"Musical Curiosities, Oddities and Liszts [sic]" is a popular book written for lovers of music. It does not require an "expertise" in musical knowledge. As the author states in the introduction- "This is a book of total enjoyment. It is not meant to be read in one evening or even a week. It is full of information that will not make you rich, get you a promotion, or even make you smarter. But I do hope for some "wows," a chuckle, and a 'boy, that is interesting.'" "Musical Curiosities, Oddities and Liszts [sic]" is a collection of little known facts, events, and lists about the composers, music, and performers of classical music, the Broadway stage, and jazz. It concentrates on music from the Baroque to contemporary performance artists. There are quizzes, a list of the full names of composers, classified lists of program music (insects and animals, celebrations, sports, transport and places, etc.), musical humor and satire, the firsts of everything in American music and performance, and a section on the shortest and longest of everything music. The book includes several anecdotes written and supplied by well known composers, accomplished performers, academicians, and music administrators. There is a section devoted to music written to be performed in the sky, in a swimming pool, around Arctic ice floes, and a café. Politicians and world leaders are represented in sections on their musical abilities and political censorship. Children composers, musicians with handicaps, unusual deaths of musicians and a pictorial spread of buskers and another of unusual pianos are included. To round out the book are sections on the history of recordings and broadcasts, a list of unusual music museums, and another on music festivals. A suggested reading list includes a list of two dozen "off beat" books on music. The book is profusely illustrated by photographs taken around the world by its author and engaging and humorous line drawings by Kim Borrego, a well-known Boulder artist.
About the Author: Born, raised and educated in Detroit, Arthur Lieb began performing on the accordion at Polish weddings at the age of eleven. In junior high he began playing the tuba and string bass. He received a degree in music theory from Wayne State University and a masters degree in library science from the University of Michigan. He was employed as an administrator for twenty-five years at the Library of Congress. In Washington, D.C. he sang with the Washington Chorus and the Choral Arts Society. Under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovich he performed with the National Symphony Orchestra in the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall and recorded works of Mussorgsky and Shostakovich. Arthur has played the pianos of George Gershwin, Scott Joplin, Edvard Grieg, Liberace, Cole Porter and Percy Grainger. He has also performed on the pianos in the Supreme Court and the White House. Retired in Boulder, Arthur has served on the boards of the American Music Research Center (University of Colorado), the Boulder Bach Festival, the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestras, and the Colorado Music Festival. For the latter he chaired its search committee for a new music director in 2012. Most recently he commissioned American Carter Pann to compose a string quartet. His memoir, "Polkas and Pierogies", was published in 2015 and is available on Kindle.