Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4458738 in Books
• Published on: 1979-01-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Customer Reviews

Supreme Tchaik Criticism
Just to clarify for readers who may be confused by the review below (as am I): Brown, like most modern Tchaik biographers and critics, cites Tchaikovsky's sexuality often in his analyses precisely because Tchaikovsky's life is inseperable from his music. They are one and the same, you cannot understand Tchaik's music without understanding his life, and his inner torment. Furthermore, if you seek to further understand Tchaik's music by understanding Tchaik as a person, David Brown's comprehensive insights are among the best out there. He gives thorough account of his life, history, etc, as well as his psychological mindset. With this, he goes into extensive analysis of his works as they were written- genesis, reception, and then in hindsight. As for the confused review above, Brown covers Tchaikovsky in whole much more completely and eloquently than many authors. These books are great resourcs, and if you do not own them, at least go to the library check it out for some minimal study. It is great fun, and very enlightening.

Why Tchaikovsky was homosexual is of interest to me.
Brown figured out where Tchaikovsky's musical ideas came from, and how he wrote music. Also, authors like Brown, Poznansky and others mention Tchaikovsky's homosexuality, but don't explain or stress why. My thoughts here are about Tchaikovsky and his sexuality. Some people may misunderstand it or simply not know what caused it. You may not find this interesting, but I do. If Tchaikovsky's sexuality is mentioned, authors should at least try to figure out and stress why. I've read different sources on Tchaikovsky and psychology. Why isn't this psychology stressed and emphasized by Tchaikovsky's authors? So, like Brown, I don't think Tchaikovsky's authors tried to emphasize why Tchaikovsky was homosexual, and I think they should have.