Customer Reviews

The Life of Webern (Musical Lives)

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Kathryn Bailey's THE LIFE OF WEBERN is a concise (200-page) biography of the influential Viennese composer. Bailey made great use of Webern's own notebooks and correspondence to write the biography.

The biography is especially entertaining for its account of Webern's early adulthood, where he never held a job for more than a brief period before fleeing back to Vienna, and when he was slavishly dedicated to Schoenberg. It is also surprisingly objective about Webern and his music. Bailey admits that his twelve-tone works, for all their elegance and charm, lack gestalt. She also discusses in deep Webern's political views in Austria of that period, when he was simultaneously praising the expansion of the German Reich and trying to maintain his mainly Jewish circle of friends. Finally, the discussion of Webern's demise establishes just how little we know about his shooting by an American soldier, and Bailey argues that most of the stories around it are mere rumour and fancy.

Unfortunately, Bailey dwells very little on the music itself and Webern's thoughts in writing it. Much of it comes down to dull accounts of conducting performances. It also assumes a thorough knowledge of Webern's oeuvre before reading. Fans of the composer may want to seek this out, but I await a more substantial and balanced biography.

The book i received was in excellent quality and I had absolutely no problems in obtaining my book. Good job