Indivisible by Four: A String Quartet in Pursuit of Harmony [Paperback]

Arnold Steinhardt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2000

The Guarneri Quartet is fabled for its unique longevity and high-spirited virtuosity. Here is its story from the inside--a story filled with drama, humor, danger, compassion, and, of course, glorious music.

A player who studies and performs the exalted string-quartet repertoire has opted for a very special life. Arnold Steinhardt, tracing his own development as a student, orchestra player, and budding young soloist, gives a touching account of how he and his intrepid colleagues were converted to chamber music despite the daunting odds against success. And he reveals, as no one has before, the intensely difficult process by which--on the battlefield of daily three-hour rehearsals--four individualists master and then overcome the confining demands of ensemble playing.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Chamber-music lovers will rejoice in this story of the formation, nurturing, and maturing of the Guarneri String Quartet. First violinist Arnold Steinhardt has written a delightful memoir that radiates the love of music and sense of mutual respect and affection that have kept the Guarneri's players together since the ensemble was founded in 1964. How a famous, extremely busy musician learned to write so well is a mystery, but Steinhardt's style is as engaging and captivating as his playing. After sketching his own and his colleagues' pre-quartet careers, he describes how they choose and rehearse their repertoire and how they resolve their inevitable disagreements--and he even throws light on the inexplicable magic that happens in performance. Steinhardt recounts the pleasures and hardships of traveling and the group's partnership with illustrious guests (notably pianist Artur Rubinstein); he tells musical and personal anecdotes, wryly poking fun at himself and others, but never saying a malicious or derogatory word about anyone. Most remarkably, his discussions of a score are illuminating without becoming too technical. Steinhardt describes the emotional impact of music with a strikingly felicitous, often poetic touch, yet his characterizations resonate with his own experience and avoid the overblown or extravagant. Though it helps to know the music he feels so strongly about, this is a book anyone can enjoy. --Edith Eisler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

There are few good books written from inside a notable string quartet, and Steinhardt's effort is a charming one. Having been together for 35 years, the Guarneri quartet, with John Dalley, Michael Tree, David Soyer and Steinhardt as first violin, is the oldest American group to have preserved the same membership. With self-effacing modesty (he is the first to insist that the first violin is not necessarily the leader of the group, though he may play a prominent role), Steinhardt describes both his own career and that of the group. He could have been a soloist or a successful orchestral musician, like most chamber players, but chose otherwise. The reasons he givesAthe unwillingness to be regimented, the need for companionship on the road, the closeness to the musicAare cogent ones, but a chamber group with permanent membership is an extraordinary organism all the same. Steinhardt skillfully describes the tensions, the long-running jokes, the arguments, the determinedly separate vacationsAand the ecstasy when all the skills and long hours of practice come together in performances that strike to the heart of some of the most intimate music ever composed. The Guarneri, while not perhaps the most glamorous of American quartets, has well deserved its sturdy longevity, and Steinhardt's book gives an excellent sense of the dynamics that have kept it going. A discography of this much-recorded group would have been a welcome addition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Edition edition (June 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374527008
• ISBN-13: 978-0374527006
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Insider's View -- Written for Everyone, June 9, 1999

By 

C. Noble (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Indivisible by Four : A String Quartet in Pursuit Of Harmony (Hardcover)

I had the pleasure of working with the Guarneri Quartet for two years while a Graduate Fellow at the University of Maryland, where the Quartet has a residency. I had the rare chance of working with four distinct, wonderful musical and human personalities. When this book came to my attention, I jumped to purchase it right away. I was not disappointed. It really reflects Mr. Steinhardt's easygoing nature. The prose is relaxed, the stories are genuine, and usually humorous in some way. Coachings with Mr. Steinhardt were always rewarding experiences, with flashes of brilliant insight into the work we were examining that week, and also with moments of humor and a sense of discovering the work together, as if for the first time -- though he'd played the piece hundreds of times! This book made me most thankful for having had the opportunity to work with these four wonderful musicians and human beings, and most thankful of all that they ever got together in the first place, to bless the classical music world with their enduring spirit and with their unique qualities of music-making -- the best of the old and new schools of string playing. Cheers, Mr. Steinhardt -- a wonderful book, worthy of your musical journeys!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars entertaining and illuminating account of life in a quartet, December 14, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (St. Paul, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indivisible by Four : A String Quartet in Pursuit Of Harmony (Hardcover)

Arnold Steinhardt, first violinist in what is arguably the finest string quartet performing today, has given us an entertaining and illuminating account of life in the Guaneri Quartet. Writing with unabashed affection for his colleagues of over thirty years, Steinhardt describes their initial meeting, their formal coming together as a quartet, their experiences with their mentors, some of the outstanding luminaries of their generation: (Rudolph Serkin at Marlboro, Arthur Rubenstein, Sascha and Mischa Schneider, etc.) Steindhardt proves himself to be quite the raconteur as well as gentle psychologist as he describes the Guarneri's journey from hyper-testosterone young quartet to one of the most seasoned groups performing today. His personal and professional portrayal of his colleagues is intimate and respectful, and lends valuable insight for the lay person who has always wondered 1. what goes into string quartet playing 2. what the life of a touring musician is like 3. what it takes for four completely different and powerful peersonalities to forge a successful career. I believe this book offers humor, insight and inspiration for those who are professional musicians as well as afficionados of chamber music and even those who are peripherally interested in classical music. It compares with other memoirs offered by Arthur Rubenstein, Gary Graffman and Gregor Piatigorsky, although definitely with more verisimilitude, especially in terms of the latter book. Enjoy!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life in a Famous String Quartet, June 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Indivisible by Four : A String Quartet in Pursuit Of Harmony (Hardcover)

Ah, leading the glamorous life! Many thanks to Arnold Steinhardt for sharing his fascinating experiences as a member of the Guarneri Quartet. His book is full of marvelous memories and thoughtful insights into a classical musician's art as practiced at the highest levels. Steinhardt is always interesting, often eloquent. This book has given me a renewed appreciation of the string quartet literature, and a deeper understanding of the collaborative art of chamber music.