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This is a wonderful biography of the talented pianist, conductor, and composer. Many readers may have heard of Bernstein only through West Side Story, but after reading this story of his early years--up until he's 25, having successfully conducted the New York Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall--they will certainly know much more about Lenny. Lenny had to reach for his dreams without the support of his father, a wealthy Jewish businessman who feared that a musical career offered no financial stabilit
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This is a fascinating account of Leonard Bernstein’s life from his birth until his debut as a conductor of the New York Philharmonic in 1943 at the age of 25. Bernstein had a lot going against him in his desire to be a musician and conductor. His father, a Russian immigrant, was adamantly opposed to the idea. He wanted his son in a stable, reliable job – working for him selling machines that would give women permanent waves. From the beginnings of his life, however Lenny just wanted to make musi
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Super engaging biography! I really didn't know a lot about Leonard Bernstein, and I'm SO not a nonfiction fan, but I read this one cover to cover in one sitting. Bernstein seemed to lead a sort of charmed life--even though all the odds seemed to be against him from the start--there he was, stumbling into the people he needed to meet, being in the right place at the right time and drawing people to him right and left like moths to the flame of his intensity. He was a talented, fascinating man, an
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31 May 2011 MUSIC WAS IT: YOUNG LEONARD BERNSTEIN by Susan Goldman Rubin, Charlesbridge, February 2011, 178p., ISBN: 978-1-58089-344-2
"When you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way
From your first cigarette to your last dying day."
-- from "West Side Story"
After reading the first few chapters of MUSIC WAS IT: YOUNG LEONARD BERNSTEIN, I was dying to see Leonard Bernstein in action.
I watched some great scenes on YouTube from Bernstein's Young People's Concert at Carnegie Hall in 1964, when he was ...more
"When you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way
From your first cigarette to your last dying day."
-- from "West Side Story"
After reading the first few chapters of MUSIC WAS IT: YOUNG LEONARD BERNSTEIN, I was dying to see Leonard Bernstein in action.
I watched some great scenes on YouTube from Bernstein's Young People's Concert at Carnegie Hall in 1964, when he was ...more
A marvelous look at the life and career of Leonard Bernstein, who overcame early obstacles to become a world-famous musician and composer.
2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award
May 21, 2011
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Feb 24, 2012
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