Joy of Playing, the Joy of Thinking: Conversations about Art and Performance

Charles Rosen, a renowned musicologist, discusses art, culture, and the physical pain of playing difficult passages in his book "The Joy of Playing, the Joy of Thinking." He combines intelligence and skill as a concert pianist and inspires scholars to combine history, aesthetics, and score analysis. In interviews, he shares insights on the evolution of music, the pleasure of overcoming stage fright, and the drama of conquering technically difficult passages. He also argues that sensuality is essential for understanding and enjoying music.

Format: Hardback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 27 November 2020
Publisher: Harvard University Press

Brilliant, practical, and humorous conversations with one of the twentieth-centurys greatest musicologists on art, culture, and the physical pain of playing a difficult passage until one attains its rewards.

Charles Rosen, a renowned concert pianist, possessed a remarkable combination of intelligence and skill throughout his life. He began his musical journey at the age of seven at Juilliard, where he inspired a generation of scholars to blend history, aesthetics, and score analysis, giving rise to what is now known as "new musicology."

The Joy of Playing, the Joy of Thinking presents a captivating master class for music enthusiasts. In interviews originally conducted and published in French, Rosen's friend Catherine Temerson asks thoughtful and carefully crafted questions to elicit his insights on the evolution of music, as well as painting, theater, science, and modernism. Rosen delves into the usefulness of aesthetic reflection, the pleasure of overcoming stage fright, and the dramatic thrill of conquering technically challenging passages. He shares vivid anecdotes about composers ranging from Chopin and Wagner to Stravinsky and Elliott Carter. Throughout the interviews, Temerson's questions and Rosen's responses raise both practical and metaphysical conundrums. Is it possible to understand a work without analyzing it? Does music exist if it isn't played?

Throughout the book, Rosen returns to the theme of sensuality, arguing that if one does not possess a physical craving to play an instrument, then one should choose another pursuit. Rosen takes readers on a journey to the heart of musical matter. "Music is a way of instructing the soul, making it more sensitive," he asserts, "but it is useful only insofar as it is pleasurable. This pleasure is manifest to anyone who experiences music as an inexorable need of body and mind."

In conclusion, The Joy of Playing, the Joy of Thinking is a must-read for music lovers, offering a profound and captivating exploration of the world of music and its profound impact on art, culture, and the human experience. Through his brilliant, practical, and humorous conversations, Charles Rosen provides a master class for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding and appreciation of music.

Weight: 222g
Dimension: 120 x 187 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674988460