Leonard Bernstein
By: Paul R. Laird
Series: Critical lives; Critical lives (London, England)
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 212
ISBN-13: 9781780239101
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Composers; Musicians; Biography
Description: Leonard Bernstein was one of twentieth-century music's most successful and recognizable figures. Published to tie in with the hundredth anniversary of Bernstein's birth, this biography provides a concise overview of the life and work of this talented and controversial musician. Drawing on more than thirty years of study, leading Bernstein scholar Paul R. Laird describes Bernstein's work as a conductor, composer, music educator and commentator, evaluating all of his major compositions. Laird also explores the impact of Bernstein's complicated personal life on his professional work, including his homosexuality and his strong yet difficult marriage.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-204), discography (pages 205-209), and videography (page 210).
Table of contents: title: 'Safe at the piano': Bernstein's youth, 1918-39; title: 'The Spirit of Koussevitzky': Bernstein discovers conducting, 1939-43; title: 'I have a fine large apartment in Carnegie Hall': A time of searching, 1943-51; title: 'I simply must decide what I'm going to be when I grow up': Leaning towards composition, 1952-7; title: 'I'm going to be a conductor, after all!' : Philharmonic Maestro, 1957-69; title: 'I do know that the answer is Yes': Living with fame, 1969-78; title: 'And all the spooks of swift-advancing age': Music at the close, 1978-90; title: A final evaluation.