Review by Choice Review
Covering fewer than half of the composer's 86 years, this ample volume is only the first part of Schuller's autobiography. Schuller has enjoyed one of the great musical lives of the age; he has known everyone and done everything. He has been employed, variously, as composer, conductor, instrumentalist, teacher, author, music publisher, and record producer. He sat with Karlheinz Stockhausen in Darmstadt and performed with Miles Davis on classic jazz recordings. He seems to have retained a remarkable memory to boot. The book does not read as a mere newspaper article but rather as a whole newspaper, replete with critical pieces on music and musicians, observations on the other arts, travelogues, and a few obituaries. Schuller had already produced a couple of important music books, so readers will not be surprised at his ability to provide a compelling narrative. John Adams's autobiography, Hallelujah Junction (CH, Mar'09, 46-3746), no less impressive, yielded up rather more in the way of an aesthetic manifesto, but perhaps Schuller is saving something for the next installment. This is an important book in several respects. It belongs in every music collection. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. B. J. Murray Brevard College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
