Art music, orchestral and formal music Books

Book SynopsisWe knew from her recordings that Susan Tomes is a superb chamber player; now we know that she's a superb writer too. Michael Church, INDEPENDENT In this widely acclaimed volume, Susan Tomes, a rare example of a leading musicianwho writes about the craft of performance, describes her experience of twenty years of rehearsal, concerts and recording. We knew from her recordings that Susan Tomes is a superb chamber player; now we know that she's a superb writer too. Michael Church, INDEPENDENT She is as sensitive an observer and as subtle a writer as she is one of our finest chamber musicians...This is a book that should be read by practising musicians and music-lovers alike: here's one performer who really can communicate in words as well as music. JAMES JOLLY, GRAMOPHONE Susan Tomes's bookgives you an intensely illuminating picture of the life of a pianist...she is a brilliant writer...Just as she magnetises with her playing, so too with her words. EDWARD GREENFIELD, GUARDIAN In this widely acclaimed volume, Susan Tomes, a rare example of a leading musician who writes about the craft of performance, describes her experience of twenty years of rehearsal, concerts and recording. Her performing life has been centred on chamber music and the need to communicate it fully to an audience hungry for meaningful musical experience. She was a founder member and the pianist of both Domus and the Florestan Trio, award-winning groups at the top of their field. Part One is a series of diaries describing their travels and performances: Domus in the 1980s with its own portable concert hall, struggling to create the conditions for informal but intense concert performances, and the Florestan Trio, currently one of the world's finest piano trios. Part Two is a collection of thought-provoking essays about teachers, making records, practising and rehearsing, audiences, earning a living, and the particular challenges of being a concert pianist. Beyond the Notes gives an unusually candid view of the complexities of a life in music. SUSAN TOMES, alongside her packed concert schedule, is a frequent contributor, on music and other subjects, to a number of publications.Trade ReviewA delight and a revelation...She writes with Schubertian intimacy, modesty and grace. -- Boyd Tonkin * INDEPENDENT *This book reveals [Tomes'] talents as a writer, too, one with a capacity for imaginative enquiry and a gift for the telling phrase... as natural and compelling a communicator in words as she is in music. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *Professional musicians will sigh with recognition at page after page; readers...will have their eyes opened to the realities of the performer's life. I found the book absolutely enthralling. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *For more words on music, consider a wonderful book by pianist Susan Tomes of the Florestan Trio...Just reissued in paperback, Beyond the Notes is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the life of the touring concert artist. Her words are intimate and insightful, and her gentle frankness charms as she chronicles the role of the collaborative pianist. -- Susan Isaacs Nisbett * ANN ARBOR NEWS *

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Book SynopsisAn updated edition of the first book on this subject, covering influences, key works and reception history. From the start of the English musical renaissance, British composers were preoccupied with Germanic principles of sonata writing, despite their subsequent exposure to influences outside this tradition, among them late romantic music, French impressionism, Russian nationalism, Scriabin, British folk music, African-American music and neo-classicism. Regardless of education - or the climate, fully explored here, at the Royal College and the Royal Academy - the Austro-German tradition proved inescapable. This first study of the subject offers detailed commentary on key works, with plentiful musical examples, revealing influences and techniques and demonstrating composers' attitudes towards the genre. The reception history of the piano sonata is also discussed, to build up a picture of public musical taste. The appendix contains transcripts of interviews, including one with Sir Michael Tippett; these are particularly significant, as most of the subjects are now dead. Also included is a useful reference section, cataloguing the sonatas, as well as a full discography chronicling the recording history of each sonata, updated in 2012. Lisa Hardy studied music, mathematics and education at the University of Keele and researched her PhD at Goldsmiths' College, London, under the supervision of Professor Peter Dickinson. She works as a freelance piano and flute teacher and piano accompanist in the North East of England and teaches music at Durham High School for Girls.Trade ReviewRewarding ... Enlightening ... An exciting new addition to the musical and historical literature. * BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY NEWSLETTER *Lisa Hardy's book is a remarkable and readable piece of academic research ... Her style combines illuminating snippets of biography, glimpses and sketches of composer-characters, all woven around a strong, analytical central core of musical ideas, theory, and all the esoteric elements upon which the pianist and musicologist thrive. The cover, too, is worth mentioning ... an eye-catching and well-designed beginning to a precise and scintillating performance. * SPIRITED MAGAZINE, December 2013 *Lisa Hardy's book, full of a huge amount of meticulous research, is an enormous achievement .This book will be of great interest to both professional musicians and the general music loving public. Whilst it deals in depth with many of the works featured, it is also immensely readable. * THE CLASSICAL REVIEWER *

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Book SynopsisExploring the ideas of consensus, resistance and rupture, this book contributes an important and nuanced reflection to the current debate on modernism in music. Music and Ultra-Modernism in France examines the priorities of three generational groupings: the pre-war Société Musicale Indépendente of Ravel and his circle, Les Six in the 1920s and Jeune France in 1936. Exploring the ideas of consensus, resistance and rupture, the book contributes an important and nuanced reflection to the current debate on modernism in music. It considers the roles composers, critics and biographers played in shaping debates about contemporary music, showing how composers including Ravel, Poulenc, Milhaud, Jolivet and Messiaen and critics such as Paul Landormy, André Coeuroy and Roland-Manuel often worked in partnership to bring their ideas to a publicforum. It also expands the notion of 'interwar' through the essential inclusion of World War I and the years before, reconfiguring the narrative for that period. This book challenges some of the stereotypes that characterisethe period, in particular, neo-classicism and the dominance of secularism. It shows how Stravinsky worked closely with Ravel, Satie and Poulenc and invited audiences and critics to rethink what it meant to be modern. The interwaryears were also marked by commemoration and loss. Debussy's wartime death in 1918 stimulated competing efforts (by Emile Vuillermoz, Léon Vallas and Henry Prunières) to shape his legacy. They were motivated by nostalgia for a lostand glorious generation and a commitment to building a legacy of French achievement. Music and Ultra-Modernism in France argues for the vitality of French music in the period 1913-39 and challenges the received view that the period and its musical culture lacked dynamism, innovation or serious musical debate. BARBARA L. KELLY is Professor of Music at Keele University.Trade ReviewA significant contribution to the field ... Kelly adds to the dynamic understanding of the period ... Due to the clear structure of each chapter and the copious attention to details, this volume will be of use to academics, students and the general interested reader alike. It will no doubt become a standard reference in the field. * NOTES, March 2015 *Makes an important contribution to French music studies. Beyond those with a particular interest in France, it will also be essential reading for all scholars of music's Modernisms. * H-FRANCE REVIEW *Music and Ultra-Modernism in France: A Fragile Consensus, 1913-1939 presents a rich and nuanced exploration of musical Modernism within interwar France that challenges received, and accepted, understandings of this period. . . . Beyond those with a particular interest in France, it will also be essential reading for all scholars of music's Modernisms. * H-FRANCE *This book contains a great deal of valuable material. * MUSICAL OPINION *This book is a dazzling synthesis of materials, topics, and approaches to music historiography. It sheds new light on a period when alliances between critics and composers were paramount, when the perception of musical aims and aesthetics were considered vital to culture, and when the initiatives of musical historians actively shaped the way people thought about music and themselves. * FRENCH STUDIES *Kelly's scholarship and engaging writing is of the highest order, successfully helping us to address a previous deficiency in 20th-century French musicological studies. Highly recommended. * CHOICE, March 2014 *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Consensus, Resistance and New Music in France Remembering Debussy: Nostalgia and Modernism in interwar France Musical allegiances and factions: Ravel, Satie and the Question of Leadership Polemics and Publicity: Composer-Critic Partnerships Musical continuities: Sonority, Exoticism and Abstraction In Search of the Musical esprit du temps Surface Division, Deep Consensus: Classicism and Secularism and its Challenges Conclusions, Music for the Patrimoine: Remembering Interwar Music in France

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Book SynopsisHighly acclaimed author Susan Tomes takes up various topics of perennial interest: how music awakens and even creates memories, what 'interpretation' really means, what effect daily practice has on the character, whether playing from memory is a burden or a liberation, and why the piano is the right tool for the job. In several decades as a distinguished classical pianist, Susan Tomes has found that there are some issues which never go away. Here she takes up various topics of perennial interest: how music awakens and even creates memories, what "interpretation" really means, what effect daily practice has on the character, whether playing from memory is a burden or a liberation, and why the piano is the right tool for the job. She pays homage to the influence of remarkable teachers, asks what it takes for long-term chamber groups to survive the strains of professional life, and explores the link between music and health. Once again, her aim is to provide insight into the motives and experiences of classical performers. In this fourth book she also describes some of the challenges facing classical musicians in today's society, and considers why this kind of long-form music means so much to those who love it. SUSAN TOMES has won a number of international awards as a performer and recording artist, and in 2013 was awarded the Cobbett Medal for distinguished services to chamber music. For fifteen years she was the pianist of Domus, and for seventeen years she was the pianist of the Florestan Trio, one of the world's leading piano trios. She is the author of three previous books: Beyond the Notes (2004) and Out of Silence (2010), both published by Boydell, and A Musician's Alphabet (2006). She gives masterclasses, writes and presents radio programmes on music, and sits on international competition juries. Her blog on www.susantomes.com has a loyal following.Trade ReviewThose bewitched by Tomes's three previous books can prepare for bewitchment all over again ... Fascinating and revealing insights into the business of being expected to memorise music in the solo context ... Editor's Choice [Five Stars] * CLASSICAL MUSIC *[Susan Tomes's] penetrating intelligence is refreshing in a discourse often reduced to cliché and lazy generalisation ... One has only to think of Tomes's exceptional playing to understand why her faith still burns bright. [Four stars] * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *Sleeping in Temples is a captivating reverie of a book. * INTERNATIONAL PIANO *A book that exudes the same warmth and passion for her subject, and life in general, that shines through her much-admired work as a solo and ensemble pianist. * THE SCOTSMAN *It is exactly these kind of insights that can give audiences a sense of the musician as human ... And it's exactly why candid books like Sleeping in Temples are so necessary. * THE HERALD *I don't usually 'judge a book by its cover', but in this case the cover is a lovely place to start...it's beautiful and credited as a photograph by the author, Susan Tomes. Initially unsure whether the book would be a group of lectures, anecdotes or theories, I ended up feeling I had had a few wonderful conversations, full of humour and insight, a very rewarding read...This is not a solid, solemn book. Anything but. * LONDON CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY NEWSLETTER *There is a clarity and directness to this book that opens it to music lovers and makes it useful for performers. The writing is full of vivid anecdotes and Tomes proves herself to be a master storyteller throughout.Tomes's dedication to her art is a message to us all. * SCOTTISH JOURNAL OF PERFORMANCE *Stimulating, insightful, full of ideas and passing anecdotes ... on events drawn from her long career, Tomes brings to the page the same care, fastidious attention to detail and immaculate phrasing that she brings to her keyboard-playing. * GRAMOPHONE *[Tomes] has put in print many of the important thoughts that are in the forefront of a performer's mind and in doing so has left a legacy for the next generation to read and explore. Recommended. * CHOICE *Christmas Books Choice, * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *Top Ten Books of the Year, * CLASSICAL MUSIC *One of the Books of the Year, Sheena MacDonald - * THE HERALD *Recommended by Alex Ross * THE REST IS NOISE BLOG *Table of ContentsPrelude Giving People Memories The Right Tool for the Job Play the Contents, not the Container Temps Perdu Raw Materials 'Interesting things happen when you deny people the consolation of technical excellence' Plugged In Fashion Parade Enigma Variations Old People What is Interpretation? Bullfrogs The Iceberg Starting and Beginning Light and Heavy Music hath Charms Coda

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Book SynopsisAuthor Robert Sherlaw Johnson discussed all Messiaen's main works, exploring his musical language, the development of his technique, his individual approach to harmony and rhythm, the theological and symbolic aspects of his music, and his use of birdsong. The appendices include a chronological list of works and a list of bird names.Trade Review'will be basic to all future Messiaen scholarship.' The Times Literary Supplement.

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Book SynopsisJohann Sebastian Bach’s chorale settings have been vital to the teaching of music ever since they were composed. His four-voiced harmonisations represent a Baroque composer’s approach to melodies that are often centuries older. As musical styles continued to evolve, each succeeding generation of teachers and students brought their own viewpoint to bear on this small corpus of music. Consequently, during the three centuries since their composition and a quarter of a millennium since their first publication, a range of contrasting ideas and approaches has tended to obscure the fundamental nature of these short yet complex musical works. This Course provides a thorough re-appraisal of this inspiring music. Each Chapter builds on the work of previous ones, so that the student is taken from the simplest harmonisations of single phrases right through to the most complex settings of complete chorale melodies employing the full range of Bach’s harmonic resources. All the exercises are based directly on Bach’s own music. The two final Chapters take the most advanced student into more specialised areas of four-part harmony.Table of ContentsPart I: The principles of his style. Chapter 1: Intervals. Prelude to Chapter 2 - The 'Five Steps' method. Chapter 2: Phrases which close with a Perfect Cadence. Chapter 3: Phrases which close with an Imperfect Cadence. Coda to Part I: Alternative cadence patterns. Part II:Cadential suspensions. Chapter 4: The 'IIb -Va-Ia' Perfect Cadence. Chapter 5: The '4 -3' Perfect Cadence. Chapter 6: The 'Ic -Va-Ia' Perfect Cadence. Coda to Part II: The Interrupted Cadence (continued). Part III: Further elaborations of his style. Chapter 7: Suspensions in the melody and in the bass line. Chapter 8: Suspensions in all voices. Postlude to Chapter 8: Elaborating earlier work. Chapter 9: Harmonising a full chorale. Part IV: Modulations. Chapter 10: Modulation to and from the Dominant key. Chapter 11: Modulation to and from the Relative Major key. Chapter 12: Modulation to and from two related keys. Coda to Part IV: Chromatic modulation. Varied harmonisations of the same melody. Part V: Extensions. Chapter 13: Harmonising modal melodies. Chapter 14: Developing an instrumental style of harmonisation. Coda to Part V: Conclusion

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