Music – serie

A poignant, compelling and clear-eyed memoir of a life in music, with the dogged pursuit of composing at its center.Perhaps no art form has ever splintered into as many factions, genres, languages, philosophies, and mutually exclusive audiences as the art of music did in the mid-twentieth century.Allen Shawn's memoir fascinatingly evokes this tumultuous time, while weaving together his art and his life, hinting at their unexpected and sometimes paradoxical interconnections.Shawn grew up in an atmosphere of cultural privilege in New York City, the son of New Yorker editor William Shawn. An instinctive composing prodigy at age ten, it took him until the age of thirty to compose music he was proud of.Shawn sketches his childhood and long apprenticeship, his experiences composing for theater, dance, and concert hall, his forty years as a teacher at Bennington College, and his unexpected emergence as a writer. The book balances an account of his musical evolution, ups and downs, and life choices, offering glimpses into family life and of the many people with whom he interacted, including Leon Kirchner, Earl Kim, Nadia Boulanger, Pierre Petit, Jacques-Louis Monod, J. D. Salinger, John Updike, Benny Goodman, Louis Malle, and Vivian Fine.Along the way, Shawn offers reflections on such issues as social class, aging, loneliness, politics, and music education. In the Realm of Tones: A Composer's Memoir is a unique and touching account of one individual's internal search for self-expression and self-understanding, and of his effort to construct a life around it.

Presents the memories and insights of a great musician-a master of the guitar whose performances and exuberant, caring nature have brought joy to many around the world.Pepe Romero (b. 1944) has been one of the preeminent exponents of classical and flamenco guitar for over sixty years. He is renowned worldwide for his innumerable concerts and many recordings of a wide variety of repertoire, from solos to concertos and works for guitar duet and quartet. Indeed, Celedonio Romero (1913-96) and his three sons, Celin (b. 1936), Pepe, and Angel (b. 1946), formed the first significant guitar quartet in music history. In this memoir, Pepe conveys his views on a variety of topics pertaining to the guitar, including repertoire, technique, teaching, guitar makers, concertizing and the psychology of performance. He also offers fascinating recollections of his early years in Spain, his family life, and his collaborations and friendships with leading musicians, artists and writers. Though the focus is understandably on Pepe and his immediate circle, the reader also gains insights into the sociocultural context in which he grew up, during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in the wake of a ruinous civil war. The Romeros moved to Southern California in 1957, a locale that proved very conducive to the success of a quartet of Spanish guitarists and one they still call home. This book will both entertain and inform a wide variety of readers and leave a lasting and reliable record of an extraordinary musician's exceptionally rich life.

The authoritative biography of the world-renowned French organist, composer, and teacher Daniel Roth, told in his own words through lively, wide-ranging interviews.Pierre-François Dub-Attenti and Christophe Zerbini† here offer a fascinating and detailed biography of Daniel Roth, a universally respected and admired French organist, composer, and teacher. The authors chose the interview format in order to help readers gain a fuller sense of this remarkable and influential musician and to allow him to give voice to his thoughts about the art to which he has devoted his life.This book traces Daniel Roth's personal and professional journey: from Alsace to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur, where he was titular organist for 12 years, and finally Saint-Sulpice, where he served for no fewer than 41 years. Roth's explanations help make clear his contributions as a liturgical organist and his lifelong commitment to preserving historic instruments.Through these interviews, as in his recordings and live performances, Daniel Roth reveals himself as most fundamentally a musician, not "just" an organist. In his view, the performer must always strive to make the organ, this complex mechanical instrument, sing.The late CHRISTOPHE ZERBINI was a science teacher and a devoted supporter of the Association for the Prestige and Promotion of the Cavaillé-Coll Organs of Saint-Sulpice (Paris).PIERRE-FRANÇOIS DUB-ATTENTI is an attorney, organist, and, since 2017, president of the Association for the Prestige and Promotion of the Cavaillé-Coll Organs in Saint-Sulpice (Paris).