PROKOFIEV: A Biography in Three Movements

by Lawrence & Elisabeth Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 22, 1964

In their first biography about a musician, Lawrence and Elizabeth Hanson have thoroughly researched their subject, as indicated by the lengthy bibliography and a scrupulous chronicle of Prokofiev's life, from early childhood to his death ten years ago. From the time he wrote his first opera at the age of eight, the composer's life appears to be almost entirely devoted to and immersed in music. To the casual reader it would seem implausible that a man who had lived through several major and minor wars and a period of Rusian history blazing with political and social ferment could be relatively untouched by it. To those in music, the book provides a minute recounting of the composer's musical maturation and progress, his dedication to his music, and the influence on him of his contemporary artists, notably Rimsky- Korsakov, Stravinsky, Debussy, Dia? and Gorky. The biography of Prokofiev the musician must be synonymous with Prokofiev the man, for there seems to have been little else in his life. The Hansons are well known as popular biographers, who have hitherto applied themselves essentially to the realm of art.

Pub Date: Sept. 22, 1964

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1964

Categories: NONFICTION