BOOKS:Virgil Thompson, A Reader

Thompson at work.

Music critics can be stuffy and obscure and who reads them anyway? Do their opinions matter? And who would read a compilation of such writings, especially if they were mostly a collection of old newspaper columns? Well, you might want to give a look at “Virgil Thompson, A Reader, Selected Writings 1924-1984,” (2002). Thompson was unique among critics. He was both a gifted composer and a gifted writer. He knew music and dissected it with a first rate mind. In addition, he communicated this musical erudition with the direct and clear communication of a newspaper man. He worked for New York’s Herald Tribune and the New York Review of Books. Thompson’s writing sets the standard for musical criticism. He is witty, funny and thought provoking. If you love music especially classical music Thompson’s essays are without equal. This particular collection of essays covers making a living as a musician, his relationship to his contemporaries, such as Vladiamir Horowitz and Aaron Copeland, and two pieces about himself. Unfortunately there are no pieces about his personal life, partly because he didn’t write much about his secretive personal life and partly because he was evasive when he did. Either way this book is a fine showcase of Thompson’s sharp mind and his musical expertise. Recommended.