M.B. Goffstein:A little Schubert,1st edition Harper & Row, New York:1972 |
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| This series will eventually cover a
number of serious and important books about Schubert, that all
Schubert scholars will want to have a copy of. This book isn’t
one. On the other hand, there are books that every Schubert lover
will cherish. And that’s where this book comes in. It is a small book (just 7 in square with about 30 pages), with green boards and a cartoon of Schubert dancing on the front. It is positioned as a children’s book (the author has illustrated ‘many distinguished children’s books’), and is a short story of Schubert in a bare little room without a fire, hearing and writing down music that no one had heard before, and dancing to keep warm. The story is illustrated with really cute little cartoon like pictures. Tucked away in a rear pocket is a little floppy 33rpm record of Peter Schaaf playing 5 of Schubert’s Valses Nobles, D969. And that all there is to it. I can’t comment on the quality of the playing, because I don’t want to scratch my record!, but the book is a joy and, as the dustwrapper says, will bring enormous pleasure to everyone. It was reprinted in 1984 (ISBN 0-87923-508-x) in a paperback edition published by David Godine of Boston. That edition does not contain the record, but instead has simplified arrangements of 6 of the Valses Nobles by Richard Woitach, retired conductor of the New York Metropolitan Opera. I’ve never seen a copy in the UK (other than the ones that I sell at Half Time Scores), though it is not hard to find in the USA, where the price varies enormously. Expect to pay around £20 for a copy of the first edition with a decent dustwrapper and a record still in good condition, a little less if you are prepared to search around. I’ve never seen the paperback for sale, and was unaware of its existence until the author kindly sent me a copy. |
 "So Franz Schubert was very busy writing down his music" illustration from A Little Schubert Reproduced with the kind permission of the Author. |
© Richard Morris March 1999 |
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