Monarch of the Flute: The Life of Georges Barrère
"An impressively detailed biography.... The thoroughness that Toff exhibited as she investigated so many diverse sources of information, and her scrupulous attention to detail and accuracy, have paid off handsomely. She writes in a very engaging style, each page replete with fascinating material, and we are forever indebted to her for this landmark biography of our 'great-grandfather' of American-style flute playing."--Walfrid Kujala,The Flutist Quarterly"Once again, Nancy Toff puts her thorough research and journalistic skills to use and creates this fascinating, well-documented look into the founding father of American flute playing. There is no doubt that this book will be part of the standard body of flute literature, just as Toff's other valuable writing,The Flute Bookhas become."--Victoria Jicha,Flute Talk"This is the first work of depth and stature on Georges Barrère (1876-1944), one of the most important flutists in modern history. Barrére, for example, premiered in Debussy'sPrélude à l'après-midi d'un faune(at age seventeen, no less!); and the GriffesPoemand Verése'sDensity 21.5were composed for him. Toff has pursued solid credible research including repeated trips to Paris to examine primary documents ("Somebody's got to do it," she quipped with a smile at a presentation last summer at the NFA Convention), and the result is absolutely fabulous. --Kansas City Flute AssociationNewsletter"In this detailed view of Barrère's life, Nancy Toff weaves an amazing musical tale of two cities, Belle Epoque Paris and early 20th-century New York...This book is a good read. Clearly and logically organised, with really useful appendices and index, it shows how the man and his music developed. Fascinating and informative, I found it hard to put down. Fascinating because it reveals how a playing musician lived and worked (so often we only hear about how composers lived), and informative because by the end of it, I felt as though I too had lived through that time."--Lis Lewis,Pan"The breadth of Nancy Toff's scholarship is evidenced in her vivid, detailed depictions of the two milieus in which Barrère played very influential roles:fin de siècleParis and American musical life between 1905 and 1944, particularly in New York City. Through painstaking research in Europe and the United States, she has performed an immense service for the international woodwind community, rediscovering and placing in musical and historical contexts unjustly neglected but worthy solo and chamber repertoire written for Barrère. The wealth of information provided makes this book a resource of immeasurable value for all woodwind players."--Leone Buyse, Professor of Flute and Chamber Music at Rice University and former acting principal flutist of the Boston Symphony"Each page of this beautifully written book contains vital facts on Georges Barrère and his milieu that are presented elegantly, vibrantly, and succinctly. Toff presents an array of fascinating detail regarding musical life in France and, in turn, the United States, at a critical time."--Gail Hilson Woldu, Trinity College"This book is an attractive, engaging narrative that takes us all over the sparkling Parisian musical world around the turn of the twentieth century, showing how a high-level flutist made his way in the world and helping us further understand how French music of that time became so important a force."--William Weber, California State University, Long Beach"To write a biography of a performing artist without having it read like a list of performance dates and venues is very difficult. Nancy Toff masterfully accomplishes this difficult task. She vividly brings to life not only the man and the artist but also the times in which he lived. Events are made palpable by a wealth of eyewitness accounts drawn from a myriad of original sources, skillfully brought together in a fluent, accessibly written style. While Toff's meticulous research will awe scholars, her engaging style will delight the general reader."--Frances Barulich, Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"When Georges Barrère settled in the United States, a concert life in the Old World mold was already in full swing. In this meticulously researched account of a highly sociable performer's career, Nancy Toff reveals the role Barrère played in adding an up-to-date and New World flavor to a traditional European repertoire."--Richard Crawford, author ofAmerica's Musical Life: A History"Splendid.  Toff's moving epilogue provides an elegant summasion of Barrère's importance in all these realms.  But her most important message for readers of thisJournalwill be Barrère's enormous influence on flute playing, including the nearly universal adoption of the silver flute in the United States."-Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society"Like other recent studies of flutists, Toff's work relies on extensive archival research and interviews and has extensive footnotes and bibliography of interest to flutists and other woodwind players."--Choice"Exemplary...Thoroughly-researched and admirably presented." --Traverso