Nicolas Slonimsky: The First Hundred Years - Hardcover

Editor Kostelanetz has collected some of Slonimsky's greatest articles, biographies, musical definitions, and observations of the 20th century. As a composer, conductor, and prolific writer, Slonimsky virtually defines 20th-century musical scholarship with his well-known editorial work in Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians ( LJ 1/92), as well as numerous other books and journal articles. The new work presents a broad enough view of music, in both historical scope and content, to appeal to both musician and music lover. Slonimsky's famous sense of humor emerges in full force, especially in biographical pieces on popular musicians like Frank Zappa and Frank Sinatra. The inclusion of such items as Slonimsky's timeline of 20th-century opera libretti and his infamous censorship lecture, "Sex and the Music Librarian," gives some idea of the all-inclusive nature of the book. Recommended for public libraries and academic libraries from the high school to the graduate level.
- James E. Perone, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Nicolas Slonimsky has had a career in music that would be remarkable for its longevity alone. Born in Russia in 1894, he remains active today, including as an editor of such standard musical reference works as Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Slonimsky is, however, much more than a mere centenarian. He is one of the seminal figures in this century's musical avant garde and probably the only person ever who can claim to have premiered works of Charles Ives under the composer's active supervision and also have his own compositions performed in a Frank Zappa concert. Moreover, Slonimsky is one of music writing's deadlier shots. Many of his works target various forms of musical convention and deftly fell them with lethal turns of phrase. The book at hand collects some of Slonimsky's more outrageous essays (e.g., "Sex and the Music Librarian") and the juicier excerpts from his reference works. Kostelanetz has edited this, one of the more entertaining books on music, with consummate care; it is refreshing to see such love transmuted into print. John Shreffler