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THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'A virtuosic memoir . . . elegant,
frank and well-structured, that entirely resists cliche . . . The
concert pianist's account of striving for musical mastery sits
alongside a stirring coming of age narrative . . . readable for
both diehard classical music fans and complete newcomers alike . .
. A rare feat.' The Guardian A uniquely illuminating memoir of the
making of a musician, in which renowned pianist Jeremy Denk
explores what he learned from his teachers about classical music:
its forms, its power, its meaning - and what it can teach us about
ourselves. In this searching and funny memoir, based on his popular
New Yorker article, renowned pianist Jeremy Denk traces an
implausible journey. Life is difficult enough as a precocious,
temperamental, and insufferable six-year-old piano prodigy in New
Jersey. But then a family meltdown forces a move to New Mexico, far
from classical music's nerve centers, and he has to please a new
taskmaster while navigating cacti, and the perils of junior high
school. Escaping from New Mexico at last, he meets a bewildering
cast of college music teachers, ranging from boring to profound,
and experiences a series of humiliations and triumphs, to find his
way as one of the world's greatest living pianists, a MacArthur
'Genius,' and a frequent performer at Carnegie Hall. There are few
writers working today who are willing to eloquently explore both
the joys and miseries of artistic practice. Hours of daily
repetition, mystifying early advice, pressure from parents and
teachers who drove him on - an ongoing battle of talent against two
enemies: boredom and insecurity. As we meet various teachers, with
cruel and kind streaks, Denk composes a fraught love letter to the
act of teaching. He brings you behind the scenes, to look at what
motivates both student and teacher, locked in a complicated and
psychologically perilous relationship. In Every Good Boy Does Fine,
Denk explores how classical music is relevant to 'real life,'
despite its distance in time. He dives into pieces and composers
that have shaped him - Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms, among
others - and gives unusual lessons on melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Why and how do these fundamental elements have such a visceral
effect on us? He tries to sum up many of the lessons he has
received, to repay the debt of all his amazing teachers; to remind
us that music is our creation, and that we need to keep asking
questions about its purpose. 'Denk . . . has written a book that
shows what it's like to be a pianist, but also what it's like to be
Jeremy Denk. As if that were not enough, it is also about the
elements of music, and beyond that an account of the ways in which
music and life mirror each other. It is a book like none other . .
. Denk weaves invisible threads connecting life and art into
something very close to musical form.' Simon Callow, The New York
Review of Books
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'A virtuosic memoir . . . elegant,
frank and well-structured, that entirely resists cliche . . . The
concert pianist's account of striving for musical mastery sits
alongside a stirring coming of age narrative . . . readable for
both diehard classical music fans and complete newcomers alike . .
. A rare feat.' The Guardian 'Jeremy Denk's writing is as engaged
and probing as his playing. Every Good Boy Does Fine hits the spot
- a scintillating account of his way into music' - Ian Bostridge A
uniquely illuminating memoir of the making of a musician, in which
renowned pianist Jeremy Denk explores what he learned from his
teachers about classical music: its forms, its power, its meaning -
and what it can teach us about ourselves. In this searching and
funny memoir, based on his popular New Yorker article, renowned
pianist Jeremy Denk traces an implausible journey. Life is
difficult enough as a precocious, temperamental, and insufferable
six-year-old piano prodigy in New Jersey. But then a family
meltdown forces a move to New Mexico, far from classical music's
nerve centers, and he has to please a new taskmaster while
navigating cacti, and the perils of junior high school. Escaping
from New Mexico at last, he meets a bewildering cast of college
music teachers, ranging from boring to profound, and experiences a
series of humiliations and triumphs, to find his way as one of the
world's greatest living pianists, a MacArthur 'Genius,' and a
frequent performer at Carnegie Hall. There are few writers working
today who are willing to eloquently explore both the joys and
miseries of artistic practice. Hours of daily repetition,
mystifying early advice, pressure from parents and teachers who
drove him on - an ongoing battle of talent against two enemies:
boredom and insecurity. As we meet various teachers, with cruel and
kind streaks, Denk composes a fraught love letter to the act of
teaching. He brings you behind the scenes, to look at what
motivates both student and teacher, locked in a complicated and
psychologically perilous relationship. In Every Good Boy Does Fine,
Denk explores how classical music is relevant to 'real life,'
despite its distance in time. He dives into pieces and composers
that have shaped him - Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms, among
others - and gives unusual lessons on melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Why and how do these fundamental elements have such a visceral
effect on us? He tries to sum up many of the lessons he has
received, to repay the debt of all his amazing teachers; to remind
us that music is our creation, and that we need to keep asking
questions about its purpose. 'Denk . . . has written a book that
shows what it's like to be a pianist, but also what it's like to be
Jeremy Denk. As if that were not enough, it is also about the
elements of music, and beyond that an account of the ways in which
music and life mirror each other. It is a book like none other . .
. Denk weaves invisible threads connecting life and art into
something very close to musical form.' Simon Callow, The New York
Review of Books
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'A virtuosic memoir . . . elegant,
frank and well-structured, that entirely resists cliche . . . The
concert pianist's account of striving for musical mastery sits
alongside a stirring coming of age narrative . . . readable for
both diehard classical music fans and complete newcomers alike . .
. A rare feat.' - The Guardian 'Jeremy Denk's writing is as engaged
and probing as his playing. Every Good Boy Does Fine hits the spot
- a scintillating account of his way into music' - Ian Bostridge A
uniquely illuminating memoir of the making of a musician, in which
renowned pianist Jeremy Denk explores what he learned from his
teachers about classical music: its forms, its power, its meaning -
and what it can teach us about ourselves. In this searching and
funny memoir, based on his popular New Yorker article, renowned
pianist Jeremy Denk traces an implausible journey. Life is
difficult enough as a precocious, temperamental, and insufferable
six-year-old piano prodigy in New Jersey. But then a family
meltdown forces a move to New Mexico, far from classical music's
nerve centers, and he has to please a new taskmaster while
navigating cacti, and the perils of junior high school. Escaping
from New Mexico at last, he meets a bewildering cast of college
music teachers, ranging from boring to profound, and experiences a
series of humiliations and triumphs, to find his way as one of the
world's greatest living pianists, a MacArthur 'Genius,' and a
frequent performer at Carnegie Hall. There are few writers working
today who are willing to eloquently explore both the joys and
miseries of artistic practice. Hours of daily repetition,
mystifying early advice, pressure from parents and teachers who
drove him on - an ongoing battle of talent against two enemies:
boredom and insecurity. As we meet various teachers, with cruel and
kind streaks, Denk composes a fraught love letter to the act of
teaching. He brings you behind the scenes, to look at what
motivates both student and teacher, locked in a complicated and
psychologically perilous relationship. In Every Good Boy Does Fine,
Denk explores how classical music is relevant to 'real life,'
despite its distance in time. He dives into pieces and composers
that have shaped him - Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms, among
others - and gives unusual lessons on melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Why and how do these fundamental elements have such a visceral
effect on us? He tries to sum up many of the lessons he has
received, to repay the debt of all his amazing teachers; to remind
us that music is our creation, and that we need to keep asking
questions about its purpose. 'Denk . . . has written a book that
shows what it's like to be a pianist, but also what it's like to be
Jeremy Denk. As if that were not enough, it is also about the
elements of music, and beyond that an account of the ways in which
music and life mirror each other. It is a book like none other . .
. Denk weaves invisible threads connecting life and art into
something very close to musical form.' Simon Callow, The New York
Review of Books
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