The Glorious Ones: Classical Music's Legendary Performers

The Glorious Ones chronicles the careers and impact of classical music's most influential performers from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Music critic Harold C. Schonberg presents portraits of pianists, conductors, singers and other musicians who shaped the classical music tradition. Through historical records, reviews, and firsthand accounts, Schonberg reconstructs the personalities, playing styles, and cultural contexts of these celebrated artists. The book examines both their musical innovations and the changing nature of performance practice across different eras. Major figures covered include Liszt, Paganini, Caruso, Toscanini, and many others who achieved legendary status during classical music's golden age. The text incorporates musical analysis alongside biographical elements to create complete portraits of these performers. Beyond its historical value, the book explores timeless questions about artistry, interpretation, and the relationship between performers and composers. The work continues to serve as a key reference on the evolution of classical music performance.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Harold C. Schonberg's overall work: Readers consistently praise Schonberg's depth of knowledge and clear writing style in explaining complex musical concepts. His book "The Lives of the Great Composers" receives particular attention for making classical music history accessible without oversimplification. What readers liked: - Direct, conversational tone that doesn't talk down to readers - Rich historical details and anecdotes - Balance of technical analysis with biographical storytelling - Personal insights from his experiences as a critic Common criticisms: - Strong personal biases in evaluating certain composers and performers - Occasional factual errors in historical details - Some readers find his tone too harsh or dismissive - Dated perspectives on women composers and musicians Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: "The Lives of the Great Composers" - 4.1/5 (2,000+ ratings) "The Great Pianists" - 4.3/5 (500+ ratings) Amazon: "The Lives of the Great Composers" - 4.5/5 (150+ reviews) "The Great Pianists" - 4.4/5 (80+ reviews) One reader noted: "Schonberg writes like he's having a fascinating conversation with you about music history."

The Lives of the Great Composers by Harold C. Schonberg This biographical collection examines the personal lives and creative processes of music's master composers from Bach through the 20th century.

The Great Pianists by Harold C. Schonberg The history of piano performance spans three centuries through portraits of virtuosos from Mozart to Vladimir Horowitz.

Musicians from a Different Shore by Mari Yoshihara This cultural study documents the rise of Asian classical musicians and their impact on Western classical music.

The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross The evolution of classical music through the 20th century connects to historical events and cultural movements.

Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey by Perri Knize A journalist's investigation into the world of concert pianos reveals the complex relationships between performers, instruments, and piano craftsmen.

🎵 Harold C. Schonberg served as the chief music critic for The New York Times from 1960 to 1980 and was the first music critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism (1971). 📚 The book explores the golden age of musical performance, particularly focusing on the period between 1830 and 1930, which saw legendary performers like Franz Liszt and Niccolò Paganini. 🎹 Many of the performers featured in the book were known for their eccentric personalities and dramatic stage presence, with Liszt famously breaking piano strings during performances and throwing the broken strings into the audience. 🏆 Schonberg's work is considered one of the definitive texts on the history of musical performance, and he wrote several other influential books including "The Great Pianists" and "The Lives of the Great Composers." 🎭 The book details how the rise of recording technology fundamentally changed classical music performance, as artists could no longer rely solely on live performances and had to adapt to the perfectionism demanded by recordings.