After his mother died, the author began to learn Bach's Goldberg Variations in seriousness. -- Recommended...with caution. Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning Philip Kennicott. See, I've just expanded the market for Kennicott's memoir about ten thousand fold, or shall we say one hundred thousand? In Counterpoint, he recounts his efforts to rise to the challenge, and to fight through his grief by coming to terms with his memories of a difficult, complicated childhood. Philip Kennicott is the chief … Shop books, stationery, devices and other learning essentials. The author is not a professional musician but a dedicated amateur who has spent much of his life studying piano or trying to overcome the mental obstacles that kept him from growth. The Bach anecdotes were amusing, but I think maybe a bit digressional at times. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. A fantastic book that is well put together. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. I found the book, on the whole, to be insightful, moving, and beautifully written. It was the only music that didn't seem trivial or irrelevant, and it enabled … A Pulitzer Prize–winning critic reflects on the meaning and emotional impact of a Bach masterwork. Counterpoint is not only an intimate examination of a masterpiece—Bach’s Goldberg Variations —but an unflinching and humane meditation on the lifelong process of growing up. Kennicott is the author of Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning (Norton 2020). I don't know if you have to have played Bach in your youth to appreciate it, as one who did play and misses it, his exigeses are wonderful. ISBN 9780393635362. This was not an easy book to read for me, but it was an intimate and beautiful read. I found this memoir sometimes insightful and other times scattered. Reviews for Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning In short, this is a beautiful and unexpectedly uplifting read which will have you reaching for both Gould's Goldbergs and the Chaconne, and perhaps even looking at the world with renewed thoughtfulness. Playing music is a basically a solitary activity that we use to try to find some meaning in life, but in the end we all end up alone and not knowing what of it all is. It’s hard to imagine he doesn’t have a deeply ambivalent relationship to music too. Start by marking “Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning” as Want to Read: Error rating book. No matter what, children always seem to love abusive parents. Be the first to ask a question about Counterpoint. In some ways, my father had a similar temperament to Kennicott's mother in that his moods could be unpredictable at times, so the author's recounting of his relationship with his mother and about her death hit me a little harder than I had expected. Book Information Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning. Clearly I’ve got mixed feelings about this book too :). I admit I had the Aria theme running through my head as I was reading the book, and it did make me want to listen to the entire piece again, with music in hand. This book was great but not five stars. I really liked the parts where he was able to be transparent with the reader. I liked the mix of memoir and biography/history, and it was fun to listen to the Bach pieces while/after reading about them. Despite its appearance, this is no self- help book nor an endeavour by a busy journalist to conquer the classical piano repertory, in the manner of Alan Rusbridger’s struggle with Chopin in Play It Again (Jonathan Cape, 2013). The Bach anecdotes were amusing, but I think maybe a bit digressional at times. I chose to review “Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning” by Philip Kennicott for two reasons. The Resource Counterpoint : a memoir of Bach and mourning, Philip Kennicott, (electronic resource eBook) In his, I recognized my own troubled relationship with my mother which was directly related to my own troubled re. Music. *Counterpoint* is an aptly titled book -- Philip Kennicott's memoir weaves together narrative strands, much as a contrapuntal piece of music weaves together melodic strands within a piece. We use cookies and similar tools to enhance your shopping experience, to provide our services, understand how customers use our services so we can make improvements, and display ads. Norton, $26.95 (224p) ISBN 978-0-393-63536-2. Something went wrong. The subtitle tells us that the two major "melodic lines" are Bach, the great master of counterpoint, specifically his Goldberg Variations, and mourning, specifically for the death of the author's mother. As his mother was dying, Philip Kennicott began to listen to the music of Bach obsessively. Bach. Evidently she had a deep and powerful connection to music as he does, but she also attacked him in vicious unpredictable ways, at times when he was practicing the piano. Lots of little biographical tidbits about Bach, Gould, and other music histories that keep a nice balance. As in, “I love her/ I hate her”. I normally don't read memoirs of people I don't know, but this was a fascinating take that I enjoyed very much! I, for starters, root for Beethoven. A poignant, and at times solipsistic and quixotic, detour into the psyche of a classical pianist and the inner communion of his life and his relationship with music after his mother had passed away. It's particularly impressive because it's an homage to a difficult mother, with whom the writer had a difficult relationship. Philip Kennicott, author of Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning, is the Pulitzer Prize-winning Senior Art and Architecture Critic of The Washington Post. Once she yanked his hair so hard tha. It was a rare and exceptional pleasure for me to discover that there is another suffering soul with thoughts, feelings and experiences (especially in childhood and early adulthood) that parallel mine. Which is a good thing, because there are no answers, only experiences. In some ways, my father had a similar temperament to Kennicott's mother in that his moods could be unpredictable at times, so the author's recounting of his relationship with his mother and about her death hit me a little harder than I had expected. Norton. There's a problem loading this menu at the moment. While exploring Bach’s compositions he sketches a cultural history of playing the piano in the 20th century. His mother certainly was. Biology, Genetics | Music. As his mother was dying, Philip Kennicott began to listen to the music of Bach obsessively. Music. The Essential Collection: Early Keyboard Gold. I respected his realistic perspective on the powers of music-- that it cannot magically heal grief and pain, but is transformative nonetheless. It jumps between the author's life, Bach's life, and musical analysis, the last of which can be difficult to follow for someone who isn't classically trained. Learn more about Import fee deposit here. Music intertwines all aspects of life, and the author does a good job of showing how that works. All the while not making a conclusion about our parents, grief, and making music. I believe the book might have benefited from some musical examples. He’s nowhere to be found in the book. (I took the subtitle -- the mourning part -- more seriously than was perhaps warranted...) -- 'Counterpoint' works on a number of different levels (befitting its title! Sorry, there was a problem saving your cookie preferences. To see what your friends thought of this book. Kennicott creates a most unusual book about Bach and grief (surrounding his mother’s life. All the while not making a conclusion about our parents, grief, and making music. Lots of little biographical tidbits about Bach, Gould, and other music histories that keep a nice balance. I strongly believe it will resonate with a lot more readers than those who care about Bach. We’d love your help. ISBN 9780393635379. © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. by W. W. Norton Company, Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning. Unfortunately, this book gets a lower rating from me, not solely on its merits (it's a rather good book, actually), but based on my expectations in approaching it. As Kennicott recovered from losing his mother he resolved to learn one of Bach’s most … It was the only music that didn't seem trivial or irrelevant, and it enabled him to both experience her death and remove himself from it. Kennicott won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism . Philip Kennicott is the chief Art and Architecture Critic of The Washington Post. Bach is not a composer I feel the need to listen to on a regular basis. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning, by Philip Kennicott, W.W. Norton & Company, https://wwnorton.com. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. ‎A Pulitzer Prize–winning critic reflects on the meaning and emotional impact of a Bach masterwork. I found the book, on the whole, to be insightful, moving, and beautifully written. The author is a gifted writer. I'm still working on processing my feelings about death and loss. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. A MEMOIR OF BACH AND MOURNING by Philip Kennicott ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 18, 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner Kennicott, senior art and architecture critic of the Washington Post, makes his book debut with an absorbing meditation on grief. It's not that it isn't interesting, but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to take out of it. Approved third parties also use these tools in connection with our display of ads. Wonderfully insightful memoir about the power both music and goal setting have on our experiences. He spent the next five years trying to learn one of the composer’s greatest keyboard masterpieces, the. Every student who sweated at the piano keys will relate to the shared experience of failure, fake starts, false expectations, futility, bitterness and will appreciate the sincerity in writing about such a delicate subject as reaching a limit. (You can judge, I'll get over it.) This turned out to be phenomenally good. It makes total sense psychologically that the author grew up to become a music critic. Counterpoint is, as stated on the cover, a memoir of Bach and mourning. Ratings: Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.5/5 (3 ratings) Length: 8 hours. The author is a gifted writer. For him, Bach’s music held the elements of both joy and despair, life and its inevitable end. So, you may. At points Kennicott describes both life and music in rather technical terms, at other points he infuses anecdotes and insightful turns of phrase. In his, I recognized my own troubled relationship with my mother which was directly related to my own troubled relationship with the piano, but also to the joys and love of music and piano we both shared. The information and commentary on Bach does not add to whatever one can find in a music history book and the part about the family is personal, with maybe a glimpse of mid century suburban America making it engaging and informative. Buy Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning by Philip Kennicott (ISBN: 9780393635362) from Amazon's Book Store. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Learn more about VAT here. A beautiful balance between memoir and music writing. The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human. This is a beautifully written book. E-mail after purchase. Narrated by Paul Heitsch. Buy this product and stream 90 days of Amazon Music Unlimited for free. More generally, the flow sometimes seemed to get distracted from the main quandry of what it means. It was the only music that didn’t seem trivial or irrelevant, and it enabled him to both experience her death and remove himself from it. He spent the next five years trying to learn one of, As his mother was dying, Philip Kennicott began to listen to the music of Bach obsessively. EPUB. It was the only music that didn’t seem trivial or irrelevant, and it enabled him to both experience her death and remove himself from it. A Pulitzer Prize–winning critic reflects on the meaning and emotional impact of a Bach masterwork. This turned out to be phenomenally good. I loved every page of this book. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. I felt compelled to write a review not only because I loved it, but because I suspect the title may give the erroneous impression that the book is only for music lovers. Please try again. As his mother was dying, Philip Kennicott began to listen to the music of Bach obsessively. As his mother was dying, Philip Kennicott began to listen to the music of Bach obsessively. I listened to this book on audiotape, and wished I could listen to the story on a loop as soundtrack to my life. Bach is not a composer I feel the need to listen to on a regular basis. Conditions apply. I loved the Bach stuff and the content on the nature of learning, studying, and practicing music. I’ve been in mourning since my husband died in April 2019 and I love baroque music (JS Bach is the master). It was a rare and exceptional pleasure for me to discover that there is another suffering soul with thoughts, feelings and experiences (especially in childhood and early adulthood) that parallel mine. Share. Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning, Choose from over 13,000 locations across the UK, Prime members get unlimited deliveries at no additional cost, Dispatch to this address when you check out. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Unfortunately, this book gets a lower rating from me, not solely on its merits (it's a rather good book, actually), but based on my expectations in approaching it. Wrought with gut-wrenching cynicism and probing questions about why and how we grieve, this book shaped my outlook on life during the pandemic. Definitely an insightful read and o, I have a lot in common with this author in regards to grief, a toxic parent, and a life long love of music. Given that the author is not a professional musician but is a serious hobbyist, I valued the perspective in describing the life and music of Bach with his own experiences. At points, the book is sad, and at others, especially in the final 10 pages, I found myself laughing out loud. Welcome back. Philip Kennicott, author of Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning (Norton), is the Pulitzer Prize-winning Senior Art and Architecture Critic of The Washington Post. Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning. Beautifully written, informative, honest and very very moving. Please try your request again later. I, for starters, root for Beethoven. Bach's Musical Universe: The Composer and His Work, Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music, Music in the Castle of Heaven: A Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach and the Meanings of Counterpoint: 10 (New Perspectives in Music History and Criticism, Series Number 10). 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