{"product_id":"marc-blitzstein-howard-pollack-9780199791590","title":"Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World","description":"A composer and lyricist of enormous innovation and influence, Marc Blitzstein remains one of the most versatile and fascinating figures in the history of American music, his creative output running the gamut from films scores and Broadway operas to art songs and chamber pieces. A prominent leftist and social maverick, Blitzstein constantly pushed the boundaries of convention in mid-century America in both his work and his life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAward-winning music historian Howard Pollack's new biography covers Blitzstein's life in full, from his childhood in Philadelphia to his violent death in Martinique at age 58. The author describes how this student of contemporary luminaries Nadia Boulanger and Arnold Schoenberg became swept up in the stormy political atmosphere of the 1920s and 1930s and throughout his career walked the fine line between his formal training and his populist principles. Indeed, Blitzstein developed a unique sound that drew on everything contemporary, from the high modernism of Stravinsky and Hindemith to jazz and Broadway show tunes. Pollack captures the astonishing breadth of Blitzstein's work--from provocative operas like \u003cem\u003eThe Cradle Will Rock\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNo for an Answer\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eRegina\u003c\/em\u003e, to the wartime \u003cem\u003eAirborne Symphony\u003c\/em\u003e composed during his years in service, to lesser known ballets, film scores, and stage works. A courageous artist, Blitzstein translated Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's \u003cem\u003eThe Threepenny Opera \u003c\/em\u003eduring the heyday of McCarthyism and the red scare, and\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eturned it into an off-Broadway sensation, its \"Mack the Knife\" becoming one of the era's biggest hits. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBeautifully written, drawing on new interviews with friends and family of the composer, and making extensive use of new archival and secondary sources, \u003cem\u003eMarc Blitzstein\u003c\/em\u003e presents the most complete biography of this important American artist.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Howard Pollack\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0199791597\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199791590\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/03\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 648\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.40h x 6.10w x 2.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2012 pg. 83\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/16\/2012 pg. 24\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2013","brand":"Howard Pollack","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46024651211007,"sku":"9780199791590","price":82.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_07607435-72b0-40da-92a3-18266892454f.jpg?v=1723128892","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/marc-blitzstein-howard-pollack-9780199791590","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}