That’s a hell of a price, Mona. Maybe it’s available in a library? I’ll tell you why the memoir’s called “No Minor Chords.” Previn worked in the music department of MGM as a kid. (I think he worked for other studios, too, but I can’t remember.) One day, a new movie was being screened for the studio’s Irving Thalberg. He heard something in the score he didn’t like. And he barked to an aide, “What the hell was that?” The aide, clueless, stammered, “I dunno, sir. I think it was a minor chord.” Thalberg said, “Take a memo: Henceforth there shall be no minor chords in any MGM picture.” Previn and the boys delighted in tacking this directive to a wall.
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About the Author
Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.
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