--- product_id: 124751882 title: "Bax: A Composer and his Times" brand: "lewis foreman" price: "€ 116.58" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/124751882-bax-a-composer-and-his-times store_origin: SK region: Slovakia --- # Bax: A Composer and his Times **Brand:** lewis foreman **Price:** € 116.58 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Bax: A Composer and his Times by lewis foreman - **How much does it cost?** € 116.58 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/124751882-bax-a-composer-and-his-times) ## Best For - lewis foreman enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted lewis foreman brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Bax: A Composer and his Times ## Images ![Bax: A Composer and his Times - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/610KtYBS-zL.jpg) ![Bax: A Composer and his Times - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ZxAghbbEL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars tantalizing glimpses at one of the last centurys greatest composers *by R***7 on Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2016* Bax was quite prolific, one of the most prolific composers ever.Bax was rather opaque as this book shows is. He was very shy and retiring, Spent months and years alone writing in unheated hotels in remotest Scotland and Ireland. He was from a rich family, independently wealthy, did not have to work for a living, for example, conduct and often did not go back and revise his earlier works as did his contemporaries and buddies, like Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Peter Warlock, EJ Moeran, Sibelius, etc.While this is maybe the best bio , the best vision of him available of the enigmatic figure, it is lacking. The reader often gets' little of no feeling what was going on in Bax's head. Many chapters are fascinating, Bax heard the music of Faery along with Poet AE (George Russell) in Glencolumbcille, Ire and it entranced him. (we take him at his word). This ecstatic Faery music he heard he tried to capture again and again in his music "In the Faery Hills", "Spring Fire", the end of the Third Symphony, " Nympholept" , etc. So that part is wonderful, but then the narrative goes on to things that sound like little more than Bax laundry list, or a boring list of people at some party. With all of the letters to all his lovers extant, there must be some something that elucidates his thoughts and state of mind. All the principles are now dead, so tell us what they said...Bax love life played an important part in his music. He fell for a young Russian woman, Natalia Skarginski, put her up at his parents house, followed her to Russia only to have her use his money and dump him. On the rebound, Bax went back to England and married Elsita, who he had nothing in common with had children, then grew tired of her shortly thereafter. Then he met young pianist Harriet Cohen with whom he carried on a passionate love affair for decades. His wife was Catholic and refused him a divorce and they separated. By the time his wife eventually died decades later and he was free and could have married Cohen, as people expected. Cohen as sick all the time, tubercular, and constantly asking Bax for money and new songs to play and had affairs with other men. Bax fell for another younger woman Mary Gleaves who he was with for the rest of his life. He apparently liked younger women, he romanticized them, thought of them as goddesses incarnate. This love turmoil charged much of his music. Bax supported all three women all his life...He would be better know if he had not given all rights to many compositions to Harriet Cohen who hoarded them, didn't publish and didn't make them public for years after their deathsI also would have like to see Mr Foreman put some symbol in the text to indicate he is changing subjects, there will be some tantalizing insightful passage and then proceed without mark, into lists of trivia, Some symbol or line break to let us know he, Foreman is changing subject. which he does often.Also, there is much musical score and much reference to the many Bax albums now out. In addition to the written musical score, it would be useful for the next edition if Mr Foreman would tell you this passage he refers to is like in the most famous recordings, like Bryden Thomson's Chandos: recording tract 1, time: 3' 32" rather than just the publishing the score. Most of us, I included, are not that good at reading musical scores.Odd to say but some of Mr Foreman's notes in CDs (he has written Bax notes in practically every Bax CD there is) , some of his CD notes are actually more complete and thorough than what is here in this book!when I initially wrote this review it was for edition two., three is much improvedI recently read the latest edition of this book which has access to latters of the principals and explains a lot more about motivationsThen there is Bax own "Farewell my Youth" autobio and it's even more opaque, except at the very end!Sir Arnold Bax, IMHO, is one of the greatest composers in the 20th century, Bax is certainly one of the top 5 composers (as his friend Ralph Vaughn Williams also heatedly pointed out to the dunderheads at British Royal Academy of Music, quoted herein). He is certainly the most underappreciated. His music yields its virtues, subtleties and complexities only upon repeated listening. He deserves to be played much more and he deserves to be heard much more. There are so many better known 20th c composers whose works are downright boring and painful to listen to....I love Impressionism and there is so little of it. Dive into Bax! The more you listen the more you'll like.This is the best book out on Bax, but it leaves the reader wanting a lot more. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Very pleased to have this on my bookshelf. *by W***M on Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2013* This is an excellent biography of Sir Arnold Bax. It was an invaluable tool for me as I wrote my doctoral dissertation on the composer. Lewis Foreman shows great love and dedication to his subject, and writes in a way that makes you want to keep reading. His combination of personal information and analysis of the music is as good as that of anyone I've read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! I don't know why the amazon page ... *by G***Y on Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2014* Great book! I don't know why the amazon page puts it as having 616 pages. It only has 569 including the index and appendices. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sk/products/124751882-bax-a-composer-and-his-times](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/124751882-bax-a-composer-and-his-times) --- *Product available on Desertcart Slovakia* *Store origin: SK* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*