Product Description
In this prizewinning book, leading musical, theatrical, and literary scholars examine different aspects of the life and work of Kurt Weill, one of the most controversial composers of the twentieth century. Making use of documentary material now available for the first time, the contributors present startling revelations not only about Weill's career but also about his many collaborators---among them Brecht, Kasier, Reinhardt, Werfel, Ira Gershwin, Klemperer, Moss Hart, and Elisabeth Hauptmann. ... Read more

Product Description
In this well researched and balanced account, Ronald Taylor examines the emotional and intellectual forces that fueled Kurt Weill's unique contribution to twentieth-century music, tracing the shifting career of the enigmatic and underappreciated composer who was forced to trade Berlin for Broadway by the burgeoning Nazi terror of the 1930s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good intro to Kurt Weill
This is a satisfying biography that offers a well-targeted look into Weill's personal, professional, and creative development and also provides insight into his nimble adaptations to the changing social and historical contexts of his lifetime. More than anything else, Weill emerges as a man of eminent adaptability, whether in the narrow sense of reworking his music on the fly to the requirements of a theater production or in the broader sense of understanding his historical milieu and adapting his entire approach to music to acknowledge what audiences would embrace.

Weill's ability to reinvent himself is at the core of the ongoing debate about his stature as a composer. Unlike the David Bowie's, Madonna's, Britney Spears, etc., etc. of the current era, Weill's reinventions were not based on image with the substance of the music remaining essentially the same. From the avant neoclassicism of his early symphonic compositions to the heady inventiveness of Weimar Berlin's cabarets and theaters, where he first tasted success with Dreigroschenoper (Threepenny Opera) to Broadway, Weill transformed his musical sensibilities from one musical genre to another, while still carrying forward his signature sound. Some saw (and see) Weill's ability to bridge a range of musical expression as an exemplary eclecticism while others regard it as a betrayal of his early talents.

Taylor's subtitle, "composer in a divided world," significantly zeroes in on what may well be the most salient factor in Weill's lifework: his ability to adapt successfully in varying circumstances. And as Taylor points out, success far more than fortune was what Weill sought. By and large he achieved it in whatever form of musical expression he attempted, from neoclassical symphonies to musical theater. The magnitude of that accomplishment is not lost here, but neither are Weill's missteps as he moved in new directions.

Taylor quotes from critics, contemporaries, collaborators, and Weill himself to provide a wide-ranging perspective on the composer, his musical ideals, and his career. In addition, observations on Weill's compositions are illustrated with snippets from musical scores.

Much changed in the world during Kurt Weill's brief fifty years in it (1900-1950), and Taylor does an engaging job of situating Weill's work in its historical context, which is helpful to understanding the changes Weill put himself through over the course of his career. That said, there are more than a couple of places where the author slips into some fairly dense discussions of aesthetics and music theory that lead off the narrative track. A small price, though, for a worthwhile read that offers sympathetic justice to its subject and an engaging narrative about a man who was far from flamboyant in his personal life for all the flash of a career in musical theater.
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Product Description
For soprano, flute, viola, clarinet, horn, bassoon. Edited by Jurgen Selk after the text of the Kurt Weill Edition (critical edition). Texts in German. Parts on rental. ... Read more

Product Description
11 vocal selections from the musical featuring music by Ogen Nash and Kurt Weill. Includes: How Much I Love You * Speak Low * The Trouble with Women * Wooden Wedding * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

If you like Peter Pan...
Play by S. J. Perelman and Ogden Nash starred Mary Martin as Venus, in the Broadway cast list in my copy of the book! Pages have deckle edges, nice. Endpapers have the song words and drawings in red, nice illustrations. Rare. Great deal, recommended. ... Read more