(...)This collection gives us a remarkable cross-section of his work; from On The Town to West Side Story through to rareties from Peter Pan and even Madwoman of Central Park West. For a "Lenny" freak, and for a serious musical theatre lover, this collection is an imperative. Unfortunately, it is currently out of print. Bad move, Boosey. If you are a musical theatre lover, and you can get a copy of this...do so, now!!!

I read this book when it was first published. The author's advice is both practical and witty. The book is a pleasure to read and the advice works!

The cover cartoon of Mike Venezia's look at Leonard Bernstein for the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers has the subject playing the piano, composing, conducting, writing a book, and putting on a TV series for kids. That last one is how most of my generation probably first encountered Bernstein, whose "Young People's Concerts" did more to promote classical music in this country than anything else in our lifetime. Eventually, once Bernstein explained to us what was happening in a Beethoven symphony we learned that this man could not only teach us about great music he could also write some as well. Eventually, if our lessons in music appreciation continued, we would understand why he was also a dynamic conductor.

Of course Venezia provides an entertaining biography of Bernstein, which combines basic biographical information with career highlights and a half-dozen entertaining cartoons. Venezia also names some of Bernstein's greatest compositions, such as the scores for "West Side Story" and "Candide," and urges his young readers to seek out this music as well as the videos of Bernstein's lecture-concerts for young people that are still available on videotape. Reading about Bernstein or any other composer without being exposed to the music is just flat out wrong. There are several excellent "hits" collections of Bernstein's work as well as Broadway cast albums and film soundtracks that can bring his music alive for young students. I have also believed for a long time that nobody did a better job of conducting Beethoven's symphonies than Bernstein. Other volumes in the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers series look at the likes of not only Mozart and Tchaikovsky, but also Gershwin and the Beatles. However, this is the best volume I have read in this series to date.

This is a biography of Lenny Bernstein, in the genre of non-fiction. From when he was a little child, he loved music. The book tells you about him growing up as a music teacher, a piano player, a composer and a conductor of symphony orchestras.

I enjoyed reading about Lenny because there were a lot of things that were hard for him in his life and that he overcame. For example, school - he never had time to do his homework because he took music classes after school. His father hated music because the only music players he knew played at bar mitzvahs and birthday parties, and they only got paid with their meal. They were very, very poor, and he wanted better for his son. But Lenny played music and took classes against his father's wishes. He got through all the problems and grew up to be what he wanted to be.

Yes, I would recommend this book to a friend if you like music. Even if you don't like music, but you are really passionate about something and want to do it all the time, I recommend you read this because it shows that if you love something and you don't stop trying to get it right, you can do the thing that you love all your life.

I learned that a conductor leads an orchestra and a composer writes the music. I'd like to read the books that Leonard wrote and listen to some of his music. Reviewed by Stuart

Having admired Bernstein for many years, I have always felt that there was a lack of photos from his final years. Here, Seiler has provided a wonderful portrait of the master in his many moods. The close-ups reveal Bernstein in intense thought while his candid photos (eg playing ping-pong) allow us to see his more playful side. Rarely are there photos without the cigarette in hand but this surely is his trademark. The comments by those who knew him add to the mystique and wonder of a man who embraced life so intensely.

A friend showed me this book after I mentioned to him the problem I was having located good information about women scientists, especially those who had made contributions in the field of geology. This book is a great place to start this research! Written for grades 5 and up, it provides biographical sketches of women who have made contributions in a variety of the sciences. It also includes fairly simple activities that allow students to get a taste of what it's like to work in the particular field of science. A glossary and a short bibliography make this a great resource for the shelf of any science teacher.

This book is out of print and I managed to get a used copy as a gift to a friend. I first read it a few months ago, also a few months after I first got interested in wine. This is great reading for anyone into wine tasting, even only remotely. It not only gives you quite some information about French wines (occasionally American ones), but also teaches you how to be snobbishly cool with the whole thing with scathing humor. You'll laugh as you read through and recognize as well as make fun of your own snobbery in the future.

I neither know nor care about wine, but I found this book enormously entertaining.

The book is written as an autobiographical story about Bernstein's quest to reach the upper ranks of wine snobbery. He covers what to order and when (and how to go from impressive to daringly impressive w/out spending too much) paring wine with food, what to do with the cork, how to taste wine without looking dumb, best names for wine ever, etc.

This book is great for beginners because it's a great way to learn, or for someone who already "knows it all" when it comes to wine because it's so funny. I've bought this book as a gift for several people and they always comment on it months later. While I suppose you could learn to become quite a wine snob, it's easier to laugh at them. I also noticed that my confidence around wine improved when I realized that the main thing a "real wine snob" did was ignore all "rules" about wine with confidence.

This is an excellent bok that you will never want to stop reading! It is about two gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. The Jets are Americans and the Sharks are Puerto Ricans. This novel takes place in New York City. Both of the gangs attend a commuity dance to plan a fight, and Tony, an American that used to lead the Jets, falls in love with Maria, a Puerto Rican. Maria's brother is Bernardo, who is the head of the Sharks and despises Tony. How will they solve this? This book is basically a modern version of Romeo and Juliet with changes in characters, and it is definitely something that you should read!

West Side Story by Irving Shulman is an excellent book about two rival street gangs in New York City. The Jets are the white gang; the Sharks are the Puerto Ricans. Barnardo, the leader of the Sharks, has a younger sister named Maria. Problems arise when Maria falls in love with Tony, a member of the Jets. I've seen the movie and read the book. I love them both.

Personally I think that this is proboly the best book I have ever read. This Story tells a tale based on a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Although the story is based on the dramatic story Romeo and Juliet, I find A West Side Story well writen and very touching. The book is set in New York City, and tells how two rival gangs (the Jets, and Sharks). The 2 gangs are fighting over a section of the city. When one member of the Sharks finds love in one of the Jets' sister, the Jet gets very angry. In a street fight the Shark kills his lovers' brother, the shark retreats to a local hide out. later that night the Shark is gunned down by a rival gang member. In the end the 2 gans realize that there is no reason to fight. I love the book.

How inspiring it is that one of the greatest conductors of the last century devoted so much time and mental energy to the language/music analogy. These six lectures are a delicious feast for the mind. Bernstein's basic premise is that, although music is not a language (because it lacks a prosaic, communicative function), it shares an expressive function with poetry. In fact, the metaphorical processes that give rise to poetic creation also make possible musical development--with one important difference: music, unlike poetry, does not need to be transformed from a prose surface structure into a musical surface structure. Subtle stuff.
But as Bernstein supports his statements with musical and poetic examples, the listener/reader/viewer cannot help but be fascinated and transfixed.
If you're interested in music, poetry, and artistic creativity in general, you'll find each lecture to be a glorious journey. Despite what a previous reviewer has written, the first two lectures are not "the weakest part of the series." Rather, they contain fascinating speculations about music and language from a great thinker.

I respect Bernstein even more as a scholar of music and languages than I do as a conductor. I thought this was an inspired literary work of his, really. For example, his explanation of musical motive in Beethoven's 5th Symphony where we are shown that Beethoven has taken the common coda form, TA TA TA DUM, that many classical works end with, and turned it to a motive from which derives the motion and power of HIS entire symphony. That is Bernstein at his most insightful and brilliant. Wonderful! Illuminating! I would never have thought of things that only a conductor and musicologist can otherwise understand and explain. Thank you Lenny, we love you!

This is genius. Only now scientific research is proving his incredible leap of imagination.

This bio skillfully covers Bernstein's background, his philosophy, his methods of viewing and performing music. Bernstein was a man of conflict, always wishing to compose (indeed, he wanted to be remembered not as a conductor, primarily, but as a composer) but knew he had to remain with conducting in order to earn his living. And Bernstein was a splendid composer .. I personally think his Candide and West Side Story are masterpieces without peer, and his orchestral works are incredibly daring and far sighted for their time. Bernstein, though a genius, was all too human. He struggled endlessly with his sexuality, yet remained entirely devoted to his wife and children. Burton thoroughly explores Bernstein's many friendships with those in the music world, the most touching being his involvements with Copland and Mitropoulous. Both recognized Bernstein's genius, and were also painfully aware of his inner conflicts and fragile ego, and strove to uplift and encourage him so that he might make his true mark in the arts. The photos in this book are splendid, and Burton's writing is crisp and engaging. You will come away from this book with a renewed respect and enthusiasm for Bernstein the man and the musician.

If you are interested in Bernstein, this is the biography to read. It neither raises him up too high nor tears him apart. Much of it deals with Bernstein's inner turmoil and how that impacted his relationships. Bernstein's humanity comes through very strongly. An enjoyable read, good pictures too.

I agree along with many that this is the definitive Bernstein biography. I have read it on and off for over a year now, and have gone back to particular sections not only to refresh my memory but to re-read Burton's fluid writing. An inspirational book about an all-around genius and the whirlwind tour of a life he lived. The book motivated me to delve into Berstein's life even further (quite costly y'know... with all the recordings, Norton Lectures, Young People's Concerts, various other video performances, writings, etc.)