Perfect Pitch: A Life Story - Softcover

Slonimsky, Nicolas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195062434 ISBN 13: 9780195062434

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1990

Synopsis

A man of untiring energy and humor, Nicolas Slonimsky has led a long and accomplished musical life, and he remains today, in his nineties, a vital presence in American music. He has pursued four distinct careers: as a pianist, as a composer, as a pioneering conductor who introduced the works of such composers as Ives, Varese, and Cowell, and as a musical lexicographer who has achieved world-wide recognition, particularly as editor of the highly-respected Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, a reference work renowned for its highly imaginative, lively, and gem-like entries.
In Perfect Pitch, his fast-paced and often hilarious autobiography, Slonimsky recounts in fascinating detail a life that spans the whole of twentieth-century music, ranging from his childhood in St. Petersburg, where he studied piano with his illustrious aunt, Isabelle Vengerova, to his years as secretary and "piano pounder" to Serge Koussevitzky, to his present career as musical lexicographer. He describes the extraordinary accomplishments of members of his family; Russia before, during, and after the Revolution; his successful appearances as conductor in Paris, Berlin, and New York, as well as his fall from grace at the Hollywood Bowl; the whimsical pleasures of lexicographical detective work; unexpected fame and fortune as a game show contestant; and much more. Along the way, the reader meets famous personalities as seen through Slonimsky's eyes, including Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Sergei Prokofiev, Leonard Bernstein, John Cage, and Frank Zappa.
Filled with illuminating anecdotes, Perfect Pitch captures through wit, spice, and irreverence an extraordinary life.

About this title

About the Author:

About the Author:
Nicolas Slonimsky is author or editor of numerous books on music, including Music Since 1900, Lexicon of Musical Invective, Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns and Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.

From Publishers Weekly:

Amusingly, Slonimsky looks back on his 93 years as a failed wunderkind, pianist, accompanist, conductor, composer, propagandist for 20th century music and lexicographical dynamo (Music Since 1900, Baker's Dictionary). Brought up as an adherent of Greek Orthodoxy by his wacky mother, who regarded him a genius, this descendant of two distinguished Jewish families discovered early in life that he had perfect pitch, a gift that helped him to become even more proficient in music than he already was in mathematics and languages. These irreverent memoirs, frequently interrupted by letters, reviews, anecdotes and wordplay, take him from late 19th century St. Petersburg, Paris in the 1920s and four decades in Boston, through travels in Latin America and Eastern Europe, and, ultimately, to the past 20 years in Los Angeles. Here are side-splitting stories about Koussevitzky, whom he served as secretary, translator and surrogate orchestra; Stravinsky, who did not have perfect pitch and was a poor proofreader; Charles Ives, who was touchy but generous; composer Henry Cowell, who wrote cheerful letters from San Quentin; Chaliapin, who was beastly to accompanists; and Frank Zappa, with whom the author performed in 1981. Music lovers will swallow most of this wholeand eagerly. But even those with tin-ears will enjoy individual chapters: "I, Diaskeuast!," in which Slonimsky tells how, as a person who derives "egotistical pleasure from finding errors in other people's books," he became the century's outstanding musical lexicographer; "Fame and Fortune," which describes his winning appearances on Mike Wallace's TV quiz show, "The Big Surprise" and his decision not to go for the $100,000 jackpot although he answered all the questions correctly. Slonimsky taught himself English by memorizing 20 polysyllabic words every day, and pronunciation by practicing sentences he made up, such as "Cat, caught on the cot, cut my coat." He describes his flaky friends as "furfuraceous" and regards his principal vice, sloth, as "pigritude." He cites the vowelless Czech tongue-twisting, jawbreaking sentence "Strcprst skrz krk" (put your finger on your throat) as the title of a choral work by composer Krsto Zyzik, whom he invented and considered including in one of his reference books. Still fit, though fat, this international treasure, concluding his "rueful autopsy," looks forward to 1994, when he'll be 100. Readers should stick around for the fun. Photos.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0195062434
• ISBN 13: 9780195062434
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272