$19.19 sale price when purchased online
$23.99 list price
Target Online store #3991
About this item
Highlights
- 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.
- About the Author: Norman Lebrecht is a historian, cultural commentator, broadcaster and award-winning novelist.
- 384 Pages
- Music, Genres & Styles
Description
Book Synopsis
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 è 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 Collected from thousands of books, articles, and unpublished manuscripts (with historical sources provided in extensive notes), these anecdotes appear in their original form, throwing fresh light on familiar figures in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.About the Author
Norman Lebrecht is a historian, cultural commentator, broadcaster and award-winning novelist. His 12 books about music have been translated into 17 languages.Dimensions (Overall): 9.0 Inches (H) x 6.0 Inches (W) x .9 Inches (D)
Weight: 1.2 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 384
Genre: Music
Sub-Genre: Genres & Styles
Publisher: Free Press
Theme: Classical
Format: Paperback
Author: Norman Lebrecht
Language: English
Street Date: May 1, 2010
TCIN: 77112129
UPC: 9781439199947
Item Number (DPCI): 247-46-7838
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
If the item details above aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.
Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 0.9 inches length x 6 inches width x 9 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1.2 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
This item cannot be shipped to the following locations: American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS), Guam (see also separate entry under GU), Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR), United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S., APO/FPO
Return details
This item can be returned to any Target store or Target.com.
This item must be returned within 90 days of the date it was purchased in store, shipped, delivered by a Shipt shopper, or made ready for pickup.
See the return policy for complete information.