Simply Stravinsky - (Great Lives) by Pieter Van Den Toorn (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>Simply Stravinsky explores the life and work of Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), one of the most important and influential composers of the twentieth century, whose innovative musical compositions challenged convention, divided critics, and occasionally caused a riot.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><br /> Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, <strong>Igor Stravinsky</strong> (1882-1971) divided his time between law studies and music until 1906, when, under the tutelage of composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, he dedicated himself exclusively to composition. Five years later, he achieved international fame with his ballet scores <em>The Firebird</em>, <em>Petrushka</em>, and <em>The Rite of Spring</em>, the last of which caused a riot at its Paris premiere in 1913. For the next 50 years, both Stravinsky's music style and his life were characterized by dramatic changes, as he moved from his "Russian period" to neo-classicism to serialism, and from Russia to Switzerland to France to the United States. Yet no matter how much his style changed, his music was always distinctively his, and his compositions remain among the greatest produced in the twentieth century. <br /> <br /> In <em>Simply Stravinsky</em>, Professor Pieter van den Toorn takes a fresh look at the composer and his legacy, providing a compact, exciting, and accessible introduction to the twentieth century's most celebrated composer and his timeless music. From Stravinsky's apprenticeship in St. Petersburg to his life among the émigré community in Southern California, Prof. van den Toorn shows how the composer's music was tied to his personality and how it came to influence artists from Aaron Copland to Philip Glass.<br /> <br /> Designed for classical music beginners, as well as those who want to know more about one of the great musical innovators, <em>Simply Stravinsky</em> is an insightful and highly readable portrait of the man who helped define modern music.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>"This is a short book but a teeming one, boiling over with the insights that have accrued over forty years and more, ever since Pieter van den Toorn set the musicological world on its ear with his revelations about Stravinsky's creative methods, deduced from an unprecedentedly close and fruitful examination of the published scores. Since then he has been at the manuscripts as well, and has made even further-reaching observations about Stravinsky's epochal rhythmic innovations. All of this he now places at the disposal of musicians and general readers, laid out with a chronology of the composer's life and times-a great gift to us all and a fitting crown to a most distinguished scholarly career."</p><p><strong>-Richard Taruskin, author of <em>Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions</em></strong></p><p> </p><p><em>"</em>A readable and comprehensible study by one of our leading Stravinsky theorists. Pieter van den Toorn has the gift of guiding the reader gently and agreeably through some quite intricate matters while painting a lucid overall picture."</p><p><strong>-Stephen Walsh, author of <em>Stravinsky: A Creative Spring: Russia and France, 1882-1934</em></strong></p><p> </p><p><em>"</em>Pieter van den Toorn brings fresh insights to the life and work of one of the twentieth century's most written-about composers. He has devoted his entire career to examining how Stravinsky's music 'works' and now shares that deep understanding with a wide readership. The great strength of this book is the way it tells the life through the music, eschewing much of the quotidian tittle-tattle to focus on the essentials of the music's harmonic and rhythmic organization. It certainly made me return to familiar music with new ears."</p><p><strong>-Jonathan Cross, Professor of Musicology, University of Oxford</strong></p><p> </p><p>"Pieter is among the foremost Stravinsky scholars in the world. His new book <em>Simply Stravinsky</em> is a synthesis of musical analysis, history, and criticism. What is remarkable about this book is that it presents a sophisticated account of Stravinsky's musical achievements accessible to a broad audience. And even more impressive is that it not only provides readers with a stimulating account of Stravinsky's works within their rich intellectual and cultural context, but also opens their ears to the joy and wonders of the music itself."</p><p><strong>-David Bernstein, Professor of Music, Mills College</strong></p><p> </p><p>"Stravinsky was both grounded in tradition and a breaker of tradition, and Pieter van den Toorn's insightful book shows us both sides of him. There's a great deal to learn here of Stravinsky's methods of composition, which remained consistent in spite of the radical changes of direction and style throughout his career, which are explained in fascinating detail. It's no wonder that Stravinsky is so many composers' favorite composer!"</p><p><strong>-Colin Matthews, English composer and Prince Consort Professor of Music and Fellow of the Royal College of Music</strong></p><br>
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