Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers

My favorite part about this book is that Patrick Kavanaugh brings these composers to life. His research is astounding and his perspective is open and honest. I read the entire book over the course of a year to grasp and learn about one composer at a time. To listen and hear the story their music was telling about them. To hear about the story I just read! I highly recommend this book to any musician and Christian. He invites you into their world, tells you a brief biography, then gives a word on that composer’s main quality as a person. At the end of each chapter (each is only about 3-5 pages) he gives a detailed list of listening examples of some of the composer’s well or lesser known works by instrumentation. Just finished it today. And also, don’t skip out on the introduction/preface and the foreword at the end. This entire book is worth reading and remembering!!! ❤️🎶

I used information from this book as a part of my weekly Piano Theory classes this past summer. Each week we studied and listened to music from a different pianist/composers. This added real-life understanding of the composers, as opposed to data and factual information from standard reference sources. After the summer classes were over, I gave copies of this book to each student as a gift. The composers came alive for them, and they learned about them in a personal way.

Kavanaugh well researches a difficult topic, that a making an assessment of someone else's faith, let alone that of great music composers.Oh, sure we all know about Bach, Handel and Mendelssohn, but for me at least not Haydn, Schubert, Liszt, Dvorak.With equal grace he presents the results of his research, without really making final judgment on each composer, but rather laying out the evidence he has discovered. Seems that many of greatest had touch of both believing and not at times, and who doesn't. Just shocked, as author predicted most would, as the inclusion of Wagner. Only heard that he was God opposed conductor, so to hear of spiritual side for Christ was startling and fascinating.The intro to each composer is well done, and suggetions for music listening for each also make this truly pleasure. Numerous notes allow all that wish to delve further a ready bibliography to begin.Especially liked Hadyn's response to certain church types who thought his music too ebullient: Since God has given me a cheerful heart, He will forgive me for serving him cheerfully."Also, the humbleness and piety of Dvorak was refreshing.Well written, read with relish. One to reread.

As a teenager, I don't usually don't get that excited over history. But this book changed everything!! A subject that had not previously been of interest to me became a fascination. Not only am I anxious to listen to the music these great composers wrote, but I am also starting a quest to find and read all of their biographies! You have to read this book--it's the best!!

I found these accounts fascinating, and, as a Christian myself, most relevant. I do not understand the criticism from the reader in South Carolina. Not every suspected unfavorable "fact" need be brought to light, particularly when there is so much doubt as to their veracity. For example, Pulitzer-prize winning critic Harold Schonberg notes that the supposed "fact" of Schubert's homosexuality is total speculation, particularly given his reputation as a ladies man.This is an enjoyable and important book.

Wether or not you are a Christian, you will enjoy this book. I am a believer and classical music lover so when I read this book, I loved it. It is not all about the composers as people, but the composers as God's tools for touching the lives of thousands, perhaps millions!...