For the Love of Music: A Conductor's Guide to the Art of Listening

Description

Why do so many of us listen to classical music, and how can you get the most from listening to it? In this unpretentious and instructive book, internationally celebrated conductor and teacher John Mauceri brings to bear his lifetime of experience and profound knowledge. A protege of Leonard Bernstein and an artist who has performed and recorded all over the world, Mauceri is the guide par excellence to the joys of classical music. Mauceri illuminates our understanding of what it is we hear when we listen; how each piece bears the traces of its history; and how the concert experience allows us constantly to discover music anew. 'Wonderful' Marilyn Horne 'This delightful book is not so much the opening of a door as an affectionate hand on the arm, guiding the reader with enthusiasm and intelligence into a world of beauty' Stephen Hough

Over the past five decades, JOHN MAUCERI has conducted symphonies, operas, ballets, musicals, and film music around the world, and served as music director of four opera companies and three orchestras, as well as hosted television and radio programs. He has more than seventy albums to his name, and is the recipient of a Grammy, a Tony, a Billboard, two Diapasons d'or, three Emmys, and four Deutschen Schallplattenkritik awards. He is the author of Maestros and Their Music: The Art and Alchemy of Conducting, and has written for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Times of London, and The Huffington Post, among other publications. He lives in New York City.

Mauceri's love letter will provoke newbies to give classical a whirl and inspire fans to listen with fresh ears. * Publishers Weekly * John Mauceri has done it again with this wonderful book. I learned a lot, at my advanced age, and am thankful for the pleasure it brought me. I recommend it to all. * Marilyn Horne * Any amateur for whom music is one the chief pleasures in life, but who longs always for a deeper understanding of the language of the classical concert than can be had from liner notes and his or her own intuitions, will be grateful for John Mauceri's new book-it makes understanding how music works almost as pleasurable as listening to it. * Adam Gopnik * This delightful book is not so much the opening of a door as an affectionate hand on the arm, guiding the reader with enthusiasm and intelligence into a world of beauty which reaches to the very heart of what makes human life of value. * Stephen Hough * Having grown up with a father whose passion for music was tsunami-like in its intensity, I quickly recognized and welcomed a similar joy in John Mauceri's meditations on the repertoire he loves so much. Every page warms us with the fires of his lifelong devotion. His book gives us precisely what Mauceri tells us the music itself will provide: 'a most rewarding journey. * Jamie Bernstein, author of Famous Father Girl: A Memoir of Growing Up Bernstein * The title is accurate: it really is for the love of music that Mauceri writes . . . What he wants in the book is to share that pleasure; not just sensuous enjoyment, but avenues of intellectual and philosophical exploration and self-exploration -- Stephen Brown * TLS * Eloquent and inspiring . . . Mauceri skillfully incorporates his musical experiences, from his youth to the present . . . The perfect companion for those who are already well versed in classical music and for those ready to take the plunge -- Carolyn M. Mulac * Library Journal * Classical-music aficionados will enjoy Mauceri's discussions of composers and their works. Newbies will find them instructive, but the author would caution all readers to not just take his word for it, but to experience the music and hear for themselves -- Joan Curbow * Booklist * The author's joy for music is infectious . . . Even those who know classical music well will learn something from this lively and enthusiastic primer * Kirkus * For the Love of Music returns to the idea of music as a compendium of memory, tied to nostalgia, to personal experience and, overall, to the pleasure one might find in the endless variation of how it might be listened to yet again * Shelf Awareness (starred review) * Magnificent. . . [this] book gives the audience power, confidence, and joy. If you commit to entering this world, you will be rewarded * New York Journal of Books *