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Summary: Life in a Famous String Quartet
Review: Ah, leading the glamorous life! Many thanks to Arnold Steinhardt for sharing his fascinating experiences as a member of the Guarneri Quartet. His book is full of marvelous memories and thoughtful insights into a classical musician's art as practiced at the highest levels. Steinhardt is always interesting, often eloquent. This book has given me a renewed appreciation of the string quartet literature, and a deeper understanding of the collaborative art of chamber music.
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Summary: Very Interesting Book
Review: As a violin student, I find this book to be an incredibly valuable and entertaining look at the history and techniques of the Guarneri Quartet. I would also recommend their other book, "The Art of Quartet Playing," which is a series of interviews with the quartet.
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Summary: For everyone who loves music as an art.
Review: I have enjoyed the music playing of the Guarneri Quartet as long as I have known about classical music. This book is a treat. Mr. Steinhardt writes a delightful and truthful book about his own life and teaches what quartet playing is really about. He shares its challenges and delights and why he chose the path of chamber music over a career as a solo virtuoso.This book should be read not only by lovers of chamber music but by everyone who loves the art of music. It reads well. Serious without being heavy and delightful without being silly. Spend a happy night or two reading it and listening to a few CDs of the quartet's music.
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Summary: Insightful and touching
Review: I wish this book would have had twice as many pages, at the least. I found it utterly impossible to put down, raced through it in barely two days, and now feel bereft for having reached the end. Fortunately, the Guarneri's themselves are still going strong, though cellist David Soyer made way a few years ago for his pupil Peter Wiley. This book deals with the (many) years before that change took place. Arnold Steinhardt is as engrossing a storyteller as he is a violinist, and addresses the multitude of issues, both musical and personal, connected with string quartet playing without ever being boring, pompous, or academic. On the contrary, his lively, often humorous style of writing and the uncompromisingly personal tone he adopts prove perfect vehicles for an in-depth look at the daunting challenges involved in playing the quartet repertoire, but are also highly endearing. By the end you feel you truly got to know these players; an additional reason why the extensive description concluding the book, of a 90's performance of Schubert's Death & The Maiden, interspersed with Steinhardt's musings on the eventual finiteness even of the long-lived Guarneri Quartet, is extremely moving. The focus on such well-known repertoire, by the way, (Beethoven's op. 59/3 and the Cavatina from op. 130 are other Steinhardt favourites) are typical of the accessibility of the book and its laudable lack of snobbery.
Before these final pages, the author offers anything from concert-tour anecdotes, string quartet gags and quartet psychology to insights into the rehearsal process, repertoire choice, musical history, the peculiarities of amateurs, as well as thoughts on the relative merits of recorded and "live" performances. Deftly drafted portraits of musical giants like, say, Georg Szell or Arthur Rubinstein add further interest; the brief appearance of Jacqueline Du Pré as a "pale milkmaid in a flowerprint dress" who then incongruously attacks her cello with animal-like abandon I found quite unforgettable.
In all, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in chamber music; but it will be a special treat for those with some experience in quartet-playing (if only by pointing out that string quartet repertoire is hard even for players of Guarneri-stature...).
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Summary: A Fantastic Insight into the World of Chamber Music
Review: I'm a musician, and I play in chamber groups, so had a blast reading this book not just because it's a great biography but also because I could relate to a lot of what happened to the quartet! Even if you aren't a musician, you'll like this book because it gives you a feel for what it's like to be a part of a chamber group (and being a classical musician!)
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Summary: The Four Chambered Heart
Review: If you are intrigued by music and how it's made, by the hearts and minds of those who have devoted their lives to making instruments sing, then this will be one of the most interesting and satisfying books you've ever read. Arnold Steinhardt, the first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet, has that rare ability to step outside his discipline and bring it alive for others. Indivisible by Four is the story not only of how the Guarneri String Quartet came to be, but of how four very different musicians have managed to forge a unique musical identity for themselves as well. Here you will hear how Steinhardt and his colleagues approach a piece - about their differences and how they are resolved, the things that worked and those that didn't, the inevitable surprises and how they got through them. Best of all, from the perspective of someone who is not a professional musician, is Steinhardt's ability to bring the technical as well as the human elements alive for the reader. I came away with a good solid introduction to chamber music in general, and to the music and composers that have shaped it. Steinhardt even manages to toss in some music theory without allowing the pace to slow to a crawl. An action packed thriller with plenty of twists and turns in the plot this is not. Expect instead to be treated to a very personal and intimate glimpse into the hearts of four very gifted and dedicated musicians.
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Summary: GREAT book about chamber music
Review: This book is required reading in the chamber music literature class I teach at a university. Steinhardt's writing is charming and easy to read, and he gives a fascinating look into what it's like to work with the same 3 men in such close quarters for 30+ years. If you have ever enjoyed a chamber music concert, or played chamber music yourself it is a must read. My students who play in rock bands also have found it a very valuable book, since a band is a similar animal to the string quartet.
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Summary: Insightful and entertaining
Review: This insightful book by Arnold Steinhardt, the first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet, is a must-read for anyone, whether musician or listener, with an interest in chamber music. Steinhardt traces his own evolution from aspiring soloist to quartet member, as well as detailing the inner workings of the Guarneri Quartet. Anecdotes abound here, with often humorous, intimate glimpses of well-known musicians such as Pinkas Zuckerman, Rudolf Serkin, and Arthur Rubinstein. Steinhardt's love of music is palpable as he discusses the strengths and pitfalls of specific pieces, the textures of orchestral and chamber music, the playing styles of various musicians. The most interesting aspect of this book, however, is the process by which four highly individual musicians learn to play as one. Although repetitious at times, this book is a delightful examination of one of the most celebrated quartets of our time.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful and entertaining
Review: This insightful book by Arnold Steinhardt, the first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet, is a must-read for anyone, whether musician or listener, with an interest in chamber music. Steinhardt traces his own evolution from aspiring soloist to quartet member, as well as detailing the inner workings of the Guarneri Quartet. Anecdotes abound here, with often humorous, intimate glimpses of well-known musicians such as Pinkas Zuckerman, Rudolf Serkin, and Arthur Rubinstein. Steinhardt's love of music is palpable as he discusses the strengths and pitfalls of specific pieces, the textures of orchestral and chamber music, the playing styles of various musicians. The most interesting aspect of this book, however, is the process by which four highly individual musicians learn to play as one. Although repetitious at times, this book is a delightful examination of one of the most celebrated quartets of our time.
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Summary: Bravo, Arnold Steinhardt!
Review: This wonderfully humorous and true-to-the-art book is sweet music to anyone who loves chamber music. Steinhardt gets it so right throughout this delightful book, I, like many of the other reviewers was disappointed when I reached the last page - I wanted it to keep on going...
Steinhardt hits a universal chord that will resonate particularly well with those "insiders" who have performed chamber music at any level. While reading it, I found myself digging into my CDs and listening to the piece the author was describing. The unique commentary accompanied by the performance brought me a new appreciation for the string quartet genre.
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