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Book Review
Feb. 14th, 2012 01:19 pmThe Life of Webern
by Kathryn Bailey
This biography of Webern, although about the same length, is more serious and probing than the Malcolm Hayes book. Bailey relies a lot on Webern's notebooks and letters, referring to and quoting heavily from them, which, rather than being dry, gives a lot of insight into Webern's way of living and thinking. She does a great job of presenting the events of his life in context, particularly his early struggles to establish himself and create a suitable life for himself and his family. Nothing was easy for him. She also gives a clear-eyed assessment of his character in all its virtues and flaws. Her approach to Webern's disappointing support of the Nazi regime (although Webern himself was thankfully not virulently anti-Semitic) is quite frank, and does not attempt to provide easy answers. Overall, it was a very good biography that not only made me understand Webern's life better, but also made me want to go back and listen to his music within the context of this understanding.
(One quirky feature of the book, however, is that Bailey really hates Schoenberg - not his music, his personality. Never before have I read such negative descriptions and assessment's of his personality and relationships.)
by Kathryn Bailey
This biography of Webern, although about the same length, is more serious and probing than the Malcolm Hayes book. Bailey relies a lot on Webern's notebooks and letters, referring to and quoting heavily from them, which, rather than being dry, gives a lot of insight into Webern's way of living and thinking. She does a great job of presenting the events of his life in context, particularly his early struggles to establish himself and create a suitable life for himself and his family. Nothing was easy for him. She also gives a clear-eyed assessment of his character in all its virtues and flaws. Her approach to Webern's disappointing support of the Nazi regime (although Webern himself was thankfully not virulently anti-Semitic) is quite frank, and does not attempt to provide easy answers. Overall, it was a very good biography that not only made me understand Webern's life better, but also made me want to go back and listen to his music within the context of this understanding.
(One quirky feature of the book, however, is that Bailey really hates Schoenberg - not his music, his personality. Never before have I read such negative descriptions and assessment's of his personality and relationships.)
