Description
Book SynopsisThis book is a philosophical tour through the experience of beauty: what it is, and how the composer, performer, and listener all contribute. It explores -- with insight, patience, and humor -- profound issues at the essence of our experience. A student performance of Beethoven's String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, known as the "Harp," serves as a point of departure and a recurring theme. For the layperson the core of the book is five dialogues betweenIcarus, an inquiring student intensely concerned with fulfilling his highest potential as a musician, and Daedalus, a curmudgeonly, iconoclastic teacher who guides Icarus's search. Three technical articles, geared to the music professional and academic, treat the issues in greater depth. Supplementary online audio files and musical examples. Markand Thakar, music director of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, is an internationally renownedpedagogue of conducting. A protégé of the legendary Sergiu Celibidache and former assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Thakar is author of On the Principles and Practice of Conducting (University of RochesterPress, 2016) and Counterpoint: Fundamentals of Music Making (Yale University Press, 1990).
Trade ReviewThakar's ideas are valuable, his exposition of them is clear, and the book is supported by materials on his website, including sound files. . . . Would be useful as the main text in an upper-level or graduate seminar, or as a component of a survey of analytical techniques or aesthetics. The consideration of what constitutes musical objects and the transcendent experience of beauty would be of great value to students. The dialogue format provides a model for a healthy mentor/protégé relationship, and, at a time when the outlook frequently seems very dark, Thakar paints a hopeful picture for the future of art music. * MUSIC THEORY ONLINE Full review at: http://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.15.21.4/mto.15.21.4.turner.html *
A journey to discover where beauty lives in music. . . . It is rare for schooling to be this blissful. --Composer and radio host Kile Smith. See his full posting at http://www.kilesmith.com/2011/04/20/looking-for-the-harp-quartet * . *
A thoughtful inquiry into the nature of beauty and the aesthetic experience. . . . Will serve not only those interested in exploring the 'transcendent' aesthetic experience, but also those who labor to embody their art through performance. * CHOICE *
A 225-page tour de force. . . . An exercise in academic excellence and a seminal contribution for personal, professional, and academic Classical Music Studies reference collections and supplemental readings lists. * MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW *
Markand Thakar's playful Socratic-like dialogue acts out a kind of performer's odyssey toward the ideal performance, toward making one particular strand of Western classical music all that it can be. * SCOTT BURNHAM, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY *
Immensely stimulating and rewarding . . . buy a copy and read it twice, not necessarily in rapid succession, and keep it around for the time you may want to reach for it again. * BERKSHIRE REVIEW *
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Note about Online Supporting Material Looking for the "Harp" Quartet Renoir and the Survival of Classical Music: On the Listener's Contribution Let's Be Mookie: On the Composer's Contribution Gurus: On the Performer's Contribution First, Last, and Always Remembrance of Things Future: On the Listener's Contribution Patterns of Energy: On the Composer's Contribution Dynamic Analysis: On the Performer's Contribution Appendix: Forms Notes Bibliography Index
