Melomaniacs

James Gibbons HunekerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 453K words
Chapters: 46

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Melomaniacs by James Huneker. Author: Huneker, James, 1857-1921. Language: English. Class: ML: Music: Literature of music. Release Date: Aug 22, 2009.

Editor's review

James Huneker was a prominent American music and literary critic of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and Melomaniacs embodies his writing interests spanning music and literature. The title points to "music maniacs," and the book's pieces center on music-obsessed characters and listening experiences, carrying a strong period flavor and a critic's keen eye. Huneker's writing does not rely on plot but excels at character temperament, auditory sensation, and the atmosphere of literary circles; readers can glimpse the musical life of that era and feel the author's tone, which appreciates and gently mocks artistic passion at once. The book suits readers interested in the cultural history of classical music and late-nineteenth-century European and American literary essays, and also serves as an accessible introduction to Huneker's critical style. Note that the original is in English and dates from an early period, with sentence structures and diction carrying an old-fashioned literary tone; read slowly and treat it as cultural essays rather than a novel for the most direct reward.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in classical music culture and musicians' anecdotes
Readers who enjoy late-nineteenth-century European and American literary essays and criticism
Researchers seeking to understand Huneker's writing style and its historical context
Learners with some English proficiency willing to read old-fashioned prose slowly

Not a good fit for

Novel readers expecting full plots and strong storytelling
Readers with no interest in music history who are unwilling to look things up
Readers with limited English reading experience who find old-fashioned syntax hard to follow

Reading tips

Read piece by piece, pausing after each to note the most memorable musical figure.
Mark unfamiliar musicians or works and look them up afterward in one go to avoid interrupting the rhythm.
Pair the reading with late-nineteenth-century classical recordings for a stronger sense of immersion.
Treat the book as cultural essays rather than a novel and adjust expectations about plot progression.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book about music theory?

According to the source, the book is classified as music literature, but Huneker is known for criticism and essays; the content leans toward musical figures, listening experiences, and cultural observation rather than a systematic theory textbook, so readers need not worry about professional theoretical preparation.

Is the original English hard to read?

The book dates from an early period, with old-fashioned literary syntax and fairly formal vocabulary. A moderate English reading level is enough to get started, but slow, segmented reading is recommended, marking musical proper names to look up later.

Is it suitable as a music history textbook?

Not as a systematic textbook. It is closer to critical essays with a strong period atmosphere and can serve as supplementary reading for music cultural history, helping readers sense how literati of the time talked about music rather than acquiring chronological knowledge.

Comments

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About the author

James Gibbons Huneker Author · American · 1857–1921

James Gibbons Huneker (1857–1921) was an American critic of art, literature, music, and drama. Born in Philadelphia, he went to Paris in his early years to study piano and later settled in New York, where he wrote reviews for The New York Sun and other periodicals over many years. His writing ranged across music, painting, and drama. His representative works include Chopin: The Man and His Music, Promenades of an Impressionist, Old Fogy: His Musical Opinions and Grotesques, Unicorns, Iconoclasts: A Book of Dramatists, Ivory, Apes and Peacocks, Franz Liszt, and Melomaniacs; eleven of his works are held in this collection. He was an important figure in introducing European modern art to American readers, and his style is perceptive and full of personality. Public information is limited, and many details of his life cannot be verified; readers may come to know his critical vision and tastes through the works listed above.