Book Review
Apr. 17th, 2022 10:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariCharles Ives: A Life with Music
by Jan Swafford
This lengthy biography of American composer Charles Ives was quite detailed but remained engrossing throughout. Swafford of course concentrates on Ives' musical career rather than his work in the insurance industry. Swafford really brings Ives and his world to life, especially Ives' boyhood and adolescence in Danbury, CT, as those experiences were very central to Ives' music. I also liked the way the book treats Ives' courtship and relationship with his wife Harmony as a real love story. Swafford does a great job of providing lots of insight into Ives' music, how he wrote it, and how it works, without getting into tedious descriptions or lengthy technical analysis. It leaves you with a strong desire to listen to the music.
by Jan Swafford
This lengthy biography of American composer Charles Ives was quite detailed but remained engrossing throughout. Swafford of course concentrates on Ives' musical career rather than his work in the insurance industry. Swafford really brings Ives and his world to life, especially Ives' boyhood and adolescence in Danbury, CT, as those experiences were very central to Ives' music. I also liked the way the book treats Ives' courtship and relationship with his wife Harmony as a real love story. Swafford does a great job of providing lots of insight into Ives' music, how he wrote it, and how it works, without getting into tedious descriptions or lengthy technical analysis. It leaves you with a strong desire to listen to the music.
