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The Great Conductors
The chronological study of the styles and lives of more than 20 of the world's greatest musical conductors
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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About the author
Harold C. Schonberg
22 books30 followersHarold Charles Schonberg was an American music critic and journalist, most notably for The New York Times. He was the first music critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism (1971). He was the author of a number of books on musical subjects, and also one on chess.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 5, 2008
There have been newer, more comprehensive, and franker books on conductors and conducting since this one first saw light (I especially love LeBrecht's "The Maestro Myth" and Horowitz's "Understanding Toscaninni"), but it's still the foundation as far as I'm concerned.
A true story for what it's worth: years ago I was reading this book in a doctor's office when the nurse came in. She saw the book and asked, "Oh, is that about trains--- or electricity?"
A true story for what it's worth: years ago I was reading this book in a doctor's office when the nurse came in. She saw the book and asked, "Oh, is that about trains--- or electricity?"
July 12, 2020
I loved Schonberg’s books growing up, but had never read this one. It is easy to make fun of his unscholarly opinions, but so much research went into his books, presented in the readable style of a major newspaper critic, that the silly stuff one tolerates with fond, smiling resignation.
February 6, 2017
Schonberg is highly knowledgeable and writes well. As in The Great Pianists, biographical details are incidental. With perhaps one exception (that of Bernstein) he writes a balanced view of each conductor and what they brought to the table.
Maybe because I was already aware of Schonberg's distaste for Bernstein, I picked up on his waffling treatment in this book. He was pretty hard on him. But I don't think that detracts from the overall value of the work.
Since this was written in 1967, it was especially interesting to read his musings in the last chapter on the future of music, some aspects turned out to be somewhat prophetic.
Exactly fifty years later, this work still deserves to be read.
ETA: I was watching a performance yesterday and the conductor was of the "choreographic school". It reminded me of some of the descriptions in this book and how absolutely hilarious some of them were. For example, I have studied some of Beethoven's music but never heard him described as a conductor. To hear that the great man "practically crept under the desk to indicate piano" almost had me in tears. Or this from Igor Stravinsky of the more expressive conductors: "The arms are lifeless, the knees are bent, the head (hair artfully disarrayed) is low, and the whole corpse is bathed in perspiration. The first step down from the podium just fails to conceal a totter...". For anyone who has seen some of this in performance, it cannot fail to make them laugh.
Maybe because I was already aware of Schonberg's distaste for Bernstein, I picked up on his waffling treatment in this book. He was pretty hard on him. But I don't think that detracts from the overall value of the work.
Since this was written in 1967, it was especially interesting to read his musings in the last chapter on the future of music, some aspects turned out to be somewhat prophetic.
Exactly fifty years later, this work still deserves to be read.
ETA: I was watching a performance yesterday and the conductor was of the "choreographic school". It reminded me of some of the descriptions in this book and how absolutely hilarious some of them were. For example, I have studied some of Beethoven's music but never heard him described as a conductor. To hear that the great man "practically crept under the desk to indicate piano" almost had me in tears. Or this from Igor Stravinsky of the more expressive conductors: "The arms are lifeless, the knees are bent, the head (hair artfully disarrayed) is low, and the whole corpse is bathed in perspiration. The first step down from the podium just fails to conceal a totter...". For anyone who has seen some of this in performance, it cannot fail to make them laugh.
July 28, 2015
Very entertaining! The earliest chapters were the best — Bach, Haydn, Mendelssohn...ended w Bernstein, the reigning superstar when the book came out in 1967.
He admits that a lot of conductors were pains in the ass, but justifies at least some of their behavior: 1. many of the best conductors were great musical geniuses, and were frustrated when they had to deal with mortals; 2. lots of the mortal musicians they dealt with were often drunk, late to rehearsal or just absent most of the time.
As the book ends, Schonberg acknowledges the changes happening in the mid-20th century, as conductors became more cosmopolitan and less identified w specific national traditions.
He admits that a lot of conductors were pains in the ass, but justifies at least some of their behavior: 1. many of the best conductors were great musical geniuses, and were frustrated when they had to deal with mortals; 2. lots of the mortal musicians they dealt with were often drunk, late to rehearsal or just absent most of the time.
As the book ends, Schonberg acknowledges the changes happening in the mid-20th century, as conductors became more cosmopolitan and less identified w specific national traditions.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews