The World's Your Stage

STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS OF WESTERN MUSICIANS

Performing artists have always had to struggle to make a living. In this chapter, we offer vignettes from the lives of some of the great masters of Western music, from Johann Sebastian Bach to Beverly Sills. It is amazing that these composers and performers were able to achieve so much in the face of obstacles that—though each unique in its own way—were surely no less daunting than those of our time. The examples of these artists may help you develop your own strategy that also combines vision, determination, and clear-eyed confrontation of hard facts.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: JANITOR, TEACHER, FATHER ...