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Evening in the Palace of Reason : Bach meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment
Price: $44.48 Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: March 01, 2005
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Editorial Review:
In his lively history, Evening in the Palace of Reason, James R. Gaines sets two remarkable--and remarkably different--historical figures on a collision course toward a single night in Potsdam in 1747: the composer Johann Sebastian Bach--"old Bach," as he was called then at the age of 62--and the still-young Prussian king, Frederick II, already known as Frederick the Great after less than a decade on the throne. Having long employed old Bach's son Carl--a more celebrated composer at the time--Frederick summoned the father from Leipzig and challenged him, with an offhanded cruelty, to a public compositional puzzle designed to humiliate the great wizard of the waning art of counterpoint.
Gaines is a pleasant guide through the incestuous patchwork monarchies of middle Europe, with a breezy tone fitting for a former editor of People. ("The Hohenzollerns were a funny bunch," he writes at one point.) But he is also a passionately learned student of the intricacies of the era's musical theories and the secret languages of its coded compositions. (One is thankful that he and his publisher resisted calling the book The Bach Code.) Gaines leads up to his pivotal encounter with a double biography of his two principals, told in alternating chapters. Bach's mostly homebound life, which left few documents for historians, is often no match for the grotesque dramas of Frederick's parallel story, which climaxes when his father the king forces Frederick to witness the execution of his best friend (and perhaps lover). The weight that keeps the two stories in balance is the genius of Bach's work, particularly the masterful Musical Offering that he composes in response to the king's challenge. The encounter itself may not bear the full burden that Gaines wants to give it, as a clash between two epochal worldviews, the faith of the Reformation versus the rationalism of the Enlightenment, but the two life stories he so vividly describes make the journey there more than worthwhile. --Tom Nissley
Johann Sebastian Bach created what may be the most celestial and profound body of music in history; Frederick the Great built the colossus we now know as Germany, and along with it a template for modern warfare. Their fleeting encounter in 1757 signals a unique moment in history where belief collided with the cold certainty of reason. Set at the tipping point between the ancient and modern world, Evening in the Palace of Reason captures the tumult of the eighteenth century, the legacy of the Reformation, and the birth of the Enlightenment in this extraordinary tale of two men.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - read this asap
i have read numerous books on j. s. bach and own all the standard biographies yet i was beguiled with this book as the author is supremely adept at placing the information in the right perspective and is such a good writer that you cannot put it down. i read it through in almost one sitting. i have since recommended to other professional musicians that are colleagues of mine and they love it as well. i cannot recommend this book highly enough! buy it!!!
Rating: - Evening in the Palace of Reason -- James R. Gaines
I do not understand why Amazon charged me $48.81 for this book
(a 2005 HarperCollins publication) including economy shipping,
when the list price printed on the front flap of the dust jacket
is only $23.95. If I had known what the real retail price was,
I would have purchased the book at a local Barnes & Noble or Borders
bookstore. Somebody at Amazon really goofed on this one!
Rating: - A unique parallel
A unique description of the life and art of Bach parallel to the times of his life with particular emphasise of Frederic the Great.
Rating: - Evidently A Sadly Neglected Book
I bought this book as a "bargain" because it looked interesting. I was most pleasantly surprised to find an articulate, informed and evidently very knowledgeable introduction to the lives of two fascinating individuals - Sebastian Bach ("The" Bach) and Fredrick the Great. Gaines' prose is informal and "homey" with an occasional "aside" where he speaks directly to the reader. It is a bit jarring to have him mention to me during a very complex description of counterpoint music to "not worry, this ... Read More
Rating: - best ever
This is a must read for anyone who loves music of anykind. This book clarifies the mystery of the history an the amazing story of two of western civilizations greatest individuals, tieing together the transition from old to new europe, shaping western culture forever.
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