Chamber Music.

[Agnes Selby]

I would be most grateful if anyone could help me find biographical books
by chamber music artists. Thank you in advance.

Regards,
Agnes.

[piston]

Not my kind of reading but I will draw your attention to a book and a film on the Guarneri Quartet. Since you did not ask for a book review, I feel free to refer to it without any knowledge of it:

The Guarneri Quartet is fabled for its unique longevity and high-spirited virtuosity. Here is its story from the inside--a story filled with drama, humor, danger, compassion, and, of course, glorious music.

A player who studies and performs the exalted string-quartet repertoire has opted for a very special life. Arnold Steinhardt, tracing his own development as a student, orchestra player, and budding young soloist, gives a touching account of how he and his intrepid colleagues were converted to chamber music despite the daunting odds against success. And he reveals, as no one has before, the intensely difficult process by which--on the battlefield of daily three-hour rehearsals--four individualists master and then overcome the confining demands of ensemble playing.

[John F]

There's "Stormy Applause," the memoirs of Rostislav Dubinsky, former first violinist of the Borodin String Quartet.

[Agnes Selby]

Thank you Piston and John. It is much appreciated.

Kind regards,
Agnes.

[Lance]

Hello Agnes:

Here's some books that may provide some information:

Susan Tomes: "Beyond the Notes: Journeys with Chamber Music"
William Brown: "Menahem Pressler: Artistry in Piano Teaching" (and you know he is a great chamber musician!)
David Ewen: "Solo Instrumental and Chamber Music"

Beyond that, there are so many biographies and autobiographies on great musicians who have been involved in chamber music playing ... Artur Rubinstein's books, for example, where he talks of Heifetz, Feuermann, Piatigorsky and mothers.

Bernard Gavory: "Antonio Janigro"
Cesar Saerchinger: "Artur Schnabel"
Edward Crankshaw: "Artur Schnbel: My Life and Music"
Gregor Piatigorsky: "Cellist"
Jerome Spycket: "Clara Haskil - A Biography"
Rita Wolfensberger: "Clara Haskil" (only in German)
Daniel Barenboim: "A Life in Music"
Yakov Soroker: "David Oistrakh"
Viktor Jusefovich: "David Oistrakh: Conversations with Igor Oistrakh"
Roy Malan: "Efrem Zimbalist: A Life"
Annette Morreau: "Emanuel Feuermann"
David Jillett: (Richard) "Farrell" (pianist)
M. J. Ronze-Neveu: "Ginette Neveu" (by her mother)

I'll stop here, though I could go on and on ... just want to be sure I understand you are interested in biographies of people who perform(ed) in chamber music.

[Agnes Selby]

Dear Lance,

Thank you very much for your great help. Your list gives me a lot of reading to do.
It is wonderful to have good friends.

Kind regards,
Agnes.

[slofstra]

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... +arts+trio

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... %26sts%3Dt

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 6-_-isbn13

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 6572954356

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 4788903911

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 9-_-isbn13

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 7-_-isbn13

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... -plp-_-plp

[slofstra]

Also don't forget wikipedia, Agnes.

Here is a "jumping off" page for string quartet ensembles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_s ... _ensembles

And one for classical music trios.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category: ... usic_trios

[Agnes Selby]

Also don't forget wikipedia, Agnes.

Here is a "jumping off" page for string quartet ensembles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_s ... _ensembles

And one for classical music trios.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category: ... usic_trios

------

Thank you so much for your help.

Regards,
Agnes.

[barney]

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... +arts+trio

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... %26sts%3Dt

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 6-_-isbn13

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 6572954356

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 4788903911

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 9-_-isbn13

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... 7-_-isbn13

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9 ... -plp-_-plp

Thanks for this research. I just bought two of them, the Guarnieri, Indivisible by 4, and the Amadeus, the men and the music.
Please stop there before you cost me more money. Hard to pick between the two Amadeus ones. I might yet buy the one by the second violinist's wife. The Amadeus remain for me the last word in a particular style of cultured refinement.