Lost Secrets of Master Musicians: A Window Into Genius

This intrepid, controversial and quite personal book, full of audacious and challenging ideas, is opening the public eye to the deep crisis and stagnation in the system of musical education in the US and the world in general. Through the explicit and comprehensive analysis, the author attempts to answer some of the vital questions in the field - to paraphrase Russian literature classics - "who is to blame" and "what is to be done", to fix or even rebuild the rotten system. Can talent be explained? Should conductors be eliminated? Is the music world corporate?This book encourages us to awaken from the deep slumber of complacency. Its revolutionary new perspective on musical education is quite astonishing, along with impeccable storytelling, razor-sharp analysis of the old and obsolete system of the late half-century which failed to produce great musical geniuses like Jasha Heifetz, Nathan Milstein, Vladimir Horowitz, etc.There is a paradox about the countless army of highly trained musicians struggling to fit into the scarce available employment opportunities, which creates an enormous pool of un/underemployed, misplaced, confused, unhappy, yet talented musical professionals.What does the future hold for the young and talented classical musicians?Is it time for music renaissance?Is classical music even necessary in the modern corporate world we live in?We have to answer for ourselves..

Despite a lot of air, the part on the 3 parts system is really a gem. after I understood how the right arm should move, I could draw better sound from my violin with very fast full bow strokes. I know my bow is straight and my bowing plane is flat to the string. Very happy about this finding. A big thank you for the analysis.A bit further back, it talked about spicatto is like skipping stone over water. With th new arm movement, I can now play a much faster spiccato ala part of Paganini motor perpetual without stopping, while in the past I some how could not control the bow. This is my second thank you.However, I still cannot understand about the imaginary line formed by the base of the finger to be parallel to the bowing arm. I read and re-read. Even with illustrations it is still a misery.I feel that the author need not criticized other systems because it does not apply to me so I did not read. I am also not interested in his biography. However, I cannot complain because the analysis presented actually helped me to play better almost with a day of grasping the idea and after some practices.The part on weak beat vs strong beat is not so easily understood. Until I looked for YouTube on Heifetz playing melodie by Tchaikovsky. It gave me a shock when I heard Heifetz actually did emphasized the weak beat on every phrase. The part on the 2 notes is also difficult , well if one book I can learn one idea, it is already a good book. So the book is a very good tonpotentially excellent book depending on the ability of the reader to grasp the idea present d.If will be great if David can have a forum for further discussion

The only other book I can compare this to is the hard-to-find ‘Talks with the Great Composers’. Actually, the two should be read side by side. Professor Jacobson has done an inestimable service to the history of musical and, by extension, artistic expression. Because I think his concepts could apply (in slightly different ways) to fine art, literature, playwriting, and theater. Every string player, at least, should read this book. Though really, all musicians and composers should read it. Then anyone with an interest in history and culture who has the sense that something has been lost within our western civilization in the last 100 years or so, but you can’t put your finger on what that might be. The section dealing with the effect of the two world wars and the Holocaust was the most poignant and troubling for me. It made me realize how delicate our whole society is and how critical it is to treasure life and to treasure artistic gifts, wherever we may find them.

Given the author's violin training, first as a prodigy and then Curtis and Galamian education, the book has some great moments such as revealing the phrasing and articulation of the great violinists and pianists back to the bel canto style of singing, conceptualizing the role of the two arms in violin playing and the most important advocacy that modern music conservatory training are deeply fraud. I thought a good editor's advice would shape the book better, eliminate repetitive propositions and perhaps drop some of the chapters that are interesting on standalone basis but not improving the flow of he chapters (for instance the chapter on instruments and the sales practices).

very interesting ideas relevant to classical music especially regarding performance training and composition education . As a recent returner to amateur playing his observations on music education ring true to my experience . Furthermore as a practicing visual artist I found his outlook makes good sense in that field too in for instance the modern quest for originality

Great book!