Tutus, Tights and Tiptoes: Ballet History as It Ought to Be Taught

by David W. Barber, Dave Donald (Illustrator)

In his latest book, Tutus, Tights and Tiptoes, popular music historian and humorist David W. Barber casts a wicked, witty and insightful eye at the history of ballet from its earliest beginnings in the French court to its later heights in such classics as Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker' and 'Swan Lake' and more recent scandals such as the premiere of Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring, ' which shocked audiences and caused a riot in the seats. Although ballet is the main focus, the author also touches on other forms of dance, from Morris dancing to modern jazz dancing (but he'll probably refrain from saying much if anything about country-and-western line dancing because, well, the less said the better).

And who better than David Barber to serve as your musical guide to the world of all this jumping around? His seven previous books of musical humor -- including the hugely popular "Bach, Beethoven and the Boys" and the recent "Tenors, Tantrums and Trills" and "Better Than It Sounds" -- have sold more than a quarter of a million copies worldwide and have made him a household name in musical circles to join the ranks of Gerard Hoffnung, Anna Russell and P.D.Q. Bach. Barber's witty yet informative approach to music history and musical terminology has helped take the stuffing out of the stuffed shirts of the classical music world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

136 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2000

About the author

David W. Barber is a journalist and musician and the author of more than a dozen books of music (including Accidentals on Purpose; Bach, Beethoven and the Boys; When the Fat Lady Sings; and Getting a Handel on Messiah) and literature (including Quotable Sherlock, Quotable Alice and Atonement and other stories). Formerly a writer and entertainment editor of The Kingston Whig-Standard, editor of Broadcast Week magazine at the Toronto Globe and Mail and the assistant editor of arts and life for Postmedia newspapers, he is currently a freelance writer, editor, musician and composer. As a composer, his works include two symphonies, a jazz mass based on the music of Dave Brubeck, a Requiem, several short choral and chamber works and various vocal-jazz songs and arrangements. He sings with the Toronto Chamber Choir and various other choirs on occasion. In a varied career, among his more interesting jobs have been short stints as a roadie for Pope John Paul II, a publicist for Prince Rainier of Monaco and a backup singer for Avril Lavigne.

Learn about his other books at IndentPublishing.com

Reviews

[Genoveva Uzunova]

This book was informative and interesting, because I love ballet. It is not just about ballet, but arts, music and other types of dance, which may be logical as ballet does not exist absolutely isolated. For me the style of the author was a bit difficult to read, but I tried to ignore the passages that don't resonate with my style. Namely, I did not think that sometimes the humor of the author was appropriate, but everyone sees things in a different way.

[Ulana32]

Baletki i baleriny

[Marta]

Książka na pewno przekazuje dużo wiedzy, niestety nie do końca takiej wiedzy się po niej spodziewałam. Na początku niestety wydaje mi się ,że autor nie miał zbyt dużo informacji na temat, które mógłby nam przedstawić, więc zastępował je wiedzą niepotrzebną. Mowa tutaj o tym ile ktoś miał kochanek, jakim ktoś to głupim nie był, kogo to nie zabił, czy że miał za żonę swoją krewną. Moim zdaniem to niewłaściwe. Przystąpiłam do tej książki po wartościowe informacje i te okropnie mnie nudziły, balety tam było na szczypty. Po tej części odłożyłam ją na dość długi okres. Jednak po powrocie miło się zaskoczyłam, bo teraz informacji o czyimś życiu prywatnym było na szczypty. Muszę wspomnieć o jeszcze jednym małym mankamencie tej książki jest dużo wyrażeń francuskich, nie tylko pozycji baletowych, ale innych, które mają wpływ na zrozumienie zdania, więc dla osoby nigdy nie zetkniętej z francuskim niektóre zdania będą niezrozumiałe. Podsumowując druga część o niebo lepsza, dowiedziałam się wiele ważnych informacji i poznałam wiele wspaniałych autorytetów. Moja ocena przez pierwszą część niestety musi być taka.

[Abbyofgail]

a little heavy on the puns (i groaned aloud a few times), but it's a great book, very easy to read and the tie-ins to musicians (tcaikovsky and stravinksky especially) were seamless. highly recommended if you're teaching a beginning ballet class.

[TheRose]

Not the most enjoyable for me, but that might have something to do with the fact that I'm not a true ballet buff.