Biography: arts and entertainment Books

Book SynopsisInvaluable, intimate insight into the life and work of art collector and gallerist Ursula Hauser, whose outstanding private collection of modern and contemporary art is among the world's most revered. In the 1980s, Ursula Hauser began quietly building what's become one of the world's most impressive private collections of modern and contemporary artacquiring works from visionary artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Carol Rama, Alina Szapocznikow, Franz West, and many othersand in 1992, she co-founded one of today's most important galleries, Hauser & Wirth. This book presents the first-ever extensive and intimate account of her life and art collection.

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Book SynopsisAngela Thomas, art historian and Max Bill's widow, offers intimate insight into the peak years of the Swiss polymath's career. Constructive Clarity: Max Bill and His Time, 19401952, the second installment of art historian Angela Thomas's multivolume biography, continues her meticulous exploration of the life and work of the influential artist. Max Bill was undoubtedly one of the most versatile artists of the twentieth centurya designer, painter, sculptor, architect, graphic designer, typographer, writer, curator, teacher, and politicianwho influenced generations of artists. Picking up where the first volume left off, Thomas turns her attention to Bill's life during World War II, exploring the ground-breaking artistic and intellectual networks to which Bill belonged: from his time at the Bauhaus in Dessau to his connections with the Parisian avant-garde and his lifelong friendship with Georges Vantongerloo. His importance as a writer, publisher, and exhibition organizer comes to the f

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Book SynopsisThe artist's biography as told by Metzger himself, a leader of the Auto-Destructive Art and Art Strike movements. A visionary artist and radical thinker, Gustav Metzger asked provocative questions about the role of the artist and of conventional forms of artmaking and display. In this richly illustrated book, Metzger tells the story of his life and work in a series of interviews with the curator Hans Ulrich Obrist. He recounts his Orthodox Jewish childhood in 1930s Nuremberg and his arrival in England as part of the Kindertransport before shedding light on his development as an artist, including his early contributions to computer art, his leading role in the Destruction in Art Symposium of 1966, and his call for an art strike' from 197780. An artist for our times, Metzger's uncompromising commitment to combating environmental destruction was fundamental to his understanding of art as a vehicle for change. This publication speaks emphatically to the undimmed urgency of Metzger's ar

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Book SynopsisEduardo Chillida?s daughter reminisces on the life and work of her artist parentsPublished to mark the centenary of Eduardo Chillida?s birth, Eduardo Chillida and Pilar Belzunce: Memories of a Daughter is the first English translation of Susana Chillida?s memoir about her parents, Eduardo Chillida and Pilar Belzunce. With abundant archival images, the book reflects the couple?s universe, family, friendships and the cultural circles in which they ran, while also providing an intimate portrait of the couple as innovative artists and socially conscious individuals.Susana Chillida has published several books and directed several films on her parents Eduardo Chillida and Pilar Belzunce, including Memory of Filming with My Father (2002); One Hundred Words for Eduardo Chillida (2015); From Chillida to Hokusai: Creation of a Work (1994); and Art and Dreams (1998). She studied documentary filmmaking at New York University.

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Book SynopsisThis volume is being published on the occasion of the exhibition Women in Balance at the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence. Wanda Miletti Ferragamo, wife of Salvatore Ferragamo, was an extraordinary figure who combined the traditional role of a woman devoted to her home and children with a commitment to work and business. Her individual story triggers profound reflections on how she honoured her husband's memory through her entrepreneurial, cultural, and social choices. These choices allowed her to outline a specific form of family business, which has long been considered a pinnacle of the Italian economy. Her life was characterized by a strong dedication to work, and her role as a pioneering leader at the helm of an innovative company such as Salvatore Ferragamo provides an opportunity to explore and analyze the role of women in the years of Italy's economic miracle, with a focus on issues such as household consumption and the influence of advertising.

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Book SynopsisWhen Bombardier Stanley Warren first painted the Changi Murals in Luke's Chapel, Roberts Barracks, Singapore in 1942, his fellow prisoners knew so little about him that they made up their own 'myths' about the mysterious painter. This carefully researched account reveals the truth behind the man and his murals. It follows Stanley Warren's journey through World War II: from soldier, to prisoner of war, and his return to civillian life. It also tells of his remarkable, long-standing relationship with the murals - from when he was seriously ill as he began to paint the first of the five murals to how he was identified in 1959 as the lost artist of Changi, and how he returned twice to Singapore to restore the paintings. With over 70 illustrations, including full colour reproductions of the Changi Murals, archival photographs, sketches and maps.

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Book SynopsisThis work tells the story not only of an intimate struggle between man and cello but also of the larger struggle between a society obsessed with success and payoff and individuals who choose challenging hobbies that yield no payoff except the love of it.

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Book SynopsisUmm Kulthum was a celebrated musical performer in the Arab world, and her songs still permeate the international airwaves. This, the first English-language biography, chronicles her life and career. In particular, it examines her success in a society which discouraged women from public performance.

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Book SynopsisOne of the most influential choreographers of the twentieth century, Merce Cunningham is known for introducing chance to dance. Far too often, however, accounts of Cunningham's work have neglected its full scope, focusing on his collaborations with the visionary composer John Cage or insisting that randomness was the singular goal of his choreography. In this book, the first dedicated to the complete arc of Cunningham's career, Carrie Noland brings new insight to this transformative artist's philosophy and career, providing a fresh perspective on his artistic process while exploring aspects of his choreographic practice never studied before. Examining a rich and previously unseen archive that includes photographs, film footage, and unpublished writing by Cunningham, Noland counters prior understandings of Cunningham's influential embrace of the unintended, demonstrating that Cunningham in fact set limits on the role chance played in his dances. Drawing on Cunningham's written and peTrade Review"What a terrific addition to the library! Noland is . . . taking the received understanding of Cunningham, and working against its fetish terms of chance, indeterminacy, nonnarrative, and so forth, to probe instead for Cunningham's interest in human connections and particularities. The effect of moving through Noland's text is of an unfolding of multiple issues and optics, many of them fundamentally biographical, all in turn shaping the kinesthetics of Cunningham's expertise as dancer and as choreographer. Rather than presenting the evanescent medium of dance as a linear compositional project, Noland shows it as constellational-recursive, dialogic, felt, meant, and, most importantly, thought."--Judith Rodenbeck, author of Radical Prototypes: Allan Kaprow and the Invention of Happenings "Merce Cunningham: After the Arbitrary is a rigorously argued, extremely persuasive, and highly topical book. While Cunningham's work is famous for being almost tortuously difficult, Noland successfully reads it through the arbitrary and the human, the abstract and the motivated, the structural and the personal. She has done so, moreover, with a fluid voice that moves easily between the register of observation and the metacritical. It is at once historical, theoretical, and formalist, making it a model of scholarship in any humanist field. Noland moves deliberately, examining not only a sequence of Cunningham's dances but their interlocking relationships with other choreographies, both contemporaneous and otherwise."--Rachel Haidu, author of The Absence of Work: Marcel Broodthaers 1964-1976

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"What a terrific addition to the library! Noland is . . . taking the received understanding of Cunningham, and working against its fetish terms of chance, indeterminacy, nonnarrative, and so forth, to probe instead for Cunningham's interest in human connections and particularities. The effect of moving through Noland's text is of an unfolding of multiple issues and optics, many of them fundamentally biographical, all in turn shaping the kinesthetics of Cunningham's expertise as dancer and as choreographer. Rather than presenting the evanescent medium of dance as a linear compositional project, Noland shows it as constellational-recursive, dialogic, felt, meant, and, most importantly, thought."--Judith Rodenbeck, author of Radical Prototypes: Allan Kaprow and the Invention of Happenings "Merce Cunningham: After the Arbitrary is a rigorously argued, extremely persuasive, and highly topical book. While Cunningham's work is famous for being almost tortuously difficult, Noland successfully reads it through the arbitrary and the human, the abstract and the motivated, the structural and the personal. She has done so, moreover, with a fluid voice that moves easily between the register of observation and the metacritical. It is at once historical, theoretical, and formalist, making it a model of scholarship in any humanist field. Noland moves deliberately, examining not only a sequence of Cunningham's dances but their interlocking relationships with other choreographies, both contemporaneous and otherwise."--Rachel Haidu, author of The Absence of Work: Marcel Broodthaers 1964-1976

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"In what is simultaneously a coming-of-age story; an elegy for a bygone, grittier Chicago; and a case study on the many ways the color barrier was crossed musically in the mid-twentieth century, Iglauer and Roberts contextualize the blues' story as America's."--Booklist "Apart from the musicians themselves, few Chicagoans have done more for the genre--or witnessed more of its history from the inside--than Iglauer."--Howard Reich "Chicago Tribune " "Iglauer and coauthor Patrick A. Roberts provide an enlightening view of the music-making process--from scouting talent to obscure clubs to the quest for originality in the studio to marketing and distribution."--DownBeat "This book is long overdue. Alligator Records has been a cornerstone of the blues world for over four decades. The stories about the artists and sessions that have paved the way for so many others are a pleasure to read. As an Alligator artist I am truly grateful for what Bruce and Alligator Records have done for me and this genre."--Shemekia Copeland "Bruce and his history with Alligator Records encompass so much of the richest and most exciting eras of urban blues. All the fascinating stories and behind-the-scenes intrigues are here, and the indelible legacy of his commitment to this music and the artists he cares so passionately about makes this a terrific, important read."--Bonnie Raitt "Bruce Iglauer stepped through the door of Florence's Lounge on Chicago's South Side and into a timeless love affair with the blues. Iglauer's story is about finding talent, nurturing it, and sharing it with others. It's also about staying independent in a world where conglomerates glom and Big Tech assumes more power. His Alligator Records is a soundtrack to modern blues, from Hound Dog Taylor in 1970 on through Son Seals and Albert Collins and to today's JJ Grey & Mofro. There are great stories here."--Robert Gordon, author of Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion "A fascinating look at one of the great independent record labels, and producers, of our time. For blues fans, this one has teeth."--Library Journal "Blues and gospel have always been first cousins, and Bruce was as supportive and gracious to me as you could imagine, always willing to offer his insight and expertise. He's been a true friend of the blues and independent music."--Mavis Staples "This is a book packed with a yearning nostalgia for a time and place which we British bluesers could only dream about. If you want to get to grips with the electrifying history of Chicago blues, you need this book--it's a houserockin' gem."--Blues Matters "The book is a wealth of blues history that draws both from Iglauer's encyclopedic knowledge of blues along with his vivid, personal experiences with legendary artists."--Chicago Blues Guide "When I was about twenty years old, Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers were my imaginary best friends. They were with me everywhere I went because I always had my portable CD player with me. I know for a fact I wouldn't be in this business if Bruce hadn't released those first two Hound Dog records. The fire Bruce captured on those records is the magic place I'm reaching for every time I'm in my studio."--Dan Auerbach, The Black Keys "You have to admire Bruce Iglauer's dedication and persistence over the years. He acknowledges he's a workaholic but he has also been meticulous in his control of every aspect of his business. He's been tireless and inspired in building up his artist roster, moving away from his early obsession with Chicago artists and branching out, both following and helping to create new blues forms."--Blues & Rhythm "Iglauer's storytelling, his illuminating views of the artists he's worked with, his straightforward recounting of the business--from recording to running the label, and deciding who to sign or drop--kept me going strong, finishing the highly readable book, coauthored by Patrick A Roberts, in just a couple sittings."--Lincoln Journal Star "Bruce Iglauer's autobiographical history of Alligator Records is, in many ways, a story about technological change as much as it is about music. Yet, even more than a book about music or technology, at its heart, Bitten by the Blues is a business tale--the story of how a young college student started his own label to record his favorite musician, and ended up building a successful operation that not only provided for his family, but facilitated dozens of musicians being able to earn a living from their music. . . . Iglauer and his co-writer, Patrick A. Roberts, have written a history that is warmly conversational in tone, the equivalent of sharing stories with a good friend."--All About Jazz "Iglauer imbues Bitten By The Blues with the same wit, humor, and charm that he evinces in person, and his larger-than-life personality shines through every page. . . . Most importantly, perhaps, Bitten By The Blues reveals some of Bruce's vision for the future of the label, a future that's not carved in stone by any means, but is strengthened by the label's discovery and development of young talents like Shemekia Copeland and Selwyn Birchwood as well as the addition of road-tested blues veterans like Tommy Castro, Nick Moss, and Tinsley Ellis to the label's ever-evolving roster. Bitten By The Blues is an insightful and entertaining read for any blues music fanatic or anybody interested in the business of music. The only (admittedly minor) quibble I have with the book is that I'd loved to have seen more photos, but extra credit to Bruce for including a complete Alligator Records discography that we rabid collectors can use as a convenient shopping list. Grade: A+"--That Devil Music "In addition to being an enjoyable read for blues and Chicago enthusiasts, Bitten by the Blues reminds us that one's passion can become one's profession. Genuine Houserockin' Music indeed."--Birmingham Stages "In many ways the story of Alligator Records is the story of the blues over the last fifty years. Bitten by the Blues is the saga of Alligator Records through the eyes of the one person who knows it best--label founder and owner Bruce Iglauer. With his tough business mind, coupled with an often self-effacing sense of humor, Iglauer tells the tale of the Gator with candor and clarity. From the first Hound Dog Taylor record that launched the label, to the meteoric success of artists like Luther Allison and Shemekia Copeland, Alligator Records has, in many ways, defined success in the blues world. Bitten by the Blues is an eye-opening look at one of the most popular independent blues labels in history."--Brett J. Bonner, editor, Living Blues magazine "No book written today has told a more complete story of contemporary Chicago blues and its multitude of musicians as thoroughly as Bitten by the Blues. This is essential reading for any lover and collector of blues."--Blues Music Magazine

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Book SynopsisBy relating biography to the cultural and musical contours of contemporary American life, Ronald M. Radano observes jazz practice as part of the complex interweaving of postmodern culture. Radano accomplishes this by analyzing the creative life of Anthony Braxton.

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Book SynopsisBest-known as Mozart's envious nemesis, Antonio Salieri was actually among the leading opera composers of his age. This study seeks to restore Salieri's musical reputation, and identifies some orchestration, melodic style and form as distinctly "Salierian". It includes many excerpts from his works.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of the ten best Chicago books of 2020. Plenty of books have been written about Afrofuturist pioneer Sun Ra and his Arkestra, but Sites is the first to make Chicago his co-protagonist. . . . Sites provides crucial context on how Chicago's Afrocentrist philosophy, religion, and jazz scenes helped turn Blount into Sun Ra.” * Chicago Reader *Best Historical Research in Recorded Jazz, Certificate of Merit 2021 * Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence *“Four stars. A must-read for fans of the musician and his city. . . . Fascinating and thoroughly readable. . . Sites makes the engaging argument that the idiosyncratic jazz legend’s penchant for interplanetary journeys and African American utopia was in fact inspired by urban life right on Earth.” * Spectrum Culture *“An important contribution. . . Sites draws on an impressive number of disciplines to ground Ra’s spacebound theatrics in material history. . . . He cites work from urban studies, African American studies, theology, and literary theory. . . It’s difficult to imagine anyone other than Sites writing a work that demands mastery of these specific disciplines.” * The Wire *"Required reading for anyone seriously interested in Sun Ra and his ensemble, the Arkestra." * American Literary History *"Not the launching point for an introduction to the life of Sun Ra, but rather a deeper dive into the city life and utopian vision informing his work and philosophy, emphasizing that (Urban) Space Is the Place." * Library Journal *“Highly readable. . . What Sites is good at is the detail of the period. . . He is good, too, on the economics of segregation, the racial divisions of the American working class, and the role of the black establishment. . . But best of all, especially to musicians and jazz fans, he is great about the musical life of Chicago, the Pershing and Du Sable venues, and the Jim Crow squalor of Calumet City, the sin suburb of Chicago. Where this book really scores is in its investigation of the sheer 'otherness 'of Sun Ra.” * Jazz Journal *"Sites’s project in this work is to get back to this future city by understanding Sun Ra’s geographic, intellectual, and galactic journeys. . . . Sites’s considerable skills as an urban cartographer help to further remap Chicago. . . . In Sites’s analysis, Sun Ra’s work continues to rethink the U.S. city." * Rain Taxi *“One of the most unique books to ever look at the music of Sun Ra. . . Digs very deep into Ra's early years – time that isn't covered in as much details as in other projects – and the book paints a picture of the city that's as vivid as the jazz legend himself. . . Sites comes at the project from a different perspective than most music writers – which makes for a very fresh volume that may well open up whole new territory in the exploration of jazz and community.” * DustyGroove.com *“Sun Ra’s Chicago is a masterful account of the musician’s formative years. Sites deftly applies a wider lens to his biography, analyzing the urban spaces and networks that shaped Sonny Blount’s transformation from an itinerant musician into the otherworldly philosophical leader of the Arkestra. This book is essential reading not only for Sun Ra listeners but for readers interested in the crosscurrents of Black intellectual thought and the utopian possibilities, past and present, of America’s cities.” * Erik S. Gellman, author of Troublemakers: Chicago Freedom Struggles through the Lens of Art Shay *"Like its subject, Sun Ra’s Chicago is a category buster—social history, musicology, urban studies, hermeneutics, cultural reclamation—and as such, a revelation. Sites tells a story of countercultural ferment in 1950s south side Chicago that is detailed and provocative. Sun Ra, Alton Abraham, and the members and friends of the Arkestra were truly a 'creative class' long before that term, as we know it, was coined." * Larry Bennett, author of The Third City: Chicago and American Urbanism *Table of ContentsUrban Routes, Utopian PathwaysPart I: Birmingham 1 Downtown Sounds 2 Industrial School to Territory Band 3 Leadership DreamsPart II: Chicago 4 South Side Music Scene 5 “Sound So Loud It Will Wake Up the Dead” 6 Utopian Chicago 7 African Space 8 Wonder Inn, 1960 Lineages/Legacies Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“As editor and contributor Brooks has done a fine job, mixing judiciously chosen source materials with carefully researched scholarly articles, plus photographs, scores and handwritten documents. Her book fulfills an academic agenda but, more importantly, to read it feels like spending time in Boulanger’s world, understanding a little better who she was and what she experienced as a human being.” * The Wire *"This publication joins a growing list of scholarly works about Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979) and her sister, Lili (1893–1918). . . but the present volume evaluates new sources and leads to several reassessments. The maturity of these essays makes the book particularly compelling. Each contributor pays meticulous attention to details at every level: the book is marked by in-depth presentation of ideas; clear, nuanced, and explicit analysis; and excellent documentation that often adds context, source details, locations of the many primary sources consulted, and other useful information. This book is about the world Boulanger occupied and about the world she created: space and visibility for Lili’s compositions, placement of Gabriel Fauré at the center of French modern music for American audiences, links to new music and international connections for Polish musicians, and especially encouragement for the 50-plus who were her students." * Choice *"Nadia Boulanger and Her World offers a variety of new perspectives on a well-known figure... In eight full-length essays and five substantive introductions to excerpted primary sources, Brooks and the book’s nine other contributors present Boulanger as a master musician whose performances, pedagogy, and social dexterity placed her at the center of twentieth-century art music in Europe and the United States." * Journal of the American Musicological Society *Table of ContentsPreface: The Only Woman in the Picture Acknowledgments Permissions and Credits The Strange Fate of Boulanger and Pugno’s La ville morte ALEXANDRA LAEDERICH TRANSLATED BY CHARLOTTE MANDELL Serious Ambitions: Nadia Boulanger and the Composition of La ville morte JEANICE BROOKS AND KIMBERLY FRANCIS From the Trenches: Extracts from the Final Issue of the Paris Conservatory Gazette EDITED BY NADIA AND LILI BOULANGER SELECTED, INTRODUCED, AND ANNOTATED BY ANNEGRET FAUSER TRANSLATED BY ANNA LEHMANN From Technique to Musique: The Institutional Pedagogy of Nadia Boulanger MARIE DUCHÊNE-THÉGARID TRANSLATED BY MIRANDA STEWART Nadia Boulanger’s 1935 Carte du Tendre INTRODUCED BY MARIE DUCHÊNE-THÉGARID INTRODUCTION TRANSLATED BY ANNA LEHMANN 36 rue Ballu: A Multifaceted Place CÉDRIC SEGOND-GENOVESI TRANSLATED BY ANNA LEHMANN “What an Arrival!”: Nadia Boulanger’s New World (1925) NADIA BOULANGER TRANSLATED AND ANNOTATED BY JEANICE BROOKS AFTERWORD BY GAYLE MURCHISON Modern French Music: Translating Fauré in America, 1925–45 JEANICE BROOKS For Nadia Boulanger: Five Poems by May Sarton MAY SARTON INTRODUCED BY JEANICE BROOKS Friend and Force: Nadia Boulanger’s Presence in Polish Musical Culture ANDREA F. BOHLMAN AND J. MACKENZIE PIERCE “What Awaits Them Now?”: A Letter to Paris ZYGMUNT MYCIELSKI TRANSLATED AND ANNOTATED BY J. MACKENZIE PIERCE A Letter from Professor Nadia Boulanger TRANSLATED BY J. MACKENZIE PIERCE The Beethoven Lectures for the Longy School INTRODUCED BY CÉDRIC SEGOND-GENOVESI TRANSLATED BY MIRANDA STEWART Boulanger and Atonality: A Reconsideration KIMBERLY FRANCIS Why Music? Aesthetics, Religion, and the Ruptures of Modernity in the Life and Work of Nadia Boulanger LEON BOTSTEIN Index Notes on the Contributors

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“As editor and contributor Brooks has done a fine job, mixing judiciously chosen source materials with carefully researched scholarly articles, plus photographs, scores and handwritten documents. Her book fulfills an academic agenda but, more importantly, to read it feels like spending time in Boulanger’s world, understanding a little better who she was and what she experienced as a human being.” * The Wire *"This publication joins a growing list of scholarly works about Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979) and her sister, Lili (1893–1918). . . but the present volume evaluates new sources and leads to several reassessments. The maturity of these essays makes the book particularly compelling. Each contributor pays meticulous attention to details at every level: the book is marked by in-depth presentation of ideas; clear, nuanced, and explicit analysis; and excellent documentation that often adds context, source details, locations of the many primary sources consulted, and other useful information. This book is about the world Boulanger occupied and about the world she created: space and visibility for Lili’s compositions, placement of Gabriel Fauré at the center of French modern music for American audiences, links to new music and international connections for Polish musicians, and especially encouragement for the 50-plus who were her students." * Choice *"Nadia Boulanger and Her World offers a variety of new perspectives on a well-known figure... In eight full-length essays and five substantive introductions to excerpted primary sources, Brooks and the book’s nine other contributors present Boulanger as a master musician whose performances, pedagogy, and social dexterity placed her at the center of twentieth-century art music in Europe and the United States." * Journal of the American Musicological Society *Table of ContentsPreface: The Only Woman in the Picture Acknowledgments Permissions and Credits The Strange Fate of Boulanger and Pugno’s La ville morte ALEXANDRA LAEDERICH TRANSLATED BY CHARLOTTE MANDELL Serious Ambitions: Nadia Boulanger and the Composition of La ville morte JEANICE BROOKS AND KIMBERLY FRANCIS From the Trenches: Extracts from the Final Issue of the Paris Conservatory Gazette EDITED BY NADIA AND LILI BOULANGER SELECTED, INTRODUCED, AND ANNOTATED BY ANNEGRET FAUSER TRANSLATED BY ANNA LEHMANN From Technique to Musique: The Institutional Pedagogy of Nadia Boulanger MARIE DUCHÊNE-THÉGARID TRANSLATED BY MIRANDA STEWART Nadia Boulanger’s 1935 Carte du Tendre INTRODUCED BY MARIE DUCHÊNE-THÉGARID INTRODUCTION TRANSLATED BY ANNA LEHMANN 36 rue Ballu: A Multifaceted Place CÉDRIC SEGOND-GENOVESI TRANSLATED BY ANNA LEHMANN “What an Arrival!”: Nadia Boulanger’s New World (1925) NADIA BOULANGER TRANSLATED AND ANNOTATED BY JEANICE BROOKS AFTERWORD BY GAYLE MURCHISON Modern French Music: Translating Fauré in America, 1925–45 JEANICE BROOKS For Nadia Boulanger: Five Poems by May Sarton MAY SARTON INTRODUCED BY JEANICE BROOKS Friend and Force: Nadia Boulanger’s Presence in Polish Musical Culture ANDREA F. BOHLMAN AND J. MACKENZIE PIERCE “What Awaits Them Now?”: A Letter to Paris ZYGMUNT MYCIELSKI TRANSLATED AND ANNOTATED BY J. MACKENZIE PIERCE A Letter from Professor Nadia Boulanger TRANSLATED BY J. MACKENZIE PIERCE The Beethoven Lectures for the Longy School INTRODUCED BY CÉDRIC SEGOND-GENOVESI TRANSLATED BY MIRANDA STEWART Boulanger and Atonality: A Reconsideration KIMBERLY FRANCIS Why Music? Aesthetics, Religion, and the Ruptures of Modernity in the Life and Work of Nadia Boulanger LEON BOTSTEIN Index Notes on the Contributors

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Seidel acts as a guide to the places immortalized by Van Gogh in this Provençal city." -- Martin Bailey * The Art Newspaper *"Vincent van Gogh’s 15-month stay in Arles, France, is where he created some of his most iconic paintings, including Cafe Terrace at Night and his Sunflowers series. Art history professor Seidel explores the French town as it was in the late 19th century, when Van Gogh and other artists moved there in search of inspiration, as well as what it’s like today as a visitor." * Book Riot, "Most Anticipated Travel Books of 2023" *"In a fascinating blend of travel, history, and art, Seidel tours the culturally rich town of Arles in southern France and incorporates stories and letters from legendary artist Vincent Van Gogh's life to shed light on the key sites." * The Bookseller (UK) *“Vincent’s Arles takes us step by step on a fascinating journey around Arles as it was in Vincent’s time and how it is today. Offering many surprises and fresh reflections, Seidel’s authoritative and intimate voice delves meticulously into history, myth, and legend. We explore the city’s Roman heritage, tombs, and churches that enchanted van Gogh, sacred places that have been a crossroads of pilgrimages for centuries. Vincent, a voracious reader, would have loved these pages.” -- Mariella Guzzoni, author of "Vincent’s Books"“It is a circumstance that would become crucial to the history of modern art that Vincent van Gogh often found himself living in places of profound natural beauty, in places with impressive architectural or even archaeological histories, or both, and that so many of his greatest paintings were set in these gorgeous places. Now Seidel takes us on an intimate journey, beautifully written, through one such place, helping us to see Arles as van Gogh himself saw it, and therefore revealing how he reimagined the places he lived for artistic impact.” -- Steven Naifeh, Pulitzer Prize–winning coauthor of "Van Gogh: The Life""Like a medieval pilgrimage to a shrine celebrating the dead, this book is a journey through time more than space. Van Gogh's encounter with the portal of the church of Saint Trophime in Arles generates a riveting reflection on the matter of experience. What produces an event? What lies behind a painting? What comes into view? Seidel takes us from what van Gogh saw to the mist of images stored in his mind to stories of which he was unaware but that shaped every street on which he laid his eyes. The result is a gentle, most beautiful contemplation of the magical entanglements of history." -- Emanuele Lugli, author of "Knots, or the Violence of Desire in Renaissance Florence"Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Poets of the Place The Art of Colors and the Art of Words The Road to Remembrance “A Little Rome of Gaul” The Portal and Its Past Seeing Stories Crossroads of the Mediterranean Pilgrimage Facts and Fictions Journey’s End Afterwords Index

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Book SynopsisSaxon brings together more than 300 letters written by the self-styled Prince of Humbugs. Here we see him, opinionated and exuberant, with only the rarest flashes of introspection and self-doubt, haggling with business partners, blustering over politics, and attempting to get such friends as Mark Twain to endorse his latest schemes.Table of ContentsIllustrations Prologue 1. Life in Progress 2. Bethal 3. Religion of Healthy-mindedness 4. Showman Barnum 5. Wonders of God's Universe 6. Of Mermaids and the Man in Miniature 7. Universal Yankee 8. Finer Things 9. Bridgeport and Bankruptcy 10. Pro bono publico 11. New Beginning 12. Crowning Efforts 13. Children's Friend and Jumbo 14. Sun of the Amusement World Epilogue Appendix. Barnum Aprocrypha Notes Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments Index of Persons

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Book SynopsisIn this full-length study of Henry Cowell, the author shows how the maverick composer, writer, teacher, and performer built his career on the intellectual and aesthetic foundations of his parents, community, and teachers-and exemplified the essence of bohemian California. This work focuses on Cowell's formative and most prolific years.Trade ReviewWinner of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award in the classical music category, 2003. "The author of many important and fascinating musicological works about this radical twentieth-century American composer, Hicks now offers a volume that manages to depict the free artistic atmosphere of northern California in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the lives of Cowell's parents, Cowell's own experiences until the late 1930s, and the ideas and materials of Cowell's music--and to do so much more succinctly than one might think possible. . . . Thoroughly documented and buttressed with quotations and musical examples, this excellent study deserves to be widely read."--Choice

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Book SynopsisA postmodern analysis of the Coen brothers' approach to filmmaking.Trade Review"There is as yet only one book length analysis of any note [about the Coen Brothers] by a film scholar: R. Barton Palrmer's Joel and Ethan Coen (2004). . . . This is a book for those who have already made the acquaintance of the Coens through their films and are now ready to think about their work seriously."--Film International Table of ContentsIntroduction: A brief portrait of the artists; A different meaning for the same old song: Blood Simple; The Coen brothers: Postmodern filmmakers; Uncertainty principle: The Man Who Wasn't There; The exotic everyday: Fargo; The artist, mass culture and the common man: Barton Fink and Raising Arizona; Classic Hollywood redivivus: The Hudsucker Proxy and O Brother, Where Art Thou?; The Coen brothers interviewed; Michel Ciment and Hubert Niogret; Filmography

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Book Synopsis Q: Is he afraid of work? A: No, he can lie down beside it and go to sleep. This volume is an encyclopedia of the many country music performers who made comedy a central part of their careers. Loyal Jones offers an informative biographical sketch of each performer and many entries include a sample of the artist''s humor, a recording history, and amusing anecdotal tidbits. Starting with vaudeville and radio barn dance figures like the Skillet Lickers and the Weaver Brothers and Elviry, Jones moves on to the regulars onHee Hawand theGrand Old Opryand present-day comedians from the Austin Lounge Lizards to Jeff Foxworthy. Jones''s introductory essay discusses such topics as stock comic figures, venues for comedic performance, and benchmark performers. Throughout the volume, he places each performer squarely in the context of the country music community, its performing traditions, and each artist''s place in the larger cultural milieu.Trade Review“If Cratis Williams is the father of Appalachian Studies and Helen Lewis its mother, than I reckon Loyal Jones would have to be considered the midwife of it all. . . . This book reflects not only his disarming sense of humor, but also his meticulous attention to voluminous details, his considerable scholarship, and his substantial wisdom.”--Appalachian Heritage "Southern humor, rural comedy and its practitioners are brilliantly showcased."--The Nashville Musician "A treasure trove of information. . . . Will make a wonderful reference book for years to come."--Bluegrass Unlimited"The importance of the subject emphasized by Jones is unquestionable. Humor has been an indispensable ingredient of country music entertainment and is in fact a major force in its worldwide success. This volume is insightful, informative, and entertaining."--Bill C. Malone, author of Don't Get Above Your Raisin': Country Music and the Southern Working Class"This stimulating book is a significant contribution to several fields. Students of country music, American history, performing arts, minstrel heritage, and the roots of comedy as it related to various subcultures of the American panorama will all want the detailed information only this author can provide. This book is one of a kind."--Ron Thomason, founder of the bluegrass band Dry Branch Fire SquadTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments ix Introduction to Country Music Humor 1 Encyclopedia of Humorists and Comedians 49 Sources 401 Index 409

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Book SynopsisThe first book-length study devoted to Rudolf Friml's multifaceted musical legacyTrade Review"Insightfully restores a neglected star to the Broadway firmament."--Studies in Musical Theatre"Everett has written a thorough scholarly account of a major but now almost forgotten figure in twentieth-century musical theater. The book surveys his life and career, highlights key works, and reveals many ways in which Friml's legacy remains among us even today."--Jeffrey Magee, author of The Uncrowned King of Swing: Fletcher Henderson and Big Band Jazz"William Everett's lucid and thorough exploration of the life and music of Rudolf Friml places this important Czech American composer squarely at the forefront of twentieth-century music theater, where he properly belongs. What a delight that this long-overdue volume is also so entertaining and informative. The scholarship is, in a word, sensational. Kudos to Everett for his timely, important, and indispensable addition to our American musical history."--Sara Davis Buechner, concert pianist and recording artist, Piano Music of Rudolf FrimlTable of ContentsPREFACE ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi 1. From Prague to America 1 2. The Emergence of a Broadway Composer 14 3. Envisioning the West: Rose Marie 35 4. A Francophile Musical: The Vagabond King 56 5. The Challenge of Success 73 6. Away from Broadway 84 7. Reputation and Legacy 102 NOTES 107 SELECTED WORKS 117 FOR FURTHER READING 121 SUGGESTED LISTENING 123 INDEX 125

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Book Synopsis Set against the drama of the Great Depression, the conflict of American race relations, and the inquisitions of the House Un-American Activities Committee, Cafe Society tells the personal history of Barney Josephson, proprietor of the legendary interracial New York City night clubs Cafe Society Downtown and Cafe Society Uptown and their successor, The Cookery. Famously known as 'the wrong place for the Right people,' Cafe Society featured the cream of jazz and blues performers--among whom were Billie Holiday, boogie-woogie pianists, Big Joe Turner, Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Big Sid Catlett, and Mary Lou Williams--as well as comedy stars Imogene Coca, Zero Mostel, and Jack Gilford, and also gospel and folk singers. A trailblazer in many ways, Josephson welcomed black and white artists alike to perform for mixed audiences in a venue whose walls were festooned with artistic and satiric murals lampooning what was then called 'high society.' Featuring scores of photogTrade Review"Cafe Society is a valuable document in the long, complex tale of America’s popular culture. Barney Josephson played his part in that tale, and played it with honor. And he certainly had a long run."--The Wall Street Journal "Packed with insights and new facts and anecdotes, and assiduously researched, Cafe Society brings Josephson and his achievements vividly to life, doing its subject, and jazz in general, proud."--AllAboutJazz.com "An epic ode to personal integrity, creative vision and entrepreneurial tenacity, shedding timely light on the germination of the civil-rights movement."--Kirkus Reviews"Josephson was a great raconteur with a love for music, artistic people, and progressive politics. Photographs of the performers, as well as photos of the colorful and cartoonish murals that graced the walls, add to the evocation of a freewheeling ambience in a Depression-era cabaret."--Booklist"The lineup of talent [Josephson] discovered and presented (Billie Holiday, Jack Gilford, Hazel Scott, Lena Horne, Zero Mostel and Josh White, among others) is so astonishingly hot that it makes you want to rush into the street and flag down a time-traveling taxi to take you to either the venue in Greenwich Village or its larger satellite Cafe Society Uptown."--Shelf Awareness“Fascinating story of the founder of New York’s Cafe Society nightclub. . . . Highly recommended.”--Choice"Mr. Josephson’s voice comes through, gentle, passionate, occasionally larger than life."--The New York Times"This wonderful, uplifting book tells the story of Barney Josephson and Cafe Society, the jazz cabaret Josephson set up in Greenwich Village, New York City in 1938. . . . Packed with insights and new facts and anecdotes, and assiduously researched, Cafe Society brings Josephson and his achievements vividly to life, doing its subject, and jazz in general, proud."--AllAboutJazz.com “Well-told story entwines entrepreneurial vision, progressive social action and resonant history with stunning photos.”--American History "A very informative and entertaining read with the bonus of 50 pages of rare photographs. . . . Highly recommended."--Jazz Journal "This highly entertaining and historically informative book will bring a lump to the throat of those who attended the jazz and comedy performances at Cafe Society Uptown and Downtown, and warm appreciation from those who learn about Barney Josephson's contribution to the success of some of the world's greatest jazz entertainers."--Carl Reiner "This beautifully crafted book hypnotizes the reader with the magical notes of a bygone era and gives one the sensation of actually having experienced one of the most extraordinary eras in contemporary history. It is a superb tribute to the artists and musicians whose talents have made the world we live in a brighter place."--Lee Gabler "We're different from other nightclubs. You go to these places, I won't mention names, but the initials are Stork Club and El Morocco. The cigarette girls come around and sell you little doggies, gardenias and other insults. Well, we don't have anything like that. We have a cigarette girl too. She just sells cigarettes. But we have something they don't have. We have another girl following our cigarette girl . . . calling out, 'ashes, ashes.'"--Jack Gilford "Barney Josephson--A creative entrepreneur whose innovative ideas at Cafe Society in the 1930s and 1940s have influenced my life personally and have served as an inspiration to many program ideas on the Newport Jazz Festival since its inception in 1954."--George Wein, Newport Jazz Festival, 1974

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Book SynopsisThis first biography of Jimmy McHugh captures a lively and significant contributor to American songwriting. Creator of favorite tunes such as 'I''m in the Mood for Love' and 'On the Sunny Side of the Street,' McHugh was a one-man history of twentieth-century popular music: in his prolific composing career, he wrote songs for Duke Ellington, Shirley Temple, Bobby Breen, Carmen Miranda, Deanna Durbin, Frank Sinatra, Ethel Waters, Adelaide Hall, and scores of other entertainers, and his last works were turned into smash hits by Pat Boone and Fats Domino. Following McHugh from humble Irish-American beginnings in Boston to eventual success in New York, Europe, and Los Angeles, Alyn Shipton deftly evokes the lively milieus of Tin Pan Alley, the Cotton Club, Broadway, and Hollywood. McHugh crossed the color line frequently, writing revues for both black and white entertainers, and he and his songwriting partner Dorothy Fields were also among the first to create Hollywood musical films. InTrade Review"A brilliantly researched biography that ... details the activities of Tin Pan Alley in its golden age of song-plugging glory. . . . You will be fascinated by this 280-page amalgamation of musical education and entertainment."--MOJO"Highly recommended ."--Choice "An overdue recognition of his tireless song plugger who fashioned enduring hits for Tin Pan Alley and Hollywood.--The Miami Herald"[Shipton] effortlessly weaves in lots of background and research to illustrate McHugh’s gradual rise from a humble Boston-Irish milieu to considerable wealth, which he lost in the Wall Street crash. His mainstream success from then on and eventual emergence as a ‘personality’ in his own right clearly involved a lot of hard graft, but the great songs kept coming on.”--Jazzwize"From Tin Pan Alley to Beverly Hills, this book has vintage dish and vibrant back-stories about one of the giants of the American songbook."--David Friend, editor of creative development, Vanity Fair"It's a great joy to read and learn about the life of marvelous Jimmy McHugh. This book is meticulously researched and spills over with fascinating and important information about a rich and seminal era, much of which has not been previously documented. If you care about the Great American Songbook, you'll love this book!"--Michael Feinstein"A treasure trove of material on Jimmy McHugh and an important contribution to the scholarship on American popular song. Alyn Shipton's book is a well documented portrait of a songwriter very much at the center of the music business, Broadway theater, and Hollywood."--Philip Furia, coauthor of The Poets of Tin Pan Alley: A History of America's Great Lyricists"This valuable work includes numerous insights into the slightly mysterious process of pop song-writing and the music business in general. It will appeal to Tin Pan Alley music aficionados, American studies specialists, Hollywood historians, and music fans in general."--Thomas L. Riis, author of Frank Loesser "Jimmy McHugh has written many of the most memorable and enduring melodies in the Great American Songbook. To paraphrase the song: I can't give you anything but love, Jimmy!"--Vic Damone "Jimmy McHugh is the pure, unadulterated hit songman--I am always in awe at the genius of Jimmy McHugh."--Bob Crewe, composer, producer, and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee "Jimmy McHugh's collection of songs resonated with an entire generation, and his contribution to Broadway, Hollywood, and popular music as a whole continues to this day. This book is a fascinating study of a prolific hit-maker and a revealing glimpse into the priceless art of songwriting."--Roger Faxon, chairman and CEO, EMI Music PublishingTable of ContentsIntroduction; Acknowledgements; List of illustrations 1 "Home Before Dark" A Boston Childhood 2 "When My Sugar Walks Down The Street" Arriving in New York 3 "Everything Is Hotsy Totsy Now" A sequence of hit songs 4 "I Can't Give You Anything But Love (Baby)" Meeting Dorothy Fields 5: "Livin' In A Great Big Way" Fields and McHugh on Broadway and in Hollywood 6: "Goodbye Blues" The Split from Dorothy Fields 7 "Dimples" A sequence of child stars 8 "My Kind of Country" Movies, Romance and World War Two 9 "A Lovely Way to Spend An Evening" The great years in Beverly Hills 10 "Reach For Tomorrow" Final years in Los Angeles, and a growing legacy Notes and abbreviations; Bibliography; Index

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Book SynopsisOffers a direct interpretation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's oeuvre and lasting mystique, audaciously reformulated for the postmodern age. This book explores themes of constancy, prodigy, freedom, and religion. It offers up bits of his own history, revealing his affinity for the creative geniuses of the eighteenth century.Trade Review"A good read from a highly published and interesting thinker who loves Mozart's music."--Journal of Austrian Studies"A most intriguing alternative, in content and method, to almost all other recent books on Mozart. Highly recommended."--Choice"A journey of fanciful discovery. . . . Opinionated and laden with insights."--Opera News"Philippe Sollers is a mercurial personality and a leading controversial figure on the French literary scene, and his take on Mozart is fresh, lively, witty, and informed. What makes Mysterious Mozart especially interesting is its blend of music criticism, biography, and personal insight."--David Hayman, translator and editor of Philippe Sollers's Writing and the Experience of Limits

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Book Synopsis This in-depth study of Mexican film director Alejandro González Iñárritu explores his role in moving Mexican filmmaking from a traditional nationalist agenda towards a more global focus. Working in the United States and in Mexico, Iñárritu crosses national borders while his movies break the barriers of distribution, production, narration, and style. His features also experiment with transnational identity as characters emigrate and settings change. In studying the international scope of Iñárritu''s influential films Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel, Celestino Deleyto and María del Mar Azcona trace common themes such as human suffering and redemption, chance, and accidental encounters. The authors also analyze the director''s powerful visual style and his consistent use of multiple characters and a fragmented narrative structure. The book concludes with a new interview with Iñ&aTrade Review"An excellent analysis of the director’s style."--PopMatters"An important contribution on the work of one of the most interesting contemporary filmmakers. Through meticulous analysis and attention to detail, style and structure, the authors offer an in-depth analysis of the work of Alejandro González Iñárritu."--Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies"A model of impeccable scholarship and writing. Alejandro González Iñárritu is unquestionably one of the most interesting and important contemporary filmmakers in Latin America, and this study demonstrates a solid and secure understanding of Iñárritu's role in moving Mexican filmmaking toward a more globalized focus."--David William Foster, author of Mexico City and Contemporary Mexican Filmmaking

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Book Synopsis Through film composer Henry Mancini, mere background music in movies became part of pop culture--an expression of sophistication and wit with a modern sense of cool and a lasting lyricism that has not dated. The first comprehensive study of Mancini''s music, Henry Mancini: Reinventing Film Music describes how the composer served as a bridge between the Big Band period of World War II and the impatient eclecticism of the Baby Boomer generation, between the grand formal orchestral film scores of the past and a modern American minimalist approach. Mancini''s sound seemed to capture the bright, confident, welcoming voice of the middle class''s new efficient life: interested in pop songs and jazz, in movie and television, in outreach politics but also conventional stay-at-home comforts. As John Caps shows, Mancini easily combined it all in his music. Mancini wielded influence in Hollywood and around the world with his iconic scores: dynamic jazz for theTrade Review"Accessible and engaging, this fresh view of Mancini's oeuvre and influence will delight and inform fans of film and popular music."--Turner Classic Movies"Caps' assiduously research study of Mancini's life and career ... is detailed and insightful. . . . It will be enjoyed both by film buffs and music lovers."--Allaboutjazz.com "Will satisfy musically experienced readers as well as laypeople. It deserves a place in every film and popular music collection."--Library Journal "A stimulating chronicle of the life and works of film and television composer Henry Mancini. Consistently thorough and detailed, this book contains a considerable wealth of information and insight into this extremely popular composer."--James Wierzbicki, author of Film Music: A History and Elliott Carter "A well-researched study of a musical career. . . Film by film, the book reveals how Mancini negotiated and compromised to become the computer of many a moviemaker's dreams."--Booklist "An important book, and, in many ways, a crucial one, too, it's chief value resting in Caps' articulate championing of one of the most singular compositional talents to emerge from Hollywood's film factory."--Classical Music"In this lively, syncopated survey of Mancini's movie music, Caps offers a comprehensive critique of the composer's film/TV scores and hit albums."--Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisThe first complete study of the protean filmmakerTrade Review "A thoughtful, scholarly study of one of America’s most underrated filmmakers."--Leonard Maltin"Annette Insdorf's incisive and sympathetic book grants Kaufman the place in the pantheon he deserves."--Roger Ebert A sympathetic, in-depth, and entirely jargon-free look at Kaufman’s work."--DGA Quarterly"It could take only a great scholar of film to understand and appreciate the work of one of our great quintessential American filmmakers, and Annette Insdorf, in her masterly and captivating study of Philip Kaufman, does just that. This book is insightful, perceptive, and confident, and like Kaufman's films, it repays the reader's attention generously and with great compassion and humanity."--Ken Burns"A study so closely tuned to his work and so neatly supplemented with his own insights from interviews and e-mails that it reads like a biography of an oeuvre."--The New Yorker online "A shrewd and very readable study."--Filmmaker "With commitment and enthusiasm, Annette Insdorf excels at thematic and formal discussions in this enlightening introduction to the films of Philip Kaufman. The book will become the authoritative word on Kaufman's films, a must for all scholars and fans of his work."--Edward Baron Turk, author of Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald "Philip Kaufman is a shrewd and very readable study. It seeks not only to locate Kaufman's distinct visual style and philosophical bent across his body of work, but also to elevate Kaufman to a unique niche in American and world cinema: as a Euro-style auteur living in the U.S. in the age of commercial cinema, whose work across genres resists easy categorization but nonetheless resonates for its freshness of perception about the human condition and the codes of behavior that both restrict and liberate us."--Filmmaker Magazine

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Book SynopsisBeyond Blackberry Vines and Winter Fruit - the life and works of an important woman composerTrade Review"Recommended."--Choice"Marga Richter has long been a highly respected contributor to classical repertoire, and this volume is significant as the first focused examination of her life and oeuvre. It will be valued by musicians and nonmusicians alike who are interested in contemporary classical music."--Ellen K. Grolman, author of Joan Tower: The Comprehensive Bio-Bibliography

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Book SynopsisCorrects much of the misinformation and myth about one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century.Trade Review"Impressive detail, a notable addition to the extensive Music in American Life Series."--Booklist"A well-researched and rapidly consumed book."--AllAboutJazz.com"As comprehensive and appreciative as any of the past Parker literature."--The Santa Fe New Mexican"This is a wonderful, loving, yet unsparing look at Bird's life. Haddix's research is stunning."--Kim Parker"I couldn't put this book down! This is a must read! A very important book. Congratulations to Chuck Haddix for bringing more clarity to the life of Charlie Parker."--Bobby Watson, Director of Jazz Studies, UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance"Finally, a biography that includes a detailed account of Bird's formative years. One feels that Haddix's research may open new discussions about this flawed genius, and the wonderfully detailed aspects of Parker's early life present a hitherto unknown aspect of a tragically short but immensely influential existence. Almost sixty years since Parker's death, this book is surprisingly the first comprehensive account of the life of one of the last century's foremost and yet enigmatic musicians. Essential reading for any jazz musician."--Llew Walker, creator of www.birdlives.co.uk"Balancing historical research and anecdotal information, Haddix artfully crafts a rich context for understanding the musical genius—-and enigma—that was Bird. . . . the book's pacing, numerous quotes from other musicians, and references to legal practices of the time make it hard to put down. Highly recommended."--Choice"A detailed and well-proportioned linear narrative. Assiduous about assigning dates, where possible, to previously vague areas of chronology."--Jazzwise "Clearly the most complete account of the saxophonist's early life and career. What emerges from Bird is a much more human tale that we have not heard before."--Popmatters.com "Bird makes extensive use of primary-source material, much of it hitherto unknown. . . . It sets forth the known facts of Parker's brief life in a way that is unusually thorough for so concise a book."--Commentary "A straightforward, no-frills chronicle of the alto saxophonist. Thanks to diligent research, it pieces together the disparate fragments of Parker's turbulent private life into a persuasive, coherent and convincing narrative."--Record Collector Magazine "A studiously researched overview of the man, it underscores how Parker's life was as concise as his influence was infinite."--Los Angeles Magazine

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Book SynopsisExplores the emotional tenor of Terence Davies' work by focusing on four paradoxes within the director's oeuvre: films that are autobiographical yet fictional; melancholy yet elating; conservative in tone and theme yet radically constructed; and obsessed with the passing of time yet frozen in time and space.Trade Review"A significant contribution to the field. Koresky is able to both chart the development of Davies' cinema, while convincingly conveying the coherence and continuity of both theme and style at the heart of this very singular auteur." --Duncan Petrie, author of Creativity and Constraint in the British Film Industry"Britain's finest living director finally gets the analytic overview and close reading that he deserves. . . . Koresky is especially perceptive. Recommended."--Choice"Michael Koresky's study of Davies is above all attuned to the contradictions that define his life and inform his work, namely 'beauty and ugliness, the real and the artificial, progression and tradition, motion and stasis.' Koresky unpacks the paradoxes intrinsic to Davies's project with clarity and rigor, dividing his aesthetic among the fiction of autobiography (refraction of personal memories for poetic effect), the elation of melancholy (sensually pleasing depictions of excruciating events), the radical traditional (classical themes embedded in avant-garde constructions), and the suspension of forward motion."--Film Comment"Koresky. . . . regards Terence Davies’s work as 'one of the richest, most idiosyncratic, and arrestingly experimental bodies of work put out by a narrative filmmaker,' and his monograph in the University of Illinois Contemporary Film Directors series is both informative and insightful."--Sight and Sound

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Book SynopsisOne of the twentieth century's most important musical thinkers, James Tenney did pioneering work in multiple fields, including computer music, tuning theory, and algorithmic and computer-assisted composition. From Scratch arranges, edits, and revises Tenney's hard-to-find writings into one indispensable collection. Selections focus on his fundamental concernswhat the ear hearsand include thoughts and ideas on perception and form, tuning systems and especially just intonation, information theory, theories of harmonic space, and stochastic (chance) procedures of composition.Trade Review"This collection of essays propels Tenney studies into the next critical stage, making publicly accessible the writings of one of the most compelling musical thinkers in the American contemporary music scene. In their well-selected diversity, these writings are a marvelous expression of the breadth of Tenney's aesthetic and theoretical thinking; surely this book will serve as an essential cornerstone to scholars for decades to come."--David W. Patterson, contributing editor of John Cage: Music, Philosophy, and Intention, 1933–1950"If you want to encounter one of the major thinkers of twentieth century music, James Tenney's writing is worth getting to know, and if you're at all interested in the history of music technology and its development, his writing is essential."--Sound Bytes Magazine"This new book is without doubt a landmark publication for those involved in Tenney scholarship,. . . . This collection of writings provides a superbly revealing insight into Tenney's work, and the couching of prominent texts alongside much less well-known ones helps to enrich the understanding of him and his work." --Tempo "A testament to avant-garde musical thought from the 1960s until the advent of postmodernism in the 1980s, and it also raises questions that are in many regards perennial. Recommended."--Choice"The intellectual and creative path chronicled here is inspiring, particularly as Tenney's questions about the experience of music-making remain deeply relevant today."--Computer Music Journal"Enables us to hear anew Tenney's deep musical resonances, and offers us the gift of Tenney's insights about music."--Notes"Tenney's writings provide an invaluable model for artists interested in connecting aesthetics to scientific understandings of human perception and the material world."--Chris Brown, composer and co-director of the Center for Contemporary Music at Mills College

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Beyer was a surprising question mark that demanded an answer. A lovely book."--Kyle Gann, author of Robert Ashley "In this much needed study Amy C. Beal, a professor at the University of California, seeks to redress. . . erasure while acknowledging the difficulties of trying to shed new light upon 'the enduring mystery of this prolific yet elusive composer.'"--The Wire "A wonderful introduction to the work of a sadly forgotten composer."--Soundbytes"Amy Beal writes, 'Johanna Beyer's work combines the confidence of an original thinker and the calculations of an analytical mind.' The same could be said of Beyer's biographer, whose amazing detective skills have enabled a troubled and fascinating artist and woman to be rediscovered. In her efforts to act as Henry Cowell's advocate, Beyer neglected to find one for herself. Beal explains why and simultaneously allows us to appreciate the musical rewards in bringing someone in from the cold margins of conventional history."--Judith Tick, author of Ruth Crawford Seeger: A Composer's Search for American Music"Despite not having written music until age forty-three, Johanna Beyer quickly became a composer of elegant and innovative contrapuntal, percussion, and even . . . electronic works. Given that she was almost totally forgotten for decades after her death, it is a musicological miracle that Amy Beal has been able to compile a record of her life as detailed and touchingly intimate as this one. I'm so thrilled to see this book come out--Beyer was a surprising question mark that demanded an answer. A lovely book."--Kyle Gann, author of Robert Ashley"Beal's groundbreaking study reveals that Johanna Beyer was a key figure in the modernist circle around Henry Cowell and an accomplished composer in her own right during a pivotal moment in American music. Johanna Beyer is an intelligently written and thoroughly engaging biography of this fascinating figure in modern music."--Gayle Sherwood Magee, author of Charles Ives Reconsidered

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Macleod adroitly documents both Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler's tremendous musical accomplishments and zest for life. It seems the fire that burned around her as a girl became the woman's fire within."--Journal of Illinois History "Macleod's biography offers a valuable contribution to a limited collection of literature on female musicians performing in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The author's work not only gives meaning to a heretofore famous pianist's achievements but also provides a volume exploring the dichotomy of the "new woman" striving to have a family and a career."--Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society "The book is written in an informative, descriptive style and is not too academically dry or needlessly wordy. . . . For this reason, this book is very instructive to students in learning about nineteenth-century ways, attitudes, and lifestyles, as well as the prominence and musical stardom of an American Jewish woman."--The American Jewish Archives Journal"Will fill a void in the literature on this remarkable pianist. The author has done an excellent job."--Judy Tsou, coeditor of Cecilia Reclaimed: Feminist Perspectives on Gender and Music"An eloquently drawn portrait of Bloomfield-Zeisler, this volume examines the artist’s life as she strove to balance her fame and touring with the expectation that she be the 'ideal' mother and wife. With wonderful and imaginative attention to detail, Macleod brings the era to life, artfully weaving together a variety of disparate themes, from societal attitudes toward female artists, the blossoming of classical music in the United States, and anti-Semitism at home and abroad, to the cultural growth of Chicago, and even the vagaries of railroad travel in America at the time. This impressive work marks an important contribution to the often neglected study of women's role in music history."--Larry Ward, College of DuPage

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