The First Four Notes

"How do four simple notes--da-da-da-DUM--inspire everyone from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Mao Zedong to the Nazis and the Allies in WWII? Guerrieri uncovers everything you'd ever want to know about Beethoven's most famous symphony, from its composition in 1808 to its disastrous premiere through its more recent incarnation as a rallying cry for both discotheques and cellphone ringtones." --Los Angeles Magazine, #1 Music Book of the Year

"Spectacular.... We can use more commentators and advocates, in other words, like Matthew Guerrieri, who can restore a sense of beauty, wonderment and profundity to classical music. The First Four Notes brings back into memory many unfairly forgotten musicians, writers and scholars whose work would otherwise continue to drift into obscurity.... This book should serve as an inspiration to look, listen and read further." --The Wall Street Journal