I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Post Hill Press
Published:17th Jul '25
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A vivid personal account of a Golden Age in classical music—the second half of the 20th century—providing a rare, behind-the-scenes view of the inner workings of a top symphony orchestra.
Nancy Shear was only fifteen when she began sneaking into Philadelphia Orchestra concerts through the stage door, and seventeen when she was hired as a member of the orchestra’s library staff to help prepare the music; one year later, she became Leopold Stokowski’s musical assistant. Being young and female, she was a pioneer in both positions.
I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms takes readers into the homes, studios, and minds of legendary artists with whom Shear shared close personal relationships, including Stokowski, Mstislav Rostropovich, Eugene Ormandy, and members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Many of these brilliant and talented artists were also outrageous, egocentric, and tyrannical. Throughout this book, Shear topples more than a few revered musicians from their podiums and their pedestals.
A literary welcome mat to the beautiful world of classical music, this memoir is accessible and engaging for all. It brings readers into rehearsals and concert halls, revealing the choices musicians must consider, and what conductors, players, and composers really do.
A heartwarming story about passion, determination, and survival, I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms explores music at its core. No reader will ever listen to music the same way again.
“A fascinating, superbly written coming-of-age saga.” -- Words and Music blog, B.A. Nilsson
“Shear contributes many a keen personal anecdote…. [Her] book is as honest and unassuming as [Leopold] Stokowski was evasive and flamboyant.” -- The Wall Street Journal
“Not simply a tribute to the figures whose contributions shaped an era but a celebration of Shear herself—an extraordinary woman who, at the age of fifteen, sneaked into concerts because she could not afford them, and who, through fearlessness and determination, not only witnessed history but became an indispensable part of it.” -- Classical Voice North America
“I had to ration my reading of this book because I couldn’t put it down. If you are a classical music lover you can’t fail to be enthralled as I was by a puff of the rarefied air that outsiders rarely get to breathe.” -- Slipped Disc
“At once a gossipy page-turner and an informative memoir, classical music fans will love this book." -- The Literate Quilter, five star review
“I was sorry to put it down. Very happy to have read it. Nancy Shear has created a fabulously interesting book.” -- Lance G. Hill, Editor-in-Chief, The Classical Music Guide Forums
“Shear has much to tell us about musical interpretation, the egos of great artists, backstage politics, and the changing landscape for classical music…She is insightful about the impact of music on her own emotions and parcels out her store of telling anecdotes with the timing of a fine raconteur.” -- Matthew Gurewitsch, Pundicity blog
ISBN: 9798888456620
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 25mm
Weight: 562g
320 pages