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Unfinished symphonies; voices from the beyond
When Rosemary Brown was seven, the great composer Franz Liszt appeared to her and told her he would visit her again after she had grown up. He did. And he began to pass on to her his musical compositions, totally new and unheard by the living world. Mrs. Brown, a London housewife, has been visited not only by Liszt but by Beethoven, Debussy, Chopin, Schubert, Bach and other musical geniuses who have given her over 400 new compositions. Leading authorities have said that no one could have composed that much music, written in a dozen different styles, without being a musical genius. Yet Rosemary Brown had limited musical training, knew very little musical notation and almost no musical theory. Unfinished Symphonies remains one of the most fascinating psychic stories ever written.
190 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1971
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 21, 2010
This book was very moving and very troubling, at the same time. The author was honest and direct in her writing: she claimed to have channeled the musical influence (or spirits) of a few great composers.
In the late 1960's, experts found her musical compositions - and her actual pianist abilities - to be near-perfectly matched with what was known of the original composers, for whom she claimed to be finishing previously unfinished works.
In the late 1960's, experts found her musical compositions - and her actual pianist abilities - to be near-perfectly matched with what was known of the original composers, for whom she claimed to be finishing previously unfinished works.
January 3, 2022
Whether you believe her claims or not, this book reads like engaging pulp. Of course it has this air of supernatural fiction about it. But even if it is made up, it's an interesting take on a ghost story nevertheless.
Her real-life encounter with Leonard Bernstein makes me chuckle. I would rank this up there with the guy who smacked his head in the pool and turned into Chopin.
Her real-life encounter with Leonard Bernstein makes me chuckle. I would rank this up there with the guy who smacked his head in the pool and turned into Chopin.
July 21, 2019
Wonderful. Even if you don't buy into it, the implications, the questions this book brings up are powerful. And some of the ideas about afterlife are, in my opinion, far too crratively unique to not cone from some genuine place of personal experiential interaction with that plane of existence.
February 25, 2014
Story of a widowed London housewife who is visited regularly by the spirts of Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, Brahms and others. They talk to her, guiding her hands to play and write in manuscript form music far beyond her own skills as a musician. Investigated by experts wh found no indication of fraud Mrs. Brown gives her account of this psychic phenomena.
Where is Bill Nye the Science Guy when you need him? Whether you find this account of Rosemary Browns encounter with famous composers in the after life true or false would depend on the reader's belief system. With that in mind it is a compelling concept and spirit communication claims have been going on for decades. With all the ghost hunting TV shows airing regularly, it is a refreshing lift to know that these esteemed members of the arts can also part the veil to enhance our world with their music. Sounds good to me!!! That's a rap.
Where is Bill Nye the Science Guy when you need him? Whether you find this account of Rosemary Browns encounter with famous composers in the after life true or false would depend on the reader's belief system. With that in mind it is a compelling concept and spirit communication claims have been going on for decades. With all the ghost hunting TV shows airing regularly, it is a refreshing lift to know that these esteemed members of the arts can also part the veil to enhance our world with their music. Sounds good to me!!! That's a rap.
November 15, 2008
From inside the book jacket:
"Unfinished Symphonies is the remarkable first-person story of a widowed London housewife who is visited regularly by the spirits of Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, Debussy, Schumann, Bach, Rachmaninov and Brahms, who talk to her and guide her hands to play and write in manuscript form music far beyond her own skills as a musician. Rosemary Brown has been investigated by experts, interviewed by Leonard Bernstein, and has been the subject of many news articles, but no one has found any indication of fraud."
Yeah - this supposedly actually happened, and apparently there was once a recording made of the music that these composers "gave" to her. This book is not very well-written, but the story is really ridiculous and fascinating at the same time.
It was at least worth the $1 I paid for it at the Brown Elephant.
"Unfinished Symphonies is the remarkable first-person story of a widowed London housewife who is visited regularly by the spirits of Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, Debussy, Schumann, Bach, Rachmaninov and Brahms, who talk to her and guide her hands to play and write in manuscript form music far beyond her own skills as a musician. Rosemary Brown has been investigated by experts, interviewed by Leonard Bernstein, and has been the subject of many news articles, but no one has found any indication of fraud."
Yeah - this supposedly actually happened, and apparently there was once a recording made of the music that these composers "gave" to her. This book is not very well-written, but the story is really ridiculous and fascinating at the same time.
It was at least worth the $1 I paid for it at the Brown Elephant.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews