Customer Reviews (1)

great collection of gems,essays,fragments,interviews
Eisler emerged from the German avant-garde,he studied composition with Arnold Schoenberg. But he quickly devoted his creativity to the Left in Europe culminating in his grand collaborations with Bertold Brecht. Eislerlived a life of an activist,playing and conducting at worker ralliesorganizing concerts and choirs,giving lectures and accompanying from thepiano. This collection reflects in a real way this, at times dangerouslife. The Nazis had put a price on Eisler's head before his exile to Europethen finally Los Angeles with other emegres. His writing is purelyfunctional, there are no glowing metaphors or scholarship with piles offootnote references. We live now in an age of analysis,something he missed.Eisler's words however reflect the actual experiences,the actualnecessities of his art,and he knew intimately the history of music from itssocial and philosophic dimensions,in fact the first unpracticing socialmusicologist. He often here reports like "On the Concert for theInternational Brigade in Spain", referring to the times during theSpanish Civil War,(1936-1939) or "A Musical Journey throughAmerica". He often addressed the situation of the composer,his/herrole within a world indeed casting darkness with each month."On theSituation in Modern Music" reflects this and points to committment,andthe what he considered un-progressive forms of musical escapism,12-Tonemusic. This edition usefully gives the year at least of the writing orpreparation. Eisler had the jargon of the Left consummately so you mightread , "Hollywood, the film town, the dream of every petty bourgeoisis a sort of suburb of Los Angeles". Eisler now away from the dangers,faced another one of his own creativity, he was very successful at writingfor Hollywood filmscores. ... Read more