How Do I
Pittsburgh Symphony Book Club
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Join us for this partnership of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, WQED-FM, and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. |
The book selections will reflect music the symphony will be performing in the weeks following the book group meeting. Come and share in this discussion of music books, fact and fiction.
Registration is required; call 412.622.3105 to register.All meetings will take place:
Tuesdays from 6:00-7:30 pm
Music Department, Second Floor
Upcoming Discussions:
January 19, 2010
Beethoven's Hair
by Russell Martin
ML 410 .B4 M28 2000
A compelling account of the "rediscovery" and subsequent forensic authentication of a lock of hair, cut as a keepsake from the body of Ludwig van Beethoven following his death in 1827. Martin's tale of false leads, amazing breakthroughs, and incredible scientific revelations is a testament to the lure of relics, the heroism of the Nazi resistance movement and, ultimately, the power of music upon historians, musicologists and scientists alike.
Joining Jim Cunningham (WQED-FM) will be David Sogg, PSO bassoonist.
Beethoven's Hair
by Russell Martin
ML 410 .B4 M28 2000
A compelling account of the "rediscovery" and subsequent forensic authentication of a lock of hair, cut as a keepsake from the body of Ludwig van Beethoven following his death in 1827. Martin's tale of false leads, amazing breakthroughs, and incredible scientific revelations is a testament to the lure of relics, the heroism of the Nazi resistance movement and, ultimately, the power of music upon historians, musicologists and scientists alike.
Joining Jim Cunningham (WQED-FM) will be David Sogg, PSO bassoonist.
March 16, 2010
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
by Oliver Sacks
ML 3830 .S13 2007
Dr. Oliver Sacks, best known for his books Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, explores the human mind and music in this engaging, accessible book. Hear such intriguing true stories as a lightning strike triggering musical ability, aphasiacs regaining their speech by learning to sing their words, or an amnesiac unable to recognize his own wife who can still remember how to perform complex music.
Joining Jim Cunningham (WQED-FM) will be Jeffrey Turner, PSO bassist.
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
by Oliver Sacks
ML 3830 .S13 2007
Dr. Oliver Sacks, best known for his books Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, explores the human mind and music in this engaging, accessible book. Hear such intriguing true stories as a lightning strike triggering musical ability, aphasiacs regaining their speech by learning to sing their words, or an amnesiac unable to recognize his own wife who can still remember how to perform complex music.
Joining Jim Cunningham (WQED-FM) will be Jeffrey Turner, PSO bassist.
April 27, 2010
First Nights: Five Musical Premieres
by Thomas F. Kelly
ML 63 .K44 2000
Four of the five "first" performances compellingly described in this book are of works that the Orchestra is performing in the 2009-2010 season: Handel's Messiah, the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven, Symphony Fantastique by Berlioz, and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. The book discussion will be held prior to the Stravinsky performance on April 29-30 and May 1, 2010, and will likely focus on the infamous public response to its first performance in Paris in 1913.
Joining Jim Cunningham (WQED-FM) will be Jennifer Ross, PSO violinist.
First Nights: Five Musical Premieres
by Thomas F. Kelly
ML 63 .K44 2000
Four of the five "first" performances compellingly described in this book are of works that the Orchestra is performing in the 2009-2010 season: Handel's Messiah, the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven, Symphony Fantastique by Berlioz, and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. The book discussion will be held prior to the Stravinsky performance on April 29-30 and May 1, 2010, and will likely focus on the infamous public response to its first performance in Paris in 1913.
Joining Jim Cunningham (WQED-FM) will be Jennifer Ross, PSO violinist.
Previous Discussions:
September 29, 2009
Barbara Quick's
Vivaldi's Virgins
The coming of age story of a young orphan who was a pupil of Vivaldi at the Ospedale della Pieta is interwoven with bright and lively depictions of life in eighteenth century Venice. While Vivaldi is not the full focus of the novel, you are left with an enhanced sense of the time and the place which should make the Pittsburgh Symphony's performance of the composer's Four Seasons (October 1-4, 2009) all the more enjoyable.
Jim Cunningham, WQED-FM, and James Rogers, PSO contrabassoonist, will lead the discussion.
Barbara Quick's
Vivaldi's Virgins
The coming of age story of a young orphan who was a pupil of Vivaldi at the Ospedale della Pieta is interwoven with bright and lively depictions of life in eighteenth century Venice. While Vivaldi is not the full focus of the novel, you are left with an enhanced sense of the time and the place which should make the Pittsburgh Symphony's performance of the composer's Four Seasons (October 1-4, 2009) all the more enjoyable.
Jim Cunningham, WQED-FM, and James Rogers, PSO contrabassoonist, will lead the discussion.
November 9, 2009
1791: Mozart's Last Year
by H.C. Robbins Landon
ML 410 .M9 L236 1988
The choral masterpieces of 35-year-old Mozart's final days bear witness to the character and genius of this master. Robbins Landon's study is both a cultural history of music in 1791, a detective story, and an authoritative evaluation of the music and the intrigue surrounding Mozart's death. Your hearing of the Requiem in D minor will be enhanced from reading this scholarly and fascinating biography.
Joining Jim Cunningham (WQED-FM) will be Charlotta Klein Ross, PSO cellist.
1791: Mozart's Last Year
by H.C. Robbins Landon
ML 410 .M9 L236 1988
The choral masterpieces of 35-year-old Mozart's final days bear witness to the character and genius of this master. Robbins Landon's study is both a cultural history of music in 1791, a detective story, and an authoritative evaluation of the music and the intrigue surrounding Mozart's death. Your hearing of the Requiem in D minor will be enhanced from reading this scholarly and fascinating biography.
Joining Jim Cunningham (WQED-FM) will be Charlotta Klein Ross, PSO cellist.
Updated: 11/17/2009
