Letters of Note Music, Shaun Usher
Letters of Note Music, Shaun Usher
List: $12.50 | Sale: $8.75
Club: $6.25

Synopsis

From Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to John Lennon Prince and Kim Gordon, tune in to the evocative expressions of treasured composers, musicians, singers, and songwriters in this enchanting volume from the compiler of the bestselling Letters of Note collections

Verdi writes to his publisher about a man who hated Aida so much that he wants his money back. Keith Richards tells his aunt about bumping into a former schoolmate named Mick Jagger, who also loves Chuck Berry. Yo-Yo Ma wonders whether Leonard Bernstein remembers introducing him onstage as a young boy. A Harvard psychiatrist begs CVS to change their on-hold music. Riffing on their passions and surroundings, the artists and entertainers in this volume candidly reveal the sources of their inspiration, what music means to them, why they create it, and so much more. This rich and engaging collection of 30 letters celebrates the resonance that music, in its many forms and variations, brings to our lives.

Letters of Note: Music also includes audio exclusive bonus content drawn from recordings made at performances of Letters Live, the live events series produced by Canongate in partnership with SunnyMarch and Shaun Usher. Savour Jarvis Cocker reading Iggy Pop’s letter to a fan named Laurence and Matt Berry reading Robert Crumb’s letter to free jazz saxophonist Mats Gustafsson. 
 
Read by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Nick Cave, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Jude Law, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Clarke Peters, Juliet Stevenson and Mark Strong

About The Author

SHAUN USHER is the creator of the enormously popular blogs lettersofnote.com and listsofnote.com and the compiler of the bestselling Letters of Note collections. He spends much of his time hunting for letters and making lists of things to share. He lives in Manchester, England, with his family.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Teresa on April 20, 2020

Great collection of letters covering over two centuries and myriad genres of music which, in many cases, show insight into the human behind the genius. It's a quick read (and hard to put down, once you get started), but there are some great gems that deserve a bit more of a ponder. Several musicians......more

Goodreads review by Simon on August 05, 2021

It's a website, and so many memes these days - but this book-length selection of the best music Letters of Note was lovely to read in and of itself. Away from the noise of the internet. Some beautiful, funny, wise, madening pieces collected here.......more

Goodreads review by Marika on December 13, 2020

Beautiful collection of letters. Would’ve loved to have read more from composers (my personal interest) over more modern musicians. Overall a good balance of both though. Thank you Penguin Books for the finished copy to read and review.......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie on January 12, 2021

Fun little book. More pop music stuff in here than I was interested in, but still a nice sampling of voices from the world of music.......more

Goodreads review by Mike on December 20, 2020

This slim volume is an eclectric collection of 30 letters by and about musicians, from fans, flaming critics, and remembering favorite performances has pleasures within. It's a bit like a line from Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates", and so is Letters of Note: Music. There's someone fo......more