Leo Ornstein

". . . this book is a valuable resource on a neglected pianist/composer. . . . Highly recommended."—Choice
"Leo Ornstein's story has for far too long languished in the pending tray of music history. In this lively, thoughtful, and meticulously researched volume, Michael Broyles and Denise Von Glahn finally afford Ornstein the attention he deserves, firmly establishing his importance to early-twentieth-century modernism, before exploring and explaining his descent into, and subsequent return from, historical oblivion. The tale they tell is as fascinating as it is bizarre."—David Nicholls, contributing editor of The Cambridge History of American Music
". . . this book is a welcome biography of an innovator who has been neglected in America's musical history for too long. Broyles's and Von Glahn's detailed research easily proves their claim that Ornstein should be counted among the innovators of musical modernism and in turn provides a credible answer as to why Ornstein suddenly disappeared from the public eye; but for that answer you will have to read the ending. Volume 65, Number 1, Sept. 2008"—Mark D. Porcaro, University of Dayton
"The book proceeds on many levels. It is a study of the composer's childhood in Russia and the immigration of his family to the United States, in company with many Russian Jews. It is also a study, in Ornstein's case, of assimilation and Americanization, and its consequences. We learn a great deal about the United States, up through WW I, and about musical life of the time. Finally, Broyles and von Glahn give an overview of Ornstein's music and detailed descriptions of some major pieces, especially the "Quintette" and the early radical piano works."—Robin Friedman, Midwest Book Review