Get Best Sellers Audiobooks in Arts & Entertainment, Music

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Title: Something in the Air: Radio, Rock, and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation

Author: Marc Fisher

Narrator: Bill Andrew Quinn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-20-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

A sweeping, anecdotal account of the great sounds and voices of radio - and how it became a bonding agent for a generation of American youth.

When television became the next big thing in broadcast entertainment, everyone figured video would kill the radio star - and radio, period. But radio came roaring back with a whole new concept. The war was over, the baby boom was on, the country was in clover, and a bold new beat was giving the syrupy songs of yesteryear a run for their money. Add transistors, 45 rpm records, and a young man named Elvis to the mix, and the result was the perfect storm that rocked, rolled, and reinvented radio.

Visionary entrepreneurs like Todd Storz pioneered the Top 40 concept, which united a generation. But it took trendsetting disc jockeys like Alan Freed, Murray the K, Wolfman Jack, Cousin Brucie, and their fast-talking, too-cool-for-school counterparts across the land to turn time, temperature, and the same irresistible hit tunes played again and again into the ubiquitous sound track of the fifties and sixties. The Top 40 sound broke through racial barriers, galvanized coming-of-age kids (and scandalized their perplexed parents), and provided the insistent, inescapable backbeat for times that were a-changin.

Along with rock-and-roll music came the attitude that would literally change the voice of radio forever, via the likes of raconteur Jean Shepherd, who captivated his loyal following of Night People; the inimitable Bob Fass, whose groundbreaking Radio Unnameable inaugurated the anything-goes free-form style that would come to define the alternative frontier of FM; and a small-time Top 40 deejay who would ultimately find national fame as a political talk-show host named Rush Limbaugh.

From Hunter Hancock, who pushed beyond the limits of 1950s racial segregation with rhythm and blues and hepcat patter, to Howard Stern, who blew through all the limits with a blue streak of outrageous on-air antics; from the heyday of summer songs that united carefree listeners to the latter days of political talk that divides contentious callers; from the haze of classic rock to the latest craze in hip-hop, Something in the Air chronicles the extraordinary evolution of the unique and timeless medium that captured our hearts and minds, shook up our souls, tuned in - and turned on - our consciousness, and went from being written off to rewriting the rules of pop culture.

Members Reviews:

the glory days of a now dying industry

Rock and Roll was born in the late 50's, 60's and 70's. The record business was booming and radio disc jockeys were the intermediaries and became stars in their own right. Today there are many entertainment venues and artists can create product in their basements and become stars distributing their work on the internet. They generate demand, and make money, touring. More democratic than before but less glamourous.

Hey! Do you remember rock and roll radio?

There's a fascinating history of the development of radio in the second half of the 20th century hiding inside this book, which in the way it is read, and in the way it is written, is too much of a Baby Boomer "oh, yeah, remember when?" chronicle for listeners who didn't grow up in the era. If you can stand the nostalgia, it's a good listen.

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Title: Enoch Arden

Subtitle: Melodrama for Speaker and Piano

Author: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Richard Strauss (music)

Narrator: Benjamin Luxon, Frederick Moyer (piano)

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-24-12

Publisher: JRI Recordings

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

Continuing a collaboration started years ago with a performance at Tanglewood of Schubert' Die Schone Mullerin, Benjamin Luxon and Frederick Moyer now turn to the little-explored genre of music for piano and narrator.

Enoch Arden first came to international attention with a recording by Claude Raines and Glenn Gould, but it has since drifted back to obscurity. This is a work that both Luxon and Moyer have loved for many years. The poem is immediately accessible to any audience and tells a heart-wrenching story of friendship, love, separation, and sacrifice. The masterful score creates a powerful soundtrack to the saga. Music by Richard Strauss, performed on piano by Frederick Moyer.

Critic Reviews:

"They sound joined at the hip as collaborators. Luxon's colourful, poignant declamation of the text is matched with superb fluency of gesture and detail by Moyer, who brings an almost Schumannesque sense of dark, light and rapture to Strauss's prismatic score. The performance draws you into the tale with the kind of wonder millions experience while immersing themselves in the adventures of Harry Potter." (Gramophone)

"Coming from a composer most celebrated for his lush symphonic writing and soaring vocal lines, Richard Strauss` setting of Tennyson`s romantic epic Enoch Arden is a decided oddity - a long 75-minute poetry reading scored for speaker and piano. Yet Strauss brings such acute sensitivity and dramatic sweep to his setting of Tennyson's melodrama that it makes the saga of a decades-long love triangle breathe with renewed life. Benjamin Luxon`s career was curtailed by hearing loss in the 1990s. Yet, backed by the sterling keyboard work of Frederick Moyer, the English baritone`s intensely committed reading of the text makes a uniquely musical performance in itself. Luxon narrates with exemplary diction and his nuanced phrasing and subtle illumination of every detail of Tennyson's ornate lines makes for a compelling and ultimately moving experience. Beautifully recorded." (Florida Sun-Sentinel)

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Title: The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll

Subtitle: The Mysterious Roots of Modern Music

Author: Christopher Knowles

Narrator: Bill Andrew Quinn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-12-12

Publisher: Viva Editions

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

Sex. Drugs. Loud music. Wild costumes. Dazzling light shows. These words can all describe a great rock concert or a hot dance club, but they were also part and parcel of the ancient cultural phenomenon known as the "Mystery religions". In this book, author Christopher Knowles shows how the long-dead Mystery religions got a secular reincarnation when a new musical form called rock 'n' roll burst onto the scene.

Knowles shows how the Mysteries prefigured subcultures as diverse as Santeria, Freemasonry, and Mardi Gras, and explains exactly how ancient rituals and music found their way to the New World. In the process, The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll traces the development of rock's most popular genres, such as punk and metal, and reveals how many of rock's most iconic artists fill the same archetypal roles as the ancient gods. You'll see how many of the rituals, customs, and musical styles of our postmodern society have stunning ancient parallels. You'll meet history's first pop divas, headbangers, and guitar heroes and read the untold story of the Puritan Woodstock. Get ready for a wild ride that will take you from the Stone Age to the Space Age.

Members Reviews:

Excellent reading, disappointing book

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Quinn does a fine job with the reading. One of my favorite things about audio books is getting the pronunciations of foreign and unfamiliar terms, and he weaves them in smoothly. His pacing and dynamics were both great. I'll be looking for more by him.

What was most disappointing about Christopher Knowless story?

Weak scholarship, distracting cutesy phrasing, and above all, deep tunnel vision, showing little awareness that anyone else's tastes could really matter as much as his or be nearly so interesting. Would have been a better memoir, maybe.

You didnt love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The first part, going over the existing accounts and physical evidence of the mystery cults of antiquity with an eye on possible similarities of practice with contemporary music and related celebrations, was fun. A lot of it's speculative, but he's clear about it, and some of the connections he traces intrigued me enough to suggest further reading. The farther his subject is from himself, apparently, the better Knowles is at writing interestingly about it for people who don't share his immediate tastes.

Underwhelmed

The author seems to want to tie rock and roll culture into the mystery religions of ancient civilization. What it comes out as is a brief primer on ancient mtyhology and an encyclopedia of well-documented rock trivia (hardly "secret"). The two are never really adequately tied together (nor is the central theme really mentioned much again) aside from the over-use of the word "dionysian" to describe just about everything and everyone.

Informative and fascinating

Here you could dive into our historic subconscious life and follow the very roots

of the phenomena called rock-n-roll.

Men and Gods, what it means to us now

and what is the future might be for popular music.

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Title: The Big Payback

Subtitle: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop

Author: Dan Charnas

Narrator: Kevin R. Free

Format: Unabridged

Length: 27 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 148 votes

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

An original journalist for The Source, Dan Charnas built a celebrated career in the rap industry. In The Big Payback, he chronicles the rise of the hip-hop culture and shows how it became so powerful in a matter of decades. Charnas also profiles many of the movers and shakers in this burgeoning cultural movement, offering unprecedented access to an industry that continues to shake the globe.

Critic Reviews:

Nuanced treatment of the impresarios behind signature sounds and recording empires, and brisk, dramatic vignettes, give this history of a leaderless revolution impressive momentum. (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

So much love

If you have any interest at all in hip hop, you'd be doing yourself a huge favor by listening to this book. It's incredibly detailed, offering snapshots of pivotal moments in the rise of hip hop from beats in clubs and kids rapping on the street to the extremely successful and ubiquitous art form it is today. Although it's over 27 hours and nearly 700 pages in print, I only wish this was longer. The drama between some of the industry's leading figures not only gives context to lyrics that might not otherwise make sense, and imparts a deeper understanding of artists' identities - it's also makes for a lot of interesting narratives. Even if you think you know a lot about hip hop history already, you will almost certainly learn something new, and there's a perspective here you can only get from hearing it all in the context of the time and place in which it happened. Oh, and it's really well-written and narrated. Definitely recommend this one.

Most Comprehensive Book

Even though I may not like Hip Hop as much as other genres, this is the most comprehensive book that I ever read on a particular subject. No matter if you like Hip Hop or not, you will love this book because it's the most interesting read in a culture that is so popular among all ages.

Reading about how the legends got started in the scene was the best, like Run DMC, Beastie Boys, House of Payne, Dr. Dre, and the business, like Def Jam Records. The most interesting part is how they got into the mainstream so quickly, by changing the tunes on the radio overnight, by turning into a rap and pop station the next day.

In stead of reading thugs, pimps, and hoes, you will read the business side of this pop culture and how they become the 800 pound gorilla in music, fashion, Hollywood, and whatever else that they label as dope.

If you want to understand how Hip Hop got started, this is a infinite title that you have to pick up either in print or audio.

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars just because toward the end, the book became a bit too political with President Obama. It seems like that the President will bust a rhyme as he tries to get reelected for a second term, but that would be tight. It could happen, as the nation saw President Clinton played his saxophone on stage.

The Best book on Hip-Hop Culture and Industry Ever

If you could sum up The Big Payback in three words, what would they be?

Detailed, Insightful, Epic

What did you like best about this story?

The has views from all sides

What about Kevin R.

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Title: The Art of War

Author: Sun Tzu

Narrator: Jim Donaldson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-11-11

Publisher: Trout Lake Media

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

This timeless text is required listening for any business person or athlete interested in strategy. It includes a soundtrack entitled "The Mysterious Sound of Wind In the Bamboo", a 43-minute collection of Zen-inspired Japanese music by the Matsu Take Ensemble.

Members Reviews:

age-old treatise read well

Obviously it's a bit rough to casually listen to something like this, and I think the narration was done with an awareness of this fact.

Very very poor.

Would you try another book written by Sun Tzu or narrated by Jim Donaldson?

The audio is rank rotten. Looking for my money back, very poor quality.

What could Sun Tzu have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

A better modern translation.

What didnt you like about Jim Donaldsons performance?

A really poor recording.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Art of War?

Redo the entire book.

Any additional comments?

cani have my money back.

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Title: Fire and Rain

Subtitle: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY and the Lost Story of 1970

Author: David Browne

Narrator: Sean Runnette

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-19-11

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 331 votes

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

January 1970: the Beatles assemble one more time to put the finishing touches on Let It Be; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are wrapping up Déjà Vu; Simon and Garfunkel are unveiling Bridge Over Troubled Water; James Taylor is an upstart singer-songwriter who's just completed Sweet Baby James. Over the course of the next twelve months, their lives---and the world around them---will change irrevocably.

Fire and Rain tells the story of four iconic albums of 1970 and the lives, times, and constantly intertwining personal ties of the remarkable artists who made them. Acclaimed journalist David Browne sets these stories against an increasingly chaotic backdrop of events that sent the world spinning throughout that tumultuous year: Kent State, the Apollo 13 debacle, ongoing bombings by radical left-wing groups, the diffusion of the antiwar movement, and much more. Featuring candid interviews with more than 100 luminaries, including some of the artists themselves, Browne's vivid narrative tells the incredible story of how---over the course of 12 turbulent months---the '60s effectively ended and the '70s began.

Editorial Reviews:

Award-winning journalist and beloved music critic David Browne continues his string of successful band profiles, digging past his recent subjects of Jeff Buckley and Sonic Youth, to four of the most undisputedly influential rock legends falling apart at the end of the Decade of Love. As the seasons turn, the interlocking portraits of these four struggling musical partnerships shed new light on an often overlooked moment in the history of a country and a music scene.

Earphones Award-winner Sean Runnette narrates the book like he is sitting in your living room. Browne has set an easy-going tone that Runnette delivers with a friendly charisma and a fine ear for the sad parts of the story. This is a time where the bestselling albums in America all belonged to bands on the brink of implosion. Ironic parallels between the album content and the lives of the musicians abound. The Beatles are tying up loose ends on Let It Be while McCartney and Lennon each refuse to leave the other's nasty press quotes alone. James Taylor is riding the wave of Sweet Baby James while privately ignoring his heroin addiction. Simon and Garfunkel debut Bridge Over Troubled Water while burning bridges as Simon turns to teaching and Garfunkel turns to acting. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are pushing out Deja Vu while all four are much more focused on their solo careers.

As a backdrop to these tales of celebrity won and sanity lost, Browne provides ample historical context. Students killed in the Kent State riots drew the attention of Neil Young, the next wave of protest movements drew several rock stars to Joni Mitchell in competing romantic intrigues, everybody was glued to the news coverage of Apollo 13, and the meteoric rise of Led Zeppelin was poised to give all four bands a run for their money. In the hands of a less capable narrator, this fascinating moment in music history might amount to nothing more than a major bummer. But Runnette keeps the listener engaged and optimistic, adding a nostalgic flavor that will make you want to blow the dust off these albums and appreciate what you've been missing in a much more nuanced way.

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Title: Music for Healing & Unwinding

Subtitle: Two Pioneers in the Emerging Field of Sound Healing

Author: Steven Halpern, Dr. Joseph Nagler

Narrator: Steven Halpern, Dr. Joseph Nagler

Format: Original Recording

Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-18-11

Publisher: Sounds True

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 70 votes

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

Your body is a self-healing instrument. If you give it a chance it will always tend toward homeostasis or healthful balance. Sound healer Steven Halpern uses soothing and free floating keyboard compositions to draw the body into this state of balance and harmony. Combining artistic inspiration, sensitivity, and sophisticated sound technology, Music for Unwinding was created by music therapist and award-winning musician Dr. Joseph Nagler. Composed using specific tempi, rhythms and pacing, and performed by an ensemble of world-renowned musicians, these soothing melodies will free you to unwind and let go of the day's stress. Piano, violin, percussion, flute, guitars and bass all create a lush blend of deeply relaxing music that will peacefully resonate within your body.

Members Reviews:

Very Enjoyable

Sometimes I just want the music to start and no talking. This is the music for me. I really like it.

Amazin

I love to sleep to this or just nap. Especially when the house is quiet and my husband is gone at night. It doesn't really change from one song to another like many others; which would wake me. I have had this for about a year and still listen too it.

Really enjoyed listening

Very calming. I would fall asleep to it every night after my back surgery. It helped take my mind off the pain to allow for a restful sleep.

Terrific Healing Music

This music has helped me through the toughest thing I have gone through...the death of my spouse!!!!!!

didn't help me get to sleep

why do reviews require 15 words? audible, you can do better. (and you should)

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Title: All Shook Up

Subtitle: How Rock n Roll Changed America

Author: Glenn C. Altschuler

Narrator: Jack Garrett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-15-11

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 39 votes

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

The birth of rock 'n roll ignited a firestorm of controversy - one critic called it "musical riots put to a switchblade beat" - but if it generated much sound and fury, what, if anything, did it signify?

As Glenn Altschuler reveals in All Shook Up, the rise of rock 'n roll--and the outraged reception to it - in fact can tell us a lot about the values of the United States in the 1950s, a decade that saw a great struggle for the control of popular culture. Altschuler shows, in particular, how rock's "switchblade beat" opened up wide fissures in American society along the fault-lines of family, sexuality, and race.

For instance, the birth of rock coincided with the Civil Rights movement and brought "race music" into many white homes for the first time. Elvis freely credited blacks with originating the music he sang and some of the great early rockers were African American, most notably, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. In addition, rock celebrated romance and sex, rattled the reticent by pushing sexuality into the public arena, and mocked deferred gratification and the obsession with work of men in gray flannel suits. And it delighted in the separate world of the teenager and deepened the divide between the generations, helping teenagers differentiate themselves from others.

Altschuler includes vivid biographical sketches of the great rock 'n rollers, including Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly - plus their white-bread doppelgangers such as Pat Boone.

Rock 'n roll seemed to be everywhere during the decade, exhilarating, influential, and an outrage to those Americans intent on wishing away all forms of dissent and conflict. As vibrant as the music itself, All Shook Up reveals how rock 'n roll challenged and changed American culture and laid the foundation for the social upheaval of the sixties.

The Pivotal Moments in American History series seeks to unite the old and the new history, combining the insights and techniques of recent historiography with the power of traditional narrative. Each title has a strong narrative arc with drama, irony, suspense, and most importantly great characters who embody the human dimension of historical events. The general editors of Pivotal Moments are not just historians; they are popular writers themselves, and, in two cases, Pulitzer Prize winners: David Hackett Fischer, James M. McPherson, and David Greenberg. We hope you like your American History served up with verve, wit, and an eye for the telling detail!

Critic Reviews:

"One of the first to do rock-and-roll the significant service of locating it within the cultural and political maelstrom it helped to create. Altschuler does so with a good ear for the music and a deft hand, making this account a pleasure to read and ponder. He is not a flashy writer, but so much the better for his storytelling, which shows intelligence and narrative discipline.... Altschuler surpasses the admittedly sparsely populated field in the nuanced way he places the music within the conflicts - racial, sexual, commercial, and political - that it variously helped to encourage, exacerbate, and (occasionally) ameliorate.

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Title: How Music Works

Subtitle: The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond

Author: John Powell

Narrator: Walter Dixon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-20-10

Publisher: Gildan Media, LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 414 votes

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

An enthralling investigation into the mysteries of music. Have you ever wondered how off-key you are while singing in the shower? Or if your Bob Dylan albums really sound better on vinyl? Or why certain songs make you cry?

Now, scientist and musician John Powell invites you on an entertaining journey through the world of music. Discover what distinguishes music from plain old noise, how scales help you memorize songs, what the humble recorder teaches you about timbre (assuming your suffering listeners dont break it first), why anyone can learn to play a musical instrument, what the absurdly complicated names of classical music pieces actually mean, how musical notes came to be (hint: you can thank a group of stodgy men in 1939 London for that one), how to make an oboe from a drinking straw, and much more.

With wit and charm, and in the simplest terms, Powell explains the science and psychology of music. Clever, informative, and deeply engaging, How Music Works takes the secrets of music away from the world of badly dressed academics and gives every one of uswhether we love to sing or play air guitarthe means to enhance our listening pleasure.

Critic Reviews:

"Powell conveys the material with enough humor and cocktail party facts to keep the book light and fun." (Publisher's Weekly)

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: The Ninth

Subtitle: Beethoven and the World in 1824

Author: Harvey Sachs

Narrator: Patrick Egan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-15-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 39 votes

Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Music

Publisher's Summary:

All men become brothers...Be embraced, ye millions!

The Ninth Symphony, a symbol of freedom and joy, was Beethovens mightiest attempt to help humanity find its way from darkness to light, from chaos to peace. Yet the work was born in a repressive era, with terrified Bourbons, Hapsburgs, and Romanovs using every means at their disposal to squelch populist rumblings in the wake of the French Revolution and Napoleons wars. Ironically, the premiere of this hymn to universal brotherhood took place in Vienna, the capital of a nation that Metternich was turning into the first modern police state.

The Ninths unveiling, on May 7, 1824, was the most significant artistic event of the year, and the work remains one of the most precedent-shattering and influential compositions in the history of musica reference point and inspiration that resonates even today. But in The Ninth, eminent music historian Harvey Sachs demonstrates that Beethoven was not alone in his discontent with the state of the world. Lord Byron died in 1824 during an attempt to free Greece from the domination of the Ottoman empire; Delacroix painted a masterpiece in support of that same cause; Pushkin, suffering at the hands of an autocratic czar, began to draft his anti-authoritarian play Boris Godunov; and Stendhal and Heine wrote works that mocked conventional ways of thinking.

The Ninth Symphony was so unorthodox that it amazed and confused listeners at its premieredescribed by Sachs in vibrant detailyet it became a standard for subsequent generations of creative artists, and its composer came to embody the Romantic cult of genius.

In this unconventional, provocative new book, Beethovens masterwork becomes a prism through which we may view the politics, aesthetics, and overall climate of the era. Part biography, part history, part memoir, The Ninth brilliantly explores the intricacies of Beethovens last symphonyhow it brought forth the power of the individual while celebrating the collective spirit of humanity.

Critic Reviews:

"This book is a great read for expert musicians and for people who cant read a note of music. It is a very personal, loving view of Beethoven and his last symphony, but it also presents a fascinating historic panorama." (Plácido Domingo)

"Harvey Sachs brings to the fabled Ninth Symphony the broadest range yet of cultural and artistic testimony about Beethoven and about art." (Scott Burnham, Professor of Music History, Princeton University and author of Beethoven Hero)

Members Reviews:

a gem of an audiobook

The Ninth is a gem of an audiobook, up in there in the top 10 I have listened to in many years (and books) on Audible. Beautifully written and beautifully narrated. The book is composed of 4 different essays on the subject, across which you get tastes of biography, political & military history, cultural history (musical, literary, visual arts), you see where Beethoven & the Ninth came from, and how his work and this work were viewed by contemporaries and by those who came after, especially by such later musical luminaries as Mendelsohn, Wagner and so forth.

One of the essays, the shortest one, is an analysis (which does not require a degree in musicology to understand) on the Ninth itself. I found it useful to be able to toggle between a CD copy of the music and the MP3 book to follow the line of argument here. That was not too burdensome.