Product Description

In the days before his fortieth birthday, London-based journalist Jasper Rees trades his pen for a French horn that has been gathering dust in the attic for more than twenty-two years, and, on a lark, plays it at the annual festival of the British Horn Society.

Despite an embarrassingly poor performance, the experience inspires Rees to embark on a daunting, bizarre, and ultimately winning journey: to return to the festival in one year's time and play a Mozart concerto—solo—to a large paying audience.

A Devil to Play is the true story of an unlikely midlife crisis spent conquering sixteen feet of wrapped brass tubing widely regarded as the most difficult instrument to master, as well as the most treacherous to play in public. It is the history of man's first musical instrument, a compelling journey that moves from the walls of Jericho to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, from the hunting fields of France to the heart of Hollywood. And it is the account of one man's mounting musical obsession, told with pitch-perfect wit and an undeniable charm—an endearing, inspiring tale of perseverance and achievement, relayed masterfully, one side-splittingly off-key note at a time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #572637 in Books
• Published on: 2008-12-01
• Released on: 2008-12-02
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Rees, a London journalist, decided to face his midlife crisis by picking up the French horn—an instrument he hadn't played since he was a teenager—and whip himself back into shape so he could play a Mozart concerto in front of an audience in just one year. Luckily, he had one of England's best horn players to give him lessons, but it was still an uphill battle—for starters, the concerto was composed in the key of E flat, but the horn was tuned to F, so Rees (like every performer before him) had to transpose the notes down a tone as he played along. Along the way, he recounts the instrument's colorful history, including a playful recreation of the first performance of Handel's Water Music (when the hunting horn first appeared alongside more widely acknowledged serious instruments), and chats with many of the world's leading performers, as well as Holly Hunter and Ewan McGregor who, like Rees, played the instrument in their youth. Rees's self-assigned quest turns into an amiable romp with quiet bits of inspiration. (Dec.)
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About the Author

A journalist with two decades of experience, Jasper Rees writes for the Daily Telegraph, the Independent, and the Sunday Times. He lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Thoroughly Enjoyable
A book that any musician who has ever tried to master an instrument will enjoy, but it will be especially enjoyable for horn players (and probably most brass players). One will learn the history of the horn, horn literature, and a look at the horn's most notable masters both living and deceased. Don't get the wrong idea, though, this is not a dry, academic exercise. It is filled with humor and a whole host of interesting characters and experiences. Highly recommended.

must-read for horn players!
I have played the horn for 25 years, but reading this book was a whole new education for me. Not only is Jasper's quest amusing in its overkill, but it's a horn lesson for the rest of us too. I strongly recommend it to fellow hornists, and to those who wonder about the strange world we musicians live in.

A lighthearted read which is surprisingly informative.
Having been treated to so much insider detail, it seems one might almost be able, without any previous experience, to pick up the horn and play an impeccable rendition of the slow movement from Mozart's Concerto for Horn #3, K447, but it would be impossible to play and laugh at the same time.