Music and Medicine: Chopin, Smetana, Tchaikovsky, Mahler : Notes on Their Lives, Works, and Medical Histories [Hardcover]

Anton Neumayr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1997

Historical reference on the life, work, and medical history of German composers. Translation of Musik und Medizin. Third part of the trilogy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The author cleverly reconstructs each composer's life;intertwining how health and psychological states affected, and even inspired, compositions and performances.While the book clearly targets a medical community interested in music, it is equally intriguing for musicians" -- Amy Knutson-Stack, Instrumentalist

"The narrow divide between genius and madness has always exercised a special fascination. The extraordinary casts a spell of its own and the particular attraction of this book is that the author is not only looking over the shoulders of the composers but also peering into their minds and bodies." -- German Book Trade Gazette, Frankfurt

About the Author

Anton Neumayr, a graduate of the renowned Salzburg Conservatory of Music, the Mozarteum, and a professor and doctor of internal medicine of international reputation, has used his unique combination of credentials and talents to prepare this work of exceptional authority, written in a way that makes it accessible to every lover of classical music.

The Music & Medicine series is solidly founded on Dr. Neumayr's extensive knowledge of medical practices, present and historical, and on his knowledge and experience as a concert pianist and music historian.

As an Austrian physician living and practicing in Vienna, Dr. Neumayr is intimately familiar with the Vienna schools of medicine of the past two centuries; the German language of most of the relevant source documents is his own. He has sought to provide an objective review of the diseases and deaths of the great composers. In the course of his investigations, Dr. Neumayr touches on many of the misconceptions and faulty diagnoses put forth over the years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Medi-ed Pr; 1 edition (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936741082
• ISBN-13: 978-0936741086
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,907,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't have as much to offer as I thought, April 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Music and Medicine: Chopin, Smetana, Tchaikovsky, Mahler : Notes on Their Lives, Works, and Medical Histories (Hardcover)

I looked forward to solid information in this book that wouldn't easily be found elsewhere, but the writer repeats some of the points he's already made rather than going further into the lives of these composers. In general, the information is less substantive than I thought I might find.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Medical Side Of Some Classical Composers, January 14, 2006

By 

Alan Beggerow (Sterling, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Music and Medicine: Chopin, Smetana, Tchaikovsky, Mahler : Notes on Their Lives, Works, and Medical Histories (Hardcover)

This author is a medical doctor with an interest in classical music, especially the medical histories of composers.

These biographies include medical histories of the men covered. They are not exhaustive biographies to be sure, but it was interesting to read about physical (and mental) ailments suffered by them.

Some of the diagnoses are conjecture, as the medical records of the composers had to be ascertained through different sources. There were no medical records as we know them today. But the author does debate different possibilities within the framework of the available information.

An interesting view of some famous artist's lives. I recommend the other books in the series, plus the author's book on Dictators in the same vein.