About the Book
"Janos Starker, King of Cellists, The Making of an Artist", is written from the standpoint of one who has studied the man, his music, his teaching, and his relationships to discover the influences that shaped who he is, a fantastic cellist, recording artist, and teacher of the instrument. He is one who has made an indelible impact on the world of music.
About the Author :
Joyce Geeting, D.M.A. has performed concerts as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe for the past thirty years. In addition, she maintains a class of twenty-five students, aiding these young cellists in their musical development, and teaching part-time at California Lutheran University. She plays a 235 year-old cello made by J.E Betts, Royal London Exchange with an "extraordinarily exquisite tone"(Oregon Statesman).
Review :
Inner Fire, Outer Ice: The Willful Magic of Janos Starker By Benjamin IvryTue. Jan 06, 2009 DISSONANCE: Cellist Janos Starker's combination of severe control in music and unbridled self-expression offstage has baffled more than one observer. Legend portrays some Hungarian-Jewish musicians as belligerent extroverts, like the late conductors Georg Solti, nicknamed "the screaming skull" by his Chicago Symphony musicians, and George Szell, dubbed "Doctor Cyclops" by his Cleveland Orchestra ensemble. Yet, the mighty cellist Janos Starker, born in 1924 to a Hungarian-Jewish family in Budapest, has always looked impassive, in total control, when performing. Starker's deadpan face belies the intense emotionality of his music-making, as outlined in a new informal, anecdotal tribute by a former student, Joyce Geeting, ""Janos Starker, 'King of Cellists' The Making of an Artist"" (CMP Publishing, 2008). As this biography asserts, the young Starker was galvanized by his experiences during World War II, when two of his brothers were murdered in Nazi prison camps. Starker himself narrowly escaped this fate by being sent to a labor camp, where he himself was imprisoned. ""Janos Starker, 'King of Cellists"" explains that after his wartime experiences, during his lengthy musical career, Starker has been "unafraid of anyone because he concluded that nothing worse could possibly happen to him. After all that he went through, his resolve was like steel. No one would ever tell him "what to do." In the postwar music world, like a prisoner wary of revealing any inner feelings, Starker was drawn to performers who were stone-faced and relatively immobile, yet hugely expressive both emotionally and musically. Chief among these was violinist Jascha Heifetz, whom Starker first saw perform in the 1947 Hollywood film "Carnegie Hall" when he was living in Paris after the war, and was "sleepless for a week" while trying to figure out how Heifetz achieved so much while outwardly moving so little. T
Janos Starker: King of Cellists. The Making of an Artist by Dr. Joyce Geeting brings us an intimate look into and an analysis of the life of the greatest and most influential cellist in history through personal account and through those close to him. It is colorfully written and entertaining--it is filled with musical wisdom and vignettes that speak to the legacy of Starker. It brings to life his personal circumstances and the tremendous and hard to imagine adversities that have shaped his life, career, personality, and attitudes. It is a book that highlights the human spirit and the devotion to absolute excellence by one man.It is evident through each passage that this book is a work of love -one which Joyce has been devoted to for the past several years in the making. This book is very accessible and can be appreciated on multiple levels--by musicians, musical historians, biography enthusiasts, and even by the non-cello playing parent. Moreover, the lessons and themes of this work are universally appreciated.In many ways, I find that the effort put into this book in and of itself is the greatest tribute and complement any musician, teacher, or father could ever wish for. It is very telling of the tremendous influence that Starker has been.As students of Joyce Geeting, you are all connected to Starker's life on a very personal level that would otherwise have been missed or not fully understood if not for this book. His teachings are carried forth and are perpetuated in you. You are his legacy. Edwin Yau, M.D.
Cellist Jnos Starker's combination of severe control in music and unbridled self-expression offstage has baffled more than one observer. -- Benjamin Ivry "Frequent contributor to the Forward"
Gives an analysis of the life of the most influential cellist in history. Colorfully written and entertaining with musical wisdom that speaks to Starker's legacy. It brings to life his personal circumstances that have shaped his life, career, and attitudes. It highlights the human spirit and the devotion to excellence by one man. -- Edwin Yau, M.D. "Edwin Yau, M.D."
In writing the biography Janos Starker,"King of Cellists," Joyce Geeting has not only proposed to us but has convinced us of her thesis: "Janos Starker is the cellist who has made the greatest impact on the world of cello playing and teaching in the twentieth century." Geeting's book is a fascinating biography of the life and career of a musical artist and teacher. But this is not just lessons of life learned and taught by Starker, but lessons applicable to anyone in any profession, and lessons particularly apropos to all of us of all ages living in the world of today. Geeting has treated us to many stories: the story of child prodigy, the story of a musician's survival of the war, of life as an opera and symphony musician, of life as a traveling concert artist, and of prime importance to Starker----the story of life as a teacher. After the tragedies of war to Starker's family and the musical population in Hungary, "Those of us who stayed alive feel that this is more than just a way of living]].It is the duty of those who had learned music from the "giants" of the world of music to see that]].the line of influence continues]]." -- Rona Cummins "Rona Cummins"
