Days Grow Short: Life and Music of Kurt Weill

by Ronald Sanders

Born in 1900 into a German Jewish family, Kurt Weill gained fame as composer of The Threepenny Opera and other politically charged works written by Bertolt Brecht. He reinvented himself in America; by his death in 1950 he had written several popular Broadway shows ("Lady in the Dark") and one indisputably classic tune, "September Song." This solid biography capably covers Weill's life (including a tactful account of his unconventional marriage to Lotte Lenya), but concentrates on the music, refuting charges that Weill's American work betrayed his talent in search of commercial success.

Genres: Music, Biography

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Steve Leach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kurt Weill is underappreciated. His best known song is "Mack the Knife," but the names associated with it are Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin (and maybe Ella Fitzgerald, whose live memory lapse and recovery made it the centerpiece of her Ella in Berlin album), who all recorded popular English-language versions of the the song he wrote early in his career for German theatre. Alec Wilder didn't think enough of Weill to include him in his American Popular Song, a book that analyzed many of Kurt Weill's musical-theatre associates in depth. So it's nice to have this well-written and insightful biograpjy of Weill on my shelf to honor this great songwriter.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author made a very good choice in keeping the focus on what Weill did with his life, rather than the gossippy stuff. I would have enjoyed it more if I had known more of the music, but this gets me started on what to listen to...