Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, in Music Lessons

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'A virtuosic memoir . . . elegant, frank and well-structured, that entirely resists cliche . . . readable for both diehard classical music fans and complete newcomers alike . . . A rare feat.' – The Guardian

A uniquely illuminating memoir

Renowned pianist Jeremy Denk explores what he learned from his teachers about classical music: its forms, its power, its meaning – and what it can teach us about ourselves.

The journey of a musician

In this searching and funny memoir, based on his popular New Yorker article, Jeremy Denk traces an implausible journey:

• Life begins as a precocious, temperamental, and insufferable six-year-old piano prodigy in New Jersey.
• A family meltdown forces a move to New Mexico, far from classical music’s nerve centers.
• He faces a new taskmaster while navigating cacti and the perils of junior high school.
• Escaping New Mexico at last, he encounters a bewildering cast of college music teachers – ranging from boring to profound.

Through a series of humiliations and triumphs, Denk ultimately finds his way as one of the world’s greatest living pianists, a MacArthur 'Genius,' and a frequent performer at Carnegie Hall.

The joys and miseries of artistic practice

Few writers today explore both the joys and miseries of artistic practice as eloquently as Denk:

• Daily repetition and mystifying early advice.
• Pressure from parents and teachers who drove him on.
• The ongoing battle of talent against two enemies: boredom and insecurity.

As we meet various teachers with cruel and kind streaks, Denk composes a fraught love letter to the act of teaching. He brings readers behind the scenes to examine what motivates both student and teacher, locked in a complicated and psychologically perilous relationship.

Music, life, and their mirror

In Every Good Boy Does Fine, Denk explores how classical music is relevant to 'real life,' despite its distance in time. He dives into pieces and composers that have shaped him – Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms, among others – and gives unusual lessons on melody, harmony, and rhythm.

• Why and how do these fundamental elements have such a visceral effect on us?
• Denk tries to sum up many of the lessons he has received, repaying the debt to his amazing teachers.
• He reminds us that music is our creation and urges us to keep asking questions about its purpose.

'Denk . . . has written a book that shows what it’s like to be a pianist, but also what it’s like to be Jeremy Denk. As if that were not enough, it is also about the elements of music, and beyond that an account of the ways in which music and life mirror each other. It is a book like none other.' – Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books