Einstein's book is the best book about the best composer, Mozart.
936922
This is the most important book for any music lover. I have studied the Swedish and English translations for 50 years and wanted the original German version. Alfred Einstein describes Mozart's last violin sonata, K. 526: "in the slow movement it attains an equilibrium of art and soul that is as if God the Father had brought all motion everywhere to halt for a moment so that man might savor the bitter sweetness of existence." In German:  "im langsamen Satz ist jenes Gleichgewicht der Seele und der Kunst erreicht, wie als wenn Gott-Vater fr einen Weltaugenblick alle Bewegung zum Stillstand gebracht htte, um alle guten Menschen die bittere Sssigkeit des Daseins geniessen zu lassen."
 And about the last piano concerto K. 595: " It is so perfect that the question of style has become meaningless." "Sie ist so vollkommen, dass die Frage des Stils wesenlos geworden ist."
1173914
Dance Me to the End of Love is my favorite book.
when 2 geniuses meet, you'll get the best possible result.
1900286
G&ouml;tterd&auml;mmerung composed by Mozart. One exquisitely crafted sentence after another, full of gem-like details and nothing wasted or extra. Plus a beautiful zeugma on page 5. I would hate to limit its appeal by classifying it as sci-fi.
136851
This is the best Beatle book by far -- it is after all about the music, which in the end is what counts.  The book is written for those with a modicum of music theory (hardly any really) -- most beatle music books are either too shallow or formidably technical. The author tried very, very hard to be clear, and it shows.  Pedler wrote a shorter version of this as a series in Total Guitar,  and I was pleasantly astonished when those brilliant articles turned into an even more brilliant book.  I've read it four or five times, and my copy is littered with notes.  No praise too high.

It is an incredible book.  It is very hard to come by, but it is a jewel, it will repay you to have it if you have any interest in the Beatles and music.
3496527
Like all successful musical guides, David Cairns' magisterial survey of Mozart's operas weaves in just enough biographical and contextual circumstance to balance the musicological elements. His tone is light, lucid and engaging throughout; he includes enough analysis to engage the reader with some academic appreciation of musical technicalities but not so much as to alienate the musical illiterate who simply loves the operas. My only regretful observation is that his explication of the musical dynamic of key scenes requires the reader to stop and re-listen so frequently in order to appreciate the point being made.

Cairns' love and reverence for the music are what emerge above all other considerations; this is no dry narrative. Another attribute of any good biography is the examination and ultimate disposal of the numerous myths and canards that are the inevitable accretions around the life of any great man; Cairns dispels the folk-tales about the pauper's grave, the forebodings of death, the inhumanly miraculous speed of composition of some works, Mozart's supposed potty-mouthed infantilism, and other such populist generalisations. Instead, he proves a wise guide through Mozart's creative development, re-evaluating and re-assessing the importance of works such as "La clemenza di Tito" which have only recently and grudgingly been accorded their place in the Pantheon. He presents a careful and psychologically credible study of the dynamic of the constantly evolving relationship between Papa Leopold and son Wolfgang and reinstates the composer as a widely and deeply read man of the Enlightenment, not some kind of Idiot Savant.

Published as recently as 2006, this book will not in any case date; it is surely destined to remain the recommended handbook for anyone needing to deepen his response to these pinnacles of Western Classical music.
516592
Prior to reading Juliet Waldron's view of Wolfgang and Konstanze Mozart, I knew only what I saw in "Amadeus".  Not a very flattering picture of either character.  Waldron has created wonderfully intense characters.  Stanzi was a very strong woman trying desperately to understand her genius of a husband.  Mozart did not make it easy.

Waldron's descriptions of 18th century Austria are just amazing.  The reader is transported to another time in history.  We meet Mozart's contemporaries, friends and foes.  This is an incredibly well written, well researched novel.  The reader is able to feel Stanzi's pain and distress over her husband, the death of her children and her less than perfect life with the musician.  History has not been kind to Konstanze, this book may alter any preconceived ideas.

I give it 4/5 stars
3155032
This is a highly readable book about a man whose name is very familiar to music lovers, even if details of his life are not so well-known.  Probably the most enjoyable sections of the book deal with his working with Mozart, who is by far the more interesting of the duo, but his later life when he was living in America is certainly unexpected and surprising.  The book reads rather like a modern stage biography of a man who knew everyone who was anyone.
2243330
I have read several biographies of Einstein, some of which are among my list of all-time favorite books. None however, approach the intimacy or sense of personal connection as Hoffmann and Dukas' 1972 classic  "Creator and Rebel." Perhaps because of Helen Dukas' influence,  this book contains perhaps the most intimate look at the man and, thanks to  Hoffmann, the one of the clearest explanations of his science. Though other  biographies are also must-reads for Einstein devotees (Folsing and Frank,  for instance), this one goes to the top of my list.
45021
If you love Physics, as I do; I assure you that this is a book you will forever enjoy. It tells the complete story of the person who I consider to be the greatest physicist who has ever lived. The book is incredibly well written, and thoroughly enjoyable from cover-to-cover. I highly recommend the book to all.
1035907
As a Mendelssohn specialist I pre-ordered this book, and have been working my way through it for the past few weeks. I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who is interested in this remarkable composer and his music. It has many points to commend it for scholars(extensive recourse to important but obscure archival documents, correction of major and minor factual errors that have persisted in all the previous Mendelssohn biographies, etc.), and just as much to commend it to general readerships: it's elegantly written, well balanced, informative on contextual, musical, and biographical fronts, etc. Fanny is arguably as present in the pages of this book as she was in Mendelssohn's life. And, not least of all, it's remarkably affordable. I am a former student of Professor Todd (having gotten my Ph. D. from Duke University in 1994), but can also say that I offer these remarks without any bias other than that of being one who admires the music and life of Mendelssohn.
 If this reads like an endorsement, it is. I highly recommend the
volume to all who want to know more about Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.
98614
I am now listening to this book for the sixth time! Absolutely the best book; especially if your interested in Brain Neurology involving Creativity. This book truly has it all... Fascinating art history for that period and beyond and the amazing thing about how far ahead Leonardo was in his thinking and inventions; this Periods general political atmosphere gives you a clue of the struggles Leonardo and others had to go through especially fleeing from the times of war between various factions. Also it seems like it's more common than not that great thinkers and creative person's have a tendency to not finish a lot of their work and that got me thinking. There are a lot of great quotes and interesting historical facts and maybe even some. Hypotheses that makes this book so worthy of many, many reads!
3839266
While I have never particularly favored authentic instrument recordings over modern ones, there is no doubt that this disc is a must-have for any Mozart enthusiast. The liner notes are essential reading, and the performances of the soloists and the Academy of Ancient Music are in a word, impeccable. To hear these magical pieces performed on many original instruments, especially an oboe crafted in 1783, is an enlightening listening experience that is rare today. The remarkable adagio of the clarinet concerto, composed by Mozart in 1791, is some of the most poignant music I've ever heard, brilliantly performed by Antony Pay with warm liquid tones on the bass clarinet. No Mozart collection is complete without this landmark recording from 1984.
2159811
The story of the life of Mozart reads a bit like a term paper rather than a biography. It is full of facts and
speculation. Mozart was a child prodigy and had the usual "stage" father. Although the pressure and
guidance of his father helped him become who he was; Mozart also suffered because of the relationship
with his father as is often the case. Those who may not have liked his father were predisposed to not
liking him. He composed his first music at the age of three which is before most children learn to play
an instrument. He and his older sister played the piano so well that his father took them on tour across
Europe to entertain royalty and common folk as well. Often they had to earn enough in one city to get
them to the next city. The children received many gifts that were sold to get cash for their living expenses.
Mozart learned from some great composers including the son of J.S. Bach, Gluck and Hayden. They
also learned from him. Mozart was born in Salzburg which is now Austria, and died in Vienna which is
also now Austria. He achieved the most fame in Vienna in his later years. He was only 35 when he died
and had composed over 600 works. Many of these survive today and are popular symphonies and
operas. He was one composer who was held in high esteem during his lifetime even though his life
was short. He influenced the future of music in his short life. Today if you travel to Salzburg and Vienna
you can hear the music of Mozart played in the streets. I visited both in 2010 and noted this to be true.
There is a house in each which have signs saying they are the homes where Mozart lived in each city.
Overall, this is a good introduction to the life of Mozart.
4342726
This book is a wonderful account of what Mozart's wife had to do to keep his music alive. I think without her Mozarts music would have been lost. She was not a wallflower by any means. I do recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about Mozarts life and what was encounter after his death.
411113
Although the book is fiction, it is obviously well-researched, and I felt that I got to know both Mozart and his wife through this story. Both were extraordinary people, and I enjoyed becoming involved vicariously in the lives of this great genius and the woman who loved him.
1627866
only book that has been written about the late Jerry Goldsmith. I personally consider him the greatest of composers who worked in film simply
by virtue of his staggering versatility and the rhythmic drive and intensity of his action writing. He was a composer whose style of writing was more
modernist than his more musically accessible--and more famous---contemporary John Williams who is another great favorite of mine.
  Mr. Dupuis touches on the many components that made Goldsmith the staggering talent that he was. I was working on my own book about the maestro (and perhaps I still will) and upon reading this book my admiration for the man has intensified. He is the only composer whose music I
purchase indiscriminately no matter what reviews have to say about them.
 I only wish the author of this work had more to say on the subject as only 168 pages is pretty scant about a composer whose work was so expansive. But, as he said, he will leave that to others. But as it is this is a very well researched and solid dissertation on one of our greatest composers. This is a book well worth having for anyone seriously interested in the creators of great music.
2871095
"Beethoven and Me" by Mr. Earl Hutchinson is quite a piece of work. It's everything you ever wanted to know about classical music and its major players. Not being that much of an aficionado, I was still greatly impressed with the exhaustive research, love, and expertise that went into this book. I found it so compelling that I went to Spotify and turned on its "Relaxing Classical" selection and listened while I read. What beautiful music. It spoke to my soul, and yes I know how that must sound but still no less true. Bravo Mr. Hutchinson and thank you for the journey. Wonderful!