Virgil Thomson: Composer on the AisleIn the first full-scale biography of a dominating figure in twentieth-century American music, Anthony Tommasini tells the richly textured story of Virgil Thomson's experiences as a composer, influential critic, and gay man. Writing with exclusive, full access to Thomson's papers and from extensive interviews and research, he recounts: . Thomson's early years in turn-of-the-century Kansas City's strange mixture of antebellum racial divides...his first steps in the arts, guided by a troubled older man, himself a closeted homosexual in a time when disclosure could destroy a life... the crystallizing of his musical ambitions as an often-contentious student of Nadia Boulanger's in Paris...his pioneering collaboration with Gertrude Stein on Four Saints in Three Acts...his rivalry with fellow composers such as Aaron Copland...how he settled personal scores and advanced his own agenda during his reign on the New York Herald Tribune as America's most important, and best, music critic...his lasting impact on, and sometimes troubled interactions with, younger composers such as Leonard Bernstein, John Cage, Paul Bowles, Ned Rorem, and Philip Glass...and through it all the unending struggle to write, and win an audience for, music that spoke directly and simply to the life of his time. |
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Contents
Maurice | 139 |
Four Saints Are Never Three | 152 |
American Music Agitators | 173 |
The Flowers of Friendship | 196 |
Contacts and Contracts | 218 |
A Knockout and a Wow | 240 |
The Commando Squad | 267 |
Who Does What to Whom and Who Gets Paid | 296 |
Politics and Prizes | 401 |
Roger | 430 |
Its a Soft Egg Baby | 453 |
A Lord a Genius a Millionaire and a Beauty | 476 |
Making Young Friends | 504 |
The Absence of the Presence | 524 |
All My Long Life | 546 |
Notes | 573 |
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Common terms and phrases
Aaron Copland Allan American music artists asked ballet Boston Briggs Buchanan Cage Cage's called Carl Van Vechten cast colleagues concert conductor dinner film Four Saints French friends Geoffrey Parsons George Gertrude Stein Gertrude's Harvard Herald Tribune Ibid idea Jack Larson John Cage John Houseman Kansas City Kenneth Koch knew Koch Larson later letter to VT libretto living Lord Byron Maurice Grosser Maurice's Modern Music moved music critic musicians Nadia Boulanger Ned Rorem Negro never night Norma opera orchestra painting Paris Paul Paul Bowles performance piano piece play premiere production rehearsals Roger Roger Sessions Rorem Saint Teresa Saints in Three score sing singers songs summer Symphony talk theater Theodate things Thom Thomson wrote Thomson's music thought Three Acts tion Toklas told took turned Virgil Thomson VT Coll wanted weeks writing York young