In his new memoir, "Each Good Boy Does Nice" (Random Home), acclaimed classical pianist Jeremy Denk writes of the lifetime of a musician, and affords a tribute to those that influenced him: music lecturers, conductors – and his father, who shared his sheer pleasure of music. Learn the excerpt under, and do not miss John …
In his new memoir, “Each Good Boy Does Nice” (Random Home), acclaimed classical pianist Jeremy Denk writes of the lifetime of a musician, and affords a tribute to those that influenced him: music lecturers, conductors – and his father, who shared his sheer pleasure of music.
Learn the excerpt under, and do not miss John Dickerson’s interview with Jeremy Denk on “CBS Sunday Morning” March 20!
Random Home
My happiest time was spent cross-legged on the lounge ground, in my pajamas, immersed within the backside shelf with all of the data. I labored my method via the One Hundred Best Hits. I air-conducted the Air on the G String, Trip of the Valkyries, and Peer Gynt. Venturing farther into the stack, I discovered two Freudian orchestral discs, my Dad’s favorites: Saint-Saëns’s Organ Symphony and Mahler’s Titan.
One uncommon day, Dad beckoned me away from my spot on the ground. He needed us to hearken to the Saint-Saëns on the sofa collectively. I snuggled into the cushions. I heard deep bass notes circling, aspiring, giving up once more. A theme doubtful. Music shedding steam, looking for an exit. My dad murmured — “Maintain listening.” We lay in wait like hunters. After a darkish and foreboding silence, the wood audio system vibrated with a large C-major chord, rocking the home with triumph.
“Holy crap,” Dad mentioned. I contemplate that to be my first actual music lesson. He appeared so completely satisfied. There was no hint of his default grumpiness.
That organ chord gave him pleasure, a dopamine burst, however Mahler introduced a deeper satisfaction. He typically sang the large, brassy end of the Titan faintly to himself on Sunday afternoons, whereas balancing his checkbook on the desk within the den.
From the ebook “Each Good Boy Does Nice: A Love Story, In Music Classes” by Jeremy Denk. Copyright © 2022 by Jeremy Denk. Printed by permission of Random Home, an imprint and division of Penguin Random Home LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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