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Time's Echo

The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance

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Time's Echo

By: Jeremy Eichler
Narrated by: Jeremy Eichler, Sherrill Milnes
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About this listen

When it comes to how societies commemorate their own distant dreams and catastrophes, we often think of books, archives, or memorials carved from stone. But in Time's Echo, Jeremy Eichler makes a revelatory case for the power of music as culture's memory, an art form uniquely capable of carrying forward meaning from the past.
Eichler shows how four towering composers - Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Benjamin Britten and Dmitri Shostakovich - lived through the era of the Second World War and the Holocaust and later transformed their experiences into deeply moving works of music, scores that carry forward the echoes of lost time. A lyrical narrative full of insight and compassion, this book deepens how we think about the legacies of war, the presence of the past, and the profound possibilities of art in our lives today.

©2023 Faber & Faber (P)2023 Faber & Faber Essays History & Criticism Music War Holocaust Nonfiction

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Most relevant
I had just finished writing a review for a wonderful book on the history of money which, in late December, was my pick as my “book of the year”. I then had my attention drawn by my brother to an excellent book on literature and education which I had to admit in a conversation with him was perhaps my choice as my book of 2024 and then, purely fortuitously I came across this wonderful book.
This book (I bought a paperback copy) and the audiobook are both superbly well written and narrated. They tackle the role that music plays in bringing us an emotional connection to events of the past. In this case the event was the Holocaust of the Second World War and in particular the murder of over 6 million Jews.
He concentrates on works by Arnold Schoenberg, Richard Strauss, Benjamin Britten and Dimitri Shostakovich. He explains the background to the composers in terms of their own biographies and also the social/cultural milieu in which they lived.
This as exceptional as a work on musical criticism and as a work of history. I have listened to the pieces of music with the information I have picked up very much in my thoughts.
This is not just a work of dry intellectualism but an exercise in empathy as well as a brilliantly researched history book. It was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction but did not win! If this masterpiece didn’t win I will need to look up the book that did!
This is a highly recommended book/audiobook which I can categorically say is my pick as my 2024 Book of the Year!

Moving, thought provoking, a masterpiece

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Painful history and its conflicts. I think art triumphs in the end, in this book, but there are so many casualties in the process. Thumping memorable book that will haunt me to my death.

Emotions art and history

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I loved this book. It took me on a journey I was familiar with but had never understood in such depth until Jeremy Eichler presented the western world’s recent history through the profoundly meaningful pulse of the musical voices that drove the composers’ of the 20th century century and who’s creative determination crosses the time barrier that no historian can cross so that they bring the tragic reality of their times directly into the present and will continue to do so into the future. It was extraordinary reading the chapters of this remarkable book together with listening to the respective musical works that Eichler analyses with such humility and intelligence, enriching and informing one’s listening experience. I strongly recommend this book

Brilliantly written about one of the most important subjects of our time

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This well researched book is a joy to read and the beauty of his prose brings a tear to the eye at times. I intend to re-read Times Echo again alongside many of the pieces of music mentioned in his book

A a beautifully written and moving book.

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This is a powerful and moving book, compellingly read by the author. I plan to buy the book to read the account again.

Powerful and moving

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