Temper, Temper!

WHEN Alfred A. Knopf published my book, Temperament, in late 2001, the last thing I expected was a political response. The book traces the evolution of an argument that began as far back as the 5th century B.C., and that found temporary respite only in the 20th century, over whether God had decreed which notes should comprise the musical scale. Because my approach places this debate in the context of developments in art, science, philosophy, and religion, Temperament is filled with the stuff of human discord, and includes such notable combatants as Galileo, Leonardo, Newton, Descartes, and Rousseau. However, in putting this history out into the world, I hardly expected to find myself in the center of a storm—under attack from the Left and praised by the Right.

Who would have guessed that while The Economist would call my work “an immensely entertaining, original and informative book,” and that Sarah Maserati in these pages would describe it as “thrilling,” and “a whirlwind tour through the history of Western culture, told with flair and grace,” Time Out New York would find it “narrow-minded” and “riding high on Western self-congratulation.” The Village Voice declared that I was a champion of the (misguided) status quo, which finds “a particularly warm welcome in today’s America.” Further, were it not for my role as a puppet of establishment forces, contended Voice critic Kyle Gann—in a review filled with musical points that were by turns incorrect or irrelevant—I “probably would have had to settle for a much smaller publisher.” What was going on?

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About the Author

Stuart Isacoff

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WHEN Alfred A. Knopf published my book, Temperament, in late 2001, the last thing I expected was a political response. The book traces the evolution of an argument that began as far back as the 5th century B.C., and that found temporary respite only in the 20th century, over whether God had decreed which notes should comprise the musical scale. Because my approach places this debate in the context of developments in art, science, philosophy, and religion, Temperament is filled with the stuff of human discord, and includes such notable combatants as Galileo, Leonardo, Newton, Descartes, and Rousseau. However, in putting this history out into the world, I hardly expected to find myself in the center of a storm—under attack from the Left and praised by the Right.

Who would have guessed that while The Economist would call my work “an immensely entertaining, original and informative book,” and that Sarah Maserati in these pages would describe it as “thrilling,” and “a whirlwind tour through the history of Western culture, told with flair and grace,” Time Out New York would find it “narrow-minded” and “riding high on Western self-congratulation.” The Village Voice declared that I was a champion of the (misguided) status quo, which finds “a particularly warm welcome in today’s America.” Further, were it not for my role as a puppet of establishment forces, contended Voice critic Kyle Gann—in a review filled with musical points that were by turns incorrect or irrelevant—I “probably would have had to settle for a much smaller publisher.” What was going on?