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Other Entertainment: Collected Pieces

by Ned Rorem

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502508,434 (4)5
As a musician who is also a writer, Ned Rorem claims that some years ago the IRS, at a loss as to how to pigeonhole him for their purposes, settled on the designation of "Other Entertainment" when noting the source of his livelihood. Thus the title of this fourteenth book by a composer who has been universally acclaimed for his prose, and a writer who has won a Pulitzer Prize for his music. He goes beyond music in this collection, however, reaching in some instances even beyond "entertainment." These essays examine in depth such contrasting human subjects as Billie Holiday and Arnold Schoenberg, Lillian Hellman and Kazuo Ishiguro, Benjamin Britten and Josephine Baker, Noel Coward and Marguerite Duras, Joe Orton and Jean Cocteau. And in addition to the reviews, profiles, tributes, and even obituaries, there are dialogues with critic John Simon and with physician Lawrence Mass that center on homosexuality, as it obtains both in the arts and in general conversation. Two pieces about new American opera, and one on the old chestnut Carmen, demonstrate yet again Ned Rorem's informed wit on a subject near to his heart. Even nearer his heart are portraits of cherished colleagues Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Virgil Thomson, plus snapshots of still more friends and idols, from Debussy, Ravel, and Sarah Orne Jewett to Myrna Loy, Libby Holman, and Jane Bowles. Finally Rorem paints very personal and impressionistic landscapes of the artists' colony Yaddo, of Carnegie Hall, and of Nantucket island.… (more)
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A varietal collection of essays that spans the worlds of music and literature - this is just what you would expect from Ned Rorem. When he was not writing he was composing beautiful music and vice versa. I would recommend this collection to any music lover on the assumption that they would be literary fans as well. ( )
  jwhenderson | Nov 30, 2022 |
Ned Rorem has had a celebrated career as a composer and a diarist, but he has also contributed many pieces to contemporary publications reviewing books, the lives of famous artists, and his experiences in the art community. Other Entertainment is a collection of such pieces ranging from 1978 to 1995. In it, Rorem discusses—among other things—his views on Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Unconsoled, the Frenchness of Jean Cocteau, an overview of American opera, and even small vignettes on those who passed in his lifetime (including Aaron Copland).

These pieces, while originally published in 1996, seem better than some of the book reviews being done today. The tone is all at once dignified, jocular, breezy, and learned. It’s hard to maintain such a voice for very long, but Rorem’s essays were very pleasureable to read, especially since I didn’t really know a lot about some of his subjects. This seems almost like the kind of book you would read to prep for a dinner party; you could trot out many of the opinions in the book without seeming too pompous. The other thing that surprised me was that I thought the world didn’t have any more diarists. I figured Samuel Pepys was the last real famous person to have a published diary. I guess you learn something new every day. A quaint and intriguing read. ( )
1 vote NielsenGW | Jul 14, 2013 |
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As a musician who is also a writer, Ned Rorem claims that some years ago the IRS, at a loss as to how to pigeonhole him for their purposes, settled on the designation of "Other Entertainment" when noting the source of his livelihood. Thus the title of this fourteenth book by a composer who has been universally acclaimed for his prose, and a writer who has won a Pulitzer Prize for his music. He goes beyond music in this collection, however, reaching in some instances even beyond "entertainment." These essays examine in depth such contrasting human subjects as Billie Holiday and Arnold Schoenberg, Lillian Hellman and Kazuo Ishiguro, Benjamin Britten and Josephine Baker, Noel Coward and Marguerite Duras, Joe Orton and Jean Cocteau. And in addition to the reviews, profiles, tributes, and even obituaries, there are dialogues with critic John Simon and with physician Lawrence Mass that center on homosexuality, as it obtains both in the arts and in general conversation. Two pieces about new American opera, and one on the old chestnut Carmen, demonstrate yet again Ned Rorem's informed wit on a subject near to his heart. Even nearer his heart are portraits of cherished colleagues Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Virgil Thomson, plus snapshots of still more friends and idols, from Debussy, Ravel, and Sarah Orne Jewett to Myrna Loy, Libby Holman, and Jane Bowles. Finally Rorem paints very personal and impressionistic landscapes of the artists' colony Yaddo, of Carnegie Hall, and of Nantucket island.

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