Scriabin, a Biography: Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Music) [Paperback]

Faubion Bowers (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Books on Music | Publication Date: March 17, 2011

Definitive biography, newly revised and updated, probes the innovation and mysticism of the Russian composer’s music as it chronicles his life and career: tours of Europe and America, abandonment of his wife, brushes with homosexuality and madness and much more. Includes a catalog of Scriabin’s works and 49 rare photographs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; 2 Revised edition (March 17, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486288978
• ISBN-13: 978-0486288970
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #446,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scriabin for normal people, January 25, 2004

By 

Helle Kaasik (Tartu, Estonia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scriabin, a Biography: Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

The book is rich in facts and documents, you find there most if not all the important dates, places, pieces and persons. Scriabin's personal letters bring him very close to the reader - sometimes even uncomfortably close. Young creative persons reading that could lose their motivation to get famous - not everybody wants his or her private letters to be published like this. After reading this book it becomes nearly impossible to be as successful as Scriabin himself in ignoring his human weaknesses.

In this book we find some translated poems of Scriabin, including the "Poem of Ecstasy", describing in poetic language the same spiritual process as his Symphony #4 (Op.54) under the same name. Compared to this great music having many good recordings and easy to find in Internet, the text is almost forgotten by general public - it took some years for me to dig out the text in its original Russian language.

About Scriabin's philosophy and mysticism Bowers gives us the facts and citations with a slightly ironical bystander's smile. He understands Scriabin's seeking for ecstasy and the "I am God" thing that are so easy to confuse with escapism and "mania grandiosa". But he does not share Scriabin's exalted feelings and fails every hope of dedicated fans to serve this God together. Author of the biography is honest enough not to pretend that he has understood every little thing in Scriabin's ideas. He also avoids the primitive freudism that is too often seen in biographies. I recommend this book for every enthusiast of Scriabin who is not afraid of unveiled reality.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Window into 19th Century Russia, December 28, 1998

By 

Peter Brandt-Sorheim ([e-mail]) (the Genesee Valley, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scriabin, a Biography: Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

Mr. Bower's biography of Scriabin is more than a biography. It is at the same another window into the life of the more priviledged classes of prerevolutionary Russia before WWI...a virtual syllabus of names and personalities to be investigated in further readings. It is a lively illustration of a lost culture, a worthwhile addition to the cultural picture painted in Massey's THE FIREBIRD.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent - a lovingly crafted insight, July 19, 2000

By 

James J. Fallon (Armonk, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scriabin, a Biography: Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

A lovingly crafted insight into one of the greatest of musical minds. Extensive excerpts from letters, postcards, and notebooks yields a startling account of Scriabins progression from child prodigy to poet, philosopher, and composer. However this is not just a biography, it's presentation is akin to a Scriabin Sonata, with structure yet diversity and surprise. A joy for all music lovers and a must for Scriabin fans.