Deep River: The Life and Music of Robert Shaw

by Keith C. Burris

A painstaking effort more than 10 years in the making, this is the definitive biography of Robert Shaw, the father of American choral music. Shaw stands alongside key figures who created a culture of classical music in the United States, such as Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, and his work is well-known among today's thousands of choral conductors. Shaw received 14 Grammy Awards, the first Guggenheim Fellowship ever awarded to a conductor, and four ASCAP Awards for service to contemporary music, as well as many other distinguished awards and recognitions. With numerous black-and-white photos, this essential work brings to light all aspects of the life and accomplishments of an American classical music icon. A DVD is included that contains 4.5 hours of rare footage of Robert Shaw in rehearsal at Boston University.

Genres: Music, Biography

630 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2009

Reviews

[Glory Reinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 600+ book took awhile to get through. But, very interesting if you want to know more about Robert Shaw. I had the privilege of singing under his baton for two weeks back in the 1980's. I now understand the man quite a bit more.

[Andrew Singletary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and would have given it five stars instead of four except that I felt that the author was too repetitive and his editors didn't do enough to correct this. It seemed that every chapter repeated something that had been revealed in a previous chapter. While some of this was necessary and helped me remember and keep straight certain events, I think that a lot of it was unnecessary.

Interestingly, I finished this book in the afternoon and then attended a performance of the Brahms German Requiem by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus that evening. The Brahms Requiem was one of Mr. Shaw's favorite pieces (and mine as well) and he performed it many, many times (79-80 performances by the author's count and maybe more, and recorded it a couple of times, including the first U.S. recording of the piece.

While last night's performance of the Brahms was not a "Shaw" performance and had a much different feel from Shaw's interpretation, it was still a wonderful performance of one of the greatest works in musical history.

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information about Robert Shaw and his life and legacy is fascinating. However the writing is clunky and difficult to wade through. I recommend the book for the subject matter because it is worth digging thru the strangely difficult chapters if you are interested in the man and his music. But someone needs to get Mr. Burris an editor and have another go at organizing the book.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched biography, but very different in style, as it is written somewhat topically rather than strictly chronologically. There is also a wealth of information to be found in the appendices. This biography is not as thorough as "Dear People," but is a welcome addition to the available scholarship on one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century.