Classical Music Biography

In a book that inspired the Amazon original series starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Malcolm McDowell, oboist Blair Tindall recounts her decades-long professional career as a classical musician, from the recitals and Broadway orchestra performances to the secret life of musicians who survive hand to mouth in the backbiting New York classical music scene, trading sexual favors for plum jobs and assignments in orchestras across the city.

An exploration into the question of greatness from the Chief Classical Music Critic of the New York Times When he began to listen to the great works of classical music as a child, Anthony Tommasini had many questions. Why did a particular piece move him? How did the music work? Over time, he...

A biographical book set in Vienna during the early nineteenth century. Step into the world of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of history's most beloved and complex composers. This biography delves deep into the life of a musical genius, exploring his creative process, personal struggles, and artistic triumphs. With vivid descriptions and anecdotes, the author masterfully weaves together historical details to create an immersive portrait of Beethoven's life in Vienna. From the cluttered workspace where he penned some of his most iconic works to his countryside walks that inspired new compositions,...

Grab your lace shawl and top hat and get ready to twirl—this is a full-throttle appreciation of the life and voice of Stevie Nicks from one of rock criticism’s most celebrated writers.

Best-selling author and Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield explores the music and artistry of the rock goddess who has kept generations of music lovers totally bewitched and spellbound, with such classic rock hits as "Rhiannon" and "Gypsy".

A luminous history of the women who redefined genius. In Composing Herself, historian Richard Fleischman restores the lost voices of Romanticism’s greatest women composers—Clara Wieck Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Louise Farrenc, Pauline Viardot, Cécile Chaminade, Amy Beach, Augusta Holmès, Lili Boulanger, Teresa Carreño, and Ethel Smyth. Their music shaped the emotional and moral imagination of the nineteenth century, even as their names were written out of its histories. Drawing on letters, scores, and newly revived performances, Composing Herself reveals how these women ...

Written with grace, humor, and affection, Last Train to Memphis has been hailed as the definitive biography of Elvis Presley—and the first to set aside the myths and focus on Elvis' humanity in a way that has yet to be duplicated. "Elvis steps from the pages. You can feel him breathe. This...

THE FORGOTTEN COMPOSERS: Musical Geniuses Who Disappeared from History is a captivating exploration of the overlooked figures who shaped the classical music landscape. From revolutionary symphonic innovators to pioneering women and artists silenced by political oppression, this book highlights the composers whose works once dazzled audiences but have since faded into obscurity. Through compelling narratives and in-depth profiles, the book uncovers the stories of these forgotten geniuses, from Ruth Crawford Seeger’s avant-garde vision to Mieczysław Weinberg’s bold symphonies, and from ...

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER A fast-paced, tender-hearted rock ’n’ roll memoir for the ages, Mike Campbell’s Heartbreaker is part rags-to-riches story and part raucous, seat-of-the-pants adventure, recounting Campbell’s life and times as lead guitarist of Tom...

From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki, the first living classical composer to get into the pop album charts, here is the fascinating story of over a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest of human feelings and emotions. Also available: The History of Opera.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Buffett offers his philosophy on life and how to live it, “like sitting with Buffett at a beachside bar, listening to him spin tales” (Time). “Buffett took his family on a three-week trek around the Caribbean...

Classical Music for the Modern Listener: Breaking Down Barriers to the Great Composers Unlock the world of classical music like never before! Whether you’re a curious beginner or someone who’s long been intrigued by the timeless beauty of classical compositions, Classical Music for the Modern Listener is your ultimate guide to understanding, enjoying, and connecting with the world’s greatest music. In this accessible, engaging book, you’ll discover how classical music evolved, how to listen to its many forms, and how you can experience it more deeply—without feeling overwhelmed by...

A concentrated study of Johann Sebastian Bach's creative output and greatest pieces, capturing the essence of his art.

The first full-length biography of Alice Coltrane, the jazz musician and spiritual leader whose forward-thinking music was overshadowed by her more famous husband, even as she brilliantly laid the groundwork for the new age, ambient, and electronic music that would follow. Alice Coltrane...

“An oral history is only as good as its sources, and ‘Texas Flood’ is thorough and far-reaching, with Vaughan's bandmates, crew and family taking center stage.” — New York Times Book Review This program is read by a full cast and features exclusive bonus material, including a...

Born into a world she would never see, Frances Crosby must learn to navigate life through sound, touch, and faith alone. Yet what begins as limitation becomes something far greater—a calling that will challenge everything she believes, test her resolve, and ultimately shape a message that refuses to fade. As she grows, Frances encounters doubt, resistance, and the quiet struggles of those searching for something that will hold when life begins to unravel. Through every conversation, every moment of uncertainty, and every test of truth, she learns that faith is not found in what we feel—...

The iconic image of Beethoven is of him as a lone genius: hair wild, fists clenched, and brow furrowed. Beethoven may well have shaped the music of the future, but he was also a product of his time, influenced by the people, politics, and culture around him. Oxford scholar Laura Tunbridge offers an alternative history of Beethoven's career, placing his music in contexts that shed light on why particular pieces are valued more than others, and what this tells us about his larger-than-life reputation.

Introduced with more than 90 biographical entries that trace the friendships, loves, and rivalries that inspired each musical genius and their work. Profiles offer revealing insights into what drove each individual to create the musical masterpieces - symphonies, concertos and operatic scores -...

Explore Kenny Loggins' legendary career as a celebrated songwriter and chart-topping collaborator with this intimate and entertaining music memoir. “A wonderfully written book … very honest and very entertaining.” ―The Washington Post "Highly entertaining." ―Spin In a remarkable career...

Suddenly the music is not notes or a tune, but what those seven people are exactly: the music is an aural holograph of the Grateful Dead. All their fibers, nuances, histories, desires, beings are clear. Jerry and his questing, Phil the loyal comrade, Tom drifting beside them both on a cloud, Pig staying stubbornly down to earth; Mickey working out furious complexities trying to understand how Bill is so simple, and Bob succumbing inevitably to Jerry and Phil and joining them.

In this breathtaking cultural history filled with exclusive, never-before-revealed details, celebrated rock journalist Joel Selvin tells the definitive story of the Rolling Stones’ infamous Altamont concert in San Francisco, the disastrous historic event that marked the end of the idealistic...