An exploration into the question of greatness from the Chief Classical Music Critic of the New York Times
Anthony Tommasini is the chief classical music critic for the New York Times. He graduated from Yale University, and later earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Boston University. He is the author of three books, including a biography of the composer and critic Virgil Thomson.As a pianist, he made two recordings of Thomson's music on the Northeastern label which were supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
"[Tommasini] defends the value of distinguishing the great from the
merely good...Tommasini does a fine job of conveying the inner life
of a piece, through his rhythmic sentences and sculpted
paragraphs...One cannot help coming away from it with a more
rounded understanding of classical music at its peak."--Phillip
Lopate, New York Times Book Review "Every case [Tommasini] makes is
convincingly argued, and his style is accessible without being
patronizing, enthusiastic but never gushily so. It's a superb read.
Indispensable, even."--Jeremy Pound, BBC Music Magazine
"The story of four centuries of music in essays on seventeen
composers, from Monteverdi to Stravinsky...all suffused with memoir
and colored by a lifelong love of opera."--The New Yorker
"Through [Tommasini's] telling, these masters feel relatable--and
their musical feats are made all the more impressive. Tommasini
weaves an engrossing narrative, one that musicians and
non-musicians alike will enjoy."--The New Criterion
"A pianist himself, Tommasini infuses his essays with insights from
a lifetime of playing and listening." --San Francisco Chronicle
"A must for musicians and music lovers alike." --Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
"A spirited musical compendium to the best of the
best...[Tommasini's] goal is to keep his assessments simple,
insightful, and jargon-free, and he succeeds...Entertaining, highly
enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable, he's the perfect guide [to
the great composers]...all exuberantly presented for your
edification and enjoyment." --Kirkus
"This wonderful and indispensable book is written by an
indispensable and fabulous music critic, Anthony Tommasini. This
marvelous publication is both a great addition to the body of
tributes to these magnificent composers and a perfect educational
vehicle about the grandiose field of opera. It is a pleasure to add
my voice to the others singing its praises"--Leontyne Price
"Insightful...Tommasini twines engaging biographical sketches of
the maestros and their tragic ailments, love affairs, and endless
scrambles for money with appreciations of masterpieces, the latter
enriched by his memories of hearing and performing them...he excels
at the difficult task of capturing music in words...The result is
an engrossing study that will appeal to both classical music
aficionados and novice listeners who want a road map."--Publishers
Weekly
"A treasure trove of biographical information and a primer on the
language and notation of music itself...Tommasini makes a
potentially dry and academic subject accessible."--Library
Journal
"Anthony Tommasini's book is itself indispensable--not only for
those who already know how immortal are Monteverdi, Bach, Haydn
down to Schoenberg, Stravinsky, and Bartok, but for those who want
to read Tommasini's take on what makes our great composers lifelong
companions we like to take wherever we go and would ask/want
nothing more than to hear a few last notes from before leaving them
forever."--Andre Aciman, author of Call Me by Your Name
"Anthony Tommasini is an engaging, authoritative guide to the
careers and works of great composers. Writing accessibly about even
the more technical aspects of the music, he shares what these
creations have meant to him in ways that should also make them
essential listening for his readers."--Walter Frisch, H. Harold
Gumm/Harry and Albert von Tilzer Professor of Music at Columbia
University and author of Arlen and Harburg's Over the Rainbow
"Few critics in history have been as rigorously trained or deeply
versed in music as Tony Tommasini. Page after page of this
exuberant book show not only his comprehensive knowledge -- he
writes with the music under his fingers -- but also his infectious
love for the great classical repertory." --Alex Ross, author of The
Rest is Noise
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