Delius as I Knew Him

by Eric Fenby

An intimate portrait of Delius by the man who notated many of the disabled composer's last works. Includes 33 musical examples.

Genres: Music

403 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

Reviews

[Nicky Neko · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very, very interesting book at times. I've been reading this slowly over a few months, just picking it up when I felt like it. The reason I got it out from the library is because it was the basis for one of the sections of Cloud Atlas, and so I was curious to see what it would be like.

I particularly enjoyed Delius's rants on music and Nietzsche, which read to me a lot like how I feel about writing at times.

I might post some quotes later, but perhaps not.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a justly famous treasure-trove about musical creativity and humanity. Eric Fenby's work as the composer Frederick Delius' amanuensis was brilliantly captured in Ken Russell's classic TV film of the 1960s. The book is excellent, with a moving account of Fenby's time with Delius, the technical aspects of his work (with plentiful musical examples) and his reflections on Delius' approach to life. Fenby is bravely frank about the limitations, as he sees it, of Delius' hostility to religion. A masterpiece of memoir, this book is strongly recommended.

[Tot Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational book which along with Ken Russell's film gives you what you need on Delius