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Fall 2019 62 PAN PIPES REVIEWS THE GREAT COMPOSERS: SCHUMANN by Alan Walker A fter reading The Great Composers: Schumann (Faber and Faber Limited, 1976), my late brother, concert pianist Malcolm Frager, wrote to the author, Alan Walker. I recently obtained a copy of their correspondence. October 28, 1979 Dear Alan, Flying back from London the day before yesterday, I read your new Schumann biography in the Great Composers series. I don't think I have ever read a biography which has been written with such brevity and clarity and wealth of information for both musician and non- musician alike. I would like very much to talk to you one day. I'm wondering if this might be possible, perhaps when I come up to Toronto in early January to play with the Toronto Symphony. I jotted down a couple of things whilst reading the biography which I wanted to ask you about. Perhaps you wouldn't mind my writing to you about them? Did you ever read my article in Current Musicology about the manuscript of the A minor Piano Concerto? If not, I'd like to send you a copy. Best ever, Malcolm Frager November 2, 1979 Dear Malcolm Frager: ank you so much for writing to me about my little Schumann book. I am glad that you found it useful. Yes—let us meet when you are in Toronto next January. I would enjoy chatting to you about Schumann. And do send me a copy of your piece in Current Musicology on the A minor Piano Concerto, which I haven't yet read. Meanwhile, I await your questions with interest. e format of 'e Great Composers' series is such that footnote references and scholarly sources are omitted. But I have a lot of background information on file and would be happy to share it with you. Kind Regards, Dr. Alan Walker My brother's words — "brevity, clarity, and a wealth of information" — describe this book exactly. About 6" x 9" in size, this biography of less than 130 pages also contains music examples, the family tree, a summary of compositions, an index, and illustrations. My favorite was a photo (from around 1855) of six of the eight children of Robert and Clara. Walker is a wordsmith. The eight chapters cover many fascinating topics from Schumann's youth to his death. Also included are his relationships with his family as well as his associations with other composers, in particular Felix Mendelssohn. "Both musician and non-musician alike" will find this book worthwhile as Malcolm pointed out. Walker provides examples of Schumann's musical innovations along with his practical jokes. With music and words, he cites the composer's love of anagrams and puzzles. Walker closes the controversy regarding Robert's metronome markings and explains the composer's use of syncopation. He puts forth a good case for the return to the original versions of Schumann's symphonies from performed versions re-orchestrated by Gustav Mahler. In recent emails with the author four decades after he and my brother had corresponded, I asked about their planned meeting in Toronto, the questions discussed, and whether he had ever received Malcolm's article. For whatever reason and to my dismay, they never met. I'll never know my brother's unanswered questions. Because he never got Malcolm's article, I sent it to him. — Jayne L. Hanlin voice at the Liszt Academy of Music in Buda- pest. She began having breathing and fainting problems. She was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension or IPH, which is a disease where blood vessels thicken and con- strict and do not deliver enough oxygen to the lungs. For a singer, this is disastrous. Medica- tions helped for a while, but at the age of 25 she had her first double lung transplant. She nearly died during the surgery and had a long, difficult recovery. The rest of her life was interwoven with diverse medical problems and wonderful ex- periences in the world of singing and opera, including performing at the Kennedy Center and recording an album, "American Grace." One highlight of her operatic life was on Septem- ber 21, 2011 when she made her debut at the Lincoln Center in New York singing an aria from La Traviata. It was a glorious moment for her as she reached a high C and the audience erupted in thunderous applause. Afterwards, she went backstage and collapsed into a wheel chair, sucked oxygen into her lungs from a mask, and had her IV line restarted. Several years later she had another double lung transplant but never fully regained her health. She died at the age of 35 on April 23, 2019. Charity packed a lot of living into her short life and loved sharing her gift of singing with many appreciative audiences. Her book tells of how her supportive family, loving fiancé and later husband, Yani, and a dedicated medi- cal community gave her the courage, ability, and determination to reach her goals. If you need inspiration for your goals, this is the book to read. — Linda Rolf

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