![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Book Review
Jan. 30th, 2021 06:48 pmDebussy
by Eric Frederick Jensen
This relatively recent biography of Debussy was both really informative and enjoyable to read. Jensen covers both Debussy's life and works in a sympathetic yet clear-eyed way. I really liked the way he wove in the context of the artistic world Debussy inhabited and the writers, painters, and fellow musicians he admired. I also appreciated that Jensen did not gloss over the times Debussy behaved badly in his personal and artistic life. He is equally frank about the best aspects of his subject, as well. What emerges is an engaging and insightful portrayal of a composer who was both a compelling and complicated man. What I liked most of all about Jensen's book is the way he discussed the music. He entirely avoided the kind of narrative descriptions that can get tedious and instead concentrated on the context, important features, and significant features and techniques of the pieces discussed.
by Eric Frederick Jensen
This relatively recent biography of Debussy was both really informative and enjoyable to read. Jensen covers both Debussy's life and works in a sympathetic yet clear-eyed way. I really liked the way he wove in the context of the artistic world Debussy inhabited and the writers, painters, and fellow musicians he admired. I also appreciated that Jensen did not gloss over the times Debussy behaved badly in his personal and artistic life. He is equally frank about the best aspects of his subject, as well. What emerges is an engaging and insightful portrayal of a composer who was both a compelling and complicated man. What I liked most of all about Jensen's book is the way he discussed the music. He entirely avoided the kind of narrative descriptions that can get tedious and instead concentrated on the context, important features, and significant features and techniques of the pieces discussed.
