Favorite books about music

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Permalink Reply by Greg Cahill on May 7, 2009 at 10:25am

I also liked Farber's book about Stradivari--we published an excerpt in Strings.

Check out The Violin: An Illustrated History, by Yehudi Menuhin, newly reissued. Totally gorgeous photos. Thoughtful essays. menuhin, the great British violinist, put this history together as a love letter to the instrument that he devoted his life to. It's from the Flammarion publishing house.

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Permalink Reply by Greg Cahill on May 21, 2009 at 10:47pm

What's it about?

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Permalink Reply by Nancy P. Mack on August 18, 2009 at 5:07am

Cello Books!

The Spanish Bow

Rosindust

Never Too Late

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Permalink Reply by Royce Faina on August 30, 2009 at 7:35am

Temperance by: Stuart Isacoff

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Permalink Reply by eddymontreal on September 8, 2009 at 9:32pm

There are a couple of books that I read and revisit from time to time:

WORDS ABOUT MUSIC John Amis & Michael Rose
A quote from the book description:"Words About Music is an enchanting, lively, and delightfully varied anthology of writings about music - musicians, music critics, music-lovers, music-haters, [...] by over five hundred celebrated figures, including George Gershwin, P.J. Wodehouse, Lenin, etc."

THE ORCHESTRA The Lives Behind The Music Danny Danziger
A quote from the book description:"A series of interviews with members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra - telling of the stress, tension, scandal, affections and rivalry between 100 people who have to spend almost all their waking hours together. Danziger writes a weekly column in "The Independent".

Both books are very interesting and enjoyable particularly The Orchestra that gives a better understanding of the lives of professional musicians and the challenges they face "in the workplace" (rehearsals, concert hall, relation to conductors, gossip, union relations, etc.).

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Permalink Reply by Alessio Nacuzi on September 9, 2009 at 5:30am

Hi Kandice,
Here you can find books about old violinists:
http://nacuzi.ning.com/page/library-1
I just read Ovide Musin's "Memories", a pupil of Léonard and a friend of Ysaye.
Joachim's letters are also interesting.

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Permalink Reply by Darren Howard on September 21, 2009 at 2:40am

Has anyone read 'An Equal Music' by Vikram Seth. I have it in my book pile to read but I've heard wonderful things about it and I believe there is even a soundtrack available for the book.

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Permalink Reply by Claudio Jaffe on September 30, 2009 at 6:18pm

I also highly recommend "This is Your Brain on Music", by Daniel Levitin.

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Permalink Reply by Bethany Rhine on November 21, 2009 at 6:55am

I started reading a book called "An Incomplete History of the Funerary Art of Violin," and I haven't finished it yet. It's really interesting, even though it isn't a true account of history. My favorite part so far is where the author describes funerary violin duels; where the deceased leaves a theme or a fragment of a theme in his will, and two funerary violinists have to improvise on the theme. The person who makes the audience cry the most is the winner. So far, it is a very interesting book.

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Permalink Reply by Catherine Guthrie on January 31, 2010 at 7:44pm

Wow, I'm gonna have to check a lot of these out! =D

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Permalink Reply by Erin McKenzie-Christensen on February 2, 2010 at 10:58pm

I really recommend An Equal Music by Vikram Seth it is fiction about a string quartet and the 2nd violinist has to also play the viola for some piece they are playing and in the middle there is a love story about a pianist who has become deaf. Its really really good!
Erin

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Permalink Reply by Fausto on February 3, 2010 at 1:02pm

Hi Kandice,

I just finished reading the 10th Symphony by a Spanish writer. Its a fictional romance about the lost last of Beethoven's work. The structure follows a close style to DaVinci's code. I don't know if there is an English translation already. Its not a great work of literature but entertaining. Hit : http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbook... to see the book.

Fausto

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