Description: This collection of essays by gifted musician and writer Rosen covers a broad range of musical forms, historical periods, and issues. They court controversy and offer enlightenment on subjects as diverse as music dictionaries and the aesthetics of stage fright.
Brief description: Charles Rosen (1927-2012) was an American concert pianist and the author of more than a dozen books, including the National Book Award-winning The Classical Style. The recipient of a National Humanities Medal, he was Professor of Music and Social Thought at the University of Chicago.
Review Quotes: Just beneath the playful surface textures of Rosen's writing, another purpose is being served. He pleads on behalf of artistic pleasure, and reminds his reader of the opportunistic scattering of attention that achieving it may require, yet conducts, from one of his own scattered occasions to the next, a bracing argument in favour of difficulty.--Malcolm Bowie "Times Literary Supplement"