This week is the Sunday New York Times Book Review music edition. And, surprising or not, there are a large number of musically inclined pieces of literature on the market. From The Beatles, Eric Clapton, a muse, and how music affects the brain. And if that wasn’t enough, Alex Ross of the New Yorker has tried to distil the music of the entire 20th century.
The Rest is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century is reviewed by Geoff Dyer starts with the question that all reviewers should ask themselves which is “am I qualified to write this review.” This device also helps to establish the audience for the review: those who, like the author, have an appreciation for music without a comprehensive and exhaustive knowledge of its theory. If the Mr. Ross can convey his message to the reviewer then the book is successful.
Mr. Dyer powers through the synopsis highlighting the composers mentioned and how Mr. Ross shows how they reflect the historic era in which they lived and worked. The reviewer points out that the beginning of the book feels like “a linked series of adroitly composed New Yorkerish profiles” until the events leading to and following the Second World War This is where the book seems to take of due to several factors such as the use of music by fascist dictators and the coming together of disposed artists in Hollywood. Mr. Dyer compares the book to a symphony in itself, in the way that it returns to common themes and composers and weaves them into a coherent history of the last century. After World War II and subsequent fragmentation and development in all of the arts the tome obviously becomes less focused. There is a complaint that not all of the influential artists of the late 20th century are not given the credit that they deserve.
Overall Mr. Dyer is very impressed with the work and the way that Alex Ross has compiled it. From the review, I am excited to read the book too. I must be honest and say that the concept of the book was intriguing to me before hand, but a glowing review that seems well crafted does increase my curiosity. Therefore, I must say that Geoff Dyer has succeed and created an excellent review that tells me exactly what I need to know about the book and whether I should buy it. This leads us back to the beginning of the review where Mr. Dyer introduces himself as a someone interested in the book and its premise as I am, and I can’t help but wonder if this review would be helpful to someone unlike Mr. Dyer or myself.