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Cast of Characters Reviews & Awards Activities Lives ofIntroduction
The life stories of famous musicians — Bach, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Woody Guthrie — are familiar to many. But what were they like really? What kind of children were they? How did they die? And what went on in between? What did they eat? What did they wear? How did they spend their money? What were their phobias, quirks, and bad habits? Who were their “significant others”? And what did the neighbors think? (Music is not a quiet career.)
Most interesting of all, what is it like to live a truly creative life? The musicians in this book, representing different countries, historical periods, and musical styles, do have things in common. About their music, they had a perseverance and single-mindedness that led not only to success, but also to eccentricities, sometimes amusing, sometimes sad.
Of all of them it could be said that their work shook up the times they lived in: It provoked riots (Stravinsky and Satie), led to death threats (Prokofiev), required police to control the crowds (Schumann), shaped entire generations of students (Boulanger), created wealthy superstars (Gilbert and Sullivan), was condemned as “addictive” and “immoral” (Joplin), and left blood on the piano keys (Gershwin). Music that we think of today as acceptable, “classic,” or even staid often caused passion and controversy during its time. “Beethoven thought that through his music he could change the world,” points out cellist Yo-Yo Ma. “Today, rock musicians are virtually the only ones who think that.”
This music can still arouse emotion — and claim listeners. It’s estimated that if Mozart were alive today, he’d be earning $20 million a year from sales of his records. The music, above all, is the reason people remember these musicians today.
Here, escorted by the patron saint of music, Saint Cecilia, are twenty lives, colorful and mysterious. These untold stories, never before collected in one volume, are offered now as a way of getting closer to the musicians — and the music.
--Kathleen Krull
Text copyright © by Kathleen Krull. Published by Harcourt, Inc. and reproduced with permission. All rights reserved.All “Lives of” artwork copyright © by Kathryn Hewitt. Published by Harcourt, Inc. and reproduced with permission. All rights reserved.
