Great music has the power to transform. Understanding and appreciating classical music can enlighten, uplift, and educate not only the intellect but the soul. In The Secret Magic of Music, classical music devotee and psychiatrist Ida Lichter uncovers a more accessible side of music. By providing the performers’ insights, Lichter provides a special look into how great music can bring happiness and spiritual meaning to its listeners.
"Reading The Beethoven Quartet Companion made me want to listen to the quartets again from a new sociological as well as musical perspective. It is an invaluable guide not only for professional and amateur musicians but also for anyone who is curious about culture and wants to find out more."--Yo-Yo Ma "These essays are the most readable, useful, and well-informed commentary available today on these masterworks. Michael Steinberg's 'program notes' to each quartet, directed at once to the musical beginner and to the expert, are as eloquent and persuasive as popular writing about music can get. . . . His essays are followed by equally expert and accessible contributions by other masters on The Master, providing literate music lovers with the context and equipment for a richer enjoyment and clearer understanding of these sixteen unique conversations among two violins, a viola, and a cello."--David Littlejohn, author of The Ultimate Art: Essays Around and About Opera "A fine collection of essays to assist the music lover in the seemingly endless quest to illuminate the Beethoven string quartets."--Arnold Steinhardt, The Guarneri String Quartet "This book delivers on the implied promise of its title--it provides a lively, readable, and wide-ranging introduction to the quartets. Readers at many levels of experience will find it profitable."--Lewis Lockwood, author of Beethoven: Studies in the Creative Process
"We do not understand music--it understands us." This aphorism by Theodor W. Adorno expresses the quandary and the fascination many listeners have felt in approaching Beethoven's late quartets. No group of compositions occupies a more central position in chamber music, yet the meaning of these works continues to stimulate debate. William Kinderman's The String Quartets of Beethoven stands as the most detailed and comprehensive exploration of the subject. It collects new work by leading international scholars who draw on a variety of historical sources and analytical approaches to offer fresh insights into the aesthetics of the quartets, probing expressive and structural features that have hitherto received little attention. This volume also includes an appendix with updated information on the chronology and sources of the quartets and a detailed bibliography.
Written for the general reader, this book reveals how Beethoven's great works reflect both his artistic individuality and the deepest philosophical and political currents of his age.
Originally written as the finale of Beethoven's 13th Quartet (Op. 130), the Grosse Fuge was later published as a separate work following the poor reception of that quartet by the public. In its current form, the Grosse Fuge (Op. 134), has become much loved among Beethoven afficianados and is seen as one of his most "contemporary" works.
Spotlighting the four women of the Lafayette Quartet, a leading Canadian ensemble, Rounds offers both a comprehensive history of the beloved instrumental form and an inside view of the complex world of professional quartet players, revealing the exultation and heatache that are the performing artists' daily fare. A treat for every music lover, whether player, listener or composer.
Can true love triumph in a world of sweetness that is often false, and sometimes fatal? This is the essential question of Glycosis, the debut novel of author Laurence D. Chalem that probes the natural and man-made worlds to chart a rare romantic union that is in grave and gripping danger. Expanding the lexicon, Glycosis is a tastefully told love story set on a San Diego campus that surges with suspense and intelligence. It's certain to absorb anyone taken by the mysteries of the human heart-and intricate life of the mind-whether lovers of legal or medical thrillers, or anyone who relishes a well-crafted, smart read. On the sunny campus of the University of California, San Diego, Michelle, a stunning, witty undergraduate from Korea, along with her two fine and fun-loving friends, find their destinies crossed with David when Michelle discovers him playing some of her favorite classical compositions. A brilliant, gifted doctoral student in evolutionary biology, David, and his mentor, Professor Ross, are making new strides in evolutionary theory. Just as David and Michelle deepen their connection, a dashing ex-Berkeley man threatens their premature demise. Sporting a yellow Hummer, John invites the four of them to his house in the hills to have a drink, enjoy the view, and meet his pets. It will change them all for the rest of their lives. Can David and Michelle surmount the grave obstacles that may upend their uncommon bond? In Glycosis, the science is real, the story compelling, and the food delicious. Subtly shaded with symbolism, the novel transitions from the celestial to the oceanic, and from a sports bar to the ICU and beyond. Throughout, sensory detail of music and food will immerse you in the world of these characters, from piano concertos to pop music, from junk food to fine wine. To battle evil, the lovers must learn new skills. Join them on a thought-provoking, thoroughly surprising journey.
This is a monograph on Western classical music written by a Chinese American. It contains the results of the author's years of work, i.e., more than two hundred thousand words of Beethoven-themed essays in the form of poems, essays, prose, and reviews. The book covers all aspects of the great composer Beethoven's life and career from his birth experience to his emotional life, from the background of the times to his ideology, from the review of his works to the analysis of music appreciation. The book is rich in historical information, rigorous in argumentation, incisive in commentary, and fluent in sentiment and reason. As a nonacademic scholar of Beethoven, this book is characterized by a distinctive personality, free from the constraints of traditional rules and regulations. Based on a comprehensive and profound understanding of the historical figure and his works, the author presents his original arguments and opinions on some important professional topics and fields.
