Bad Boy of Music
by George Antheil
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Book Summary Information
Author: George AntheilEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1990-03
ISBN: 0573606048
Number of pages: 378
Publisher: Samuel French
Book Reviews of Bad Boy of Music
Book Review: An Entertaining Life
Summary: 5 Stars
My interest in reading George Antheil's autobiography came from admiration for his music and what he could relate about Paris in the 1920's. Mr. Antheil was a very good writer and wrote quite a lot during his life, particularly for Esquire magazine. He gives his writing a conversational style that flows nicely. I liked the fact that he began his book with stories of his brief career as a pianist and how hard it is to be a traveling musician. Must amusing is that he had a gun concealed in a silk holster when he perform - except once in Budapest when he placed it on the piano. His performances had been greeted with so many riots that he felt he needed the option to shot his way out of the concert hall.
Mr. Antheil's book is more the story of his life than a review of his musical life and compositions. He does discuss the writing of his operas, sometimes in rather tedious detail, but he rarely talks about his compositions with any detail. One interesting comment in the book concerns his Fourth Symphony which had been compared to the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. Mr. Antheil revealed that a good portion of the music came from his opera "Transatlantic" and so pre-dated all of the Shostakovich symphonies. Therefore, any similarities in style are coincidental.
We learn a lot from Mr. Antheil about his life and loves and money worries, and there are some interesting anecdotes about Stravinsky, Hemmingway and James Joyce but Mr. Antheil seldom focuses on his realtionships with other famous people. The chapter about Mr. Antheil and Hedy Lamarr inventing a radio controlled torpedo is very interesting but one is left wondering how they set about designing such a thing.
The book also provides an interesting look at Europe, particularly Germany, after the First World War. "Bad Boy of Music" is entertaining if sometimes a bit rambling at times but if you have an interest in Mr. Antheil's music this book is a must read.
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