The Music of Silence: A Memoir by Andrea Bocelli Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Music of Silence: A Memoir
Book Review: A Very Insightful Book...and a pleasant read.
Summary: 5 Stars
I am writing from the US...where this book is not yet available. I had translated the book just for myself, from Italian earlier this year and was happy to see that the english publication captures most of the flavor of the maestro's own words. While TV, CDs, interviews and print articles are wonderful for what they are....this really tells his story so well that you will find it gives you worlds of new insight on his life both past and present. I heartily recommend it. This is a creative man who has a talent for writing as well as singing.Book Review: Beautifully written and moving in the original Italian
Summary: 5 Stars
The five stars that I've given here are for Andrea Bocelli's La musica del silenzio, in the original Italian. La musica del silenzio is a beautifully written and moving work of literature, as well as a fascinating portrait.While I was pleased to learn that Virgin Publishing had released an English translation of La musica del silenzio and while I appreciate translator Stanislao Pugliese's note that translating the work was "a great pleasure and honour," I believe that the English edition does, indeed, illustrate the truth of the saying that Pugliese quotes: "Traduttore e a traditore."
The Music of Silence has lost much of the poetic gracefulness of Bocelli's prose in La musica del silenzio and too often turns his thoughtful examination of ideas into simplistic statements. By condensing Bocelli's prose as well as translating it, Pugliese has unhappily flattened the tone and style and created a subtly misleading picture of the author. Occasionally the translation is simply incorrect. The editing process, also, let too many errors slip past.
I will illustrate my views with three quick examples that pair my own literal translation of La musica del silenzio with the same passages as they appear in The Music of Silence. These examples are representative.
In La musica del silenzio, Andrea Bocelli writes: "Amos raved this way, encouraged by the companionship of his dearest friend and a little aroused by the wine" (224). The Music of Silence changes the tone and connotation by presenting the passage this way: "Amos was thus raving, drunk and emotional" (196).
In La musica del silenzio, Andrea Bocelli writes: "The truth was that he could not stomach the idea that a non-seeing person must necessarily become a masseur, a switchboard operator, or, as his destiny seemed to expect from him, a musician" (98). The Music of Silence reverses the meaning by presenting the passage this way: "The truth was that he could not accept that a blind person could not be a masseur, say, or a telephone operator, or even a musician" (87).
In La musica del silenzio, Andrea Bocelli writes: "But in the quiet of his house Amos found the right atmosphere to reflect. He felt that things could not have gone exactly as Marica had recounted them to him. Nevertheless, he thought, 'Calmness is the virtue of the strong. Time is a gentleman and, sooner or later, the truth will come out. It is enough to accept things with calmness.' Then he dedicated himself completely to his thesis" (173. The Music of Silence oversimplifies the passage this way: "But when she had left, Amos had the opportunity to reflect, and he knew that things could not have been as Marica said they were. 'The truth will out,' he thought, and threw himself head first into his thesis" (149).
I recommend that English-speaking readers buy both the English and the Italian versions of the book. Those readers who cannot read Italian can, nevertheless, select paragraphs from the original to translate with the help of a dictionary and then compare their translations to the English edition. Those readers with a little knowledge of Italian can read passages from the original aloud, hearing the cadences and absorbing the images and moods that they create.
Book Review: Andrea Bocelli's book is inspirational and frank...
Summary: 5 Stars
This book will not teach you anything about opera or even music for that matter. We get something much better; a frank and introspective story of a life (so far), one full of all those things which make each one of us ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. The story of a man who never let go of his dreams, even when time and many other obstacles lay in his path. It shows how important a wise and loving family and caring friends can be in the big scheme of things. In this case, the life of a man whose voice has captivated millions of fans, myself included.It is a rare glimpse into a man's conscience, not just in it's bright and shiny refined state of maturity, but in the beginnings when we all strive to determine who we are and make our own way.
Andrea shares openly incidents in his life where retrospect reveals mistakes and misguided notions. He comes out the other end of self-discovery with a philosophy and attitude towards life to be admired.
He shows that one cannot merely "wish" for something to be so. Effort and action need to accompany any goals in life, and is courageous in his quest. The seed of an idea to become a singer grew through the years, instead of fading. It is a book of hope, which should inspire even the most jaded of souls, who have given up their dreams merely because the passage of time has dimmed their flame.
On page 115, he writes: "every man distinguishes himself by his unique qualities, but all men resemble each other in their defects, which are universal." Reading this book, you will come to know the boy and the man from Tuscany whose life is infinitely unique, just as we all are. Just as we all resemble each other.
If you admire this man for his voice, or just want to read an amazing, inspiring story, written by a man not afraid to reveal his mistakes or insecurities, alongside his most proud moments, I recommend this book. Then you can go learn more about opera!
Book Review: Andrea Bocelli's book is inspirational and frank...,
Summary: 5 Stars
(This review is based on the hardcover edition)This book will not teach you anything about opera or even music for that matter. We get something much better; a frank and introspective story of a life (so far), one full of all those things which make each one of us ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. The story of a man who never let go of his dreams, even when time and many other obstacles lay in his path. It shows how important a wise and loving family and caring friends can be in the big scheme of things. In this case, the life of a man whose voice has captivated millions of fans, myself included. It is a rare glimpse into a man's conscience, not just in it's bright and shiny refined state of maturity, but in the beginnings when we all strive to determine who we are and make our own way.
Andrea shares openly incidents in his life where retrospect reveals mistakes and misguided notions. He comes out the other end of self-discovery with a philosophy and attitude towards life to be admired.
He shows that one cannot merely "wish" for something to be so. Effort and action need to accompany any goals in life, and is courageous in his quest. The seed of an idea to become a singer grew through the years, instead of fading. It is a book of hope, which should inspire even the most jaded of souls, who have given up their dreams merely because the passage of time has dimmed their flame.
On page 115, he writes: "every man distinguishes himself by his unique qualities, but all men resemble each other in their defects, which are universal." Reading this book, you will come to know the boy and the man from Tuscany whose life is infinitely unique, just as we all are. Just as we all resemble each other.
If you admire this man for his voice, or just want to read an amazing, inspiring story, written by a man not afraid to reveal his mistakes or insecurities, alongside his most proud moments, I recommend this book. Then you can go learn more about opera!
Book Review: A Gladsome, Modest Memoir!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the memoir music-lovers have waited for. This liquid golden-voiced Italian tenor from Tuscany, tells of his blindness & how music soothed him; of his struggles as a boy to live a normal life; his studies to become a lawyer & how he found his world-class voice.Andrea Bocelli is a refreshingly simple, humble fellow imbued with love, humor & a sense of the Grand Adventure. He wrote this memoir himself on a special Braille computer as if telling his story through another boy's eyes, which is only occasionally a distraction. Stanislav Pugliese translated it into pretty good English.
This is the angel who sang for Mayor Juiliani during a Memorial for those who perished in the September 11 attacks & I only wish there had been a CD of his favorite songs attached to this memoir.