Here is one of the most enjoyable and illuminating books ever published for the music lover, a feast of delightful anecdotes that reveal the all-too-human side of the great composers and performers. There are stories of appetites (Handel eating dinner for three), embarrassments (Brahms falling asleep as Liszt plays), oddities (Bruckner's dog being trained to howl at Wagner), and devotions (a lovely admirer disrobing in tribute to Puccini). There are memorable accounts of Stravinsky telling Proust how much he hates Beethoven, of Tchaikovsky's first bewildering telephone call, of Dvorak's strange love of pigeons, and of Verdi's intricate maneuvering to keep the now-famous melody of 'La donna e mobile' top secret. There is also wonderful trivia (Beethoven loved to cat 'bread soup' made with ten raw eggs), along with eccentric strategies (Verdi, disturbed by the sound of street organs playing arias from his operas, hired them all for a season and kept them locked in a room). There are examples of musicians munificent generosity (Haydn called Mozart 'the greatest composer known to me, either in person or by name'), and scathing dismissal ('Have you heard any Stockhausen?' the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham was asked. 'No,' he replied, 'but I believe I have trodden in some'). Collected from thousands of books, articles, and unpublished manuscripts (with historical sources provided in extensive notes), these anecdotes appear in their original form, throwing fresh light on familiar figures in the musical hall of fame. For browsing, reading, research and amusement, this book is a grand entertainment for concert-goers, record-buyers, operamanes, gossips and music lovers everywhere.
Title: The Book of Musical Anecdotes
Author: Norman Lebrecht
Publisher: Warner Books
Year: 1992
Number of pages: 382
ISBN: 9780751502992
Books are all in a used condition unless otherwise stated and may contain signs of wear and handling. Items are inspected before listing to ensure they are in an acceptable condition. Please ask questions if you need more details on an item's condition.
Books are shipped within one business day of checkout. If you select EFT as payment method, it may take somewhat longer for payment to reflect on our side before we are able to dispatch.
We offer Pargo Pickup (3-5 business days), local collection in Somerset West or Aramex door-to-door courier (1-2 business days). Shipping options can be selected at checkout.
We recommend Aramex courier as a fast no-contact delivery method available to all destinations within South Africa. Tracking number will be supplied once your shipment has been been processed.
See more of our books at
https://www.bidorbuy.co.za/seller/1245451/T_Wever
