Any one who enjoys music knows who Johann Sebastian Bach is and knows he led an incredibly interesting life. Basically Bach includes everything you want or need to know about Bach and his life. In my opinion Herbert Kupferberg did a really good job covering all of the aspects of Bach's life. In it he went through Bach's life and also some other famous Johanns and Bachs. Bach wrote pieces of music for the clavier, church songs for the organ, and operas. He was married twice. His first wife was Maria Barbara and his second was Anna Magdalena. This is a good book for anyone who is interested in history, good music, and Bach. You'll definitely enjoy this wonderful book by Herbert Kupferberg.

It was fun reading this book again. It was published in 1968 and dealt with the history of the Philadelphia Orchestra up till that time. Loaded with photos--many "behind the scenes"--and anecdotes, the book makes us feel as though we're with this great musical institution from its inception. We witness the orchestra's first two conductors, who got things off the ground, relive the maverick experiments and eccentric doings of Leopold Stokowski, and enjoy nearly half a century (it would be 44 years before he retired) of Eugene Ormandy's rock-steady stewardship.

The text is breezy and fun and while I would have liked perhaps a little more depth and a little less white-washing (about disputes between musicians and management, or conductors and management, for example), this is a fun book about the life of a great musical organization. It's amusing when reading it to realize how proud even "average" Philadelphians once were of their great orchestra, in this age of indifference to classical music. There was a time, only two generations ago, when people were as passionate about their cultural institutions as they are now about their sports teams. There also was a time, as the book points out, when people chatted casually at concerts and propped their shopping bags up on the foot of the stage when they ambled in. Stokowski changed all that, and demanded complete silence and attention at concerts of serious music. (When asked if he planned to conduct only sacred music during his newly-established Sunday concerts, he replied "All music is sacred.")

If you're interested in what cultural life was like in Philadelphia (and by extension most other American metropolitan cities) not very long ago, you should get a second-hand copy of this book. Things sure have changed.

This is the most informative book I've ever read on the subject of orchestral musicians. It's perfect for the layperson who knows nothing about what goes into being an orchestral musician, yet still holds the interest of the seasoned professional. "...Philadelphians" is a wonderful account of the daily life of what was the greatest orchestra in the world at the time this book was published.