list 50-60 books I could recommend at any number of levels. That's more than I have the patience to do, so I'll start by answering your direct request:
*General history of composers and their historical context (more as an overview to start with, hence the book mentionned in my OP)
- Carter Harman, A Popular History of Music
- Janson and Kerman, A History of Art and Music
*1st approach on how to listen to classical music (ordered the Aaron Copeland's "What to listen for in Music" to cover that angle).
- Copland is all right, pretty elementary, but could suit your needs on that basis. A more interesting book is Roger Sessions's The Musicla Experience of Composer, Performer, and Listener.
*A book about Mahler and more specifically his symphonies, so the David Hurwitz's might be the right one for my need, given the feedback given above.
- Don't know Hurwitz. For a brief biography, I like Jonathan Carr. For discussions of the symphonies, I like the essays in Michael Steinberg's The Symphony.
Thanks Larry, I'll look these suggestions up !
Quote from: hornteacher on June 04, 2007, 03:06:20 AM
Dvorak
http://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Romantic-Versatile-Unlocking-Masters/dp/1574671073/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4456605-3214401?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180955008&sr=1-1
:o GOODNESS the CDs that come with that book are extraordinary! It's not merely a sampler of the best of Dvorak ... it's a sampler from Supraphon, with the Czech Trio, the Panocha Quartet, a Slavonic Dance from Sejna, a tone poem and symphony extracts from Neumann, and some odds and ends from Belohlavek and Mackerras. Zoinks!
Regrettably it seems that the Tchaikovsky book comes with extracts taken from the Naxos catalog (the label's old Tchaikovsky recordings are pretty generally awful), but Hurwitz' new Sibelius book includes two complete symphonies from the Segerstam cycle!
Now excuse me while I make a few purchases...
Robert Simpson's "The Essence of Bruckner"
This thread should have a pin in it so it will always stay at the top of the BB.
Another vote for the David Hurwitz books. I've read the Mahler, Haydn and Shostakovich ones, and I have Sibelius on order.
For something completely different, see if you can find a copy (now OOP) of "Ring Resounding" by John Culshaw. Culshaw was the producer of Solti's Ring cycle on Decca and the book details those sessions. As a Wagner-loving, recording studio-owning geek, I found it fascinating. It's a revealing look at how these recordings get made.
I just got the "Cambridge History of Western Music Theory", bought it used for a song (relatively) on amazon.uk and a kind friend brought it over from England.
ZB
Let's try it again! Maybe if I list the entire link, not only the one leading to the Google video of Alex Ross talking about his book, it will get some attention. Ross is the music critic of The New Yorker magazine and many of his essays have been posted here, receiving not only attention, but enthusiastic praise. He starts this video by playing short samples of music through the centuries, very amusing!
http://www.soundsandfury.com/soundsandfury/2007/10/alex-does-googl.html
I don't often read books on music, but I like this one:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51grM-37RnL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg)
The first half is dedicated to essays by late 19th/early 20th Century composers and includes a few famous writings (e.g. Busoni's Aesthetics of a New Music), while the second half is relegated to mostly American composers active at the time of publication (early 60s IIRC) and even has a few pieces that were written specifically for this collection.
It seems to be pretty widespread and you can probably pick it up from your library.
Quote from: papy on June 04, 2007, 01:44:27 PM
- Book subjects i'd like to find :
*General history of composers and their historical context (more as an overview to start with, hence the book mentionned in my OP)
*1st approach on how to listen to classical music (ordered the Aaron Copeland's "What to listen for in Music" to cover that angle).
Two of my favorite and well-worn books are Schonberg's
The Lives of the Great Composers and David Dubal's
The Essential Canon of Classical Music. The treatment of different musical eras in the latter book is somewhat uneven, but it is a great reference nontheless. The former is also not a perfect compilation (what book about classical music can be?), but it was a great overview book for me when my interest in classical music was just beginning.
I just picked up the old Penguin book on chamber music (edited by Alec Robertson). I love old books on criticism/essays such as this, as they were written when a lot of 20th century repertoire was under-exposed or outright new, and as a result the opinions on various works and composers are sometimes wrong, but always bold and interesting. Some snippets:
Re. Copland: While calling his piano quartet an "important chamber work", he then refers to it as "painfully forced", "feeble", etc.
Re. Howells: "something has gone seriously wrong somewhere"
Re. Onslow: "its musical value is dubious, to say the least."
Re. Ives: "...frequent calamities", "[SQ No.2] so haphazard in style, and so ill-conceived for the medium that [...] it has little more than the messy charm of a child's scrapbook"
Re. Harris: "there is always something to admire in every Harris work, even if it's only the effort which has gone into it"
It is a valuble document of how people viewed music in the mid-century, from quotes such as "not so long ago, a Gallup poll taken by an American periodical showed that in the opinion of the majority, Stravinsky, Schönberg and Bloch were the greatest American composers". Hanson didn't merit a mention, yet Riegger is well-discussed. When Vaughan Williams is mentioned, it lists his two quartets, quintet, and then two obscure early works. Evidently one of his masterpieces, the violin sonata, was not even known back then.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41yrMTWy9OL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
A useful and entertaining overview, albeit one where the omissions (hey, why isn't my favorite 20th-century composer discussed?) and disproportionately lengthy examinations of particular composers or works, like Peter Grimes, might create some frustration.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FBZtLZPgL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Clear, intelligent insights for the non-specialist into most of the core symphony repertoire, as well as a few lesser-known works. The author's personal enthusiasms and anecdotes add rather than detract or distort.
Donald Tovey's Essays in Musical Analysis (6 vol,) are definitely worth having. Some works get very detailed dissection, often with quotations. And written with a sense of humour.
And Grazioso's post above re the Ross and Steinberg books too.
Here are three excellent recent books which I just got from my local library :
"Listen To This",the second book by Alex Ross,and a selection of his ex\ended pieces from the New Yorker.
Includes: discussion of Schubert's music, the late music of Brahms, Bjork and her background in classical music,and the lively classical music scene in Iceland, why Ross loves classical music but hates the term "classical music" ,etc.
Maitre,by conductor John Canarina ,a biography of the great French conductor Pierre Monteux by one of his pupils,and a former assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic under Bernstein. Fascinating,information-packed biography of one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, conductor of the legendary first performance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring , and music director of orchestras such as the L.S.O. and the San Francisco symphony.
"The New York Philharmonic From Boulez To Maazel",also by John Canarina. Takes off from the history of America's oldest orchestra from the history by the late Columbia music professor Howard Shanet, and is also packed with fascinating information.
Quote from: listener on March 14, 2011, 06:13:43 AM
Donald Tovey's Essays in Musical Analysis (6 vol,) are definitely worth having. Some works get very detailed dissection, often with quotations. And written with a sense of humour.
And Grazioso's post above re the Ross and Steinberg books too.
I have found these difficult books to own; i.e. - hard to find, expensive to buy. They are so good though. If you have a good library perhaps. I have a book with the "leftover" essays called "The Main Stream of Music" that was not unduly expensive, I found it easily (4 years ago) and was fascinating. Tovey was a brilliant writer, IMO. If you can find this book, it is a great intro to Tovey. :)
8)
Tovey is great writer, infectious in his enthusiasm and with an all-encompassing sense of authoritative knowledge. Some of his opinions are a bit outdated, but man he was good.
I agree, I've avoided buying a lot of his stuff due to horrible prices, or horrible quality "on demand" reprints. I hope something like Toccata Press pick them up at some point.
Speaking of Tovey - sort of.
I haven't made a proper start on the Cambridge Companion to Conducting yet, but skimmed the notes section last night, and found Raymond Tovey (presumably son-of) getting very huffy and indignant about the story of Bernstein keeping NY morale up with a competition of limericks beginning "There was a composer named Babbitt / Who had a peculiar habit". He says Boulez's reign must have come as a relief after this tawdry atmosphere. Somehow I don't quite believe that.
I believe the winner concluded: "Each day around noon / He'd go into a swoon / Scoring piece after piece like a rabbit."
Quite benign, really. I was hoping for something much ruder.
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on March 14, 2011, 01:17:35 PM
I have found these difficult books to own; i.e. - hard to find, expensive to buy.
I'm surprised to hear this. Quite a few are listed at Amazon for very little money.
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on March 14, 2011, 05:44:39 PM
I'm surprised to hear this. Quite a few are listed at Amazon for very little money.
Maybe now (haven't looked in quite a while) but 4 or 5 years ago when I
did look, there were few actually available and they were in excess of $100 ea. I'll take your tip and check gain, as I would like to have at least a few of them. :)
8)
----------------
Now playing:
Academy of Ancient Music \ Hogwood Robert Levin - K 415 Concerto #13 in C for Fortepiano 3rd mvmt - Allegro
re Tovey: I have a welcome feeling of smugness (in contrast to the lower back pain) in noting that I paid $4.25 for the paperbacks, $5.85 for the hardcover volume. That was when we paid $7.00 for a DGG lp (vs $5.00 for domestic labels).
There are 3 other titles: The Mainstream of Music (Meridian Paperback), The Forms of Music: Articles from the Encyclopaedia Brittanica (1943), and Essays and Lectures on Music (1949). The last two I bought used (10.75 and $10.00) locally.
I picked up a secondhand copy of the Victor Book of Symphonies from 1934 (rev. 1948) by Charles O'Connell.
I like old books like this, as they give an insight into the tastes of the time. For instance, of Bruckner's 3-9, the book omits No.6 and 8. Of Dvorak's last five (previously numbered as 1-5) the book omits no.7. Schubert's 9th is listed as his 7th, which makes far more sense than the current state of affairs.
Despite these, the rostrum of articles is notable for its diversity. Attesting to Anglosphere tastes, all seven Sibelius symphonies are present and accounted for, Bernstein's Jeremiah is included, two by Chavez, another two by D'Indy, several other Americans are represented, as is an unnumbered Bax symphony (which I presume to be his first) in which the capsule biography mistakenly claims the composer has Irish ancestry and also provides a good insight into his mind-frame regarding his new compostions (a reluctance to allow them to be immediately performed), which is more complex than I had thought. I hadn't even heard of Harl McDonald before, who has two symphonies written about. Included too is Shostakovich's 1st and No.5-9 - the gap is telling.
Another great benefit to the age of this book is that musicologists were real cantankerous sons of bitches back then which makes it fun to read the occasional outburst such as the following:
Those who constitute the lunatic fringe of the musical world, the parasites and the camp followers of music, the little men who batten upon the largesse of the recording companies and acquire collections of records at the expense merely of the labor involved in writing ill-considered, ill-tempered, and ill-informed reviews, are inclined to regard the symphonic music of Franz Schubert rather lightly."
After re-reading the sentence several times, I still don't know what it means, which is awesome. I highly recommend the book if you can find it cheaply - it's lengthy, with a moderate amount of musical examples, but is mostly text, and interesting at that.
Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevich Shostakovich on June 20, 2011, 07:20:04 AM
I picked up a secondhand copy of the Victor Book of Symphonies from 1934 (rev. 1948) by Charles O'Connell.
[...]
Another great benefit to the age of this book is that musicologists were real cantankerous sons of bitches back then which makes it fun to read the occasional outburst such as the following:
Those who constitute the lunatic fringe of the musical world, the parasites and the camp followers of music, the little men who batten upon the largesse of the recording companies and acquire collections of records at the expense merely of the labor involved in writing ill-considered, ill-tempered, and ill-informed reviews, are inclined to regard the symphonic music of Franz Schubert rather lightly."
After re-reading the sentence several times, I still don't know what it means, which is awesome. I highly recommend the book if you can find it cheaply - it's lengthy, with a moderate amount of musical examples, but is mostly text, and interesting at that.
Quite a funny, perhaps deliberately tortuous way of saying that record reviewers of his time, whom he despised, undervalued Schubert's symphonies. The latter point is probably true. Schubert has been positively revalued to an enormous extent during my lifetime (b.1943), though of course the so-called "Unfinished" Symphony was fairly popular even in 1934.
.[asin]0907689361[/asin]
This is very recommendable, although seems more expensive in the US than the UK. It's written from an uncommon perspective: by the son of a major violinist who himself does not make the performing of music his profession. The book has all the interesting reminiscences one might expect from someone growing up around the period - and he met many important figures either as a child accompanying his father to recitals or simply from attending concerts. The book includes printed letters of correspondence from figures such as Reger, Pfitzner, etc with his father, but is more a sketch of the author's thoughts on matters of the musical scene that his father engaged in rather than a biography of him. The overall tone is thoughtful but congenial.
What makes the book distinctive is that the writer's non-musician status means that he can make interesting observations about musicians as a whole rather than a personal view on himself alone. His section on the ways that various performers deal with stage fright was particularly interesting, as many of the performers themselves don't seem to like discussing the matter. As usual in this book, matters like this are entwined with constant accounts of the author's discussions with major musicians, anecdotes about performers of the day - Schnabel (he grew up knowing his son, who was equally annoyed when people asked him "do you play the piano?" and to constantly have to answer with "no"), Szeryng, etc. For a non-performer such as myself it was surprisingly enjoyable to read things like his thoughts on the relative merits of performing music from the score or memory - including an odd story about the Amadeus Quartet.
Cross-posting from the other 'reading' thread:
[asin]0945193904[/asin]
(by Raymond Knapp)
A couple chapters were too technical and went right over my head, but the parts that - uh - went straight at my head? - the other parts are very good and very interesting. :P The author does a mostly good job of hiding his admittedly rather endearing desire to do some rah-rah-gimme-a-B Brahms cheerleading. :)
Just bought this in case it goes further into unavailability.
[asin]0810857480[/asin]
In reading down this list, I see mention of Donald Francis Tovey. At the time of those posts, the only volume of his that I had (and think very highly of, BTW) was Mainstream of Music. Since then, a friend gifted me with the entire 6 volume set of Essays in Musical Analysis AND Beethoven, which I just finished. Tovey died while writing Beethoven, and in the middle of an essay on fugue, right in mid-sentence, the editor inserted an ellipsis and that was that. :(
One thing I love about Tovey, and I'm sure the reason why he achieved so highly, is that he wrote for you and I to read, not for other doctors of music. You can actually sit down and read and come away with something positive. His reviews of critics are a hoot, too. :D
8)
A few books I'm considering:
[asin]0521597536[/asin]
[asin]0521399769[/asin]
[asin]0521627141[/asin]
[asin]0521446333[/asin]
[asin]0521456339[/asin]
[asin]0521446325[/asin]
[asin]0521389011[/asin]
[asin]0521446562[/asin]
That series looks interesting, John.
Others in the series:
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Janacek: Kát'a Kabanová
Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire
Berg: Lulu
Berg: Wozzeck
Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex
Quote from: North Star on May 29, 2012, 01:01:26 AM
That series looks interesting, John.
Others in the series:
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Janacek: Kát'a Kabanová
Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire
Berg: Lulu
Berg: Wozzeck
Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex
It
is interesting. Some titles that I have;
Haydn - The Creation
Haydn - The Paris Symphonies
Haydn - The Op 50 Quartets
Mozart - The Haydn Quartets
Beethoven - The Violin Concerto
Beethoven - The Ninth Symphony
They are very well written, a fount of information. Even if (as in my case) the chapters centering on theory are a bit over the top, that is more than compensated for by the chapters on context of the composition, reception, performance history, greater significance etc. They are not great large books, and they are on the expensive side if bought new, but IMO worth the investment. :)
8)
Nice.
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on May 29, 2012, 04:33:17 AM
It is interesting. Some titles that I have;
Haydn - The Creation
Haydn - The Paris Symphonies
Haydn - The Op 50 Quartets
Mozart - The Haydn Quartets
Beethoven - The Violin Concerto
Beethoven - The Ninth Symphony
They are very well written, a fount of information. Even if (as in my case) the chapters centering on theory are a bit over the top, that is more than compensated for by the chapters on context of the composition, reception, performance history, greater significance etc. They are not great large books, and they are on the expensive side if bought new, but IMO worth the investment. :)
8)
Good to hear, Gurn. I think I will be buying some very soon.
Mentioned this on the Prokofiev thread as being well worth reading, but posting the Amazon link here so it doesn't get lost.
Summary: deep insight into music and more delivered with an excellent, sometimes witty, style most professional writers would die for.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411p6N2gG%2BL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Amazon page (since there's no ASIN)
http://www.amazon.com/Glenn-Gould-Reader-Tim-Page/dp/0679731350/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338517172&sr=1-1
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 28, 2012, 05:08:16 PM
A few books I'm considering:
[asin]0521597536[/asin]
[asin]0521399769[/asin]
[asin]0521627141[/asin]
[asin]0521446333[/asin]
[asin]0521456339[/asin]
[asin]0521446325[/asin]
[asin]0521389011[/asin]
[asin]0521446562[/asin]
Of these, I've read the Holst, Janacek and Britten books, and can particularly recommend the Britten and especially the Janacek books - both compelling reads. Paul Wingfield writing on the Glagolitic Mass was responsible for editing and reviving the original version (including the very striking central section of the Credo where, instead of the organ solo, we have howling strings and thundering timpani and percussion), and he goes into considerable detail about that version and why Janacek had to revise the work.
Quote from: Pierre on June 12, 2012, 11:28:09 AM
Of these, I've read the Holst, Janacek and Britten books, and can particularly recommend the Britten and especially the Janacek books - both compelling reads. Paul Wingfield writing on the Glagolitic Mass was responsible for editing and reviving the original version (including the very striking central section of the Credo where, instead of the organ solo, we have howling strings and thundering timpani and percussion), and he goes into considerable detail about that version and why Janacek had to revise the work.
Good to hear. I'm anxious to pick these up, but will probably hold off until Christmas. There's a lot of music I want to explore right now.
A few used books bought in a local bookshop yesterday :
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Eduw%2BXWpL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41KG0VWX71L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aXwOfDWyL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41s7zQd7cbL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41mSJRAbrlL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
I have made a start on the "Great Pianists speak for themselves", containing 13 interviews of pianists telling their story about their formative years with the instrument, impact of their teachers, how they approach concerts, recitals, rehearsals, their perspective on contemporary music, plans for the future, etc...
The 13 are :
Arrau - Ashkenazy - Brendel - Browning - Larrocha - Dichter - Firkusny - Gould - Horowitz - Janis - Kraus - Tureck - Watts.
The book was published in 1981 - so you just have to remember the interviews where done in the 1970's and keep that context in mind (e.g. Brendel : "I am still in my 40's so I have a few years playing yet - i have just recorded my second cycle of Beethoven Piano sonatas" ;D), also from an historical perspective (Cold War period - views on Russian piano school approach).
Very interesting so far and a few recs to boot along the way.
I didn't know of that piano book - it sounds exactly the kind of thing I like *Googles*
Edit: picked it up, and there was also a vol.2 to grab, happily.
Looking briefly at Amazon, there's an edition of that book that collates this volume with a 2nd one - totalling 25 pianists interviews.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elyse-Contemporary-Pianists-Themselves-History/dp/0486266958/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339752917&sr=1-3 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elyse-Contemporary-Pianists-Themselves-History/dp/0486266958/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339752917&sr=1-3)
Quote from: Lethevich on March 14, 2011, 05:49:01 AM
I just picked up the old Penguin book on chamber music (edited by Alec Robertson). I love old books on criticism/essays such as this, as they were written when a lot of 20th century repertoire was under-exposed or outright new, and as a result the opinions on various works and composers are sometimes wrong, but always bold and interesting. Some snippets:
Re. Copland: While calling his piano quartet an "important chamber work", he then refers to it as "painfully forced", "feeble", etc.
Re. Howells: "something has gone seriously wrong somewhere"
Re. Onslow: "its musical value is dubious, to say the least."
Re. Ives: "...frequent calamities", "[SQ No.2] so haphazard in style, and so ill-conceived for the medium that [...] it has little more than the messy charm of a child's scrapbook"
Re. Harris: "there is always something to admire in every Harris work, even if it's only the effort which has gone into it"
It is a valuble document of how people viewed music in the mid-century, from quotes such as "not so long ago, a Gallup poll taken by an American periodical showed that in the opinion of the majority, Stravinsky, Schönberg and Bloch were the greatest American composers". Hanson didn't merit a mention, yet Riegger is well-discussed. When Vaughan Williams is mentioned, it lists his two quartets, quintet, and then two obscure early works. Evidently one of his masterpieces, the violin sonata, was not even known back then.
Sounds like Philip Larkin on modern jazz, though probably not as fun.
John Schott's great Book Shrine (http://www.johnschott.com/record-shrine/book-shrine/):
Milton Babbitt: Words About Music
Luciano Berio: Two Interviews
Morton Feldman: Essays (coming out soon in a new edition from Exact Change) [scarlattiglenross: Give My Regards to Eighth Street, available and excellent]
Graham Lock: Forces In Motion (Anthony Braxton)
Tim Page, ed.: The Glenn Gould Reader
Charles Rosen: The Classical Style
Arnold Schoenberg: Style and Idea
Arnold Schoenberg: Theory of Harmony
Arnold Schoenberg: Structural Functions of Harmony
David Schiff: The Music of Elliott Carter
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on May 31, 2012, 06:34:15 PM
Mentioned this on the Prokofiev thread as being well worth reading, but posting the Amazon link here so it doesn't get lost.
Summary: deep insight into music and more delivered with an excellent, sometimes witty, style most professional writers would die for.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411p6N2gG%2BL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Amazon page (since there's no ASIN)
http://www.amazon.com/Glenn-Gould-Reader-Tim-Page/dp/0679731350/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338517172&sr=1-1
This just landed. Even in casually riffing rapidly through the book, nary a page but was of interest which (had my time been my own) I should gladly have lingered to read on. Thanks for the pointer, Jeffrey!
Though hard to find all three volumes, but the Daniel Heartz books on the Classical era are wonderfully written and full of information on this period, the historical and cultural context and the major (and no small number of minor) actors:
[asin]0393050807[/asin]
[asin]0393066347[/asin]
[asin]0393037126[/asin]
:)
Saw this one in a used bookshop in a National Trust site over the week-end. Had a chuckle, bought it ;D
(http://papyuk.smugmug.com/photos/i-bXp89kL/0/M/i-bXp89kL-M.jpg)
Saw this book in the concert hall shop at Snape last night - just released, could be of interest :
[asin]1580464114[/asin]
I reposted in this thread so it gets bumped up! :)
I would love to hear more thoughts about biographies and other books revolving around the music we listen to in GMG!
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 07:07:17 AM
Good to hear! Is your Klemp bio the Heyward? I read the first volume, but the second costs about $150!! I couldn't bring myself to spend that much. If you have it, let me know. Maybe we can work out some sort of swap...
I want the Swafford bio, but recently acquired the Grandaddy Beethoven bio--the Thayer. If I read the Swafford, I know I'll never read it. (I've read two other, smaller ones).
We should probably start a music book thread.
It is the Heyworth Vol 1. I, too, found the price for vol 2 a bit steep. :'( One of these days a copy will show up. Serendipity!! Great tactics with the Thayer biography. I see that the Kindle version is just a dollar!! :laugh:
[asin] B00EVB26CO[/asin]
Very nice stuff in this thread!! Thanks for exhuming it, Moonfish.
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 04:50:30 PM
Very nice stuff in this thread!! Thanks for exhuming it, Moonfish.
(https://wiki.openttd.org/images/b/bc/Face-Grin-120px.png)
Some great books listed in the posts in this thread. I suspect I will dig deeper into it and acquire way too many books (what else is new). I did not see the two Rosen books listed previously so I will add them here. They are very interesting (based on what I have read so far).
[asin] 0393040208[/asin]
[asin] 0674779339[/asin]
Quote from: Leon on June 25, 2012, 12:37:20 PM
Though hard to find all three volumes, but the Daniel Heartz books on the Classical era are wonderfully written and full of information on this period, the historical and cultural context and the major (and no small number of minor) actors:
[asin]0393050807[/asin]
[asin]0393066347[/asin]
[asin]0393037126[/asin]
:)
These three books by Daniel Heartz all look intriguing. Any further comments or recommendations in regards to these books?
Definitely expensive, so these will be library requests for sure.
Those are great books indeed. I particularly liked this one too:
[asin]0393302199[/asin]
And his book on the Beethoven Sonatas is a good companion to Tovey's older book on the same topic:
[asin]0300090706[/asin]
[asin]1860960863[/asin]
Quote from: Moonfish on October 31, 2014, 10:36:24 AM
Some great books listed in the posts in this thread. I suspect I will dig deeper into it and acquire way too many books (what else is new). I did not see the two Rosen books listed previously so I will add them here. They are very interesting (based on what I have read so far).
[asin] 0393040208[/asin]
[asin] 0674779339[/asin]
Quote from: Moonfish on October 31, 2014, 10:38:36 AM
These three books by Daniel Heartz all look intriguing. Any further comments or recommendations in regards to these books?
Definitely expensive, so these will be library requests for sure.
I'm going to the university library today to meet a student. I'll see if they have these. It's an incredibly spotty library, but they often shock me with what they do (and don't!) have. There is an equally expensive set of 4 books on Haydn, which I know the library
does have. Really out of my league, probably, but I may grab one and have a look. If I really like one that is otherwise out of print or hard to acquire, I can actually have a copy made quite cheaply. One of the benefits of living in Taiwan ;)
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 12, 2014, 06:09:49 PM
I'm going to the university library today to meet a student. I'll see if they have these. It's an incredibly spotty library, but they often shock me with what they do (and don't!) have. There is an equally expensive set of 4 books on Haydn, which I know the library does have. Really out of my league, probably, but I may grab one and have a look. If I really like one that is otherwise out of print or hard to acquire, I can actually have a copy made quite cheaply. One of the benefits of living in Taiwan ;)
Please report back from your library journey (and take pictures!! :P)......
Quote from: Moonfish on November 12, 2014, 08:58:10 PM
Please report back from your library journey (and take pictures!! :P)......
Aaah, it was rather disappointing. They do have the Rosen "Romantic" book, but not the Heartz, which is what I was really hoping to have a look at. They have some good biography, such as the Swafford Brahms. I expect I'll read that eventually. I ended up with a book on the Asian film industry (that was the topic I met the student to discuss--I'm her thesis advisor). Of course it was silly anyway, I have a shelf full of music books I haven't read yet. Still, there is nothing like an embarrassment of riches 8)
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 12, 2014, 11:40:35 PM
Aaah, it was rather disappointing. They do have the Rosen "Romantic" book, but not the Heartz, which is what I was really hoping to have a look at. They have some good biography, such as the Swafford Brahms. I expect I'll read that eventually. I ended up with a book on the Asian film industry (that was the topic I met the student to discuss--I'm her thesis advisor). Of course it was silly anyway, I have a shelf full of music books I haven't read yet. Still, there is nothing like an embarrassment of riches 8)
Yes, that theme sounds quite familiar! :laugh:
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 12, 2014, 11:40:35 PM
Of course it was silly anyway, I have a shelf full of music books I haven't read yet. Still, there is nothing like an embarrassment of riches 8)
I must have the entire Messiaen shelf checked out right now -- but I've probably only read 10 or so pages from most of them... And I also have his entire orchestral oeuvre (that my library has) checked out --
Canyons... (all three volumes!) and
Turangalila-Symphonie to name a few. I'm currently trying to figure out his
Chronochromie. The only things I haven't checked out are the two volumes of
La Transfiguration.... Maybe I'll change that later today... ;D
Thoroughly enjoying this:
Quote from: karlhenning on June 04, 2007, 06:56:44 AM
Oh, I hope not!
Playing armchair behavioral analyst is quite the fad in biography these days.
Uh, oh, and please... imposing and overlaying 'my contemporary sensibility' on the past has become a very big thing.
From those who do that, it strikes me as their being so utterly egocentric and narcissistic that not only can they but completely fail to tap the genuine ethos of another era or find the pulse of their subject, they seem compelled to impose their entire contemporary sensibility on the past because they just can not imagine another era without their precious selves in it. This is rather like thinking it scholarly and legitimate to impose a feminist spin on
Oedipus Rex, lol.
40000 years of music; Jacques Chailley 1964
"Professor of the History of Music at the Sorbonne, Jacques Chailley has written an unorthodox history of man's search for, creation and performance of music, in a book characterized by French individualism, lucidity and charm. With gadfly acuteness and acumen he views the life of music from the time when it was not an art but a force, to the present day with its dissonances and dodecaphony. Not a reference but a reading book for the music lover." ~ Kirkus Reviews
The Interior Beethoven ~ Irving Kolodin.
Even with later praised biographies, Kolodin's book covers both the musical / technical of the what and why Beethoven is Beethoven, while always connecting both the man and the music, yet never going to any romantic fantasized or romanticized degree. Still a fine one on Beethoven.
Longing ~ J.D. Landis
A superb biographical novel on Robert Schumann, very well-researched. Its tone is varied while the overall form, fact laden, is still that of a highly readable novel. Chock-a-block with real information, it also gives a very good insight into both the music, the composer's life, and other real persons from the romantic era are part of the fabric; Brahms, Mendelssohn, Paganini, etc.
Poetics of Music in the Form of Six Lessons ~ Igor Stravinsky
From the series of lectures Stravinsky gave as honored guest for Harvard's Charles Eliot Norton Lectures series.
They cover a lot, about music, his loves and admirations of numerous other composers, while above all, they may be the one slim book which can prompt in the reader their own thoughts on "the aesthetics" of music. Brief volume, and I would think whether you agree with the composer or not on the many things said, stimulating to thought on music in general. I can not think of another volume, so slim, that comes close to what this can do for a reader who loves classical music.
Quote from: Monsieur Croche on January 24, 2016, 04:53:53 PM
Uh, oh, and please... imposing and overlaying 'my contemporary sensibility' on the past has become a very big thing.
From those who do that, it strikes me as their being so utterly egocentric and narcissistic that not only can they but completely fail to tap the genuine ethos of another era or find the pulse of their subject, they seem compelled to impose their entire contemporary sensibility on the past because they just can not imagine another era without their precious selves in it. This is rather like thinking it scholarly and legitimate to impose a feminist spin on Oedipus Rex, lol.
I think many (most?) people lack the imagination to divorce their reality to the point where they can see things as they were to a contemporary of whatever era. Even those who are aware of the problem and DO have imagination are constrained by their personal history. The only thing we can
really do is not be judgmental about what we see. That, at least, is possible. Difficult for some, though. :-\
8)
Quote from: Gurn Blanston on January 24, 2016, 05:15:25 PM
I think many (most?) people lack the imagination to divorce their reality to the point where they can see things as they were to a contemporary of whatever era. Even those who are aware of the problem and DO have imagination are constrained by their personal history. The only thing we can really do is not be judgmental about what we see. That, at least, is possible. Difficult for some, though. :-\
8)
A-yep, it is impossible to be completely within the ethos or psyche of a past distant subject so separated from our present time, whether to the purpose of writing about it or as a performer playing the music of the past.
It is to be hoped the author / scholar / performer wholly recognizes that and then will do their damnedest to learn enough to at least well-imagine what wearing that hat was like ;)
I read chunks of this book once.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41mvvl4PmiL._SX325_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Useful for my purposes.
A new anthology of Virgil Thomson writings will be released by Library of America in a few weeks.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpcVQq0WAAEZBDV.jpg)
Quote from: Brian on August 09, 2016, 12:06:34 PM
A new anthology of Virgil Thomson writings will be released by Library of America in a few weeks.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpcVQq0WAAEZBDV.jpg)
I'd rather read him than listen to anything he wrote.
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on August 09, 2016, 12:22:33 PM
I'd rather read him than listen to anything he wrote.
He does come across as sour grapes in the above quote...
Anyway never thought he was anything other than serviceable as a composer.
Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on August 09, 2016, 12:34:53 PM
He does come across as sour grapes in the above quote...
Anyway never thought he was anything other than serviceable as a composer.
Actually his statement was likely correct at the time, c. 1940. I've sat through The Mother of Us All (but not of me) and Four Saints in Three Acts (which would have been better as Half a Saint in One Act or even a smaller subdivision, and which was redeemed only by the Mark Morris choreography).
*bump*
We need to talk about books more!!!!!! 0:)
To digress:
This is just what we needed.... ::)
"With outrageous anecdotes about everyone from Gioachino Rossini (draft-dodging womanizer) to Johann Sebastian Bach (jailbird) to Richard Wagner (alleged cross-dresser), Secret Lives of Great Composers recounts the seamy, steamy, and gritty history behind the great masters of international music. You'll learn that Edward Elgar dabbled with explosives; that John Cage was obsessed with fungus; that Berlioz plotted murder; and that Giacomo Puccini stole his church's organ pipes and sold them as scrap metal so he could buy cigarettes. This is one music history lesson you'll never forget!"
[asin] B00GQA2CU4[/asin]
I have had Taruskin's five volume set (4,000 pgs) staring at me from the shelves for a few years now. I occasionally dive into a section (to learn more about a composer, style or time period). A bit dry but very informative! The volumes can also make you suffocate if you read them while in bed. Fortunately there is a Kindle version. Do you guys read this (or refer to) at all?
Review by Mark Sealey: https://www.classical.net/music/books/reviews/0195386302a.php
Review in NYRB Pt1: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2006/02/23/from-the-troubadours-to-frank-sinatra/
Review in NYRB Pt2: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2006/03/09/from-the-troubadours-to-sinatra-part-ii/
Review in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/man-who-heard-it-all/
[asin] B004H0N71S[/asin]
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51OVUiJ7C1L.jpg) | (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xD8WkMbPL.jpg) |
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/419FI0wDdfL._SY346_.jpg) | (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51F9jXRjWGL._SY346_.jpg) | (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41oAT7zJlkL.jpg) |
I have been looking for a biography (or work) focused on Rachmaninoff's life and times. Anybody familiar with this book? It looks very interesting and contains a fair number of entries resembling diaries or letters.
Sergei Bertensson: Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music
ISBN: 978-0253214218
"Throughout his career as composer, conductor, and pianist, Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was an intensely private individual. When Bertensson and Leyda's 1956 biography appeared, it lifted the veil of secrecy from several areas of Rachmaninoff's life, especially concerning the genesis of his compositions and how their critical reception affected him.
The authors consulted a number of people who knew Rachmaninoff, who worked with him, and who corresponded with him. Even with the availability of such sources and full access to the Rachmaninoff Archive at the Library of Congress, Bertensson and Leyda were tireless in their pursuit of privately held documents, particularly correspondence. The wonderfully engaging product of their labors masterfully incorporates primary materials into the narrative."
[asin] B06Y42TG9P[/asin]
Being in the Russian mind set I also came across what looks like a very interesting biography focused on Alexander Scriabin:
Scriabin, a Biography by Faubion Bowers
Dover; ISBN 978-0486288970
https://smile.amazon.com/Scriabin-Biography-Second-Revised-Dover/dp/0486288978/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527842727&sr=1-1&keywords=bowers+scriabin
"This definitive biography of Alexander Scriabin (1871–1915), newly revised and updated by the author, incorporates many confessional letters and personal reminiscences in a vivid, highly personal portrait of the controversial Russian composer. One of the visionary pioneers who sought a new musical language — at least a full decade before the advances of Stravinsky and Schoenberg — Scriabin immersed himself in a search for a way to express, in sound, the mystical and theosophical ideals that obsessed him.
This monumental biography probes the complexities of the composer's personal revolution as it chronicles the turbulent events of his upbringing, marital life, and career: his tours of Europe and America, abandonment of his wife, brushes with homosexuality and madness, and the flowering of an unrealized vision to synthesize all of art and life in an all-encompassing final work. Originally published in two volumes, the work is republished here in one volume unabridged, complete with a catalog of Scriabin's works and 49 rare photographs."
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This is one of the best books I have ever come across. Most other books focussing on contemporary music only really brush over the very surface of the complex and varied styles and individuals. This one looks at things in more detail:
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Quote from: Moonfish on June 01, 2018, 12:17:10 AM
I have had Taruskin's five volume set (4,000 pgs) staring at me from the shelves for a few years now. I occasionally dive into a section (to learn more about a composer, style or time period). A bit dry but very informative! The volumes can also make you suffocate if you read them while in bed. Fortunately there is a Kindle version. Do you guys read this (or refer to) at all?
I have the Kindle versions and have read much of the first two but haven't delved into the other three. I like Taruskin, but have so many other books I can balance out his view easily.
Does anybody own those below and are they worth the time please ? or is it more for "completists" as secondary reading ? I struggled to find a table of contents for the Brian and the Boult on Music. Would be interested to have a glimpse at those if you have them please. Thank you.
[asin]0907689205[/asin]
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51C2-WVZ8eL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
[asin]0907689043[/asin]
Quote from: San Antone on June 01, 2018, 04:20:32 AM
I have the Kindle versions and have read much of the first two but haven't delved into the other three. I like Taruskin, but have so many other books I can balance out his view easily.
Hi
San Antone - pardon my 'delayed' response - :-[ But curious about the Taruskin 'Kindle Edition' - I own the book below (first pic) and enjoyed - the 17th/18th centuries are probably my favorite and the $14 Kindle price is quite appealing - just curious if the e-book is well done, e.g. are there illustrations (and of decent quality - often a limitation w/ these electronic books on my iPad). Thanks for any info - Dave :)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51WdYtEgaeL._SX398_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Classical-Music/i-67wLLcn/0/63a58d08/M/TaruskinMusic-M.png)
Quote from: SonicMan46 on December 23, 2019, 01:43:16 PM
Hi San Antone - pardon my 'delayed' response - :-[ But curious about the Taruskin 'Kindle Edition' - I own the book below (first pic) and enjoyed - the 17th/18th centuries are probably my favorite and the $14 Kindle price is quite appealing - just curious if the e-book is well done, e.g. are there illustrations (and of decent quality - often a limitation w/ these electronic books on my iPad). Thanks for any info - Dave :)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51WdYtEgaeL._SX398_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Classical-Music/i-67wLLcn/0/63a58d08/M/TaruskinMusic-M.png)
Richard Taruskin is my favorite musicologist / music historian. His Oxford series is a well worth, provocative reading.
Quote from: SonicMan46 on December 23, 2019, 01:43:16 PM
Hi San Antone - pardon my 'delayed' response - :-[ But curious about the Taruskin 'Kindle Edition' - I own the book below (first pic) and enjoyed - the 17th/18th centuries are probably my favorite and the $14 Kindle price is quite appealing - just curious if the e-book is well done, e.g. are there illustrations (and of decent quality - often a limitation w/ these electronic books on my iPad). Thanks for any info - Dave :)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51WdYtEgaeL._SX398_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Classical-Music/i-67wLLcn/0/63a58d08/M/TaruskinMusic-M.png)
The Taruskin 5-volume Oxford Kindle books are very well produced, IMO: all the musical examples and illustrations are sized correctly and appear without distortion. I feel confident in recommending them.
I enjoy his writing immensely, and find his conclusions apt.
Quote from: San Antone on December 23, 2019, 02:10:06 PM
I enjoy his writing immensely, and find his conclusions apt.
+ 1.
Quote from: Moonfish on October 31, 2014, 10:38:36 AM
These three books by Daniel Heartz all look intriguing. Any further comments or recommendations in regards to these books?
Definitely expensive, so these will be library requests for sure.
"Leon/Franco" was a previous version of myself on this forum. The Heartz books are excellent, I think they are the best coverage of the Classical period from both a historical and cultural/musical perspective. And yes, they are expensive and somewhat hard to find. It took me a few years and a lot of searching to find them, used, in good condition, at a reasonable price. It is possible, you just need to keep at it - but they are only for someone who has a strong interest in the period covering Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven and their contemporaries.
Quote from: Florestan on December 23, 2019, 02:12:38 PM
+ 1.
Thanks
Guys - the 'college edition' shown in my previous post was an excellent read w/ plenty of great illustrations - believe I'll go for that 17th/18th century Kindle option for that price! Dave
Stephen Walsh's two volume biography of Stravinksy and his one volume on Debussy are all great reads and well researched.
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Alan Walker's biographies of Liszt and Chopin are excellent, probably best treatment of both composers.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BkYp_zGXmi4/WJkAg3vLlQI/AAAAAAAARt0/dfATluaQwwoS4IRjxGlBzssNsIIlTHNJgCLcB/s1600/Walker_1-3.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31YB9tQE6rL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Jan Swafford has written biographies of Brahms and Beethoven, both very good.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71T8ZLyCXxL.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51EN1M5LK0L._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
I read this bio of szell while enjoying the big Cleveland box.
[asin]B00A1FWRUA[/asin]
Very workmanlike and informative. The author remains detached, and (over)protective of Szell's legacy. It's very readable, but absolutely needs this as a countermeasure:
[asin]1574416138[/asin]
Whether it's Brusilow or his co-writer that makes it so good, this is lively, fun, full of terrific anecdotes and insider's view of the conducting and playing world. Also a no-holds-barred look at the ugly side of the industry. Brusilow comes across as a wonderful guy who is terribly wronged by everybody; I strongly suspect there is another side to some of his stories, but still a great read.
This book on the cello suites is a mixed bag. He's by no means an expert or authority in any way. He just became rather obsessed by the suites and did a lot of research and wrote a book on them, inserting himself liberally into the text. It's padded out with a bio of Casals, as a "reviver" of the suites' fame. I learned a lot from the book and enjoyed it, but it is by no means essential.
[asin]B008UX3PC4[/asin]
Quote from: Moonfish on June 01, 2018, 12:17:10 AM
I have had Taruskin's five volume set (4,000 pgs) staring at me from the shelves for a few years now. I occasionally dive into a section (to learn more about a composer, style or time period). A bit dry but very informative! The volumes can also make you suffocate if you read them while in bed. Fortunately there is a Kindle version. Do you guys read this (or refer to) at all?
Review by Mark Sealey: https://www.classical.net/music/books/reviews/0195386302a.php
Review in NYRB Pt1: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2006/02/23/from-the-troubadours-to-frank-sinatra/
Review in NYRB Pt2: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2006/03/09/from-the-troubadours-to-sinatra-part-ii/
Review in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/man-who-heard-it-all/
[asin] B004H0N71S[/asin]
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51OVUiJ7C1L.jpg) | (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xD8WkMbPL.jpg) |
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/419FI0wDdfL._SY346_.jpg) | (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51F9jXRjWGL._SY346_.jpg) | (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41oAT7zJlkL.jpg) |
I have the "17th & 18th Century" volume. I read it to learn more about the 17th, while supplementing what I knew about the 18th. He tends to focus on small bits (certain composers but not most composers), which is, probably, the only way to tell the story of such a long period of time. He is controversial, but I was undeterred and that paid off for me, as it accomplished precisely the purpose I bought it for. It has been 4 years now, I am due to read it again as a refresher. The other volumes, I have no idea about (nor any particular interest in). :)
8)
Quote from: Moonfish on October 31, 2014, 10:38:36 AM
These three books by Daniel Heartz all look intriguing. Any further comments or recommendations in regards to these books?
Definitely expensive, so these will be library requests for sure.
Book 1
[asin]0393037126[/asin]
Book 2
[asin]0393066347[/asin]
I don't know, Moon, if you have already put this notion to bed or are still pondering. A short answer then, for now: I have volumes 1 & 2. I use them constantly as references while writing my Haydn blog. They give good contrast against other writers (like Robbins Landon), and he is very well respected among the scholarly set. I found them very readable, but I like stuff like that so your mileage may vary. Anyway, if it is just to get them from a library, not find/buy them, then by all means, do so.
8)
I finally cracked this book about Shostakovich yesterday and am looking forward to diving in (hopefully) more this weekend. I had heard good things from friends about it. Also purchased around the same time is her, that being Elizabeth Wilson's book on Rostropovich. :)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41Syyax2hLL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
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PD
p.s. I did notice that another poster here (I'm afraid that I forget who) also purchased the Shostakovich book.....and I trust didn't take so long to get around reading it....and enjoyed it??
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on February 22, 2020, 04:11:32 AM
I finally cracked this book about Shostakovich yesterday and am looking forward to diving in (hopefully) more this weekend. I had heard good things from friends about it. Also purchased around the same time is her, that being Elizabeth Wilson's book on Rostropovich. :)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41Syyax2hLL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Mkq713LxL._SX307_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
PD
p.s. I did notice that another poster here (I'm afraid that I forget who) also purchased the Shostakovich book.....and I trust didn't take so long to get around reading it....and enjoyed it??
I have read both, P. I found the Shostakovich bit of a slog and the Rostropovich a page-turner which is odd as I find Shostakovich more interesting then Rostropovich. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Wilson knew Rostropovich personally as a pupil. The reaction of Rostropovich to Jackie du Pré is particularly revealing.
Quote from: Irons on February 27, 2020, 06:51:59 AM
I have read both, P. I found the Shostakovich bit of a slog and the Rostropovich a page-turner which is odd as I find Shostakovich more interesting then Rostropovich. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Wilson knew Rostropovich personally as a pupil. The reaction of Rostropovich to Jackie du Pré is particularly revealing.
Hi Irons,
Interesting. I would certainly imagine that she developed a closer relationship to Rostropovich than to Shostakovich, as you said, due to the circumstances. Note: she did write in her preface to the second edition that "Having spent seven years as a student of Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatoire in the 1960's and early 1970's, I was privileged to be present at many of Shostakovich's triumphant premieres, all of them unforgettable occasions." Will be interesting to see whether or not she goes into that further (I'm guessing yes) and as to what ones she did see/hear. Also, whether or not she met the composer; I'd suspect that if so, it was probably a rather brief one as she was a student....but I'll find out eventually! :)
Alas, I mucked up my eye (which is getting much better) and so hadn't felt like reading a lot over the weekend.
Best wishes,
PD
Quote from: Papy Oli on December 23, 2019, 01:01:00 PM
Does anybody own those below and are they worth the time please ? or is it more for "completists" as secondary reading ? I struggled to find a table of contents for the Brian and the Boult on Music. Would be interested to have a glimpse at those if you have them please. Thank you.
[asin]0907689205[/asin]
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51C2-WVZ8eL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
[asin]0907689043[/asin]
Did anyone respond to your query about the Havergal Brian book? I enjoyed it a lot both for his insight but also a portrait of British Music in the early 20th Century "as it happened". Brian was obviously a very informed insightful and intelligent critic/writer....
Hi RS,
I eventually bought all three at the time as I could get them very cheap on Ebay. I have so far only read the Boult on Music and have found it extremely interesting, informative and giving me some context to all the British composers I have discovered in the last year and the state of British music in the Boult era. The Brian Vol.1 also appears right up my alley in terms of such contents. I skipped his Vol.2 as the composers covered are not my cup of tea.
The book below is also informative and detailed. Highly recommended. About 180 pages in so far, up to Stanford and Parry. Learning an awful lot again about the historical context and progression of the British music and composers. It puts some structure to everything I am listening to. Loving it.
[asin]B07GY2CHM5[/asin]
The Infinite Variety of Music
286 pages
I have a colleague who has a surging interest in Leonard Bernstein, so I am lending him a few books I own, but not before I get a chance to reread them.
Those of a certain age will remember Bernstein gave a series of musical chats on television, often geared towards families. Of course, with the advent of YouTube, many of his broadcasts and rehearsals are available free online. I personally prefer his tightly-scripted, black & white 50's and 60's musings over his older-aged pontificating (boy did he like to hear himself talk). The video of him rehearsing Shostakovich's Symphony 1 for the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival is the worst of that latter aspect, complete with sunglasses on the podium. But I digress...
This book recreates a series of Bernstein's public presentations:
1. Five television transcripts of his espousing topics on The Infinite Variety of Music, Rhythm, Mozart, Jazz in Serious Music, and Romanticism in Music.
2. Four symphonic analyses including Dvorak's Symphony 9, Tchaikovsky's Symphony 6, Beethoven's Symphony 3, and Brahms' Symphony 4.
3. A college lecture on having Something to Say in composing music, plus a Q & A follow-up session.
If any of the topics above are of interest, Bernstein as educator tries to make everything graspable for everyone, but never does he reach for the lowest-common denominator.
This is a great thread!
I'll second (or third, or fourth...) Richard Taruskin, both generally and that 5-volume Oxford set. I read Taruskin quite a bit during my college days and always found it to be a worthwhile experience. This has been a great encouragement to pick him back up at some point in the near future.
The aforementioned books on Stravinsky and Debussy by Walsh are excellent.
Copland's "What to Listen For in Music" is fascinating given its author if nothing else!
And Swafford's biographies of Brahms and Beethoven - and now Mozart - are all worth reading. If anyone is looking for a good introductory book, I read Swafford's "Language of the Spirit" last year and quite enjoyed it. Opinionated and not anywhere close to comprehensive, but definitely written by someone with a lifetime's worth of experience with the genre, which is valuable in and of itself.
I read Charles Rosen, Maynard Solomon, etc. during college. Definitely worth reading, but also rather academic.
I enjoyed the first volume of David Nice's biography on Prokofiev, "Prokofiev: From Russia to the West, 1891-1935" when it came out. Hope he actually gets around to finishing the second volume at some point.
Quote from: Papy Oli on March 04, 2020, 10:16:05 AM
Hi RS,
I eventually bought all three at the time as I could get them very cheap on Ebay. I have so far only read the Boult on Music and have found it extremely interesting, informative and giving me some context to all the British composers I have discovered in the last year and the state of British music in the Boult era. The Brian Vol.1 also appears right up my alley in terms of such contents. I skipped his Vol.2 as the composers covered are not my cup of tea.
The book below is also informative and detailed. Highly recommended. About 180 pages in so far, up to Stanford and Parry. Learning an awful lot again about the historical context and progression of the British music and composers. It puts some structure to everything I am listening to. Loving it.
[asin]B07GY2CHM5[/asin]
That's a book I've had my eye on for some time - just waiting for it to appear in a 2nd hand/cheaper listing!
Quote from: VonStupp on June 02, 2021, 10:53:20 AM
The Infinite Variety of Music
286 pages
I have a colleague who has a surging interest in Leonard Bernstein, so I am lending him a few books I own, but not before I get a chance to reread them.
Those of a certain age will remember Bernstein gave a series of musical chats on television, often geared towards families. Of course, with the advent of YouTube, many of his broadcasts and rehearsals are available free online. I personally prefer his tightly-scripted, black & white 50's and 60's musings over his older-aged pontificating (boy did he like to hear himself talk). The video of him rehearsing Shostakovich's Symphony 1 for the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival is the worst of that latter aspect, complete with sunglasses on the podium. But I digress...
This book recreates a series of Bernstein's public presentations:
1. Five television transcripts of his espousing topics on The Infinite Variety of Music, Rhythm, Mozart, Jazz in Serious Music, and Romanticism in Music.
2. Four symphonic analyses including Dvorak's Symphony 9, Tchaikovsky's Symphony 6, Beethoven's Symphony 3, and Brahms' Symphony 4.
3. A college lecture on having Something to Say in composing music, plus a Q & A follow-up session.
If any of the topics above are of interest, Bernstein as educator tries to make everything graspable for everyone, but never does he reach for the lowest-common denominator.
The DG Original Masters set of Bernstein's 1953 American Decca recordings of these symphonies (plus Schumann 2) has the symphonic analysis as an audio track for each work.
Many years ago, as a teenager I bought Bernstein's book
The Joy of Music; that was also based on a television series, does it have any overlap with the book above? A friend borrowed it, we lost touch and I never got it back.
Quote from: Biffo on June 03, 2021, 03:56:01 AM
The DG Original Masters set of Bernstein's 1953 American Decca recordings of these symphonies (plus Schumann 2) has the symphonic analysis as an audio track for each work.
Many years ago, as a teenager I bought Bernstein's book The Joy of Music; that was also based on a television series, does it have any overlap with the book above? A friend borrowed it, we lost touch and I never got it back.
Interesting, I didn't know those talks were put on a DG's Originals.
The Joy of Music has different subjects than
Infinite Variety, but it is collected in the same style. They also both have weird imaginary conversations, a strange discourse between Bernstein and George Washington on a plane in the book mentioned originally, I assume penned by Bernstein himself - very odd. At one point, his Young People's Concerts were on DVD too, so one could really have a Bernstein teaching fest if you wanted to.
Quote from: VonStupp on June 03, 2021, 04:58:22 AM
Interesting, I didn't know those talks were put on a DG's Originals. The Joy of Music has different subjects than Infinite Variety, but it is collected in the same style. They also both have weird imaginary conversations, a strange discourse between Bernstein and George Washington on a plane in the book mentioned originally, I assume penned by Bernstein himself - very odd. At one point, his Young People's Concerts were on DVD too, so one could really have a Bernstein teaching fest if you wanted to.
Thanks for the info about the books.
Here's one of my all-time favorites:
The Stream of Music by Richard Anthony Leonard -
the best collection of composer biographies ever, - brilliantly written, immensely entertaining, deeply insightful, - a riveting read
from start to finish. Incomparable. This description will make do: "This book is a history of music from 1650 to the present told in terms of the lives and works of the great composers. Each chapter is a cunningly composed mixture of historical background, biography, character sketch, and critical comment." (Composers treated are Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, Strauss, Debussy, Stravinsky, & Sibelius).
More ephemeral and superficial as it might be, a kind of companion work to Leonard in certain respects that I've found quite fascinating and engrossing is Maestro: Encounters with Conductors of Today by Helena Matheopoulos - the "today" being the world of 1983 (its publication year). As one summary fairly describes it: "Interviews with the world's twenty-three top orchestral conductors provide the basis for accounts of their training, musical tastes, podium techniques, repertoires, lifestyles, and achievements." (Those conductors covered are Bernstein, Boulez, Previn, Abbado, Bohm, Boult, Davis, Giulini, Haitink, von Karajan, Levine, Maazel, Mackerras, Mehta, Muti, Ozawa, Solti, Tennstedt, Kleiber, Ashkenazy, Rostropovich, Chailly, & Rattle).
Just ordered this:
(//)
I had no idea that Jan Swafford published Mozat biography at the end of last year. I loved all his other books. Mozart must be grand too.
[audio][/audio]
Quote from: Artem on June 17, 2021, 11:18:27 AM
I had no idea that Jan Swafford published Mozat biography at the end of last year. I loved all his other books. Mozart must be grand too.
I still think his Brahms bio the best composer biography I've ever read, but was less pleased with its successor on Beethoven which for my taste has just far too much musicological analyses that I can't follow and doesn't hold my attention or interest.
I too was unaware of the work on Mozart, and will be curious how it measures up against the predecessors, though at over 800 pages I suspect it may be (as with Beethoven) "too much of a good thing" in similar fashion.
The thing about Brahms is that there's such an abundance of source material for exploring his inner life and human relationships
that doesn't exist in anywhere near the same quantity for either Mozart or Beethoven, so whereas Swafford's work on Brahms
could communicate and elaborate his human qualities and life experiences in engrossing detail and with some nuance, the Beethoven book was far less full in that regard, and finally overtaken by externalities and the kind of musical "shop talk" I myself can do without. Mozart will impose the same sort of constraints even moreso, which leaves me wondering (and fearing) what that 800 pages will be filled up with.
I have a friend who has a burgeoning interest in Leonard Bernstein. I was going to lend him my books, but I thought I would reread them before I pass them on. Every biography covers his personal life and career, it is just a matter of where the author dedicates their focus. Here is my survey:
Leonard Bernstein - Joan Peyser
The most salacious of these biographies. If you want to know every sticky, nasty detail of his personal life, this is the one for you. Seems a bit sensationalist to me.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41J0LOqpzRL.jpg)
Leonard Bernstein - Humphrey Burton
The longest, and perhaps most comprehensive. There are pages and pages of diaries, personal papers, and other documents. Interviews with his children and anecdotes provide extremely detailed steps in his life, but it was all a bit too much for me. Easier to like, though.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51yqonUYRdL.jpg)
Leonard Bernstein: A Life - Meryle Secrest
This is more up my alley. Secrest follows his musical career with some nice behind-the-scenes tales. It is at its best through the interviews, such as those by Stephen Sondheim.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41WYVX78NDL.jpg)
Leonard Bernstein: An American Musician - Allen Shawn
From the Jewish Lives series, this one looks at Bernstein as a composer/conductor with a nice look at his music too. Covers many, many of his concerts and some works in depth (I forgot all about his Peter Pan). As a musician this was the best one for me; I am not so interested in scandal.
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I picked this up a few years ago at a used bookstore. Included with the 181 page book are five 7-inch 33 1/3 rpm records.
Even though the intended audience is "young people", the writing style is conversational (but not completely juvenile) so it's still an entertaining read for an adult. Bernstein's text is also interspersed with numerous musical notation examples illustrating the various points being discussed.
Despite the well-worn condition of this box, the vinyl inside is pristine. The previous owner was either a very careful audiophile, or didn't own a record player.
The last month or so, I've reviewed my classical music book collection and decided I needed some updated reading and possibly hard copy additions and/or replacements:
Music in the 18th & 19th Centuries - part of a Norton collection of books, about done w/ both - did 'rentals' on my iPad (Amazon allows 4 months or so before the books are removed) - these are short (< 300 pages) and general w/ little in the way of musical scores/notations which I prefer not being able to really appreciate looking at notes on a staff. I likely will rent the book on the Baroque period soon.
A History of Music in the British Isles, V. 2 - purchased as a hardcover new for about $20 USD, using some Amazon credit - about a third of the way into the book and really beginning to enjoy; the Brits did not seem to have any illustrious 'now remembered' musical personalities until the middle of the century and later, just my two cents, now! 8)
America's Musical Life (2005; Norton) by Richard Crawford - this will complement or replace an older book on the same topic by Gilbert Chase; bought as a used paperback said to be in good condition for $10 - not yet arrived. Dave :)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/516nK9s6CLL._SX333_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51A4op9oQjL._SX332_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B07GY2CHM5.01.L.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NQlrriOKL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
This has been made available in paperback recently I believe. Over 700 pages long. Has anybody read it?
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Quote from: Artem on August 22, 2021, 08:02:18 AM
This has been made available in paperback recently I believe. Over 700 pages long. Has anybody read it?
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Have not, but I'd love to. Glad it's finally in paperback, I don't really buy hardbacks.
Quote from: ultralinear on August 29, 2021, 01:00:49 PM
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Great book.
Thanks for the detailed description - I've added this to my wish list!
Well, back in July, I posted the books below quoted at the bottom - have finished the first three - just a third through
America's Musical Life, nearly a 900 page book - this will take me a while. BUT, I really enjoyed the two Norton rentals, Music in the 18th & 19th Centuries; so I've done 2 more rentals, i.e.
Music in the Baroque &
Music in the Renaissance, already finished the Baroque and starting the Renaissance - again really enjoying this series (outstanding Amazon reviews); rentals are $20 or less w/ plenty of time given before the books are removed from your device - there are two other books in this series shown immediately below, last two - might get the 'Medieval West' but probably not the other one. Dave :)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/517fJkK1aqL._SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_ML2_.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51DtjEQhCeL._SX332_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61dQL9OwQaL._SX334_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51o42lK4mfL._SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_ML2_.jpg)
Quote from: SonicMan46 on July 20, 2021, 07:34:09 AM
The last month or so, I've reviewed my classical music book collection and decided I needed some updated reading and possibly hard copy additions and/or replacements:
Music in the 18th & 19th Centuries - part of a Norton collection of books, about done w/ both - did 'rentals' on my iPad (Amazon allows 4 months or so before the books are removed) - these are short (< 300 pages) and general w/ little in the way of musical scores/notations which I prefer not being able to really appreciate looking at notes on a staff. I likely will rent the book on the Baroque period soon.
A History of Music in the British Isles, V. 2 - purchased as a hardcover new for about $20 USD, using some Amazon credit - about a third of the way into the book and really beginning to enjoy; the Brits did not seem to have any illustrious 'now remembered' musical personalities until the middle of the century and later, just my two cents, now! 8)
America's Musical Life (2005; Norton) by Richard Crawford - this will complement or replace an older book on the same topic by Gilbert Chase; bought as a used paperback said to be in good condition for $10 - not yet arrived. Dave :)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/516nK9s6CLL._SX333_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51A4op9oQjL._SX332_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B07GY2CHM5.01.L.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NQlrriOKL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
The Masses of Joseph Haydn (2008)
Don V Moses & Robert W. Demaree
874 pages
If you want a very detailed view of each Haydn Mass, and don't mind following along with a score, this is a great way to really get into these works. I was thinking of listening to some of these again, and this book is the first to come off the shelf to accompany the works for me.
Plenty of historical context alongside performance suggestions, but it is a lengthy, dense tome too.
To be transparent, I am familiar with both authors, the late Demaree from his choral work at South Bend, Indiana, and Moses as a leading figure at the Universities of Iowa and Illinois, plus his Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt since the 70's. Both have collaborated in print before.
VS
Quote from: VonStupp on June 13, 2022, 07:35:08 AM
The Masses of Joseph Haydn (2008)
Don V Moses & Robert W. Demaree
874 pages
If you want a very detailed view of each Haydn Mass, and don't mind following along with a score, this is a great way to really get into these works. I was thinking of listening to some of these again, and this book is the first to come off the shelf to accompany the works for me.
Plenty of historical context alongside performance suggestions, but it is a lengthy, dense tome too.
To be transparent, I am familiar with both authors, the late Demaree from his choral work at South Bend, Indiana, and Moses as a leading figure at the Universities of Iowa and Illinois, plus his Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt since the 70's. Both have collaborated in print before.
VS
Nice aquarelle on the cover.
I've greatly enjoyed very recently these two:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61M1JAA2HYL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://media.springernature.com/w306/springer-static/cover/book/978-1-349-11297-5.jpg)
Quote from: Florestan on June 13, 2022, 07:41:58 AM
Nice aquarelle on the cover.
I've greatly enjoyed very recently these two:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61M1JAA2HYL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://media.springernature.com/w306/springer-static/cover/book/978-1-349-11297-5.jpg)
That
Parisian Worlds book looks mighty fascinating!
VS
Quote from: VonStupp on June 13, 2022, 07:51:45 AM
That Parisian Worlds book looks mighty fascinating!
It is. I devoured it in three days (disclosure: I'm a Chopin fanatic). I can let you have it in pdf, if interested just PM me. ;)
(//)
Quote from: Florestan on June 13, 2022, 07:41:58 AM
Nice aquarelle on the cover.
I've greatly enjoyed very recently these two:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61M1JAA2HYL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://media.springernature.com/w306/springer-static/cover/book/978-1-349-11297-5.jpg)
Hi
Andrei - just ordered a used copy of
The Early Romantic Era - could not find any reviews so I hope you enjoyed it? ??? Dave
Any thoughts on the author Stephen Walsh? His new book, out this week, is advertised as a sweeping 400-page history of the risk takers and innovators of the romantic era.
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiOTMxMDAyNi4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2NjU1MDQ3NDN9)
Edit: just saw that San Antone had praise for his single-composer biographies a few pages ago.
Quote from: SonicMan46 on June 14, 2022, 07:07:09 AM
Hi Andrei - just ordered a used copy of The Early Romantic Era - could not find any reviews so I hope you enjoyed it? ??? Dave
Me too! It looked very interesting and I managed to snag a copy for $5 with free shipping. Better not let us down Andrei :laugh:
Any thoughts on the Jan Swofford biography of Mozart?
I've got it, but haven't read it yet. This is 12th bio on him I have, so haven't been in a hurry over it. I think we could all well do without it, considering the amount of trees already killed over this composer - if he had spent the energy on, for example, Cyril Scott - how much more exciting a book announcement that would have been.
What biographies of Mozart would you recommend, of the ones you have?
Quote from: Dave B on December 01, 2022, 05:04:37 AMWhat biographies of Mozart would you recommend, of the ones you have?
Hi
Dave - over the decades I've read well over a dozen books on Mozart, many given away to a local charity for their book sale; but the ones below remain on my shelf - not sure the topics are what you are after but I enjoyed all. Dave :)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/412pwVxDU5L._AC_SY780_.jpg) (https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31pOq7AmkuL._BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) (https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61kCzY5YRrL._AC_SY780_.jpg) (https://www.bu.edu/cas/magazine/spring11/wates/book.png)
Thanks very much
Quote from: Dave B on December 01, 2022, 07:03:54 AMThanks very much
Dave - the Swafford book on Wolfie is just an $11+ Kindle buy on Amazon - published in 2020 but stated to be 800+ pages (in the printed versions) - with my aging eyes and lessened attention span I tend to avoid books much over 400 pages - BUT, for those who have read this book please provide some details, e.g. is there a LOT of musicological analyses w/ pages of scores and is the latest Köchel updated catalog provided? Thanks - Dave
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Classical-Music/i-N4ZVWtd/0/ac6a3b88/O/Mozart_Swafford.png)
Quote from: Dave B on December 01, 2022, 05:04:37 AMWhat biographies of Mozart would you recommend, of the ones you have?
Do you have any bios on him at this time?
Not on hand. Have looked at quite a few.
Quote from: Dave B on December 01, 2022, 10:09:48 AMNot on hand. Have looked at quite a few.
Check your personal msg's. I've sent you the chapter on Mozart from R.A. Leonard's seminal work,
The Stream of Music (1944) (1953). That's a fine place to start, mate. :)
Thank you
Have H.C. Robbins-Landon's Mozart books fallen out of favor?
Quote from: Brian on October 11, 2022, 05:08:13 PMAny thoughts on the author Stephen Walsh? His new book, out this week, is advertised as a sweeping 400-page history of the risk takers and innovators of the romantic era.
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiOTMxMDAyNi4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2NjU1MDQ3NDN9)
Edit: just saw that San Antone had praise for his single-composer biographies a few pages ago.
RE-POST:
Brian asked about the book above a few months ago - I was interested but no comments have been left - anyone have experience to post impressions? Thanks - Dave :)
(https://www.lafolia.com/storage/2022/11/978-0393881240.jpg)
Quote from: T. D. on December 08, 2022, 06:54:40 PM(https://www.lafolia.com/storage/2022/11/978-0393881240.jpg)
^while I was driving today I heard the host on the classical station talking about the poor reception Dvorak got in America for saying positive things about the future of black music.
...which I hadn't heard before today.
Have you read that book? Would you recommend it?
Quote from: SimonNZ on December 08, 2022, 07:50:26 PM^while I was driving today I heard the host on the classical station talking about the poor reception Dvorak got in America for saying positive things about the future of black music.
...which I hadn't heard before today.
Have you read that book? Would you recommend it?
I have not read this book but am very interested, because it is a subject that could easily fill a book-length treatment. I wrote a college paper about Dvorak's attempts to foster an American musical style based on Native melodies, black spirituals, and black folk music. He taught at least one black composition student but in general his counsel was very poorly received by prejudiced Americans. Ultimately, he was of course proven right, but in other musical genres, black Americans mostly not being content to adhere to styles other people had invented.
One book for us to read or reread in conjunction with this one is the novella "Quicksand" by Nella Larsen, where the mixed-race protagonist becomes homesick for the USA at a performance of Dvorak's Ninth.
Quote from: Dave B on December 01, 2022, 05:53:05 PMThank you
Have you absorbed the knowledge? Ready for more?
Yes. Always.
Quote from: SimonNZ on December 08, 2022, 07:50:26 PM^while I was driving today I heard the host on the classical station talking about the poor reception Dvorak got in America for saying positive things about the future of black music.
...which I hadn't heard before today.
Have you read that book? Would you recommend it?
No, I haven't read it, but I intend to. Not a purchase, but will seek out through inter-library loan.
I recently read a favorable review on a weird music site I follow:
https://www.lafolia.com/dvoraks-prophecy-shostakovich-as-cure-and-beethoven-in-boston/
Quote from: Dave B on December 01, 2022, 05:04:37 AMWhat biographies of Mozart would you recommend, ...
Another avenue you might want to explore is BBC's "Discovering Music" series, hosted by various chaps like Stephen Johnson, etc. - they will block you as you are coming from the USA, however, there are 'ways' around that. I'll send you links to three audio files from the series for Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, Sinfonia Concertante and the Clarinet Concerto from the early 2000's.
Thank you. Much appreciated.
Quote from: Dave B on December 18, 2022, 07:12:42 AMThank you. Much appreciated.
Doesn't mean some of what they have to say isn't bullocks. ;D
Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad
M. T. Anderson
464 pgs.
Since I am doing a slow-burn through Shostakovich's symphonies after a period of neglect, I thought I would pick this up again.
I remember it being a strong read and a pleasant mix of political history and music. Perhaps I will pass it on to my daughter to read as well.
VS
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A few days ago I started Swafford's Brahms. But oh man his whole thing about "reading between the lines" makes me think that he is admitting in advance that he is going to make up a story for dramatic license. Is this fiction or non-fiction? I guess I'll have to see.
Quote from: DavidW on January 07, 2024, 09:00:10 AMA few days ago I started Swafford's Brahms. But oh man his whole thing about "reading between the lines" makes me think that he is admitting in advance that he is going to make up a story for dramatic license. Is this fiction or non-fiction? I guess I'll have to see.
Thanks for taking one for the team. I've meant forever to read his
Ives book. Maybe this year?...
Brian Crimp's biography of Solomon "Solo" makes for fascinating reading. Solomon was a 'wunderkind' and his treatment at the hands of his so called mentors describes what could be considered dark days in the classical music world. I suspect that a lot of it still goes on today.
Quote from: Brian on October 11, 2022, 05:08:13 PMAny thoughts on the author Stephen Walsh? His new book, out this week, is advertised as a sweeping 400-page history of the risk takers and innovators of the romantic era.
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiOTMxMDAyNi4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2NjU1MDQ3NDN9)
Edit: just saw that San Antone had praise for his single-composer biographies a few pages ago.
"Sweeping" is a good description. He sweeps through so much so sweepingly that he barely has more than a few pages to say about any one composer. For an in-depth study of selected major figures in Romanticism (Chopin, Berlioz, Schumann, Liszt, a few others), I much prefer Charles Rosen's "The Romantic Generation," though he makes no mention of many significant composers such as Dvorak, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, etc.
Quote from: Brian on October 11, 2022, 05:08:13 PMAny thoughts on the author Stephen Walsh? His new book, out this week, is advertised as a sweeping 400-page history of the risk takers and innovators of the romantic era.
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiOTMxMDAyNi4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2NjU1MDQ3NDN9)
Edit: just saw that San Antone had praise for his single-composer biographies a few pages ago.
My reply is laughably delayed, but I finf his two-volume
Stravinsky bio excellent.
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on January 07, 2024, 01:51:23 PM"Sweeping" is a good description. He sweeps through so much so sweepingly that he barely has more than a few pages to say about any one composer. For an in-depth study of selected major figures in Romanticism (Chopin, Berlioz, Schumann, Liszt, a few others), I much prefer Charles Rosen's "The Romantic Generation," though he makes no mention of many significant composers such as Dvorak, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, etc.
Thanks! It sounds like Rosen is indeed focused on a single generation of composers born in a small timeframe, rather than the whole era?
(By the way, I saw your message about the Marriner Haydn; I just haven't gotten to pull the CD back out yet and reply properly.)
Quote from: Karl Henning on January 07, 2024, 02:10:22 PMMy reply is laughably delayed, but I finf his two-volume Stravinsky bio excellent.
+1...
Quote from: Brian on January 07, 2024, 02:57:49 PMThanks! It sounds like Rosen is indeed focused on a single generation of composers born in a small timeframe, rather than the whole era?
(By the way, I saw your message about the Marriner Haydn; I just haven't gotten to pull the CD back out yet and reply properly.)
Correct to your first paragraph. Walsh's book is not bad by any means; it covers a lot of essential information but is just kind of superficial since there's so much to cover. His bios on Debussy and Stravinsky are quite good too. Rosen on the other hand devotes three large chapters to Chopin alone, almost a book-within-a-book, and naturally is far more technical.
(Look forward to your reply on Marriner.)
Quote from: Brian on October 11, 2022, 05:08:13 PMAny thoughts on the author Stephen Walsh? His new book, out this week, is advertised as a sweeping 400-page history of the risk takers and innovators of the romantic era.
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiOTMxMDAyNi4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2NjU1MDQ3NDN9)
Edit: just saw that San Antone had praise for his single-composer biographies a few pages ago.
Looks very good. Read the contents and a review on Amazon.
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I'm 2/3 of the way through this. It's a quick read. Unlike many conductor autobios, he doesn't have a writing collaborator. The writing is not bad at all, but I wish he'd worked with someone. It's kind of stuck between autobiography and what he claims in the intro--that it's a book that teaches how to become a conductor. He jumps from topic to topic rather randomly, more or less chronologically with his career. Way better than Solti's book, but I'm not sure I'll read anything else by him (I think he has two others).
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Compared to Slatkin, Mauceri's book is really well written and thoughtful, and is better focused. He does not rely on his memory, but brings in a fair amount of research to support his points, and knows how to structure and develop an argument. I'm only about a third of the way in, but so far so good.
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I think I mentioned this a couple years ago. It's a real hoot-- fun to read, and his observations and anecdotes really give a lot of insights into the business. A box set of his stuff just came out, so maybe it'll get a bit more attention. I'd be curious to see a "rebuttal" of some kind, though. According to him, he's a wonderful guy, but all the conductors he's worked with tried to screw him over. It might be true, but...
Finished Slatkin, wich is definitely worthwhile. I suspect you will end up skimming the "instructions to would-be conductors" sections, but overall a nice read.
Just binge-read this.
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He must have been about the busiest guy who ever lived. He always had about 6 irons in the fire--and most sound like serious gigs running active chamber groups, symphonies, educational programs, etc. He was actually a junior classmate of Slatkin at Julliard. In early 20's played trumpet with Stokowski before moving to NY PHil under Bernstein and Boulez. Retired from trumpet at 30 to do fulltime teaching and conducting. The first section is almost comically terse and direct. He was still green behind the ears, but then drop lines like "I used to chat a lot with Boulez after the concert, and once he told me..." In the mid-section it gets rather slow, and a lot of the writing is just listing the key works he conducted each year, soloists, etc. until it gets to how they got money to build a big, new, modern concert venue in Seattle, which was really interesting. Plenty of informative bits about conducting, of course.
And because I'm avoiding doing serious stuff, just started this.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Xsg8ZDe1L._SL1500_.jpg)
Just a few pages in, but writing seems more relaxed than in the earlier book.
Quote from: Mookalafalas on January 14, 2024, 02:10:13 AMFinished Slatkin, wich is definitely worthwhile. I suspect you will end up skimming the "instructions to would-be conductors" sections, but overall a nice read.
Just binge-read this.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81AdWaIGaEL._SL1500_.jpg)
He must have been about the busiest guy who ever lived. He always had about 6 irons in the fire--and most sound like serious gigs running active chamber groups, symphonies, educational programs, etc. He was actually a junior classmate of Slatkin at Julliard. In early 20's played trumpet with Stokowski before moving to NY PHil under Bernstein and Boulez. Retired from trumpet at 30 to do fulltime teaching and conducting. The first section is almost comically terse and direct. He was still green behind the ears, but then drop lines like "I used to chat a lot with Boulez after the concert, and once he told me..." In the mid-section it gets rather slow, and a lot of the writing is just listing the key works he conducted each year, soloists, etc. until it gets to how they got money to build a big, new, modern concert venue in Seattle, which was really interesting. Plenty of informative bits about conducting, of course.
And because I'm avoiding doing serious stuff, just started this.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Xsg8ZDe1L._SL1500_.jpg)
Just a few pages in, but writing seems more relaxed than in the earlier book.
After his years of accolades and success in Seattle he became Principal conductor or the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. I have friends who were members of the band at that time. By all accounts Schwarz was well-liked on a personal level but neither his conducting or more crucially his
programming were a hit in Liverpool. I seem to recall a programme repeated several times featuring a large Bruch choral work that lost the orchestra thousands.......
Quote from: Roasted Swan on January 14, 2024, 03:31:19 AMAfter his years of accolades and success in Seattle he became Principal conductor or the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. I have friends who were members of the band at that time. By all accounts Schwarz was well-liked on a personal level but neither his conducting or more crucially his programming were a hit in Liverpool. I seem to recall a programme repeated several times featuring a large Bruch choral work that lost the orchestra thousands.......
Yeah, he and Slatkin both were hired to be principal conductors in England, and both were given the boot relatively quickly (4 years for Slatkin, 5 for Schwarz). I believe Schwarz said that England premieres more new music (by local composers, I believe) than anywhere else in the world, but yeah, maybe they didn't like some of his choices. He did a lot of American stuff. He said that the administrative board that had hired him was mostly replaced for various reasons, so he lost his support.
Not just a good "music (auto)biography" but a good book, period. Hough can write, and has a distinctive style and voice. This only covers the early part of his life--through music school, so it's sort of a coming of age story.
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Has anyone seen this recent book as a physical copy? Published by Cambridge in the last few years and expensive - listed on Amazon as over 500 pages - MY INTEREST are the illustrations which I cannot determine from Amazon or the Cambridge website - in my mind a book of this type would require a LOT of great pics - can anyone help me decide on a purchase (now $36 paperback on Amazon but if I had $20 credit then a BUY!). Thanks - Dave
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71UwSC9WDgL._SL1360_.jpg)
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 03, 2024, 02:06:17 AMNot just a good "music (auto)biography" but a good book, period. Hough can write, and has a distinctive style and voice. This only covers the early part of his life--through music school, so it's sort of a coming of age story.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91NmCHIb78L._SL1500_.jpg)
I got given a copy of his Rough Ideas a couple of days ago. Not sure when I'll get to it. Have you read that one?
(https://blackwells.co.uk/jacket/500x500/9780571350483.webp)
@Mookalafalas curious about two of the conductor memoirs you have read recently and how they handle more "dramatic"/sordid sides of things. Does Schwarz discuss his ejection from Seattle and the bitterness there? And does Brusilow discuss the unceremonious end of the Dallas Symphony on his watch? My understanding is that the orchestra brought him over from Philly as a bright young future star, but the orchestra went into the ground, donations dried up, and half a season was cancelled for lack of cash. The DSO then went into "dark ages" until being rescued by some super rich locals and Eduardo Mata. I'm curious if this is yet another incident where Brusilow says he is the good guy done wrong...