Bach, Beethoven, and the Boys

David W. Barber has delighted readers around the world with Accidentals on Purpose, When the Fat Lady Sings, and other internationally best-selling books of musical humor. His best-selling Bach, Beethoven and the Boys chronicles the lives of the great (and not-so-great) composers as you’ve never read them before–exploring their sex lives, exposing their foibles and expanding on our understanding of these all-too-human creatures. Filled with information, interesting facts, and trivia, this hilarious history covers music from Gregorian chant to the mess we’re in now. From Bach’s laundry lists to Beethoven’s bowel problems, from Gesualdo’s kinky fetishes to Cage’s mushroom madness, Barber tells tales out of school that ought to be put back there (think how much more fun it would be if they taught this stuff). As always, Dave Donald had provided witty and clever cartoon illustrations to accompany the text. My heartiest commendation for an admirable work of scholarship . . . I will not say again that it is funny, since this will compel you to set your jaw and dare Barber to make you laugh. —Anthony Burgess, on Bach, Beethoven and the Boys.