My Life with the Great Pianists [Paperback]

Edith Schaeffer (Author), Franz Mohr (Author)

Book Description

Mohr's humor and personal perspective on the lives of Rubinstein, Horowitz, and other artists mix music lore with quiet faith.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books; 2 edition (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801057108
• ISBN-13: 978-0801057106
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars kbrod, February 26, 2009

By 

Kenneth M. Brodsky "kbrod" (KY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Life with the Great Pianists (Paperback)

I am sure Mr. Mohr is a wonderful human being and certainly an excellent piano technician but that is not why I purchased this book. I have read numerous books over the years about pianists, most notable Harold C. Schonberg's survey but I found this book a disappointment. The book's title, My Life with the Great Pianists and the pictures of Horowitz, Cliburn and Rubinstein on the cover makes one think we will be hearing many wonderful stories and asides. This unfortunately is not the case. What we have here are a few anecdotes and they are mostly nothing new to the reader of other such books. More so we are subjected to a steady stream of Born-Again preaching with the usual bible passages. I thought I was back in college trying to be sold into Christianity by the persistent Born-Agains. You would think that after tuning Horowitz's piano for more than 20 years he would have some interesting stories or even experiences about the many concerts. The whole chapter on Gilels is about how he gave him and his wife a bible. Then we are subjected a few chapters on how he tunes the piano and how the 440 tuning fork can be related to the bible. We also learn how he became Born-Again. There is a very short experience with Rubinstein so why is his picture so boldly on the cover. This was all misleading and unnecessary. No surprise to learn that it was published by a Christian publisher. Perhaps a fourth and larger picture of a bible would have been more apropo for the cover.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good, January 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Life with the Great Pianists (Paperback)

I am a piano technician myself. If you are reading to get technical information for a piano, don't waste your time. If you want a life story about a wonderful man who is full of tact and can understand what people aren't telling you, this is a great book. The book is excellent until it comes to his personal religeous beliefs. If you are a born-again Christian, then you'll probably enjoy his viewpoints. It you're not, then those sections will annoy you. The book is excellent except for his rambling on about his views of Christianity. The rest of the book is priceless. You actually feel like you know him personally. You actually feel like you know the artists. His chapter about growing up in Germany is worth the price of the book alone. Please buy it and enjoy it.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, insightful book!, February 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: My Life with the Great Pianists (Paperback)

My Life With the Great Pianists is a wonderful book. Franz Mohr writes with much wit and humor while giving the readers an inside look at the lives of all the great pianists of the day. Franz Mohr also shares his faith with the readers and the pianists, in addition to giving information about pianos themselves. Humorous anecdotes add to the appeal of the book. This was a very well-written book written by a very Christian man whom I admire, along with the great pianists he tuned for. It is a wonderful book for all ages.