The best books about music and musicians. The Nature of Genius: How Musicians and Athletes Become Great Other Music Books

Who becomes a genius? A talented child who was brought up in a musical environment, or a hard-working student, ready for hours of study? This controversy rarely goes without mentioning famous musicians who, from childhood, began to show abilities for art, atypical for their peers. They played melodies on musical instruments by ear, when they only recently learned to speak, performed their own compositions at the final exams at the conservatory, performed in front of the royal family, while their peers were just learning musical notation, signed contracts with recording studios, without even graduating from school. Anna Ryzhkova tells what the childhood of famous musicians-prodigies was like.

Frederic Chopin

Chopin's parents - Justin and Nikolay - knew foreign languages, were well educated and musically developed. They early noticed the son's sensitivity to music: at the sound of a sad melody, he began to cry, and when his mother performed funny Polish dances for him, laughed, danced and tried to pick up songs on the piano by ear.

Chopin's first teacher was his older sister, she studied music with Pan Zhivny, who quickly noticed Frederic's talent and soon began to pay more attention to the boy. He recorded his simple pieces for the aspiring composer and taught him musical technique. Chopin first demonstrated his skills to the general public at the age of eight. He performed at a concert for the poor in the hall of the Radziwill Palace. The boy appeared on stage in a velvet suit with a lace collar and played a technically difficult concert by the Czech composer Jirovec. Chopin did not yet understand what caused so many admiring responses in his performance, and when he discussed with his mother the impressions of the first concert, he said: “Most of all, everyone liked the collar. You know, mom, everyone was looking at him! "

He composed his first serious work, the G moll polonaise, at the age of six. “The author of this Polish dance is a young artist who is barely eight years old ... This is a true musical genius, for he not only performs difficult pieces with the greatest ease and uncommon taste, but is also the author of several dances and variations that music connoisseurs do not cease to admire, ”critics wrote about Chopin in the Polish press at the time.

The young composer was often invited to perform in the houses of the aristocracy. He took part in concerts at the Belvedere Palace with the Great Polish Duke Konstantin Pavlovich and even presented two of his polonaises to Maria Feodorovna, the Tsar's mother, during her visit to Warsaw. So Chopin got into high society, began to tour a lot in European countries and he himself soon took up teaching musical disciplines.

Where to listen

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Tiring childhood, as Mozart's growing up is often called, hardly really tired the child. Everyone around him was engaged in music, so playing music in the family gradually became something natural. From the age of four, Mozart simultaneously began to learn to play the harpsichord, organ and violin. In many ways, the child's desire for music is the merit of the father. Leopold Mozart was a fairly well-known Austrian violinist and composer, author of the violin manual.

Already at the age of four, the boy had enough musical talent to write a small concert for the harpsichord. The boy was sitting at the table, moving his pen over the paper with the music staff, getting his fingers dirty in the inkwell. When the work was ready, adults at first did not believe that a hastily written musical text with blots would be of any artistic value. And then we decided to play the "concert" of the four-year-old Wolfgang from the scores. "Look, Mr. Shachtner," the father turned to his court musician, "how everything is correct and meaningful here!"

At the age of six, Wolfgang had already given concerts in different countries with his sister and father. In early 1764, his first sonatas for violin and harpsichord were published. On the title page there was an inscription: "The author of the music is a seven-year-old boy." All this time, Leopold Mozart made sure that the classes were rigorous and regular. Traveling with concerts in London, the child prodigy writes six more sonatas for harpsichord with violin or flute accompaniment and, in addition, takes up the composition of a symphony, and his father notes: “Everything that he knew before is nothing compared to what he can now".

Mozart had perfect pitch and at the age of seven could, for example, easily determine how much the sound of a musical instrument differs from a tuning fork. Once Schachtner allowed Wolfgang to play his violin (it seemed to the boy that she was playing softer and more resonant). And when Mozart took up his instrument again, he noticed that this violin was tuned one eighth tone lower, and he was absolutely right.

Although musicologists still question the authorship of some of Mozart's works and discuss the methods of musical education that were applied to the young composer, he remained in history as the most talented of the music prodigies, whose improvisational skills helped to create brilliant chamber and symphonic works.

Where to listen

At the concert "Mozart - a genius from Salzburg" performed by the instrumental chapel chamber orchestra. The concert is being held as part of the Classics at Height project, and its name takes on a literal meaning here - the music will be performed at a height of 220 meters, on the 58th floor of the Empire Tower in Moscow City.

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev began music lessons under the guidance of his mother, Maria Grigorievna. Still not knowing how to write notes on paper, at the age of five he began to compose simple melodies, spending hours at the home piano. The musician had to learn the notes just in order not to lose his little works.

At the age of nine, Prokofiev first heard Charles Gounod's opera Faust and realized that it was time to move from small pieces to large forms. He wrote the music for his first opera in three acts ("The Giant"), for which he invented all the storylines on his own.

Noticing Sergei's talent for composition, Maria Grigorievna brought her son to the famous Moscow musician Sergei Taneyev, who recommended inviting a graduate of the conservatory composer Reingold Glier for classes. Gliere spent two summers in a row with Sergei in Sontsovka, preparing the young musician for admission to the conservatory. Thirteen-year-old Prokofiev came to St. Petersburg for the exam with a large folder of works of authorship: two operas, a sonata, a symphony and many small piano pieces.

At the conservatory, Sergei became the youngest student. The young man, who, for the sake of fun, counted the exact number of mistakes in the musical tasks of his classmates, had difficulty getting along with his peers. Not all teachers understood Prokofiev: in the classes of the theory of composition, his works seemed too bold, and he did not even dare to show some of the plays to the professors, anticipating their reaction. “If I was indifferent to the poor quality of a composer's diploma, this time I was stuck with ambition, and I decided to graduate in piano first,” the composer recalled his preparation for the performing arts exam.

Prokofiev decided to perform his own First Concerto instead of the programmed piano concerto. He handed the commission the sheet music of the newly published work and sat down at the instrument. With this triumphant performance (in addition to a diploma with honors, he received the Anton Rubinstein prize - a German grand piano), the adult career of pianist and composer Sergei Prokofiev began.

Where to listen

The works of composers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries can be heard at the VIII International Festival “The Road to Christmas”. The music of Rachmaninov, Sviridov and Mussorgsky will be illustrated with sand animation. The entire program will be performed by the State Orchestra "Gusliars of Russia" and the organ duet "Belcanto", and the text of Pushkin's "Blizzard" (the concert will feature the music of Sviridov for the film based on this work) will be read by the artist Pyotr Abramov.

Yo yo ma

1955 (age 62)

Winner of 17 Grammy awards Yo Yo Ma was born in Paris to a Chinese family. His mother was a singer, and his father conducted the orchestra and composed music. When Ma was seven years old, the whole family moved to New York, where a gifted boy with outstanding musical ability continued to master the violin, viola and cello.

Music prodigy, who from the age of five felt confident on stage in large concert halls, at the age of seven spoke for President John F. Kennedy. And a year later, Ma participated in a concert by Leonard Bernstein, which was broadcast throughout the country on TV. At the age of 15, the cellist graduated from the New York Trinity School and became a soloist with the Harvard Orchestra, which performed the performance Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations. He then attended Juilliard School with Leonard Rose, and received his BA from Harvard in 1976.

Frank Robinson

1938 (age 78)

Frank Robinson is a self-taught musician who is remembered by everyone as an artistic kid, nicknamed Chile Sugar, who easily performs music with complex jazz chords. The boy learned jazz himself, neglecting the classical technique of playing the piano: Frank, for example, pounded the keys with his fists and elbows when he considered such a technique appropriate.

At the age of six, he makes his debut in a boogie-woogie competition, at the age of eight, he participates in a concert at the White House and stars in the film "No Leave, No Love". Twelve-year-old Frank was considered one of the most popular performers in the United States, he signed contracts with recording studios, traveled with concerts in Europe. And at the age of 15, he abruptly interrupted his musical career, graduated from school, entered the university and defended his dissertation in psychology.

“I just wanted to go to school. I wanted to get an education, so I asked my dad if it was possible to stop all this. I really dreamed of getting a higher education degree, ”recalls Frank Robinson.

Only in the early 2000s, Frank Robinson returned to the stage again - he long ago abandoned publicity, performs at various venues in his native Detroit, and plays music for his own pleasure.

Where to listen

You can listen to jazz music with children at the Interactive Jazz Show for the Little Ones. The Classy Jazz Orchestra combined compositions from the period of "youth of jazz" in their program "Fly Tsokotukha and Barmaley", but one should not expect a serious atmosphere from the concert: children are allowed to move freely around the hall, dance and even touch musical instruments on stage.

The cliché about a reclusive composer who loses the remnants of his mind over a musical manuscript is unjustified and even offensive for contemporary musicians. According to James Rhodes, a popular pianist and composer, there is a clearly proportional connection between music, creativity and mental balance, which does not harm, but, on the contrary, supports the health and mood of creative people.

Study on prejudice

Crazy composer ... note by note pulls out of himself music for the manuscript, dropped 7 kilograms while composing his last opera. The cold has long developed into bronchitis, always suffers from coughing, lack of sleep and malnutrition. Mumbles something under his breath, shouts at passers-by, draws a stave on napkins in cafes and restaurants. He sits alone at the piano, chilled, hungry, and looks at the inscription on the wall: "You don't have to be crazy to compose music, but it's easier this way"; an inscription written in his own handwriting, in his own blood.

This is not just a prejudice - it is a historical and cultural cliché that has become part of the public perception of all artists. But it is as erroneous as it is widespread.

Cliche reason

The truth is that the link between insanity and creativity is as strong and logical as the causal link between the zodiac sign and intelligence.

The fact that society has decided to link madness and creativity is very easy to explain. How else can we mere mortals explain the incredible creative power of geniuses like Mozart or Beethoven. Of course, it's easier for us to explain this by some strange mental disorder or psychological illness. We cannot agree that both of these people were absolutely ordinary, otherwise where is the magic lost? And what to do with the question: why am I not like that?

What is madness?

Creativity is an extremely broad concept. Making music becomes for composers not just work, but the passion and love of their whole life, the reason for their existence. Every contemporary composer swears that great musicians weren't crazy.

Worried? Oh sure. Angry, impoverished, alcoholic, anxious, nervous, suffering from bouts of depression and grief. But these traits are not at all the definition of insanity. In fact, from time to time they can characterize each of us.

Of all the great composers today, only Schumann would be hospitalized for his bipolar disorder. Apart from him, none of the musical geniuses would have received a positive diagnosis of any psychological disorder.

In general, a diagnosis in psychology is a very interesting thing. We are all a little crazy. A good (or bad) psychologist can diagnose a disorder for anyone. In fact, we know very little about how our own consciousness works. Once upon a time, the great English romantic poet Keats was diagnosed with a "poetry-based mental disorder." I would like to think that since that time we have reached new heights in psychology, but in fact, little has changed.

What is creativity?

During the creative process, the musician does not care at all about his psychological state. However, as soon as he thinks about his own health, creativity immediately becomes absolutely necessary. In this case, it is important to note that all composers reached their heights not because, but despite the fact that they were restless, nervous and unbalanced.

Creativity and creativity are a sign of mental stability, not disorder. Creativity saves people from routine, depression, fear and hopelessness. The ability to speak out, pour out raging emotions into music, this is what saves the composer from madness.

Biographical example

The constructive, saving energy of creativity can be demonstrated by the example of the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The author of the greatest musical works was orphaned at the age of 10, lost several brothers and sisters, faced constant physical and mental abuse at school, spent several years next to a relative who hated him. As a teenager, he walked hundreds of kilometers to get to the best music school. He had 20 children, 11 of whom died at an early age. His beloved wife died suddenly when the composer was on a short trip. Having experienced so much grief, any person would have gone mad, but Bach remained an absolutely rational, mentally balanced person until the end of his days. And all because he expressed his emotions, all his tears and sorrows in music.

He never stopped working for a day. Without music, it is likely that he would have gone mad. He didn’t need the reassuring findings of modern research showing that creativity has a positive effect on both social and emotional and intellectual development. He didn't need to read that creative people have great potential. He just knew it… knew it and never stopped working for a moment.

Creativity in the modern world

Today we regularly try to find a solution to our problems, to justify them with anything, as long as we are allowed to continue to lead our calm and measured lifestyle. Creativity does not tolerate regularity, it does not recognize frames and stereotypes. Creativity lives and creates life. Composers, painters, sculptors and writers don't have to look for oblivion in TV shows, social media and expensive resorts. The whole universe lives and develops in their inner world.

There is one secret that the general public doesn't know or choose to ignore: you don't have to become a composer or artist to be a creative person. One of the saddest myths of our time is the myth that only a small fraction of people are creative. As Picasso said: all children are the greatest painters, the biggest problem in our society is that we prevent them from being artists.

Every music lover wants to know more about his musical idols. Long gone are the days when they extracted interesting and important information bit by bit, collected newspaper and magazine clippings about their favorite musicians, gave them to each other to read and exchanged articles. Today, to find out the news, read interviews with artists or the history of a group, all you have to do is go online. But for those who are interested in everything related to idols, this is not enough. Books about your favorite performers and composers are tangible material things that make it possible to literally touch the world of performers.

Many books on music can be easily found in stores today. These are biographies and autobiographies of musicians, stories of different bands, books on musical theory and textbooks for those who want to master a musical instrument themselves. New publications about music come out regularly. Every music lover will find something for himself in this abundance.

Each song has its own story

Would you like to attend a rehearsal of your favorite rock band? And find out how musicians compose their hits, and what is behind each of their songs? If your answer is yes, then the Stories Behind Songs series is for you!

In this series, books are published about the most popular and beloved performers in the world by almost everyone. You will learn the exciting stories of rock bands, the authors will introduce you to the secrets of creating all studio albums and major hit songs, and tell stories about the events that influenced the writing of songs.

Each book in the series contains a huge number of photographs illustrating the creative path of performers and groups. Many of these images are published for the first time.

From the novelties of the series, one can single out a book dedicated to the Radiohead group. Writer and musicologist James Dohini, who wrote this book, tells the story of each song of this illustrious group.

Earlier there were books (and have already become real hits) about such bands as U2, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Abba and other bands who wrote songs recognized as modern classics. Not spared and absolutely legendary "Beatles" and "Rolling".

Musical legends and idols

Another great series for connoisseurs of quality music. In the books of the series, you will find excerpts from interviews with musicians, information about their personal lives and views. Especially worth noting is the book “Rammstein. Burning Hearts, David Bowie: Meetings and Interviews, and Motorhead. On autopilot. "

For those who love our

The world rock scene is great, but what can you read about our domestic rock stars? For those who prefer Russian live music, we can recommend the books of the Legends of Russian Rock series, in which eleven editions have already been published about various musicians and groups.

In these books you will find stories about the history of Russian rock. The history of some performers stretches over several decades, but even the debut works of these musicians are listened to and loved today. This, perhaps, is the essence of the phenomenon of Russian rock music: it is relevant at all times.

Among the novelties in the series, I would like to mention the book “Pavel Kashin. Along the Magic River ”is an honest and frank story of one of the most popular contemporary Russian performers and authors. Pavel Kashin stays away from loud parties, but his songs are known and loved by millions.

Another group - "The King and the Fool" - was honored with two whole books, published in the series "Legends of Russian Rock". In addition, the series includes publications dedicated to such groups as Chaif, Nautilus Pompilius, Kino, Secret and Resurrection. By the way, the group "The King and the Fool", already mentioned above, is so popular that books about it continue to be published not only in this series. Recently, the "Old Book" / book / korol-i-shut-staraya-kniga-833644 / was released - a unique collection of drafts, thanks to which each fan of the group can plunge into the creative process, learn how the songs were created, and read many poems that and did not become songs.

Books for connoisseurs of symphonic music

For those who want to learn more about contemporary musicians and composers who have already become classics, we recommend the series of books “Eternal Music. Illustrated biographies of great musicians ”. The authors of the works published in this series were people who personally knew Shostakovich, Richter, Prokofiev and other heroes of these biographies.

For example, the book of memoirs by Sergei Rachmaninoff is the only genuine memoir document - the composer's story about himself. Unfortunately, Rachmaninov did not leave a detailed autobiography. Musicologist Oskar von Riesemann recorded the memoirs of the brilliant composer - for the first time this book was published in 1934 in London.

Another musician - the first Grammy winner in the USSR Svyatoslav Richter - is described in the book “About Richter in His Words”. Richter himself approved the publication of this book.

Book by Valentina Chemberdzhi “Music Lived in the House. Shostakovich. Prokofiev. Richter ”is not a memoir, but rather sketches for portraits of musical figures in the dramatic context of the country's history. On these pages - not only stories about Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Richter, but also about other, undeservedly forgotten, but worthy of admiration people.

Other books about music

“Music of my life. Memoirs of a Maestro ”is a book written by Raimonds Pauls - the father of the Latvian variety art, whose songs are known and loved not only in Latvia, but also in Russia, as well as all over the world. He has earned many awards, titles, became a laureate of a number of prizes. But these regalia are almost never mentioned next to his name. For millions of people, Raymond Pauls remains the owner of one "title" - Maestro.

"Voice. A musical literacy for vocalists ”is a publication that will be useful to everyone who wants to take the first steps into the world of musical theory. Despite the name, the book is addressed not only to vocalists, but also to the widest circle of readers who want to learn more about music.

"Immersion in Music" is a book by Mikhail Kazinik, also known as "Secrets of Geniuses-2".

In this work, the famous philosopher, art critic, director, playwright Mikhail Kazinik acquaints readers with the peculiarities of the work of famous composers, reveals the secrets of the influence of different types of music on the listener, addresses the eternal themes of good and evil, death and immortality, love, passion, obsession. Learn the secrets of music by reading this book!

Music as a Chance is a book by the famous musician Vladislav Kolchin. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. There is no cure for this disease, which affects many people around the world. Except maybe music ... This is a very personal book about music, filled with a lot of autobiographical details.

A book with a simple title "Music" is not at all simple.
This is a rather voluminous publication, on the pages of which the world of music is presented in all its diversity of styles, trends and genres. The authors made a successful attempt to cover this world as fully as possible.

Quotes about creativity. Musicians and singers about creativity

MUSICIANS AND SINGERS ABOUT CREATIVITY

You have to feel strongly for others to feel.

I resolutely and sternly banished the pernicious Russian "maybe" from my working life and relied only on conscious creative effort. I don’t believe in the saving power of talent alone, without hard work. The greatest talent will fizzle out without her, as a spring stalls in the desert ... I don't remember who said: "genius is diligence" ...

They envy the talented, harm the talented, and take revenge on the ingenious.

Fedor Ivanovich Chaliapin

I don’t believe in one single power of talent, without hard work. The greatest talent will be exhausted without her, just as a spring stalls in the desert, without making its way through the sands ...

Fedor Ivanovich Chaliapin

It is interesting to observe how an artist's creativity depends on the growth or degradation of his inner self! The work of any artist is nothing more than the pursuit of truth, simplicity, and authenticity.

A musician is not a profession, but a nationality.

The music should be loud enough to drown out the audience's cough, and quiet enough not to drown out the round of applause.

Leonid Utyosov

What we play is life.

I owe you nothing but a good game.

Being creative is more than just being different from others. Anyone can be weird, it's easy. It's hard to be as simple and great at the same time as Bach. Making things is simple, incredibly simple - that's creativity.

Charles Mingus (April 22, 1922 - January 5, 1979), American jazz double bass player and composer

I'm a cultivation obsession.

Charles Aznavour

I've worked like a beast all my life. Until the age of sixty, I have never been on vacation.

Charles Aznavour

Sincerity is always relevant on stage. The French singer is at the same time a mime, tragedian and poet. And none of these hypostases allows hiding a person behind a mask.

Charles Aznavour

If I knew where good songs come from, I would try to go there much more often.

Leonard Cohen

Creative people, as you know, die if there are no opportunities for self-realization.

With music, everything is much easier. It happens that a melody comes to my mind when I am preparing dinner, then I drop everything, go for the guitar and sit down to play right in the kitchen. Once I burned a whole disc like that ...

I believe that music is the voice of a special spirit, whose task is to collect the dreams of the world, and which, passing through the consciousness of people, is able to settle, even for a short time, their strife, or shake souls, destroying social inconveniences.

Adriano Celentano

If you are doing something beautiful and sublime, and no one notices this, do not be discouraged: the sunrise is generally the most beautiful sight in the world, but most people are still sleeping at this time.

John Lennon (October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980) - British rock musician, co-founder and member of The Beatles

When I was twelve years old, I often thought that I must be a genius, but no one notices. I thought, “I am either a genius or a madman. Which one? I can’t be crazy because I don’t sit in a psychiatric hospital. So I'm a genius. " I want to say that genius is probably one of the forms of insanity.

John Lennon

I lost the most important thing for an artist - freedom of creativity, because I allowed myself to be enslaved by the imposed ideas of what an artist should be.

John Lennon

Talent is the ability to believe in success. Complete delirium when they say that I suddenly discovered a talent in myself. I just worked.

John Lennon

It's not me that matters, it's my songs that matter. I'm just a postman delivering songs.

When I watch the news, I understand that the world is ruled by those who never listen to music.

Bob Dylan

Music changes faster than you can.

Aretha Franklin (born March 25, 1942), American rhythm and blues, soul and gospel singer

Politics and creativity are incompatible things.

Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942), British musician, singer, co-founder of The Beatles

If I am free, it is only because I am working.

Music is my religion.

Jimi Hendrix

In order to discover the laws that belong to the world of primary images, the artist must awaken to life as a person: almost all of his noble feelings, a considerable share of intellect, intuition, and desire to create, must be developed in him.

The laws of Art originate not in the material, but in the ideal world where Beauty dwells, matter can only indicate the boundaries within which artistic inspiration spreads.

Delia Steinberg Guzman

If you've ever really written music, you will continue to do so.

George Harrison (25 February 1943 - 29 November 2001), English rock musician, singer and composer

Inspiration surrounds you from all sides, and in everyday life it is most of all.

Mick Jagger (born July 26, 1943), English rock musician, vocalist of The Rolling Stones

Real poetry says nothing, it only indicates possibilities. Opens all doors. You can open any that suits you.

We just played what we wanted. It is impossible to invent something artificially. It must be endured like a child. Or bring it out like a flower. What does cold thinking mean when you have a living instrument in your hands, and it breathes, it cries, wants to tell something to the whole world?

What's good about music is that when it hits you, you don't feel pain.

Talent can help with the debut, and then only work on improving your skills.

Contemporary painting is just like women: you will never enjoy it if you try to understand it.

Freddie Mercury (5 September 1946 - 24 November 1991), British singer, vocalist for the rock band Queen

I don't want to become some kind of star, I will become a legend.

Freddie Mercury

I am absolutely cold and indifferent to everything. But in that case, I ask myself, where does he come from - this stormy source of creative energy? I do not understand. David Bowie's songs do not belong to me - I just release them through myself into this world. Then I listen and am amazed: their author, whoever he was, at least had strong feelings! I am not given such to know.

David Bowie

The basic method is simple: you need to bring people to the point where they are simply forced to react to me. I love shock tactics. In my opinion, creativity that does not shock is devoid of any meaning.

David Bowie

The greatest chances of success for those groups in which real like-minded friends play, professionalism is a profitable business, a unifying idea is important.

Music has healing powers. For several hours, she can make you leave your body so that you can finally look at yourself from the outside.

Elton John

I've always been only interested in the artistic side of life.