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The Voice: A Memoir | 
 enlarge | Author: Thomas Quasthoff
Publisher: Pantheon
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $14.96 (60%)
New (36) Used (11) from $8.56
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 9280
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 0375424067
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.42168092
EAN: 9780375424069
ASIN: 0375424067
Publication Date: June 17, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new.
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Product Description
The Voice is the profoundly inspiring memoir of one of the most sought after and admired classical singers in the world--a man who has arrived at the summit of his artistry by overcoming extraordinarily daunting odds.
Thomas Quasthoff, the German bass baritone, stands a shade over four feet tall, his severely underdeveloped arms and hands the result of thalidomide poisoning while he was in his mother's womb. But through stunning determination enlivened by an impish sense of human, Quasthoff has overcome his physical limitations and Dickensian childhood, cultivating his musical genius and thrilling classical music lovers with his sublime voice.
What shines through Quasthoff's astonishing story is his staunch refusal to wallow in self-pity, to see himself as a victim. Whether he is evoking a harrowing childhood marked by multiple agonizing surgeries, relating folksy family anecdotes, expressing his devotion to his students as a professor of voice, expounding on his love of jazz and American popular music (he is a great admirer of Stevie Wonder), or unburdening himself of his wickedly outspoken views on art and disability, Quasthoff's unerring sense of humanity, boisterous conviviality, and fierce honesty are always on display.
The Voice is utterly winning--a memoir to both marvel at and enjoy.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A joyful celebration of life August 24, 2008
It's silly of any serious music lover to give this book less than 5 stars. "The Voice" is an exuberant, humorous, joyful celebration of life. It's a triumphant achievement. "Thin"? Ich don't think so. Unless "Portrait of the Artist as Young Man" and "The Tin Drum" are thin, which they aren't. Look for your Schubert interpretation elsewhere. This is the most exciting memoir I've read in the past several years. Bravo!
 A charming book, if a little thin. July 25, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Quasthoff's story is an amazing and inspiring one, and he tells it with humor and charm. This is a quick, light read, and it cleaves pretty closely to the conventional formulae for books of this kind. But conventions don't matter much when the subject himself is so exceptional. You might not learn a great deal about singing or about music from this book, but you get a lot of insight into the personality of this great talent, and the kinds of challenges he has to overcome -- still -- in order to maintain his performing and recording schedule. I would have liked a bit more substance on matters such as his interpretation of Schubert, but I still found this to be a satisfying read.
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