Virgil Thompson: Composer on the Aisle [Paperback]

Anthony Tommasini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1998

In this vivid portrayal of a giant in American twentieth-century music and criticism, Anthony Tommasini recounts Thomson's experiences as a composer, critic, and gay man. Tommasini chronicles Thomson's upbringing in turn-of-the-century Kansas City, along with his struggle to accept his sexuality -"I didn't want to be queer" -as he searched for a place in the wider world through army service in World War I as well as at Harvard and in 1920s Paris. There Thomson studied with Nadia Boulanger and formed an artistic alliance with Gertrude Stein that would result in the pioneering opera Four Saints in Three Acts. Thomson's fourteen-year tenure as chief music critic for the New York Herald Tribune showcased his talent for brilliant, biting commentary and established him as an influential writer on music and an arbiter of musical taste. The result of this involving narrative is a classic American biography of a classic American character.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Best known for an opera he set to Gertrude Stein's text, Four Saints in Three Acts (1934), and for the Pulitzer Prize-winning score of the documentary Louisiana Story (1948), composer Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) was also an unswerving champion of modern American classical music during his tenure as the powerful music critic of the New York Herald Tribune (1940-54). His works' tonality, stress on simplicity, and skillful use of traditional American tunes strongly influenced Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and many others. Lively prose evokes the crusty character of an American original in this enjoyably opinionated biography. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Thomson was a prominent musical figure who won a Pulitizer Prize for music, reigned as music critic of the New York Herald Tribune for 14 years, and wrote, with Gertrude Stein, Four Saints in Three Acts, which created a sensation and set a record for an opera by running for six weeks on Broadway. Yet Leonard Bernstein commented at Thomson's death in 1989 that "we all loved his music but seldom played it." This book, the first biography to appear since Kathleen Hoover's 1959 work and the composer's 1966 autobiography, should contribute significantly to his current rise from undeserved neglect. The author of Virgil Thomson's Musical Portraits (Pendragon, 1986), Tommasini is well suited to the task. He made the composer's acquaintance in his final years so that the closing chapters are in effect a memoir. Moreover, this is the first book to deal honestly with Thomson's closely guarded personal life. Like many of the other musical figures who appear in this book?Aaron Copland, Ned Rorem, John Cage, among others?Thomson was gay. This absorbing book is an essential purchase for collections of American and 20th-century music.?Michael Colby, Univ. of California Lib., Davis
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393318583
• ISBN-13: 978-0393318586
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,503,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview of Thomson's life, June 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Virgil Thomson: Composer on the Aisle (Hardcover)

The late composer Virgil Thomson did write an autobiography. However, autobiographies are not often fully honest. Nor do they often capture the essence of the person. Anthony Tommasini has accomplished both tasks. His portrait of Thomson, while certainly uncompromising is neither a scandal volume and it certainly is not hagiographical. He portrays Thomson very much as he was.

At the time when Thomson wrote his autobiography, American attitudes towards homosexuality were less than favourable. His colleague, Henry Cowell had done time at San Quentin Prison for his homosexual relationships with young men. Tommasini very frankly discusses Thomson's many relationships, particularly his long relationship with the painter Maurice Grosser.

Tommasini obviously does hold his subject in high esteem. However, that does not preclude Tommasini's critical look at his subject. He presents us with a portrait of an often irascible composer/critic whose contributions to American musical life have not yet been fully realised. Bernstein's statement on the death of Thomson unfortunately rings true today: 'we loved his music but rarely played it.' Hopefully, those who read Tommasini's work will become more interested in the extraordinary oeuvre of Virgil Thomson. His is a unique voice. Hopefully, it will be recovered.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work, the new standard on Thomson, July 20, 2009

By 

Sebastian Winston "Music Doctor" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Virgil Thomson: Composer on the Aisle (Hardcover)

Bravo, Anthony Tommasini. What a tour de force! Exquisitely written, copiously researched, deftly presented. This biography has it all. Look no further if you are interested in Thomson's REAL story. Thank you, Mr. Tommasini for this marvelous book which is destined to be the standard reference work on Virgil Thomson for many years to come.