Composers in the Movies: Studies in Musical Biography [Hardcover]

Professor John C. Tibbetts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2005

Amadeus . . . Yankee Doodle Dandy . . . Swanee River . . . Rhapsody in Blue. Even before movies had sound, filmmakers dramatized the lives of composers. Movie biographies—or biopics—have depicted composers as diverse as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George M. Cohan, Stephen Foster, and George Gershwin. In this enticing book, the first devoted entirely to such films, John C. Tibbetts surveys different styles and periods from the Hollywood of the 1920s and 1930s to the international cinema of today, exploring the role that film biographies play in our understanding of history and culture.
Tibbetts delves into such questions as: How historically accurate are composer biopics? How and why have inaccuracies and distortions been perpetrated? What strategies have been used to represent visually the creative process? The book examines the films in several contexts and considers their role in commodifying and popularizing music. Extensive archival research, dozens of illustrations, and numerous interviews make this an appealing book for film and music enthusiasts at all levels.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Every film buff will want to consult this book, as will musicologists and students in film and communication studies.”—Michael Saffle, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

"John Tibbetts has written a riveting book about 'bio-pics' without rival in the field. It should be on the bookshelves of all those movie buffs who are at the same time interested in the lives of classical musicians. Tibbetts takes us behind the silver screen and offers a critical view of how the film biographies of Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, and others were made. An indispensable reference tool."-Alan Walker, author of the three-volume, prize-winning biography of Liszt (Alan Walker )

"I look forward to Composers In The Movies. The subject deserves the sort of treatment that has been devised here. Long overdue, it is a welcome and worthwhile endeavor."-Jacques Barzun, author of From Dawn to Decadence (Jacques Barzun )

"A splendid, accessible discussion of musical creativity and popular myth-making."-David Culbert, Editor of the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television (David Culbert )

"Comprehensive in scope, refreshingly insightful, yet highly readable. . . . John Tibbetts brings his considerable knowledge and analytic talents to bear on a subject that has obviously been one of his lifelong passions."-Gary Edgerton, Old Dominion University and Coeditor of the Journal of Popular Film and Television (Edgerton, Gary )

"This is a remarkable book in every respect, a book that fills a genuine need in film and musical scholarship."-Wheeler Winston Dixon, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and editor, Quarterly Review of Film and Video (Wheeler Winston Dixon )

"Every film buff will want to consult this book, as will musicologists and students in film and communication studies."-Michael Saffle, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Michael Saffle )

Book Description

This appealing book is the first to examine movies that portray the lives of composers. John Tibbetts surveys films made from the 1920s through today that depict composers as diverse as Mozart, George M. Cohan, and Duke Ellington. By examining historical accuracy, visual representation, and more, Tibbetts explores the role that film biographies play in our understanding of history and culture.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (June 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300106742
• ISBN-13: 978-0300106749
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,402,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Movies better than the book, December 16, 2006

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John H. Wilson (Erie, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Composers in the Movies: Studies in Musical Biography (Hardcover)

Tedious, repetitive, incoherent. Poor writing, editing, and proofreading. A compendium of disparate lecture notes. Yale University Press should be embarrassed. No need to do the reading: watch the movies instead.