Einstein's Violin

by Joseph Eger

Book Overview

Joseph Eger's life is a testimony to the power of music. Among the most venerated classical conductors of his generation, Eger has discovered within music a universal language that not only unites... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585423882
• ISBN13: 9781585423880
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Tarcher
• Length: 417 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A series of conversations

In my view, the degree of enjoyment you derive from this book depends on how you read it. Admittedly, Eger is not strong on narrative style, and I initially found the disconnectedness (referred to by other reviewers) somewhat irritating - before I adjusted my reading style. I found it easier to approach each chapter on its own merits, as if it were a separate entry in a personal journal. (Sometimes, the book reads almost as "stream of consciousness.") This is certainly not a treatise; not even a discussion. It is more a conversation. As with chocolate, large servings of the conversation in "Einstein's Violin" can be cloying. Taken in small servings, however, it makes for a pleasant read. Regarding the criticism of Eger's reference to the universe as music; this is less metaphor than it first appears. 20th century research showed that the "music of the spheres" is not merely poetic licence. Planets actually 'sing.'(See McTaggart's "The Field.") It's worthwhile to bear in mind that the way in which vibrations are received depends more on the nature of the receiver than on the nature of the vibration. (Pibraim showed that the brain actually "translates" vibration for its own purposes, using Fourier tranformations.) At the same time, scientists can often be far from literal. Like Einstein riding on his beam of light, they are apt to draw on metaphor as a creative way to initiate discovery. This book could be a good conversation piece. Or useful for stimulating your own thoughts, even further research if you want to get really serious about music (or quantum physics.) Not my usual kind of book, but it certainly made me think differently about music - and the people who make it. I anticipate a pleasurable re-read, even if tongue-in-cheek in places.

One for your Philosophy section.

I will start by admitting this: thought Joseph Eger is a consummate musician, he is not a very gifted technical writer. The book is not very tightly structured, seeming to wander from idea to idea. A few sections seem to just stop abruptly to allow a chapter on a new subject to begin. also, Mr. Eger tends to repeat himself, possibly from being unable to think of a different way to phrase an idea. At this point you may be wondering why I gave this book 5 stars. While the technical aspects of the book may be lacking, the brilliance of the thought behind the form is astounding. Maestro Eger does a magnificent job of unifying music, physics, and sociology into a personal philosophy that is very engaging. His sections (quite extended) on Einstein and Beethoven - his dearest subjects - are quite inspired, and he does a good job speaking about the music and the physics in layman's terms. The reader need not be a specialist to understand the thrust of Eger's arguments. (Although for a reader interested solely in the physics I would recommend either of Brian Greene's books "The Elegant Universe" or "The Fabric of the Cosmos".) If you have read this far, I should probably tell you that I am a graduate student in music myself, so many of Eger's ideas resonate quite personally with me. However, this book is excellent reading even for non-musicians that just happen to be interested in a very personal look at the ideas born of a lifetime of experience trying to wear down the mental boundaries people have created between "them" and "us".