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Countermelodies: A Memoir in Sonata Form by Ernestine Whitman: New

US $18.11
ApproximatelyRM 76.11
Condition:
Brand New
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eBay item number:405419323596
Last updated on Aug 12, 2025 01:52:31 MYTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
Publication Date
2024-09-24
Pages
344
ISBN
9781647427320

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
She Writes Press
ISBN-10
1647427320
ISBN-13
9781647427320
eBay Product ID (ePID)
11062932203

Product Key Features

Book Title
Countermelodies : a Memoir in Sonata Form
Number of Pages
344 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2024
Topic
Abuse / General, Personal Memoirs, General, Individual Composer & Musician
Genre
Music, Family & Relationships, Biography & Autobiography
Author
Ernestine Whitman
Format
Trade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height
1 in
Item Weight
15.2 Oz
Item Length
8.5 in
Item Width
5.5 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
Reviews
What was it like to forge a path as a woman in a male-dominated field generations before the #MeToo movement? . . . a courageous, engrossing, and exquisitely written portrait of the artist as a young woman. Part coming of age, part coming to terms, Countermelodies is the story of a gifted flutist making her way in classical music at a time when men got away with unimaginable abuses of power. Like the most sophisticated sonatas, it's stirring, unsettling, and, in the end, triumphant., In her candid and courageous memoir, flutist Ernestine Whitman traces the long term impact of psychological abuse encountered within a dysfunctional family . . . will be of great interest to music lovers curious about the professional music world and the need for steely determination in order to survive and succeed., Whitman has composed a remarkable work, a musical memoir that is symphonic in scope, emotional range, and musical nuance . . . she expertly weaves together themes of heart wrenching tragedy and despair with themes of uplifting joy and triumph. And pulsing beneath each word, sentence, and melodic phrase, the undeniable transformational power of courage, resilience, and hope. Once I began the musical journey, I couldn't put it down. Brava! -- Brian Pertl, Dean, Lawrence Conservatory of Music, . . . In this memoir you will learn about the inner workings of professional orchestras and brush shoulders with luminaries, but the most important lesson it delivers is how to overcome pernicious self-doubt., When Ernestine Whitman became a professional flutist, classical music was a man's world. Opposed by her judgmental father, she learned to fight for her art, navigating encounters with dangerously insecure men and holding fast to her flute until it became the means of her transcendence. At turns funny and frightening, Countermelodies is a glorious masterclass in music history, feminist resilience, and memory.
Dewey Decimal
813.6
Synopsis
A young girl tries to earn her stern father's approval, but she is never good enough. She discovers a talent for the flute and studies for years with a charismatic teacher who gives her the praise she longs for. But what happens to that intense bond when she becomes his colleague in a professional orchestra? Offering a uniquely musical perspective on the #MeToo experience, Countermelodies tells the story of a fiercely determined young woman whose love for the flute sustains her despite multiple betrayals by the men in her life. Through the darkness of a suicidal depression, she clings to her unshakable dream of making it in the cutthroat world of classical music., Offering a uniquely musical perspective on the #MeToo experience, this is the story of a talented and fiercely determined musician--a young woman with everything to gain and, ultimately, nothing left to lose--who finds a way through despite multiple betrayals by the men in her life. Jealous of her brilliant older sister, Ernestine longs for her father's approval as a little girl but is never good enough. When she discovers a talent for the flute, she meets a charismatic teacher who gives her the encouragement she craves and becomes her surrogate father. After winning several competitions, she dreams of being a professional musician, but her stern father ridicules the idea and forces her to attend Emory University as a math major like her sister. Ernestine doesn't give up on her musical dreams, however, and halfway through college she wins the second flute chair in the Atlanta Symphony. There, she sits beside her former teacher, the principal flute. At first, she loves working with him, but after one successful season he turns on her and does everything in his power to get her fired. Devastated by her idol's merciless harassment, she's driven into a spiral of suicidal depression. As she tries to recover, her vulnerability is exploited, again and again, by the very men she turns to for help. A harrowing account of one woman's battle with twentieth-century misogyny, Countermelodies follows Ernestine as, through the darkness, she clings to her love for the flute and her unshakable dream of making it in the cutthroat world of classical music.

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