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sabretoothdream's review against another edition
5.0
i remember the first time i read this, especially the first imaginary conversation he has with himself (over Beethoven). i felt like someone punched me in the gut. in a very, very good way. i just knew *exactly* what he was talking about. one of my favorite books of all time.
ez_claire's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Incredible teachings on music. Very readable for anyone interested who isn’t an expert, and a lovely reflective read for anyone with more experience.
jdlinn's review against another edition
3.0
much of the book is scripts from TV shows, which definitely aren't as interesting to read as to watch. Still some fascinating insights, regardless.
andyreadsfantasy's review against another edition
4.0
For someone like me that doesn't know much about music, I learned a lot. I thought there were good and basic discussions that taught me more about appreciating music. However, there was also a lot of written music with notes and bars. So unless you are really able to read music well and imagine what it sounds like, you won't understand everything (like me). If I knew more about reading music, I probably would have enjoyed it even more.
beatsbybeard's review against another edition
4.0
I so wish we had a contemporary who was communicating about music the way Bernstein did. This book includes scripts from his telecasts, which I need to find if they're online somewhere. Really enjoyed it.
porange's review against another edition
4.0
The way he talked reminded me so much of my friends lol. Just pointless debates for fun
The “Imaginary Conversation” in the beginning is just him roasting his poet friend on a roadtrip together when he pretentiously used Beethoven in a comparison for verbal fluff like “These hills are pure Beethoven”- even though the guy knows nothing about him.
Leonard just proceeds to basically tear Beethoven apart, troll the poet friend about the bs comparison , and his friend is basically like, “OKAY I get it. My idol is being crushed before my eyes, you happy? I mean man, do you even like him?? You sound like you hate him at this point!”
Leonard: “Well yeah he’s one of my all time favorites. He’s a genius.”
Friend: smh
So good
The “Imaginary Conversation” in the beginning is just him roasting his poet friend on a roadtrip together when he pretentiously used Beethoven in a comparison for verbal fluff like “These hills are pure Beethoven”- even though the guy knows nothing about him.
Leonard just proceeds to basically tear Beethoven apart, troll the poet friend about the bs comparison , and his friend is basically like, “OKAY I get it. My idol is being crushed before my eyes, you happy? I mean man, do you even like him?? You sound like you hate him at this point!”
Leonard: “Well yeah he’s one of my all time favorites. He’s a genius.”
Friend: smh
So good
m4ryk4te's review against another edition
4.0
I wish this entire book was a collection of essays like the first half! I enjoyed the first half so much. The second half is just a transcript of his Omnibus lectures. Including that as the second half of the book seemed pretty low effort.
First half of book: 5 stars. Second half of book: 3 stars. Average: 4 stars.
First half of book: 5 stars. Second half of book: 3 stars. Average: 4 stars.