Chopin by Jim Samson

This if one of the Master Musicians series from Oxford University Press.

This biography takes an interesting approach. The chapters alternate between history and musical analysis. So a chapter will detail Chopin's early life, and the next chapter will discuss his early compositions during that period. I think that's an effective approach - those readers who are not interested in detailed musical analysis can skip those chapters, and those readers who are interested in the music can use it as a reference.

Of course, no book on Chopin can succeed without dealing with the elephant in the room - his relationship with George Sand. I think this book does an excellent job of reporting the facts that can be verified about their life together without vilifying Sand or even placing blame. It's much better to report the facts and let the readers reach their own conclusion.

Now that I have read it I'll weigh in with my opinion, for what's it worth. Obviously they would not have stayed together as long as they did (9 years?) if each had not gotten something of value from the relationship. The fact that they were probably platonic after the second year means that it wasn't sex that keep them together. Sand mothered Chopin, and he let her. She provided stability and a place of refuge for him. She nursed him back to health several times. She also reinvented her past to suit her own purposes, probably to justify her own actions. Chopin seemed easily manipulated by Sand's daughter, who at least provided the immediate reason for the breakup.

But I don't think the facts, as presented in this book, support the idea that Chopin would have lived much longer and written more and better music if he had not lived with Sand. In my opinion the opposite is probably true. She provided some stability in his life during his most productive periods.

So read this biography and make up your own mind already!

Link to Amazon: Chopin (Master Musicians Series)

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

Dickens' last complete novel. I think that the influence of Wilkie Collins' success is evident. Dickens' novel has some of the same elements - a mystery (more than one, actually) and unexpected twists and turns in the plot.

It still has Dickens' exceptional treatment of the characters. There are many scenes in which the reader can revel in the details of character and setting - the first scene in the bone articulator's shop, for instance.

But the part of the novel that exasperated me was the plot to test the moral character of Bella Wilfer carried out by Rokesmith and the Boffins. It borders on lying to the reader. It is an intentional deception, at least. Such a deception should be accompanied by clues and symbolism that allow the reader to have a chance at predicting where the plot will turn. I don't think there are any clues here. The Harmon/Handford/Rokesmith complication is amply telegraphed to the reader - it does not come across as an unexpected plot surprise. But the deception to fool Bella also fools the reader and leads to a certain amount of disgust - at least for me.

I really enjoyed the rest of the novel, though. I think it would be much more popular if the unfortunate deception had been altered by Dickens.

Link to Amazon: Our Mutual Friend (Modern Library Classics)

Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment by James R. Gaines

This book needs to get an award just for the length of the subtitle!

Entertaining, excellent, and approachable history. Not a biography, but an examination of the lives of J.S. Bach and Frederick the Great inspired by their famous meeting. Late in Bach's life, he journeyed to the court of Frederick (where his son, C.P.E. Bach, was a court musician). Summoned by Frederick, he was presented with a theme and asked to compose a fugue on it in three parts. Back improvised the fugue, to the astonishment of everyone. Later, when Bach returned to Leipzig, he composed and had printed the "Musical Offering" on Frederic's theme and sent it to the court.

The author does a lot of creative reading between the lines to fill out the historical record. That is what makes the book so enjoyable, presenting the facts and giving an entertaining interpretation. He fills in the history of Bach and Frederick, and casts their meeting as a collision of the serious baroque music of Bach with the lighter music favored by Frederick, and uses that as a metaphor for the change from the religious reformation to the birth of the Enlightenment.

Link to Amazon: Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment (P.S.)

Even the Dogs by Jon McGregor

Grim. Depressing. The story of a group of heroin addicts, alcoholics, psychopaths, and street people. The injection of heroin is described in disturbing detail. Not exactly Dickens' Drood in the opium den. Dickens softened the impact of Drood's drug use by including his characteristic virgin female and comic relief. There is no softening of anything in "Even the Dogs". Don't even wish for a happy ending. Nobody gets out of this one alive or recovered or even with any hope.

Which is not to say that the writing is not good. I think it is. The author does an excellent job of portraying the single-minded obsession of the addicts with acquiring their next fix, at whatever cost. I question the decision to turn this into a novel. There is quite a bit of repetition. Considering the distasteful subject matter I wonder why it wasn't shortened and presented as, for instance, the centerpiece of a short story collection, including other stories that could have buffered the hopelessness of "Even the Dogs". I can't see this selling many copies or being commercially successful as a novel.

One thing that the author does which is interesting is the inclusion of a "Greek Chorus" of dead addicts that comment on the action and scenes. That is the basic structure of the novel. One of the group has died alone in what we in the US would call a "crack house" and a small amount of backstory is woven into the narrative and commented on by the chorus as the body is discovered and autopsied.

So, I have to give it a good rating because of the fine writing, but I would not recommend this to any but the most hardened of readers.

Link to Amazon: Even the Dogs: A Novel

The Beethoven Compendium by Barry Cooper

Not a biography, but an examination of everything Beethoven by four different editors. Not the type of book you would read from cover to cover, but an exhaustive reference to his life, influences, music, writings, portraits, career, students, and so on and so forth. Highly recommended for the serious amateur, music student, or professional.

Link to Amazon: The Beethoven Compendium (A Guide to Beethoven's Life and Music) [UNABRIDGED] (Paperback)

J.S. Bach - A Life in Music by Peter Williams

This biography takes a novel approach. It uses the printed obituary of Bach written by his son C.P.E. Bach, and examines it line by line, expanding it and speculating on the details. This is not a biography for the merely curious, since a knowledge of music theory and history is helpful, even though it includes a glossary. The target audience would be serious amateurs, music students, and professionals.

Link to Amazon: J.S. Bach: A Life in Music

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

What's most amazing about this book is the time that it was written - late 40s, published in the early 50s. Yet it pretty accurately predicts most facets of the civil rights movement for blacks, good and bad. In fact, the first scene in the book, the "battle royale" contains, in miniature, most of what happens later. Black man rewarded by white, reward turns out to be denigrating, blacks fight amongst themselves, whites are pulling the strings, and so on and so forth.

My advice, if you are reading this edition, is to skip the introduction - read it later if you want to. The author does quite a bit of pontificating.

The novel also is somewhat heavy-handed with the symbolism. Everything is a symbol, or can be viewed as a symbol. That gets old quickly, especially when it is so obvious.

Link to Amazon: Invisible Man