Men of Music
Encyclopedia
Men of Music: Their Lives, Times and Achievements is a volume of mini-biographies and evaluations of famous classical music composers, written by Wallace Brockway and Herbert Weinstock, and originally published by Simon and Schuster in 1939 . Revised and expanded editions appeared in 1950 and 1958, and the book has gone through seven printings, the most recent being a 1967 softcover edition.
The book gained a certain amount of fame because the authors were chosen by the publishing firm itself. They were chosen precisely because they were not professional music critics, and would therefore be able to avoid the highly technical jargon that layman readers might find on album liner notes, in publications, and today, on classical music websites.
Some of Brockway and Weinstock's opinions, however, were, and have always been, controversial, as noted by Time Magazine in their 1939 review of the original edition. Among them are:
Men of Music also reflects the musical evaluations of the era in which it was published, as well as the authors' own prejudices. As examples, the only baroque composers covered are Bach
and Handel
; Antonio Vivaldi
, who had not yet achieved the popularity that he enjoys now, is left out of the book, along with any mention of his best-loved work, The Four Seasons
, which had not been recorded yet. The Nutcracker
, which had not yet been performed complete in the United States in 1939, was barely mentioned in the original edition; only the twenty-minute Nutcracker Suite extracted from it was given anything resembling a detailed discussion, and Brockway and Weinstock did not change this in later revisions of the book. Gustav Mahler
is also notably missing from the volume, as is Antonín Dvořák
, composer of the enormously popular New World Symphony.
No American composers are covered in the book.
The book gained a certain amount of fame because the authors were chosen by the publishing firm itself. They were chosen precisely because they were not professional music critics, and would therefore be able to avoid the highly technical jargon that layman readers might find on album liner notes, in publications, and today, on classical music websites.
Some of Brockway and Weinstock's opinions, however, were, and have always been, controversial, as noted by Time Magazine in their 1939 review of the original edition. Among them are:
- the evaluation of Tchaikovsky as "the greatest symphonist of the nineteenth century after Beethoven" (bypassing Brahms, who is often given that honor by critics, but receives a less favorable evaluation in this book)
- of Franz LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
as "the greatest musical failure of the nineteenth century" - of the Ode to Joy in Beethoven's Ninth as a "cataclysmic anticlimax" (because of the difficulty involved in singing it well)
- of Beethoven's Missa SolemnisMissa Solemnis (Beethoven)The Missa solemnis in D Major, Op. 123 was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven from 1819-1823. It was first performed on April 7, 1824 in St. Petersburg, under the auspices of Beethoven's patron Prince Nikolai Galitzin; an incomplete performance was given in Vienna on 7 May 1824, when the Kyrie,...
as also being impossible to perform because of the difficulty involved in singing it - and of Beethoven's now well-loved Symphony No. 6Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven)Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the Pastoral Symphony , is a symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, and was completed in 1808...
, the Pastoral, as "plain dull" because it supposedly does not contain any of the stylistic "trademarks" that the composer was famous for.
Men of Music also reflects the musical evaluations of the era in which it was published, as well as the authors' own prejudices. As examples, the only baroque composers covered are Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
and Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
; Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
, who had not yet achieved the popularity that he enjoys now, is left out of the book, along with any mention of his best-loved work, The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season...
, which had not been recorded yet. The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
, which had not yet been performed complete in the United States in 1939, was barely mentioned in the original edition; only the twenty-minute Nutcracker Suite extracted from it was given anything resembling a detailed discussion, and Brockway and Weinstock did not change this in later revisions of the book. Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
is also notably missing from the volume, as is Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
, composer of the enormously popular New World Symphony.
No American composers are covered in the book.