Dennis Brain is recognized as perhaps the greatest horn player the world has known. He helped rescue the horn from the obscurity in which it had languished for over a century, and revived the public's faith in it as a major solo instrument. Brain restored to the concert platform concertos by Mozart and Haydn, and inspired contemporary composers to write for the horn, most notably the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings by Benjamin Britten, composed during World War II, a piece which is now central to the repertoire of tenors and horn players. Brain died at the tragically young age of thirty-six in a car crash. The beauty of his playing and his untimely death captured the public imagination like no horn player before or since. This biography was reissued thirty years after his death, and includes a discography. The book also contains an appreciation by Benjamin Britten. 'A clear account of Dennis Brain's brilliant career . . .' Times Literary Supplement '. . . an absorbing and extremely well-written account of the orchestral scene in England.'
--This text refers to the
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About the Author
Stephen J.Pettitt was born in 1945. For 37 years he has headed the music department of The King's School, Tynemouth. A keen horn player himself, he founded and is Principal Conductor of the New Tyneside Orchestra which has broadcast and toured abroad. Married with three children, he is also the author of Philharmonia Orchestra: A Record of Achievement 1945-1985 and co-author of Philharmonia Orchestra: Complete Discography.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music history,
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This review is from: Dennis Brain: A Biography (Paperback)
Very worthwhile. A great deal of information about Dennis Brain as well as the history of symphony orchestras in England. Includes some very funny anecdotes also.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Story of Grace,
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This review is from: Dennis Brain: A Biography (Paperback)
Recently I completed reading this biography on Dennis Brain. I think it was really well written and gave honest insight into the great artistry of perhaps one of the most heralded instrumentalists of all time. Not only did Dennis Brain master the most difficult of orchestral instruments with many of his extraordinary feats captured in the biography but we also got a sense of the kind of man Dennis Brain was as a friend and colleague; in every sense of the word a gentleman.
I highly recommend this book be read by anyone wanting to be inspired by the pristine beauty, virtuosic integrity and sheer joy both demonstrated and shared to the world by this artist who lived humbly without peer; while setting the gold standard for horn players the world over. This book is must reading for anyone interested in understanding true greatness.
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