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Book Review
Jul. 3rd, 2018 07:58 pmThe Life of Chopin
by Franz Liszt
I'm of two minds about this book.
First, the bad part. Liszt is not a great writer. His prose is overwrought and full of excess. It's Romanticism run amok. He writes sentences that often run to the length of a paragraph, and uses language so flowery, one almost begins to sneeze. He also spends a lot of time rhapsodizing about tangential matters. Especially notable are the several pages Liszt spends extolling the virtues of Polish women - it's super obvious he has quite the thing for them.
All that aside, The Life of Chopin is a very interesting book for the way it gives us insight into both what the general late nineteenth century view of Chopin, and Liszt's personal perspective on him and his music. It says as much about Liszt as it does about Chopin, which makes this book a valuable two-fer.
ETA: This review would not be complete without a link to Hark A Vagrant's Chopin and Liszt strips.
by Franz Liszt
I'm of two minds about this book.
First, the bad part. Liszt is not a great writer. His prose is overwrought and full of excess. It's Romanticism run amok. He writes sentences that often run to the length of a paragraph, and uses language so flowery, one almost begins to sneeze. He also spends a lot of time rhapsodizing about tangential matters. Especially notable are the several pages Liszt spends extolling the virtues of Polish women - it's super obvious he has quite the thing for them.
All that aside, The Life of Chopin is a very interesting book for the way it gives us insight into both what the general late nineteenth century view of Chopin, and Liszt's personal perspective on him and his music. It says as much about Liszt as it does about Chopin, which makes this book a valuable two-fer.
ETA: This review would not be complete without a link to Hark A Vagrant's Chopin and Liszt strips.
