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What to Listen for in the World by Bruce Adolphe
What is the nature of music and what is its meaning in our lives? How is it created? How can it be more fully understood and appreciated? These questions are explored here by a composer who has written for Itzhak Perlman, the Beaux Arts Trio and the National Symphony Orchestra.
With disciplined lyricism and entirely devoid of technical jargon, Bruce Adolphe's book probes into the heart of such matters as the role of memory and imagination in creative expression, the meaning of inspiration, spirituality in music, the challenge of arts education and how music communicates.
The author, acclaimed for his pre-concert lectures for The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 1992, also considers the work of composers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Ravel in a way that is both poetic and accessible, designed to get directly to the essence of their art.
"What a great book! And what a great idea -- to explain music via poetry. It has never been done, but it should be done -- and Bruce Adolphe does it so well. It is time we stop talking 'academia' when we speak about music. I hope people all over the country will read this book. It will help them get rid of the cliches that hinder rather than enhance our music appreciation."
-Lukas Foss
