Lives of the Musicians

Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought)

By: Kathleen Krull

Narrated by: John C. Brown, Melissa Hughes

This is no stuffy music appreciation lesson. Author Kathleen Krull makes these great artists come alive. From Bach to Mozart, George Gershwin to Woody Guthrie, Beethoven to Gilbert and Sullivan, you'll learn all about their lives and music, what they were really like and what inspired these geniuses of musical expression. Filled with interesting trivia and gossip, Lives of the Musicians is the ultimate guide to the great composers.(P)1996 Audio Bookshelf; ©1993 by Kathleen Krull; Cover Illustration:  1993 by Kathryn Hewitt

Critic reviews

"Unstuffs a host of shirts and delivers wonderful musical trivia." (Newsweek)
"Living, breathing anecdotes - the stuff of which the best biography is made." (Publishers Weekly starred review)

good introduction

Good overview of many prominent musicians lives, 19 or 20 in all. The biographies were pretty superficial and geared more for children but they were interesting nonetheless. I was hoping for more discussion on each musicians' style and contribution to music.

Great listening, fun facts

Would you listen to Lives of the Musicians again? Why?

This is a cursory overview of a number of famous composers, from Chopin & Bach to Stephen Foster. Really fun, interesting and benevolently gossipy! Great for trips and great as an introduction to musical giants' personal lives, so one my choose who to investigate further.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I am a composer/biography junkie, so they are all fascinating to me!

What about John C. Brown and Melissa Hughes ’s performance did you like?

Both readers were wonderful; clear, appropriate emphasis, animated when needed.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It was fun to learn that Brahms was a, for lack of a more accurate term, slob!