Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Atlantic Monthly Press (2009), 336 pages
Description
Siblin weaves together three dramatic narratives: Bach's composition of the Cello Suites and the manuscript's subsequent disappearance in the eighteenth century; Pablo Casals' historic discovery and popularization of the music in Spain in the late-nineteenth century; and Siblin's own infatuation with the suites at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Chatterbox
This is the chronicle of a musical and personal journey into music penned by Bach sometime in the early decades if the 18th century -- the now-famous suites for solo cello.
I fell in love with this book both for the caliber of the writing (which is very high indeed) as well as the subject matter.
This is one of those great "who knew?" books that will appeal even to people that didn't imagine they had a compelling interest in classical music. At its heart, it's the story of how a piece of music can endure over the centuries and appeal to very different people in wildly different countries and time periods, in contexts its composer couldn't even have imagined. I note that another reviewer found Siblin's efforts to learn some cello to be tedious; I found them interesting, as it gave me a sense of the instrument itself, which I have never and likely will never even attempt to play. I'm not a musician or a music scholar, but I'm an avid classical music buff, and I loved this book. I can imagine that anyone who relishes music -- or even is curious in what makes an artistic creation endure -- will find it compelling.
Read it with the suites playing in the background... I defy anyone to read it and not rush out to buy them! My own favorite renditions? Either Isserlis or Yo-yo Ma.
I fell in love with this book both for the caliber of the writing (which is very high indeed) as well as the subject matter.
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Siblin doesn't stick rigidly to discussing Bach and the cello suites themselves and thus doesn't get bogged down in the kind of musicological detail that would lose him part of his audience (me amongst them, despite my love for this music, of which I possess three different interpretations...) Rather, in each of the six sections -- loosely based on the six suites -- Siblin explores three separate strands: Bach's own story; that of famed cellist Pablo Casals, who rediscovered the cello suites and made them the staple of the classical oeuvre they are today; and Siblin's own serendipitous decision to attend a concert at which a cellist happened to be performing some of the suites; a performance that proved to be one of those transformative experiences. The third strand to the narrative is Siblin's own adventures as a former rock critic trying to understand Bach and the cello suites in particular. This is one of those great "who knew?" books that will appeal even to people that didn't imagine they had a compelling interest in classical music. At its heart, it's the story of how a piece of music can endure over the centuries and appeal to very different people in wildly different countries and time periods, in contexts its composer couldn't even have imagined. I note that another reviewer found Siblin's efforts to learn some cello to be tedious; I found them interesting, as it gave me a sense of the instrument itself, which I have never and likely will never even attempt to play. I'm not a musician or a music scholar, but I'm an avid classical music buff, and I loved this book. I can imagine that anyone who relishes music -- or even is curious in what makes an artistic creation endure -- will find it compelling.
Read it with the suites playing in the background... I defy anyone to read it and not rush out to buy them! My own favorite renditions? Either Isserlis or Yo-yo Ma.
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LibraryThing member DavidWineberg
It's delightful that Eric Siblin discovered Bach, and like converts in so many fields, became obsessed. He took his new obsession to journalistic heights and depths, spending about ten years putting this story together. He has done a very entertaining job, weaving the stories of Bach and Casals
I have some quibbles, like when he describes how Bach died without a will on one page, but then goes on to describe how Bach bequeathed specific instruments and manuscripts to specific sons he favored. Well, which is it? Did Bach die intestate, or did he leave a highly detailed will? Or how Bach never went to Italy, which limited his renown in his time. It is my understanding that Bach made at least three trips to Italy, and all of them to see what Antonio Vivaldi was up to. Bach lifted liberally from Vivaldi, and sometimes even credited Vivaldi in pieces directly adapted and dedicated to him. Siblin mentions the lack of any Italy forage twice, which is something he does a lot - mentioning things twice, as if his gentle readers could not be expected to remember the last time he brought it up. So the book is not perfect (and a couple of typos don't help, which is surprising for a book that was published in Canada a year ago), but these are, I repeat myself, quibbles. It's a delightful read.
Another quibble, perhaps, is Siblin's website. What a perfect place to put clips of the themes he tries to describe. Words have never lived up to the effect of actual music, and today we have the technology to make it happen. Notes, chords, bars and melodies fairly scream to be demonstrated online, with references back to their pages in the book. Instead, Siblin has embedded Youtube videos of bizarrely unusual Bach cello performances but not including any of Pablo Casals, the worthy subject of numerous Youtube clips, not to mention this book. I don't get it, and Siblin's readers are left behind.
One thing Siblin regrets is that events he goes to are attended by a lot of white haired Caucasians plus a few students. It does not portend good things for classical music. He complains about the mandatory silence during the performance and the protocol against applause until the end. I can only say that he would have written another whole book had he seen Virgil Fox. Fox, the Riverside Church (NYC) organist, took Bach on tour in a concert series called Bach Live - Heavy Organ. He used strobe lights, giant screens and smoke to enhance the effects, and audiences responded with wild applause, including clapping to the beat during the pieces, calling out to him from their seats, and in every performance I saw, climbing onto the stage to dance the Gigue fugue. He recorded LPs live at the Fillmore and the Winter Garden, and appealed directly to a whole new demographic.
That's the secret of Bach - he appeals to different people for different reasons with different results - but he always appeals.
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through the structure of the six cello suites. A unique approach that is refreshingly different.I have some quibbles, like when he describes how Bach died without a will on one page, but then goes on to describe how Bach bequeathed specific instruments and manuscripts to specific sons he favored. Well, which is it? Did Bach die intestate, or did he leave a highly detailed will? Or how Bach never went to Italy, which limited his renown in his time. It is my understanding that Bach made at least three trips to Italy, and all of them to see what Antonio Vivaldi was up to. Bach lifted liberally from Vivaldi, and sometimes even credited Vivaldi in pieces directly adapted and dedicated to him. Siblin mentions the lack of any Italy forage twice, which is something he does a lot - mentioning things twice, as if his gentle readers could not be expected to remember the last time he brought it up. So the book is not perfect (and a couple of typos don't help, which is surprising for a book that was published in Canada a year ago), but these are, I repeat myself, quibbles. It's a delightful read.
Another quibble, perhaps, is Siblin's website. What a perfect place to put clips of the themes he tries to describe. Words have never lived up to the effect of actual music, and today we have the technology to make it happen. Notes, chords, bars and melodies fairly scream to be demonstrated online, with references back to their pages in the book. Instead, Siblin has embedded Youtube videos of bizarrely unusual Bach cello performances but not including any of Pablo Casals, the worthy subject of numerous Youtube clips, not to mention this book. I don't get it, and Siblin's readers are left behind.
One thing Siblin regrets is that events he goes to are attended by a lot of white haired Caucasians plus a few students. It does not portend good things for classical music. He complains about the mandatory silence during the performance and the protocol against applause until the end. I can only say that he would have written another whole book had he seen Virgil Fox. Fox, the Riverside Church (NYC) organist, took Bach on tour in a concert series called Bach Live - Heavy Organ. He used strobe lights, giant screens and smoke to enhance the effects, and audiences responded with wild applause, including clapping to the beat during the pieces, calling out to him from their seats, and in every performance I saw, climbing onto the stage to dance the Gigue fugue. He recorded LPs live at the Fillmore and the Winter Garden, and appealed directly to a whole new demographic.
That's the secret of Bach - he appeals to different people for different reasons with different results - but he always appeals.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
I'm a great fan of classical music (and Bach in particular), so a suggestion of this book was met with open arms. In the end, I find that this book averaged 3½ stars from me. I say averaged because the book is composed of three different threadlines, told in alternating chapters, and my reactions
The first thread was my favorite. It is a portrait of a passionate, humorous, ambitious, sometimes cantankerous man. Siblin also shows us that modern opinion of his work gives the wrong impression of his life for...while he wasn't unsuccessful by any means...he was nowhere near the towering figure of classical music that he is today. What emerges from these chapters is a vibrant figure, quite different from the stern Teuton his portrait would suggest.
Casals' story was also enjoyable. While not quite as successful in conveying an entire sense of its subject, Casals does move from not much than a rather blurry "great cellist from the early 20th century" to a fleshed out individual. The story focuses mainly on his ardent support for an independent Catalan and his opposition to the Fascist elements who took control of Spain. The twin passions of music and opposition to dictatorship form a story line that is well worth reading.
Siblin's own story was, by far, the weakest of the three. It gave us the bare facts but, unfortunately, it lacked the crucial element that makes other stories about music so compelling—it never conveyed passion. When you read Noah Adams' or Perri Knize's books about tackling music in adult life, they are full of fervor and delight. Siblin simply came across as, "well, it might help me understand the music, so I tried it." I found myself anxious for his third of the story to end and one of the other two to cycle back to the foreground.
All that said, if you are interested in music, I think you will find the book enjoyable and I recommend it.
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to these threads varied substantially. In one thread, Siblin talks about Bach, about his personal and professional life. In a second, he talks about Pablo Casals, the cellist who "re-discovered" the suites. In the third, he talks about his own attempts to learn the cello.The first thread was my favorite. It is a portrait of a passionate, humorous, ambitious, sometimes cantankerous man. Siblin also shows us that modern opinion of his work gives the wrong impression of his life for...while he wasn't unsuccessful by any means...he was nowhere near the towering figure of classical music that he is today. What emerges from these chapters is a vibrant figure, quite different from the stern Teuton his portrait would suggest.
Casals' story was also enjoyable. While not quite as successful in conveying an entire sense of its subject, Casals does move from not much than a rather blurry "great cellist from the early 20th century" to a fleshed out individual. The story focuses mainly on his ardent support for an independent Catalan and his opposition to the Fascist elements who took control of Spain. The twin passions of music and opposition to dictatorship form a story line that is well worth reading.
Siblin's own story was, by far, the weakest of the three. It gave us the bare facts but, unfortunately, it lacked the crucial element that makes other stories about music so compelling—it never conveyed passion. When you read Noah Adams' or Perri Knize's books about tackling music in adult life, they are full of fervor and delight. Siblin simply came across as, "well, it might help me understand the music, so I tried it." I found myself anxious for his third of the story to end and one of the other two to cycle back to the foreground.
All that said, if you are interested in music, I think you will find the book enjoyable and I recommend it.
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LibraryThing member JollyContrarian
A philosophy lecturer of mine once remarked that the recently converted make the most passionate fundamentalists. Eric Siblin, a professedly retired rock critic (I'm not sure how one "retires" from a pastime) makes a good example. Stumbling across a performance of Bach's Cello Suites some years
Being no more familiar than Siblin was with the Cello Suites, I bought myself a recording (Pierre Fournier's) and had it on high rotation while I read. For fellow neophytes, then, these are pieces for an unaccompanied tenor instrument that itself usually (but not always) fulfills the role of an accompaniment to a "treble" instrument like a violin. Bach's six Cello Suites span a couple of hours, and you'd be forgiven for supposing that it would be, therefore, a challenging listen. First go-round, for a non-enthusiast, it is. I must say, though, that having listened to it repeatedly over a week I find it bouncing uncontrollably - and pleasingly - around my head all day. But all the same, I don't think I'm ready to jettison Led Zeppelin just yet. There again, I'm not really the converting type.
At any rate, on account of their inaccessibility the Cello Suites were commonly supposed, for a long while, to be simply rehearsal exercises. Which is where Siblin picks up the story. He explores the Suites in an organised, contrapuntal sort of way, through three lenses, each corresponding to movements in the Suites: firstly Bach's own biography; secondly the musical and political journey of 20th century Cello maestro Pablo Casals, punctuated and framed as it was by the Cello Suites, and thirdly through his own journey, both of discovery of Bach's own music, and through his research for this book. These accounts are interwoven cleverly and playfully and in a way the Baroque master surely would have approved of: according to the structure of the six suites themselves.
The accounts themselves, however, are a little variable.
Bach's biography is patiently and interestingly unfolded. I dare say the genuine aficionado won't find much new or enlightening in Siblin's exposition, but those with a more casual interest will: I hadn't realised, for example, that Bach's life ended in relative obscurity, and that his huge body of work only gained mass appeal long after his death.
And I had never heard of Casals at all. To be sure, Siblin's framing of the Casals story was skillful and its overlay on the cello suites themselves was fascinating. It did feel somewhat wilful: sometimes one can push a construction past the point that it withstands careful examination and I suspect, in his enthusiasm to deliver a pleasing narrative, Siblin has done this. Bach's music might be famous for its almost mathematically careful structure; real life isn't like that. Siblin would have it that Casals, a Catalonian teenager, discovered a publication of the suites and singlehandedly turned the world on to them as a performance piece, and to the cello as a solo instrument. I have a feeling it might not be quite that cut and dried.
The final strand, in which the author himself features, is the weakest. Partly, this is because Siblin himself is a neophyte; he isn't trained or steeped in the classical tradition (part of his story is his attempt to overcome that by taking cello lessons) and hence he has no particular locus standi to back his wild-eyed exegesis of the music, which just winds up sounding like fodder for pseud's corner in Private Eye. It just isn't interesting hearing about a random Canadian's attempts to learn the cello or sing in a Bach Cantata.
Nor does his agenda help: Siblin goes hunting for an Anti-Semitism which almost certainly was illusory, and then has a whale of a time wrestling with the meagre evidence he does find: for example, the anti-Jewish agenda implicit in Bach's St. John Passion. But if there is such a thing, Bach certainly didn't put it there (St. John did), and by any account, including Siblin's, Bach himself had no interaction, let alone interest, in Judaism at any time in his life, most likely never having even met a Jewish person. Yet still Siblin crowbars it in, allowing a patently 20th century gloss to colour his thinking, even absurdly baulking at singing the word 'schnell' in the Cantata, presumably aggrieved at having to use a word frequently attributed to Gestapo officers in Commando magazine. But 'schnell' is simply the German word for 'fast'.
So a curate's egg: the good parts, however, make this a recommended read for a non-specialist interested in a light and entertaining vista onto one of the more challenging corners of Bach's massive oeuvre.
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ago, Siblin was captivated, converted, and has since leapt into the study and exploration of these narrowly (but profoundly) celebrated pieces with great gusto. (Interestingly, I could find none of Siblin's rock criticism online anywhere. I was curious to see how good it was.) Being no more familiar than Siblin was with the Cello Suites, I bought myself a recording (Pierre Fournier's) and had it on high rotation while I read. For fellow neophytes, then, these are pieces for an unaccompanied tenor instrument that itself usually (but not always) fulfills the role of an accompaniment to a "treble" instrument like a violin. Bach's six Cello Suites span a couple of hours, and you'd be forgiven for supposing that it would be, therefore, a challenging listen. First go-round, for a non-enthusiast, it is. I must say, though, that having listened to it repeatedly over a week I find it bouncing uncontrollably - and pleasingly - around my head all day. But all the same, I don't think I'm ready to jettison Led Zeppelin just yet. There again, I'm not really the converting type.
At any rate, on account of their inaccessibility the Cello Suites were commonly supposed, for a long while, to be simply rehearsal exercises. Which is where Siblin picks up the story. He explores the Suites in an organised, contrapuntal sort of way, through three lenses, each corresponding to movements in the Suites: firstly Bach's own biography; secondly the musical and political journey of 20th century Cello maestro Pablo Casals, punctuated and framed as it was by the Cello Suites, and thirdly through his own journey, both of discovery of Bach's own music, and through his research for this book. These accounts are interwoven cleverly and playfully and in a way the Baroque master surely would have approved of: according to the structure of the six suites themselves.
The accounts themselves, however, are a little variable.
Bach's biography is patiently and interestingly unfolded. I dare say the genuine aficionado won't find much new or enlightening in Siblin's exposition, but those with a more casual interest will: I hadn't realised, for example, that Bach's life ended in relative obscurity, and that his huge body of work only gained mass appeal long after his death.
And I had never heard of Casals at all. To be sure, Siblin's framing of the Casals story was skillful and its overlay on the cello suites themselves was fascinating. It did feel somewhat wilful: sometimes one can push a construction past the point that it withstands careful examination and I suspect, in his enthusiasm to deliver a pleasing narrative, Siblin has done this. Bach's music might be famous for its almost mathematically careful structure; real life isn't like that. Siblin would have it that Casals, a Catalonian teenager, discovered a publication of the suites and singlehandedly turned the world on to them as a performance piece, and to the cello as a solo instrument. I have a feeling it might not be quite that cut and dried.
The final strand, in which the author himself features, is the weakest. Partly, this is because Siblin himself is a neophyte; he isn't trained or steeped in the classical tradition (part of his story is his attempt to overcome that by taking cello lessons) and hence he has no particular locus standi to back his wild-eyed exegesis of the music, which just winds up sounding like fodder for pseud's corner in Private Eye. It just isn't interesting hearing about a random Canadian's attempts to learn the cello or sing in a Bach Cantata.
Nor does his agenda help: Siblin goes hunting for an Anti-Semitism which almost certainly was illusory, and then has a whale of a time wrestling with the meagre evidence he does find: for example, the anti-Jewish agenda implicit in Bach's St. John Passion. But if there is such a thing, Bach certainly didn't put it there (St. John did), and by any account, including Siblin's, Bach himself had no interaction, let alone interest, in Judaism at any time in his life, most likely never having even met a Jewish person. Yet still Siblin crowbars it in, allowing a patently 20th century gloss to colour his thinking, even absurdly baulking at singing the word 'schnell' in the Cantata, presumably aggrieved at having to use a word frequently attributed to Gestapo officers in Commando magazine. But 'schnell' is simply the German word for 'fast'.
So a curate's egg: the good parts, however, make this a recommended read for a non-specialist interested in a light and entertaining vista onto one of the more challenging corners of Bach's massive oeuvre.
Show Less
LibraryThing member EmreSevinc
This book has a very light touch and I dare say that this is rather a compliment. It reads like a personal journey, a sincere dialog between two friends. Not only grand masters such as Bach and Cassals come alive from the pages, but also the peripheral characters, other musicians connected to these
The book succeeds to portray lives of Bach and Cassals not only from a musical point of view but also actually from a very mundane perspective. You see a Bach that draws a sword to another musician after insulting, and then a Bach that complains about his salary with lengthy descriptions of job satisfaction issues. This is definitely not your average inspired-by-muses-and-constantly-busy-producing-masterpieces genius at work. This Bach is in flesh and blood, looking for financial opportunities, being thrown into jail for insisting on resignation, belittling kings because of their mediocre time-keeping performances and yet dedicating compositions to them. This is a Bach that gets bored of school teacher duties, wants his sons to go university so that they can have a better career and someone that does not hesitate to write lengthy letters to the men in power in order to find better work. This is a man living a medieval life in the age of englightment.
Similar things can be said about the narration of Cassal's life. A life of a man that has a bigger-than-life story, someone who suffered many wars and constantly in agony because of his peaceful ideals that proved to be very difficult to attain. The pages bring me a passionate soul that tries to help his fellow emigrant citizens and carry his sacred art to unimagined levels. A man that refuses to play for Gestapo and hopes desperately that people in power can really help for the struggle against oppression.
This book is not full of musical jargon and does not go into encyclopedic details about Bach and Cassals and by balancing history with a very personal perspective achieves to become a unique little treasure that can act as a very friendly guide to one of the most invaluable part of our musical heritage.
If you have listened to Bach's Cello Suites before, reading this book is certainly going to augment your experience. If you haven't done it yet, you'll probably do it very shortly after reading the book. And you will not regret, both of them.
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masters come into the scene to talk about music in a very captivating manner.The book succeeds to portray lives of Bach and Cassals not only from a musical point of view but also actually from a very mundane perspective. You see a Bach that draws a sword to another musician after insulting, and then a Bach that complains about his salary with lengthy descriptions of job satisfaction issues. This is definitely not your average inspired-by-muses-and-constantly-busy-producing-masterpieces genius at work. This Bach is in flesh and blood, looking for financial opportunities, being thrown into jail for insisting on resignation, belittling kings because of their mediocre time-keeping performances and yet dedicating compositions to them. This is a Bach that gets bored of school teacher duties, wants his sons to go university so that they can have a better career and someone that does not hesitate to write lengthy letters to the men in power in order to find better work. This is a man living a medieval life in the age of englightment.
Similar things can be said about the narration of Cassal's life. A life of a man that has a bigger-than-life story, someone who suffered many wars and constantly in agony because of his peaceful ideals that proved to be very difficult to attain. The pages bring me a passionate soul that tries to help his fellow emigrant citizens and carry his sacred art to unimagined levels. A man that refuses to play for Gestapo and hopes desperately that people in power can really help for the struggle against oppression.
This book is not full of musical jargon and does not go into encyclopedic details about Bach and Cassals and by balancing history with a very personal perspective achieves to become a unique little treasure that can act as a very friendly guide to one of the most invaluable part of our musical heritage.
If you have listened to Bach's Cello Suites before, reading this book is certainly going to augment your experience. If you haven't done it yet, you'll probably do it very shortly after reading the book. And you will not regret, both of them.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LynnB
This book is partly a biography of Bach and Pablo Cassals, and partly a musical history. I really enjoyed the biographical aspects. The author was able to portray Bach and Cassals with depth and as more than brilliant musicians. I also enjoyed the story of the author's own discovery of the cello
Like others, I found the structure (which mirrors the cello suites) a bit forced at times -- it necessitated some repetition and was, at times, disjointed.
All in all, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would as I'm not a classical music fan.
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suites and his attempts to better understand them by taking cello lessons and joining a Bach choir.Like others, I found the structure (which mirrors the cello suites) a bit forced at times -- it necessitated some repetition and was, at times, disjointed.
All in all, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would as I'm not a classical music fan.
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LibraryThing member ccatalfo
A fascinating look at the Bach cello suites from 3 vantage points: Bach's life, cellist Pablo Casal's life, and the author's life.
LibraryThing member bodhisattva
An extraordinary book which brings JS Bach and Pau Casals to life.
Both definitive and quirky at the same time.
A breathless journey.
Highly recommended.
Both definitive and quirky at the same time.
A breathless journey.
Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
An award-winning book about Bach's Cello Suites and the background of their composition and fame, this book i a delight in many respects. As it combines history and biography it provides a narrative that makes these well-known compositions come alive. The journey includes not only Bach, but Pablo
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Casals and the cello. It is a journey worth your investment of time as the resulting enjoyment will be exceptional. Show Less
Awards
Governor General's Literary Award (Finalist — 2009)
The Economist Best Books (2010.24)
British Columbia's National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction (Shortlist — 2010)
Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction (Shortlist — 2009)
Quebec Writers' Federation Award (Winner — Non-Fiction — 2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
8.75 inches
ISBN
0802119298 / 9780802119292