Samuel Barber and Benjamin Britten - A Listener's Guide: Their Lives and Their Music (Parallel Lives) (w/CD).(Book Review)

Samuel Barber and Benjamin Britten--A Listener's Guide: Their Lives and Their Music (Parallel Lives) (w/CD), by Daniel Felsenfeld. Amadeus Press, LLC (512 Newark Pompton Plains Tke., Pompton Plains, NJ 07444), 2005. 180pp. $22.95.

The lives of two of the twentieth century's greatest composers, Benjamin Britten and Samuel Barber, were similar in many ways. Both were born early in the century, developed conservative compositional styles and faced many of the same personal demons. Daniel Felsenfeld has produced a praiseworthy study that explores many of the important parallels and dissimilarities between these two giants.

Felsenfeld's book is divided into three main sections: the first is devoted to the separate lives of Britten and Barber, the second to short essays and the third--the most extensive and original by far--to listening and analysis. The book concludes with a brief epilogue and a list of suggested additional readings.

Felsenfeld uses brief sketches, rather than extensive chapters, to explore the composers' lives. Each sketch is highly informative, surprisingly interesting and easily digestible. The topics for the sketches are remarkably well-chosen and provide marvelous insights into the life of each man. Felsenfeld focuses on certain pivotal events and pieces and eliminates others.

An excellent full-length CD to assist the reader with exploring Part 3 accompanies the book. Felsenfeld gives just enough background information about each piece beforehand to whet the reader's appetite. A major ...