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Maestros and Their Music
Maestros and Their Music: The Art and Alchemy of Conducting | John Mauceri
7 posts | 6 read | 11 to read
An exuberant, uniquely accessible, beautifully illustrated look inside the enigmatic art and craft of conducting, from a celebrated conductor whose international career has spanned half a century. John Mauceri brings a lifetime of experience to bear in an unprecedented, hugely informative, consistently entertaining exploration of his profession, rich with anecdotes from decades of working alongside the greatest names of the music world. With candor and humor, Mauceri makes clear that conducting is itself a composition: of legacy and tradition, techniques handed down from master to apprentice--and more than a trace of ineffable magic. He reveals how conductors approach a piece of music (a calculated combination of personal interpretation, imagination, and insight into the composer's intent); what it takes to communicate solely through gesture, with sometimes hundreds of performers at once; and the occasionally glamorous, often challenging life of the itinerant maestro. Mauceri, who worked closely with Leonard Bernstein for eighteen years, studied with Leopold Stokowski, and was on the faculty of Yale University for fifteen years, is the perfect guide to the allure and theater, passion and drudgery, rivalries and relationships of the conducting life.
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TieDyeDude
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Bailedbailed

I think the intro just really put me off. The intro spoke a lot about how pompous conductors are, and the first few chapters didn't do anything to make the subjects more relatable. Also, lots of "but we'll talk about that later."

Susanita Leopold! 6y
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Lynnsoprano
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Pickpick

This was a really enjoyable read. There is a lot of material here that might challenge a reader who isn‘t familiar with music, but there are also fascinating stories and anecdotes about composers and performers that hold your interest. Plus, taking a picture was an excuse for me to dig out my baton😊

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Lynnsoprano
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I am really savoring this book. With my graduate degree in music history, I love the historical background of conducting that he includes. The author has a lot of experience as an opera conductor, and as my research was on the history of opera, I find his insights about operas fascinating. As a director who has waved her arms around in front of choruses and handbell choirs, I‘m learning a lot from his approach to music.

Christine Sounds like a great book, and I love learning more about the “soprano” in your Litsy name! (I haven‘t done organized singing in years, but I used to be an active soprano myself, and my husband and I met in college while singing in/touring with the St. Olaf Choir. :) (edited) 6y
Mollyanna Sounds very intriguing! 6y
Reggie I just want some directors to floor-wall-wall-ceiling it. I look at some directors and I‘m like how do they follow that!!! Lol 6y
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Lynnsoprano @Christine St. Olaf‘s! I‘m impressed! Before I retired, I‘d spent the past 14 years as a middle school choral director. I still help with our church choir, and have a few private voice students. 6y
Lynnsoprano @Reggie I know exactly what you mean 😂 6y
Christine I love all of that! My mom and my father-in-law are retired choir directors, too! ❤️ 6y
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ssravp
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Pickpick

Loved this! If I would have read this last year it probably would have been on my list of favorites for the year. And he references the performances of The Flying Dutchman that I attended when he was musical director of the Pittsburgh Opera!

Maike Stacked! This sounds really interesting 6y
Lynnsoprano I‘m reading this right now and loving it. A lot of it is applicable to choral conducting, too, so I really relate. 6y
ssravp @Maike it‘s really good! 6y
ssravp @Lynnsoprano yeah, it‘s definitely applicable to choral conducting 6y
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Lynnsoprano
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Not sure how I missed this when @MrBook included this as a #TBRtemptation a few months ago. We stopped at the library this morning so hubby could renew his card, and this jumped out at me as I went looking for a nonfiction read. I love choral conducting, although this appears to focus on orchestral conductors. Really looking forward to reading both books.

MrBook 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🤗🤗🤗 6y
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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 1! Just released. From a celebrated conductor whose international career has spanned half a century, you'll learn the enigmatic art and craft of conducting through a rich, accessible, and beautifully illustrated introduction. How they approach a piece, what it takes to communicate to hundreds by mere gesture, what happens in the workroom and on the red carpet, and more, will be revealed. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

Molly_the_mezzo Conducting was probably my worst class in college, it‘s so hard! 6y
56 likes3 stack adds1 comment