by Bill Marx

For those interested interested in the work and lives of classical musicians, or if you teach feature writing, magazine writing, cultural reporting or non-fiction narrative, the profiles in “Music Talks” make a perfect holiday gift or useful addition to the classroom.

It is a volume of 4000 word-and-under profiles of celebrated artists by resident Culture Vulture Helen Epstein. The line-up includes such stars as Vladimir Horowitz, Leonard Bernstein, violin teacher Dorothy DeLay, James Galway, and Yo-Yo Ma. Many of these interviews appeared in the “Sunday New York Times” or other national publications.

Jonathan Baldo of the Eastman Music School has been using these pieces for 20 years and persuaded Helen to get the book back in print. Luckily the Authors Guild Back-in-Print program made that possible. David Hajdu at Columbia and Megan Marshall at Emerson are among the professors who find them helpful to students.

The new edition is available online and at music outlets like the shop at Symphony Hall in Boston. Order through the link below to Amazon and theartsfuse receives a (small) percentage of the sale.