Review (PDF) Illustrated Lives Of The Great Composers
This series of biographies presents the great composers against the background of their times. Each draws on personal letters and recollections, engravings, paintings and, when they exist, photographs, to present a complete picture of the composer's life.
Series: Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers
Paperback: 191 pages
Publisher: Omnibus Press (October 1981)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0711902585
ISBN-13: 978-0711902589
Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #2,967,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #31 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Shostakovich #337 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Historical Period > Modern & 20th Century #1256 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Biographies > Classical
Over the course of the last few months I have been nursing an ever increasing love of Shostakovich. This is the first book I have read on the master and, in light of other readings I have done (Volkov, Fanning, MacDonald, Wilson)this turned out to be a good primer. Its strength lies in that (outside from a few quotes from Testimony) it stays away from the Volkov controversy and focuses mostly on facts (i.e. who Zhdanov, Sollertinsky, Meyerhold were, the political horrors of Stalin, his major works in relationship to his life). For those searching for a book a that isn't too daunting, but will still give them a thorough introduction, this is a good start.
I am a huge Shostakovich fan and I like this publication. This book is full of photographs of the composer Dmitri Shostakovich and the world around him. It is invaluable for the pictures alone. I have had this book only one day and have gone through all the pictures and captions. I am glad to see for instance the attention in photographs to the 11th symphony "The Year 1905" which gets so little attention otherwise, but I feel is nonetheless a masterpiece. There are even pictures of life in Russia before Shostakovich was born. The only thing which I think is lacking if anything is more pictures after 1966 until Shostakovich's death in 1975. Forgetting the pictures there is also commentary which offers a unique perspective and summing up of each period of Shostakovich's life. The bibliography is quite long and extensive research was done even though there are limitations to just how much you can put into a book like this. A picture can tell a thousand words and I love this illustrated guide. Five Stars.
New Illustrated Lives of Great Composers: Gustav Mahler (Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers) Dvorak (Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers Series) Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers Great Lives: David: A Man of Passion and Destiny (Great Lives Series) A First Book of Classical Music: 29 Themes by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Other Great Composers in Easy Piano Arrangements Talks With Great Composers Korea: An Illustrated History from Ancient Times to 1945 (Illustrated Histories) (Illustrated Histories (Hippocrene)) 60 Great Sci-Fi Movie Posters: Volume 20 of the Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters (Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters, Volume 20) From Great Paragraphs to Great Essays (Great Writing) Great Writing 4: From Great Paragraphs to Great Essays An Illustrated History of Trigger: The Lives and Legend of Roy Rogers' Palomino Easy Classical Violin & Viola Duets: Featuring music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss and other composers. Easy Classical Trumpet Solos: Featuring music of Bach, Brahms, Pachelbel, Handel and other composers Easy Classical Cello & Piano Duets: Featuring music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss and other composers. Easy Classical Double Bass Solos: Featuring music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Handel and other composers. Easy Classical Guitar & Violin Duets: Featuring music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi and other composers.In Standard Notation and Tablature. Easy Classical Violin & Piano Duets: Featuring music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss and other composers. Easy Classical Piano & Electric Guitar Duets: Featuring music of Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Handel and other composers. In Standard Notation and Tableture. Cello Music by French Composers from Couperin to Debussy for Violoncello and Piano The Music of Gershwin (Composers of the Twentieth Century Serie)
