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Benjamin Britten & Samuel Barber: Their Lives and Their Music [Paperback]

Daniel Felsenfeld (Author)
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Book Description

Publication Date: April 1 2005 | Series: Amadeus (Book 2)
(Amadeus). The second title in the Amadeus Press Parallel Lives series, this volume examines the lives and work of two giants of 20th century music. Both composers influenced countless others, and their works are performed often in today's concert and opera houses. Felsenfeld gives us a penetrating look into the lives of these two extraordinary men, helping us get to know them and therefore better understand their music. In clear, concise language he examines their major works, helping us to understand their genius and power, which is illustrated by the accompanying full-length CD. The author points out parallel developments in Britten and Barber's lives and careers. Both came of age in a time of war, a time of political and artistic unrest and upheaval, and both were celebrities in their own time. Both wrote primarily and most successfully for the voice, but neither became ghettoized as a strictly vocal composer, and both were possessed of a flawless compositional technique, with a fluency that bordered on wizardry. Finally, both were prolific, involved musical presences on the world stage. The accompanying full-length CD from Naxos Records includes six complete pieces.

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 180 pages
  • Publisher: Amadeus Press; Softcover with CD edition (April 1 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1574671081
  • ISBN-13: 978-1574671087
  • Product Dimensions: 15 x 1.3 x 23 cm
  • Shipping Weight: 295 g

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Amazon.com: 2.8 out of 5 stars  5 reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars A golden opportunity botched Oct 17 2006
By Frank M. Hudson - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Anyone interested in Barber's life and/or music should seek out the amazing bio by Barbara Heyman, Samuel Barber - The Composer and his Music (Oxford U. Press). As a lifelong student of the career & music of Barber, I was upset to read this recent book. It contains numerous inaccuracies, half-truths, ambiguities, and similarly misleading statements. And was there ANY attempt at editing the ms? The text is likewise marred by errors in usage, punctuation, even vocabulary. The Britten section has the same problems. And while the recorded music samples on the attached cd are most welcome, they do not fairly represent the composers, either - it's all from the "middle period" of each man and don't properly represent either composer's stylistic breadth. The concept of a brief book introducing these composers to the lay listener, with listening excerpts provided in the package, is a fine one, which makes me doubly sad that this project is such a disappointment. P.S. Having heard from the author, I now understand why some of the above-mentioned faults exist - and must say I'm shocked that a publisher I once respected, Amadeus, would let something like this happen. It's a disservice to the author as well as the public and the subjects of the book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Filled with Errors Sep 13 2011
By John D. Randolph - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Samuel Barber has been neglected in print (only one major biography and a whole lot else) so whenever a new book comes along, it's a welcome thing. Unfortunately any of the merits of this book are completely outweighed by the fact that the book is completely filled with errors. If you are a dilettante and are just looking for a breezy, easy read, it's fine for that. But for the more serious reader, interested in accuracy and real scholarship, this book should be avoided.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Why? Mar 14 2012
By Steven Schwartz - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The main problem with this book is that the author gives no compelling reason for linking these two composers, other than the fact that both were gay. This is a tenuous connection at best. I hate to break it to the world at large, but all gay people aren't alike. Certainly you can tell the difference between the music of the two and you can distinguish their artistic aims. Britten is ultimately more political than Barber. The themes he takes up of the outsider reflect the precarious legal status of homosexuals in England during his lifetime. I liked best about this book that it comes with a CD, for people who haven't heard anything of either composer's catalogue.

The book is really an introduction. If you've already heard a fair amount of Barber and Britten, I doubt Felsenfeld has much to tell you. On the other hand, his descriptions are usually accurate, if a bit surface-y and blah. For those looking for more depth, try Heyman's bio of Barber, Alex Ross's The Rest is Noise, the Humphrey Carpenter Britten bio, and the criticism of Donald Mitchell.

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