Reviews for The Harlequin Years: Music in Paris 1917-1929

The average rating for The Harlequin Years: Music in Paris 1917-1929 based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-08-27 00:00:00 Paulo Coutinho Every parent should read this. . .aloud. . .to all of their children. Sept.29,2011 I finished this book again yesterday. Each time I read it I find so much more to keep in my heart. Brother Christianson makes a solid case for the care we should take in our music choices--or anything else that goes into our minds. He reminds us more than once that we have perfect memories and what we take into our minds stays there. It's the recall that we have trouble with. But if something is in our minds, whether we can recall it at will or not, it will have an influence on us. Br. Christianson cites some of the more extreme cases where music has been the dominating influence in lives gone wrong. He makes it clear that he knows these are extreme cases and that not everyone gets caught up in the blackest of nights, but it does happen. His point? To help us understand that we're on shaky ground when we cross the line the the scriptures and the prophets have clearly marked. I sat up and paid closer attention when I read pages 73-74. From that point on I couldn't read fast enough to gain the knowledge he offers. He says, "How often have you heard. 'It doesn't affect me the way it does other people?' How often have those famous last words, 'I can handle it' been spoken just before disaster or sorrow dissembled a once happy flowering life? "If the adversary can convince us that it makes little difference what we listen to, watch, or take into our systems, then we may become his.We might do as King Benjamin said, 'That ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place to guide you in wisdom's paths that you may be blessed, prospered, and preserved' (Mosiah 2:36). It does make a difference. I marvel that young people or parents would consider fighting Satan on his territory. It terrifies me. Can they honestly feel they have a chance to survive?" Music choices have never been a real issue for me. It would be easy for me to say, "It doesn't affect me the way it affects others." I was blessed to be raised by parents who were vigilant about the media we were exposed to. Although they were never really active in the Church, they really understood the dangers of the media to young minds. I've tried to do the same with my own children. BUT we have always made an effort to remain vigilant. We all LOVE big, beautiful, powerful music and we have to be especially careful of the great music that has lyrics that aren't in harmony with the teachings of the Church. It really is easy to dismiss the lyrics because the music is so amazing. When I've done this it wasn't long before I found myself hooked and listening to the song over and over again. And always there were residual effects on my thoughts and actions. Br. Christianson quotes Heber J. Grant,"The more beautiful the music by which false doctrine is sung, the more dangerous it becomes" (G. Homer Durham, Gospel Standards, p.170)." On pages 138-139 Br. Christianson tells a story of fly fishing in the Provo River. I read it aloud to a class at Church last night. There were a few suppressed snickers at the beginning, but they were all pretty sober by the end of the story. The story paints a vivid picture of getting hooked and how it is when we are already in trouble before we even realize that we may be in more trouble than we can handle. I think this is the best illustration of the point that I've ever read. The Power of Music is one of my favorite books, not only because of my passion for great music across the genres, but for the direct and humble way that Br. Christiansen shares his research and experience. He shares stories from his own life and from the lives of others, then makes connections throughout the book. But at the beginning of the book he makes one very vital point. He teaches that we must learn to be unafraid of learning the truth. On page 19 he says that "...never fearing truth...is so vital in making correct and courageous decisions." You don't have to be LDS to appreciate the research, experiences, and wisdom in this book. There are so many base and degrading things in our society that we can avoid if we are willing to make the effort. Now that I have read the book again, I believe even more firmly what I said when I first posted this book, "Every parent should read this book...aloud...to all of their children."

Review # 2 was written on 2014-03-22 00:00:00 T P Brosterman This book helped me to realize how big of an impact music has on our lives. It truly helped me to see the power there is in music. Reading this book and reflecting on experiences of mine has helped me understand the importance of teaching my children to carefully select the music they choose to listen to. I would recommend this book to anyone.