The infinite variety of music - Leonard Bernstein

With style
wit
and expertise
Leonard Bernstein shares his love and appreciation for music in all its varied forms in The Infinite Variety of Music
illuminating the deep pleasure and sometimes subtle beauty it offers. He begins with an
imaginary conversation
with George Washington entitled
The Muzak Muse
in which he argues the values of actively listening to music by learning how to read notes
as opposed to simply hearing music in a concert hall. The book also features the reproduction of five television scripts from Bernstein on the influence of jazz
the timeless appeal of Mozart
musical romanticism
and the complexities of rhythmic innovation. Also included are Bernstein's analyses of symphonies by Dvork
Tchaikovsky
Beethoven
and Brahms
a rare reproduction of a 1957 lecture on the nature of composing
and a report on the musical scene written for the New York Times after his sabbatical leave from directorship of the New York Philharmonic during the 1964-65 season.