The voice : a memoir / Thomas Quasthoff ; recorded by Michael Quasthoff ; translated from the German by Kirsten Stoldt Wittenborn.
| Author/creator | Quasthoff, Thomas |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | 1st American edition. |
| Publication Info | New York : Pantheon Books, ©2008. |
| Description | 241 pages ; 22 cm |
| Subjects |
| Uniform title | Stimme. English |
| Contents | Downtown -- If you can make it there -- I got the blues -- All the world's a stage -- All I need is music, music, music -- Sympathy is free, envy you gotta earn -- On the road again -- Life is a total work of art -- Coda. |
| Abstract | German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff stands a shade over four feet tall, his severely underdeveloped arms and hands the result of thalidomide poisoning while he was in his mother's womb. But through stunning determination enlivened by an impish sense of humor, Quasthoff has overcome his physical limitations and Dickensian childhood, cultivating his musical genius and thrilling classical music lovers with his sublime voice. What shines through Quasthoff's astonishing story is his staunch refusal to see himself as a victim. Whether evoking a harrowing childhood marked by multiple agonizing surgeries, relating folksy family anecdotes, expressing his devotion to his students as a professor of voice, expounding on his love of jazz and American popular music (he is a great admirer of Stevie Wonder), or unburdening himself of his wickedly outspoken views on art and disability, Quasthoff's sense of humanity, boisterous conviviality, and fierce honesty are always on display. |
| Bibliography note | Includes discography (pages 225-228) and index. |
| LCCN | 2007039089 |
| ISBN | 9780375424069 |
| ISBN | 0375424067 |