Composers and songwriters Books
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc John Prines John Prine
Book SynopsisHe is known as the Mark Twain of American songwriting, a man who transformed the everyday happenings of regular people into plainly profound statements on war, industrialization, religion, and the human condition. Marking the 50th anniversary of the album's release, John Prine chronicles the legendary singer-songwriter's Middle American provenance, and his remarkable ascent from singing mailman to celebrated son of Chicago.Illegal Smile, Hello in There, Sam Stone, Paradise, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Far from Me, Donald and Lydia, and Angel from Montgomery are considered standards in the American Songbook, covered by legions of Prine's peers and admirers. Through original interviews, exhaustive research, and incisive commentary, author Erin Osmon paints an in-depth portrait of the people, places, and experiences that inspired Prine's landmark debut.After exploring his roots in rural Western Kentucky and suburban Maywood, Illinois, the book takes readers oTrade ReviewErin Osmon’s new book on John Prine, his eponymous 1971 debut, is a gift for fans of the plainspoken singer and this career-making album. * Chicago Reader *Osmon writes about the history of Prine's musical beginnings right up to when his debut was released and how the importance of that record has grown, establishing Prine as one of America's great songwriters. * BETA - Wisconsin Public Radio *Extensively researched while economically written, you couldn’t ask for a better literary guide to an Americana classic. * Spectrum Culture *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. Ten Miles West 2. Down by the Green River 3. We Come for to Sing 4. A Winning Hunch 5. The Singing Mailman 6. And Then He Has You 7. The Earl 8. The Best Damned Songwriter 9. The Bitter End 10. Thinking and Feeling 11. Midwestern Mindtrips Notes Bibliography
£9.49
Modern Drummer Modern Drummer Legends: Rush'S Neil Peart
Book Synopsis(Percussion). Neil Peart''s ten appearances on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine span the years 1980, when he was five albums and several tours into his historic run with the Canadian progressive rock band Rush, and 2020, the year of his passing. No other drummer has come close to appearing so many times on the front of a drum publication, certainly not the world''s most recognized one. This, the first installment in Modern Drummer magazine''s Legends book series, collects all nine of Peart''s cover stories, plus the complete contents of his May 2020 Modern Drummer tribute issue. Highlights include analyses of Neil''s performances on every Rush studio album, a survey of the evolution of his famous live drumkits, transcriptions of deep Rush cuts, dozens of photos, and much more.
£17.99
Northway Publications Music to Silence to Music A Biography of Henry
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Medina Publishing Ltd Bob Dylan at the Isle of Wight Festival 1969
Book Synopsis2019 marks the golden anniversary of the mass musical gatherings that saw the hippie generation at their 1969 zenith. Two events stand out, staged within days of each other that magical August: in the United States, there was Woodstock, and in the UK the Isle of Wight Festival of Music. Woodstock drew 400,000 fans and a quality bill that was a Who's Who of contemporary talent - all bar the main man the organisers hoped to lure on the doorstep of his home, Bob Dylan. Instead, Dylan opted to headline at the Isle of Wight, in front of close to 200,000 adoring fans. Here Bill Bradshaw celebrates the events of that summer 50 years on... and how the Isle of Wight, off England's southern coast, staged what was then the nation's biggest festival - and how it pulled off such a huge coup. Eye-witness accounts from fans, artists and the promoters bring alive that gilded summer and how it influenced both Dylan and the rock festival movement for generations to come.
£12.30
Boydell & Brewer Ltd Gay Guerrilla: Julius Eastman and His Music
Book SynopsisA compelling portrait of composer-performer Julius Eastman's enigmatic and intriguing life and music. Composer-performer Julius Eastman (1940-90) was an enigma, both comfortable and uncomfortable in the many worlds he inhabited: black, white, gay, straight, classical music, disco, academia, and downtown New York. His music, insistent and straightforward, resists labels and seethes with a tension that resonates with musicians, scholars, and audiences today. Eastman's provocative titles, including Gay Guerrilla, Evil Nigger, Crazy Nigger, and others, assault us with his obsessions. Eastman tested limits with his political aggressiveness, as reflected in legendary scandals like his June 1975 performance of John Cage's Song Books, which featured homoerotic interjections, and the uproar over his titles at Northwestern University. These episodes are examples of Eastman's persistence in pushing the limits of the acceptable in the highly charged arenas of sexual and civil rights. In addition to analyses of Eastman's music, the essays in Gay Guerrilla provide background on his remarkable life history and the era's social landscape. The book presents an authentic portrait of a notable American artist thatis compelling reading for the general reader as well as scholars interested in twentieth-century American music, American studies, gay rights, and civil rights. This Life of Sounds: Evenings for New Music inBuffalo received an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for excellence. Mary Jane Leach is a composer and freelance writer, currently writing music and theatre criticism for the Albany Times-Union.Trade ReviewJulius Eastman enjoyed the admiration of peers such as Morton Feldman, Meredith Monk and Pierre Boulez. Here, highly engaging essays by those who knew Eastman well recall him as a person and assess his brilliance. While there are amusing anecdotes about his more madcap moments...the overall message is that he was an artist deserving of significant respect. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *[Eastman's work] effectively rewrote the history of post-war American New Music, restoring to its narrative a gay black voice creating a liberating, high-energy form of organic minimalism. * THE GUARDIAN *It is eminently readable throughout. * JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC STUDIES *[The book will be] a starting point for others who want to engage with Julius Eastman as a performer, scholar, or composer. * ARSC JOURNAL *A picture of [Eastman]--charismatic performer, magnetic personality and emotional escape artist--that puts his work in a context larger and more representative. * BAY AREA REPORTER *A composer of visionary power, a singer with a cavernous bass voice, a collaborator with the diverse likes of Meredith Monk and Pierre Boulez, Eastman had long been a fixture of the New York Music scene....Part of the pleasure of Eastman's rediscovery has been the belated, deserving reinsertion of a black, gay figure into music history. * THE NEW YORK TIMES *Outspoken about his own identity as a black queer man...Eastman was ahead of his time. His music is politics by other means, in search of a form, alighting toward a future that could grant him dignity, when he could be something other than an abstraction. * THE NEW YORKER *A fascinating new collection of essays exploring the life and work of the enigmatic composer Julius Eastman...who worked fluently in jazz, improvisation and acoustical experiments. An indication of his impact is the very fact that so many people have come together [in this book] to remember him and are actively championing his music. * ALBANY TIMES-UNION *The publication of this rigorously researched, lovingly produced, multidimensional study of a singular artist will surely be met with joy by those of us who remember Julius Eastman--the inspired creator, the sly provocateur and martyred saint of the avant-garde. For those who are interested in iconoclasts of whatever stripe, this volume will be a revelation and an invitation to rethink what composition, performance, and life at the precipice of madness can be.-- -- Bill T. Jones, choreographer and dancerThis book has arrived just in time for Black Lives Matter and gets my deepest praise. This important volume of essays brought forth by two brilliant women who have long championed Eastman's music, belongs in every music conservatory library and beyond.-- -- Pauline Oliveros, composerTable of ContentsForeword by George E. Lewis Acknowledgments Introduction: Julius Eastman and His Music - Renee Levine Packer Julius Eastman, A Biography - Renee Levine Packer Unjust Malaise - David Borden The Julius Eastman Parables - R. Nemo Hill Julius Eastman and the Conception of "Organic Music" - Kyle Gann Julius Eastman Singing - John Patrick Thomas An Accidental Musicologist Passes the Torch - Mary Jane Leach A Flexible Musical Identity: Julius Eastman in New York City, 1976-90 - Ryan Dohoney Evil Nigger: A Piece for Multiple Instruments of the Same Type by Julius Eastman (1979), with Performance Instructions by Joseph Kubera - David Borden A Postminimalist Analysis of Julius Eastman's Crazy Nigger - Andrew Hanson-Dvoracek "The Piece Does Not Exist without Julius": Still Staying on Stay On It - Matthew Mendez Connecting the Dots - Mary Jane Leach Gay Guerrilla: A Minimalist Choralphantasie - Luciano Chessa Appendix: Julius Eastman Compositions - Mary Jane Leach Chronology Selected Bibliography List of Contributors Index
£23.74
Hachette Books Eruption
Book SynopsisGet a completely new look at guitar legend Eddie Van Halen with this groundbreaking oral history, composed of more than fifty hours of interviews with Eddie himself as well as his family, friends, and colleagues.When rock legend Eddie Van Halen died of cancer on October 6, 2020, the entire world seemed to stop and grieve. Since his band Van Halen burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1978, Eddie had been hailed as an icon not only to fans of rock music and heavy metal, but to performers across all genres and around the world. Van Halen's debut sounded unlike anything that listeners had heard before and remains a quintessential rock album of the era. Over the course of more than four decades, Eddie gained renown for his innovative guitar playing, and particularly for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique. Unfortunately for Eddie and his legions of fans, he died before he was ever able to put his life down to paper in his own words, and much of his compelling backstory has remained elusiveuntil now. In Eruption, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill share with fans, new and old alike, a candid, compulsively readable, and definitive oral history of the most influential rock guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. It is based on more than 50+ hours of unreleased interviews they recorded with Eddie Van Halen over the years, most of them conducted at the legendary 5150 studios at Ed's home in Los Angeles. The heart of Eruption is drawn from these intimate and wide-ranging talks, as well as conversations with family, friends, and colleagues. In addition to discussing his greatest triumphs as a groundbreaking musician, including an unprecedented dive into Van Halen's masterpiece 1984, the book also takes an unflinching look at Edward's early struggles as young Dutch immigrant unable to speak the English language, which resulted in lifelong issues with social anxiety and substance abuse. Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen also examines his brilliance as an inventor who changed the face of guitar manufacturing.As entertaining as it is revealing, Eruption is the closest readers will ever get to hearing Eddie's side of the story when it comes to his extraordinary life.
£15.29
Continental Sales David Bowie 1964 to 1982 On Track
Book SynopsisThis is a complete examination of all the songs from David Bowie's golden years, which extends from his days as a mod saxophonist through to his astonishing 1980 hit album, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps). His songs run the gamut from extraordinary to esoteric but were always written from the heart.
£15.29
Oxford University Press Inc The Pipe Organ A Composers Guide
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis concise but remarkably comprehensive book is essential reading for music creators. It fills a significant gap. The organ, despite its great history and exciting contemporary presence, has hitherto hardly figured at all in orchestration guides. Composers will find ideas, encouragement and inspiration within these pages. * Judith Weir CBE, Master of the King's Music *This is essential reading for any lover of the organ as a reminder of how historical and important the instrument is. For anyone unfamiliar with the organ, it will be a fascinating journey of discovery, wonderfully written and informative. It could have been so easily dry and predictable, but it is the antithesis of that. What a superb piece of work. * David Hill MBE, President, Royal College of Organists *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Introduction to the organ Overview Organ Building Trends Historic Organs Common Mistakes Extended Techniques Chapter 2: Registration Overview Main Stop Categories Principals Flutes Strings Reeds Other Categories Foundations Mixtures Mutations Miscellaneous Stops Couplers Registration Aids General Pistons Divisional Pistons Crescendo Pedal Chapter 3: The Manuals Overview Idiomatic Writing Non-Chordal Techniques Chordal Techniques Playing on Multiple Manuals Chapter 4: The Pedals Overview Idiomatic Writing Double/Multi-Pedalling The Pedals in Context Chapter 5: Other Types of Organ Overview Chamber Organ Harmonium Theatre Organ Hammond Organ Chapter 6: The Organ in Ensemble Overview Organ and Choir Organ and Orchestra Concertos Organ and Chamber Ensembles Organ and Electronics
£25.99
Wymer Publishing Rainbow A Visual Biography
Book SynopsisFrom 1975, through the eighties, re-activated in the nineties and a slight return in 2016-18, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow took its fans on numerous journeys from the grandiose beginnings with Ronnie James Dio to the chart busting times with Graham Bonnet and Joe Lynn Turner. And again in the nineties with Doogie White as lead vocalist, and finally stepping out for the last time in the twenty-first century for a handful of shows allowing a new generation of fans to have the opportunity of hearing Rainbow live on stage. In this hefty tome Jerry Bloom charts Rainbow’s full career with great detail and information, along with a huge raft of superb imagery that covers the entire career. Aside from band photos, the visual element is enhanced with rare memorabilia and artifacts.
£44.99
Reaktion Books Sergei Prokofiev
Book SynopsisAn absorbing, wide-ranging and incisive biography of celebrated composer Sergei Prokofiev.
£11.69
University of California Press Mirror in the Sky
Book SynopsisA stunning musical biography of Stevie Nicks that paints a portrait of an artist, not a caricature of a superstar. Reflective and expansive,Mirror in the Skysituates Stevie Nicks as one of the finest songwriters of the twentieth century. This biography from distinguished music historian Simon Morrison examines Nicks as a singer and songwriter before and beyond her career with Fleetwood Mac, from the Arizona landscape of her childhood to the strobe-lit Night of 1000 Stevies celebrations. The book uniquely: Analyzes Nicks's craftthe grain of her voice, the poetry of her lyrics, the melodic and harmonic syntax of her songs. Identifies the American folk and country influences on her musical imagination that place her within a distinctly American tradition of women songwriters. Draws from oral histories and surprising archival discoveries to connect Nicks's story to those of California's above- and underground music industries, innovations in recording technology, and gendered restrictions.Trade Review"Written with respect and admiration, Mirror in the Sky analyzes Stevie Nicks’s music with care, noting how it expressed the sentiments of a generation." * Foreword Reviews *"Morrison’s extensively researched biography does not shy away from Nicks’s battles with addiction and emphasizes how as a woman musician, she has had to work harder and be better than the men around her. Nicks fans will appreciate Morrison’s care in the details of her songwriting and the song production." * Library Journal *"Stevie Nicks the artist whirls to life in these pages, a woman fiercely committed to her own blazing imagination and powers of perception. With meticulous research, a light touch and understated wit, Simon Morrison charts the rise in influence of Fleetwood Mac's black-laced, iron-willed sylph, whose irrepressible freedom continues to haunt the past and present of popular music and female artistry." * Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post *[E]nlightening . . . I enjoyed reading Mirror in the Sky . . . Most important, Morrison sent me back to Nicks’s catalogue, including gems I’d overlooked or missed." * Air Mail *"A richly crafted yet never fawning biography of one of rocks most beloved and iconic artists. Awe inspiring in detail but never too technical, Morrison writes a highly accessible book for both the casual fan and the true aficionado. One comes away with a heightened appreciation for Nicks musical talent as well as her very unique journey. One of the best written and most articulate music biographies in recent memory." * Eddie Dalva, Executive Vice President, MTV Networks *"There are lots of music biographies out there, but few are as in-depth, intelligently written, and expertly researched as Mirror in the Sky. Penned by Simon Morrison, the book extends beyond a simple recap of the events, as it analyzes the songwriting craft of Nicks, places her within a greater artistic context of American folk and country, and dives deep into the archives to produce the most accurate account possible." * Consequence Sound *"[Morrison’s] narrative centers on Stevie’s remarkable gifts as a songwriter, musical artist, and visionary, which have been historically downplayed by journalists and even her musical partners. Delving into the 'fandom,' Mirror in the Sky is refreshingly different from past books on Stevie Nicks." * Stevie Nicks info site *"A warmly affectionate and discerning critical biography." * Stuart Mitchner *"The analyses of Nicks’s songs, both monumental and lesser lights, are spellbinding. . . . Another important note about this book is Morrison’s respectful voice and tone in his interpretation of Nicks’s persona and of feminism in general. . . . I strongly recommend this biography for all collections of popular music." * Notes *"Mirror in the Sky would make a great addition to any academic library or public library music collection. Simon Morrison has experience writing for both academic and general audiences, and Mirror in the Sky reflects an academic writing style through his attention to detail within research while providing a story enjoyable for any rock music fan." * Music Reference Services Quarterly *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Crystal Visions 1. StephanieA.J. • Fritz • Van Nuys • Alabama 2. Stevie"Landslide" • "Rhiannon" • Glunk Glunk • BDE • The White Album • Rumours • “Dreams” • Maryland • “I Don’t Want to Know” • Love and Hate • Tusk • "Angel" • "Sara" • “Storms” • Luna • Disappeared Years • The Kingston Trio • "The Goldfish and the Ladybug" 3. Bella Donna"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" • Age of Seventeen • "After the Glitter Fades" • "Bella Donna" • Face to Face • Sharon and Lori • Ghosts • "Designs of Love" • “Gypsy” • The Wild Heart • "Beauty and the Beast" • "Stand Back" • Joe • "Don't Come Around Here No More" • Rock a Little • Live at Red Rocks 4. Sara "Welcome to the Room, Sara" • Tango in the Night • "Joan of Arc" • Rupert • The Nadir • Twister • Trouble in Shangri-La • Say You Will • Someone She Used to Know • In Your Dreams • Fred and Ginger • MusiCares 5. 24 Karat GoldExcept for Mabel • Mabel Conclusion: A Thousand Stevies Acknowledgments Appendix 1: Demos Appendix 2: Fandom Notes Index
£18.90
Omnibus Press Bowie Odyssey 72
Book SynopsisA new year for David Bowie means new clothes, new boots, new hair and a new name: Ziggy Stardust. To the gloomy blacked-out Britain of powercuts and three-day weeks he may as well be from outer space - if that's what it takes to make him famous, far be it from him to tell anyone he isn't. Bowie's success as the bisexual Starman soon rubs off on his new friends Mott The Hoople and his hero Lou Reed as 1972 becomes Annus Glamrockus. Music, fashion and the old codes of gender will never be the same again. But as his runaway fame quickly blurs all lines between fantasy and reality, neither will David. The third volume of the Bowie Odyssey series offers a wild and revelatory snapshot of the year of Ziggy as Simon Goddard continues his vivid real-time journey through the decade Bowie changed pop forever.Trade Review'A stonking good read' Mike Scott, The Waterboys 'Deep dive into the year Bowie achieved glam lift-off. Goddard's narrative is immersive, novelistic as he gets as deep inside as he can of the Bowie experience of 1972' Classic Rock, 9/10 'In which Ziggy touches down and Bowie takes off... The third instalment of Simon Goddard's wonderful Bowie Odyssey series' Record Collector, 4* 'David Bowie was at the Big Bang of my music consciousness. Simon Goddard’s immersive yearly look at the world in which Bowie operated, have become a must read for me. I’m very much looking forward to 1972.' Tim Burgess
£15.29
Smith Street Books We Heart Harry Special Edition: 50 Reasons Your
Book SynopsisA love letter to Harry Styles, a pop star who’s a sign of the times. Now with stickers!The world may have had to say goodbye to One Direction, but that hasn’t stopped Harry Styles from stealing our hearts. From the swoop of his boy band bangs to his sheer Gucci look on the runway, the singer, actor and all-around dreamboat is a tour de force of a cultural icon. But our love is deeper than his great choices in fashion. Did you know that Shania Twain is one of his idols? That he knows how to knit? That he’s bffs with Stevie Nicks? And that he’s generous with his money, donating to a long list of charities?This book is packed with 50 tidbits of Harry Styles trivia and some very serious collages. Billie Oliver can only pray that he one day sees it and graces her with a DM. (A girl can hope.) This Special Edition now includes totally heartable stickers!
£10.44
McNidder & Grace Buddy Holly
Book SynopsisBuddy Holly died in 1959. He was just 22 years old. Don McLean called that fatal day 'The Day the Music Died'. But, his music hasn't died, as he left us a wonderful legacy. Spencer Leigh's highly-readable biography Buddy Holly: Learning the Game is the most definitive account of Buddy Holly and his career.Trade Review'A highly-readable mix of impeccable research, first-hand testimonies and a personal critique on Holly's life, career and music. First-rate.' Michael Leonard, Vintage Rock. 'I was deeply touched by Spencer leigh's Words of Love about Buddy Holly. This book will ensure that the legacy of one of rock's greatest icons will Not Fade Away.' Gary Osborne, songwriter. 'Spencer Leigh is a fine writer and good researcher and I certainly enjoyed what he had to say about Buddy Holly.' Hunter Davies, author, journalist and broadcasterTable of ContentsForeword by Frank Ifield ............................................................................................v Acknowledgements...................................................................................................vii Introduction...............................................................................................................xi Timeline: Everyday, it’s a-gettin’ Closer...................................................................xiv Chapter 1. Never Mind the Lubbocks........................................................................1 Chapter 2. Tighten up Your Bible Belt......................................................................11 Chapter 3. Buddy and Bob.......................................................................................17 Chapter 4. Shock of the New....................................................................................29 Chapter 5. The Tex-New Mex Sound.......................................................................41 Chapter 6. The Rhythm Method ..............................................................................49 Chapter 7. Here I Go, Breaking All of the Rules.......................................................80 Chapter 8. Gotta Travel On....................................................................................121 Chapter 9. Buddy Holly Lives ................................................................................143 Chapter 10. Grave On............................................................................................152 Chapter 11. Listen To Me.......................................................................................158 I. I Can’t Believe it’s Not Buddy....................................................................... 158 II. Influencing the 60s....................................................................................... 161 III. Cover Versions – it’s so Easy, or is it?.......................................................... 166 IV. Family Connections..................................................................................... 172 Chapter 12. The Buddy Holly Story.......................................................................173 I. The Buddy Holly Story.................................................................................. 173 II. Buddy........................................................................................................... 177 III. Buddy on the Box....................................................................................... 180 IV. From Lubbock to Liverpool ........................................................................ 181 Chapter 13. The Crickets and Their Buddies .........................................................185 Chapter 14. Now and Forever Till the End of Time ...............................................203 I. Those Who Really Care ................................................................................ 203 II. What If ........................................................................................................ 207 x That’s What They Tell Me: The Contributors........................................................209 Bibliography ...........................................................................................................216 Appendix 1. Discographies.....................................................................................221 UK Discography............................................................................................... 221 US Discography................................................................................................ 230 Appendix 2. Some Buddies.....................................................................................234 Tribute Songs.................................................................................................... 234 Tribute Albums................................................................................................. 235 Cover Versions................................................................................................. 237 Appendix 3. Bye Bye Miss American Pie ................................................................242 Index ......................................................................................................................245
£13.50
University of Texas Press Why Lhasa de Sela Matters
Book SynopsisAn artist in every sense of the word, Lhasa de Sela wowed audiences around the globe with her multilingual songs and spellbinding performances, mixing together everything from Gypsy music to Mexican rancheras, Americana and jazz, chanson française, and South American folk melodies. In Canada, her album La Llorona won the Juno Award and went gold, and its follow-up, The Living Road, won a BBC World Music Award. Tragically, de Sela succumbed to breast cancer in 2010 at the age of thirty-seven after recording her final album, Lhasa.Tracing de Sela’s unconventional life and introducing her to a new generation, Why Lhasa de Sela Matters is the first biography of this sophisticated creative icon. Raised in a hippie family traveling between the United States and Mexico in a converted school bus, de Sela developed an unquenchable curiosity, with equal affinities for the romantic, mystic, and cerebral. Becoming a sensation in MontTrade Review[Why Lhasa de Sela Matters] gets to the heart of what made de Sela such a singular and beloved talent…Goodman's book makes a wonderful case for continued reverance. * CBC Music *Why Lhasa de Sela Matters...is an intimate portrait of the creativity that resulted from the collision of a hopeful and hopeless romantic. Goodman narrates the challenges and possibilities of living a nomadic life, and how those challenges and possibilities impacted Lhasa as an artist, a sister, a daughter, a partner, and a loving human being. * Boing Boing *Fred Goodman has uncovered the story of an obscure, adventurous singer who refused to take the easy path…[A] slim but absorbing book. * Rolling Stone *[An] engrossing new biography. * Los Angeles Times *Why Lhasa de Sela Matters captures the lightning-in-a-bottle of her life and music. * Please Kill Me *A compelling and valuable biography…Goodman probes de Sela's upbringing with surgical skill. * FYI Music News *Goodman's book captures the beauty of de Sela's life and music...[an] insightful biography. * No Depression *Goodman's account relies heavily on interviews he conducted with Lhasa's family, friends, and musical collaborators, and to give each of them as much space as he does is welcome, illuminating Lhasa through the primary legacy she left for her loved ones. The argument that Goodman sets out to make—that Lhasa is worth remembering—is proven time and again by the stories her intimates tell to memorialize her. * Athenaeum Review *Goodman crafts an enchanting story that's nothing less than modern musical mythology…While [Why Lhasa de Sela Matters] features deft prose and taut pacing, the hallmark of the book is Goodman's otherworldly interview skills. Specifically, his ability to weave together an immense amount of direct quotations from Lhasa's inner circle and her own interview archives makes for a fresh and vital reading experience...Goodman invites you to first wrap yourself in this tragic tale of a life cut down in its prime, and then dive headlong into the music she created. * Bearded Gentlemen Music *Through gripping, dynamic storytelling, [Goodman] paints a lavish portrait of this sometimes-nomadic and temperamental, yet lovable artist…Why Lhasa de Sela Matters is a long, winding tale, with amazing highs and decimating lows, all about a rare and old soul, someone who was taken from this life far too soon. Fans and the uninitiated alike will be equally enthralled by this lovely and all-too-short story—one that is incredibly difficult to put down. * Exclaim! *Why Lhasa de Sela Matters is an eloquent argument on behalf of the late singer. * Shepherd Express *[Why Lhasa de Sela Matters] goes a long way to giving some overdue—and, sadly, posthumous—credit to a singer with a unique voice that was always seeking new musical roads. * On Milwaukee *[Why Lhasa de Sela Matters is] a slim but illuminating book that fills a gap and serves a dual purpose: the ideal introduction for Lhasa neophytes, it also offers fans entry into deeper currents of her music and sensibility. In the process, it amply justifies its title. * Montreal Gazette *Table of ContentsPrologue Chapter 1. A Flock of Black Sheep Chapter 2. The Wailing Woman Chapter 3. The Paradox Chapter 4. Mile End Chapter 5. Bells Postscript: “The Girl-Fish”: A Catalonian Folktale as Recounted by Andrew Lang in The Orange Fairy Book Acknowledgments Notes
£12.34
Little, Brown Book Group Present Tense
Book Synopsis''Present Tense is an anthology to savour . . . giving you as sharp a portrait of this unknowable band as you could hope for . . . Radiohead fans will love it'' Classic RockA Rock''s Backpages anthology of Radiohead, the most radical and fascinating rock band in modern music history, edited and introduced by Barney Hoskyns.For over 25 years, Radiohead have been the most radical and fascinating rock band in the world. Fearless in their desire to change and shape-shift, the Oxfordshire quintet has - through the nine studio albums from 1993''s Pablo Honey to 2016''s A Moon-Shaped Pool - consistently stretched the boundaries of what ''rock'' means and does. Anchored in Thom Yorke''s soaring voice and elliptical lyrics, and in the compositional genius of guitarist/keyboardist Jonny Greenwood, Radiohead continue to astonish as they approach their fourth decade.Present Tense collects the best writing on this most liteTrade ReviewPresent Tense is an anthology to savour . . . giving you as sharp a portrait of this unknowable band as you could hope for . . . Radiohead fans will love it * Classic Rock *
£9.89
Oxford University Press The Nibelungenlied
Book Synopsis''In ancient tales many marvels are told us ... now you may hear such marvels told!''The greatest of the heroic epics to emerge from medieval Germany, the Nibelungenlied is a revenge saga of sweeping dimensions. It tells of the dragon-slayer Sivrit, and the mysterious kingdom of the Nibelungs with its priceless treasure-hoard guarded by dwarves and giants, of Prünhilt the Amazonian queen, fortune-telling water-sprites and a cloak of invisibility. Driven by the conflict between Kriemhilt, the innocent maiden turned she-devil, and her antagonist, the stoic, indomitable Hagen, the story is one of human tragedy, of love, jealousy, murder, and revenge, ending in slaughter on a horrific scale. The work of an anonymous poet of c.1200, since its rediscovery in the eighteenth century the Nibelungenlied has come to be regarded as the national epic of the Germans. It has inspired countless reworkings and adaptations, including two masterpieces: Fritz Lang''s two-part film, and Richard Wagner''s Ring cycle.This is the first prose translation for over forty years: accurate and compelling, it is accompanied by a wealth of useful background information. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Trade ReviewIt makes for glorious reading. * Yann Martell, 'What is Stephen Harper Reading?' *A new translation by Cyril Edwards, the most faithful to date to the Nibelungenlied. * Bettina Bildhauer, TLS *For a taste of the original style in English, Edwards's is now the best translation. * Bettina Bildhauer, TLS *This magnificent story...now brought to an English speaking audience in a new translation by Cyril Edwards, (is) the most faithful one to date... the Nibelung legend is still li ttle known in the anglophone world (except to Wagnerians). But a narrative of such splendour and importance deserves a wide audience outside the walls of the academy. * Bettina Bildhauer, Times Literary Supplement *The power and immediacy of this translation offers unparalleled insight into a forgotten world. * Editor's Choice, Good Book Guide *A gripping tale, packed with violent incident...the poem's history is fascinating. * Editor's Choice, The Good Book Guide *
£10.79
Route Publishing Have A Bleedin Guess: The Story of Hex Enduction
Book Synopsis
£12.34
Simon & Schuster Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories: The Early Years
Book SynopsisThe extraordinary life of one of the world’s greatest music and literary icons, in the words of those who knew him best.Poet, novelist, singer-songwriter, artist, prophet, icon—there has never been a figure like Leonard Cohen. He was a true giant in contemporary western culture, entertaining and inspiring people everywhere with his work. From his groundbreaking and bestselling novels, The Favourite Game and Beautiful Losers, to timeless songs such as “Suzanne,” “Dance Me to the End of Love,” and “Hallelujah,” Cohen is a cherished artist. His death in 2016 was felt around the world by the many fans and followers who would miss his warmth, humour, intellect, and piercing insights. Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories chronicles the full breadth of his extraordinary life. The first of three volumes—The Early Years—follows him from his boyhood in Montreal to university, and his burgeoning literary career to the world of music, culminating with his first international tour in 1970. Through the voices of those who knew him best—family and friends, colleagues and contemporaries, rivals, business partners, and his many lovers—the book probes deeply into both Cohen’s public and private life. It also paints a portrait of an era, the social, cultural, and political revolutions that shook the 1960s. In this revealing and entertaining first volume, bestselling author and biographer Michael Posner draws on hundreds of interviews to reach beyond the Cohen of myth and reveal the unique, complex, and compelling figure of the real man.Trade ReviewA Globe and Mail Top 100 Book of 2020“Posner undertook dozens and dozens of interviews . . . creating a unique oral history, as if they’re in a room together, sharing memories and stories. . . . They’re linked together with a light narrative voice that gives this biography a very intimate and personal feel.” — Toronto Star“The life of Leonard Cohen—poet, novelist, artist, Zen monk, and oh, yes, singer-songwriter—is too vast to be contained within one book. Thankfully, Posner is giving us three. . . . Posner draws on hundreds of interviews to explore Cohen’s private and public lives, his complexities and contradictions, and, of course, his inarguable charisma. Serve yourself some tea and oranges and settle in.” — Zoomer“Through these stories, a unique portrait of a young Leonard Cohen is revealed, with insights into not only his extraordinary life but also his timeless poetry and music.” — ANNE MURRAY, Grammy Award–winning singer“Posner masterfully weaves an abundance of interviews with Cohen’s family, friends, and myriad lovers to create an intricate tapestry and, ultimately, produces the most revealing portrait of the legendary songwriter and wordsmith to date.” — NICHOLAS JENNINGS, journalist and bestselling author of Lightfoot“Out of a welter of stories—from those who encountered Leonard Cohen as associate, friend, or lover—Michael Posner has shaped a fascinating multi-faceted portrait. Posner is indeed Cohen’s Boswell, no doubt about it.” — SEYMOUR MAYNE, poet, editor, and translator“Offers an impressively thorough excavation of stories, including some gems and, well, dirt. Together, [Posner’s] various positions and perspectives create a cubist portrait of the Montreal-born icon as a young man—and simultaneously an artist, intellectual, prankster, bon vivant, workaholic, and dabbler in everything . . . If Cohen’s your man and you’re his fan, you’ll want this book.” — Maclean’s“Posner masterfully weaves the story of the iconic musician’s life through hundreds of interviews with the people who knew him best, including family members, business partners, and lovers alike.” — Chatelaine“Leonard Cohen’s posthumous album in 2019 proved he still had something profound to say, even in death. This book likewise confirms that hundreds of others have their own tales to tell about the master songwriter. The first of three volumes, it covers his early life via a myriad of fascinating interviewees, from rabbis to lovers. . . . Give it to anyone who misses Cohen.” — Evening Standard“As the anecdotes accumulate up until 1970, they build a compelling picture of the worlds around [Cohen]—affluent Montreal suburbia, Canadian Jewish summer camps, beatnik coffeehouses, jetset bohemia—grounding his myth in solid context, enriching it with casual detail. . . . As with any good oral history, the stories and opinions slowly coalesce like pointillist dots, shifting into a complex portrait of a man stepping into his myth, becoming brilliant.” — MOJO Magazine“Sex, drugs, and poetry permeate this oral history of Leonard Cohen. . . . This book offers a seductive blend of sometimes contradictory insights.” — Library Journal“A detailed account of Cohen’s fascinating early life and career. For serious Cohen fans, it’s a page-tuner.” — Canadian Jewish Record“[The] multiple perspectives capture man and myth in tandem. For all of his gift for words, Cohen would have struggled to tell his story better himself.” — Uncut Magazine
£21.25
HarperCollins Publishers Gareth Malones Guide to Classical Music
Book SynopsisHave you ever been carried away by a piece of classical music? In this funny, evocative, personal book, previously published as Music for the People: The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Classical Music', Gareth takes us on a journey of musical discovery that explains and entertains in equal measure.Have you ever been carried away by a piece of classical music? The sad song of a single violin might make us cry, but the idea of finding out more about classical music can often be intimidating. There are musical terms we don''t recognise, dead composers we can''t connect with, and a feeling that we were never given the right tools to appreciate, understand, and most importantly, enjoy classical music.So who better to cut through the misconceptions and the jargon than the star of BBC2''s Bafta award-winning series The Choir, Gareth Malone. Over the course of three series, Gareth has unearthed a passion for classical music in schoolchildren, reluctant teenage boys, and even a whole town. With his Trade Review'Why do we love Gareth? Seriously, you have to ask?'Daily Mail 'One of the most strangely beguiling presences television has ever uncovered: impish but laconic, funny and yet still resolute, reserved but shameless, camp but dignified - and clearly a bloody good choirmaster.'The Guardian About The Choir: 'As profoundly a moving piece of television as has ever been made'The Independent 'The mystery at the heart of The Choir is Malone's charisma'The Times
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Fela
£23.80
Ebury Publishing Mozipedia The Encyclopaedia of Morrissey and the
Book SynopsisSteven Patrick Morrissey is one of the most original and controversial voices in the history of popular music. With The Smiths, he led the most influential British guitar group of the 1980s, his enigmatic wit and style defining a generation. As a solo artist, he has continued to broach subjects no other singer would dare.Worshipped by some, vilified by others, Morrissey is a unique rock and roll creation. The 300,000 words of Mozipedia make this the most intimate and in-depth biographical portrait of the man and his music yet. Bringing together every song, album, collaborator, key location, every hero, book, film and record to have influenced his art, it is the summation of years of meticulous research. Morrissey authority Simon Goddard has interviewed almost everybody of any importance, making Mozipedia the last word on Morrissey and The Smiths.Trade ReviewGenius ... the fullest portrait of Morrissey yet put to paper. Goddard has become what Hunter Davies is to The Beatles or Jon Savage is to punk; the number one authority on the subject * Q magazine *The next best thing to Morrissey’s autobiography * GQ magazine *A superb achievement * Mojo *The perfect gift for any Morrissey fan * Daily Telegraph *A witty, well-informed collection of fact and anecdote, full of fascinating bits and pieces * Uncut *
£34.00
Vintage Publishing I I The Natural Mystics Marley Tosh and Wailer
Book SynopsisDiscover the untold history of reggae legends of Bob Marley and the original Wailers.The perfect must-read if you loved the film One Love.Over one dramatic decade, a trio of Trench Town R&B crooners, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley, swapped their 1960s Brylcreem hairdos and two-tone suits for 1970s battle fatigues and dreadlocks to become the Wailers - one of the most influential groups in popular music. Now one of our best and brightest non-fiction writers examines the story of the influential reggae band.Charting their complex relationship, their fluctuating fortunes, musical peak, and the politics and ideologies that provoked their split, Colin Grant shows us why they were not just extraordinary musicians, but also natural mystics. And, following a trail from Jamaica through Europe, America, Africa and back to the vibrant and volatile world of Trench Town, he travels in search of the last surviving Wailer.''In Grant'Trade ReviewBy the end, the three central characters, the force that they became together and the forces that drove them apart... are more vividly portrayed than in any previous biography. What's more, Grant's clear, concise book, as well as revealing the Wailers in the light of their own culture, helps us to see into the heart of Jamaica itself, through the lives of three of its sons * Daily Telegraph *Grant has pulled off a remarkable feat in the telling of their individual stories... An absorbing read that sheds new light on the famous triumvirate -- Linton Kwesi Johnson * Wasafiri *The main merit of this perceptive work is that, by not making Marley its focus, it gets closer to the truth about him than most other biographers... Colin Grant has composed a highly evocative and original account of a misunderstood group, and the misunderstood man at its core * Literary Review *Provides a lively introduction to the life and times of the Wailers and, incidentally, to the neo-African religions and animist cults of beautiful, bedevilled Jamaica * Sunday Times *In Grant's hands life in Trench Town in the 1960's is energetic and theatrical, rich in comedy and tragic irony... Grant's original and stylish second book... This brilliant book is not just about Jamaica, but about ourselves, no longer the country of The King's Speech but a post-imperial nation many of whose citizens have a buried history. Read it also for Grant's acute descriptions of its characters * Guardian *
£14.39
Penguin Books Ltd Wagner and Philosophy
Book SynopsisWagner was one of the few major composers who studied philosophy seriously. Bryan Magee places the composer''s artistic development in the context of the philosophy of his age, and gives us the first detailed and comprehensive study of the close links between Wagner and the philosophers - from the pre-Marxist socialists to Feuerbach and Schopenhauer. Magee explores the relationship between words and music, between the conscious and the unconscious mind, between art and philosophy. It tackles soberly and judiciously the Wagner whose paranoia, egocentricity and anti-semitism are repugnant, as well as the Wagner of artistic genius. The resulting text illuminates Wagner and the music-dramas in altogether new ways.
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Cairns D Berlioz
Book SynopsisNo artist''s achievement connects more directly with early experience than that of Berlioz. David Cairns draws on a wealth of family papers to recreate in authentic and intimate detail the provincial milieu of Berlioz''s boyhood, showing how the son of a village doctor was already transforming himself into the composer of the Fantastic Symphony. Berlioz''s desperate attempts to win his father''s approval for his vocation, his struggles to establish himself on the Parisian musical scene, and his passionate pursuit of love are all brought vividly to life in this first volume of David Cairn''s award-winning biography.
£18.99
Oxford University Press Inc Pick a Pocket Or Two
Book SynopsisIn Pick a Pocket Or Two, acclaimed author Ethan Mordden brings his wit and wisdom to bear in telling the full history of the British musical, from The Beggar's Opera (1728) to the present, with an interest in isolating the unique qualities of the form and its influence on the American model.Trade ReviewThe volume is meticulously researched, well organized, and eminently useful. It is highly recommended. * Debra Greschner, Journal of Singing *An excellent resource for those interested in the performing arts. * R. D. Johnson, emeritus, SUNY College at Oneonta, CHOICE *Musical theater aficionados are indebted to Mordden for his informative, well-written, lively volumes on musical theater. His oeuvre provides a superb chronicle of the American musical stage. In the present volume, Mordden crosses the Atlantic to examine the English musical theater. * R. D Johnson, CHOICE *An enjoyable read [...] the discography at the end of the book is especially entertaining. * Nick Wakeham, Musical Theatre Review *That Pick a Pocket Or Two is worthwhile will come as no surprise to anyone who's read, re-read and RE-re-read any or all of the works of this great musical theater historian. But an added bonus in each book is Mordden's distinctively great sense of humor. * Peter Filichia, Masterworks Broadway *Table of Contents1. Beginnings: In the Days of My Youth 2. G & S: Our Loving Frivoliyt 3. Toy Town: The Edwardian Musical 4. Charleston Mad: The 1910s and 1920s 5. And then a Violin Began to Play: Ivor Novello 6. Dancing with a Ghost: The 1930s and 1940s 7. Imagine the Duchess' Feelings: Noël Coward 8. It's Sort of Romantic: The 1950s 9. Behind the Times: Sandy Wilson and Julian Slade 10. Sweep My Off My Feet: The 1960s 11. The Little Things We Used to Do: The 1970s and 1980s 12. To Love Another Person is to See the Face of God: Pop Opera 13. With One Look I'll Be May: Andrew Lloyd Webber 14. A Little Bit Naughty: The Last Thirty Years Discography Bibliography Index
£27.99
Oxford University Press Inc Shostakovich
Book SynopsisFor this authoritative post-cold-war biography of Shostakovich''s illustrious but turbulent career under Soviet rule, Laurel E. Fay has gone back to primary documents: Shostakovich''s many letters, concert programs and reviews, newspaper articles, and diaries of his contemporaries. An indefatigable worker, he wrote his arresting music despite deprivations during the Nazi invasion and constant surveillance under Stalin''s regime. Shostakovich''s life is a fascinating example of the paradoxes of living as an artist under totalitarian rule. In August 1942, his Seventh Symphony, written as a protest against fascism, was performed in Nazi-besieged Leningrad by the city''s surviving musicians, and was triumphantly broadcast to the German troops, who had been bombarded beforehand to silence them. Alone among his artistic peers, he survived successive Stalinist cultural purges and won the Stalin Prize five times, yet in 1948 he was dismissed from his conservatory teaching positions, and many Trade Review"The rest of us can nevertheless be grateful for [Fay's] humble and herculean efforts, thanks to which Shostakovich can no longer be discussed in terms of black or white; her work has begun to make it possible to focus on the lasting inner life of the music and to think of the music's creator in fuller human terms."--The Boston Sunday Globe"The combined effects of scholarly incompetence, deliberate obfuscation, and the imposition of political agendas have made it nearly impossible to get a clear picture of the life of Shostokovich, one of the most fascinating figures in the cultural life of the twentieth century. Laurel Fay, the most patient of scholars, has done an amazing job of getting the material sorted out so as to be able to tell the compelling story of this troubled life. She is calm, bound by no political parti pris, and when even she has been defeated in her research she is not afraid to say 'I don't know'. Long awaited, this is an immensely important book and hugely welcome."--Michael Steinberg, author of The Symphony: A Listener's Guide and The Concerto: A Listener's Guide (OUP)."Fay's Shostokovich is not only the best biography in English or in any other West European language, it offers readers a factual accuracy and balanced perspective unmatched in post-Soviet era publications by Shostakovich specialists in the composer's homeland. Undaunted by the lurid debates surrounding Shostakovich's purported lifelong dissidence and the covert meaning of his music, Fay has produced exactly what we need at this stage in Shostokovich scholarship; a reliable and basic life and works--clear-eyed, straightforward, copiously researched, sympathetic, objective, and uncluttered by Cold-War and post-Cold-War myths."--Malcolm Hamrick Brown, Professor Emeritus of Music, Indiana University, and Founding Editor, Russian Music Studies
£20.24
Oxford University Press Inc The Tenderness of Silent Minds
Book SynopsisThe human body is the primary instrument of war, yet those waging war often confront soldiers'' bodies in a detached or merely intellectual way. In The Tenderness of Silent Minds, Martha C. Nussbaum, a leading thinker on emotion, morality, and justice, conducts a pioneering study of Benjamin Britten''s musical representations of the tender male body amidst the brutality of war, and their ability to transform consciousness by evoking potent, non-personal emotions.Offering a reading of Britten''s views about the value and beauty of the body that situates these in the context of his thirty-nine year partnership with his lover, the singer Peter Pears, and also surveying pacifist themes in works written both before and after War Requiem, Nussbaum presents a compelling framework for critically assessing Britten''s oeuvre. Nussbaum engages with a remarkably wide range of Britten''s works, examining his treatment of aggression and its roots in his collaborations with the poet W.H. Auden, offering readings of the value placed on the body in early partnerships with Britten''s beloved and singer Peter Pears, and surveying pacifist themes in Britten''s earlier works. The analysis throughout is enriched with perspectives from Britten''s personal letters and thoughtful study of the social and political backdrop of fear and homophobic disgust in mid-twentieth century Britain. According to Nussbaum''s interpretation, War Requiem confronts listeners with the reality of bodily experience in war, eliciting compassion by its depiction of beauty, vulnerability, and eroticism. Issuing a stern warning, it points the way to hope for postwar reconciliation. Nussbaum''s careful analysis of Britten''s score and its settings of both the Requiem Mass and Owen''s poems, their historic performance at Coventry, and its philosophical commitments, unveils a message of human love in a hostile world that resonates as powerfully today as in post-war Britain.
£18.99
University of Illinois Press Exploring the World of J. S. Bach
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Beautifully written and lavishly illustrated, with both modern photographs and 18th-century images, Exploring the World of Bach is an invaluable guidebook for any traveler wishing to explore Bach's Germany and Germany's Bach… A sophisticated and original piece of scholarship (including a superb bibliography and valuable appendix) which will be of great value to both Bach experts and novices for years to come."--Early Music America "An extraordinary accomplishment and an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the life and works of J. S. Bach. The authors combine in a single volume the results of the latest research and biographical studies in the form of an illustrated guide of the towns in which Bach lived and which he visited." --Don O. Franklin, The American Bach Society"For the academic, student, or aficionado who might not be able to travel to Germany, this resource provides an excellent gateway into the geopolitical world where Bach lived, produced music as performer and director, and composed."--Notes "It is equal parts social history, travelogue, memoir, and biography, making for a surprisingly engaging look at one of the most iconic musicians of all time." --RoguesPortal"The book is clear, intelligent, authoritative, and readable. Also, it is stocked with photos. . . . You may wonder whether Robert and Traute Marshall themselves have followed Back through Bach Country. They have. Every step. I wish I had done it with them. But you can do it, in a sense, through this book. . . . I esteem what the Marshalls have done."--Jay Nordlinger, The New Criterion"This book deserves a wide audience of both specialists and general readers." --BACH: Journal of the Reiemenschneider Bach Institute"This highly informative, practical, beautifully illustrated, and altogether inviting travel guide to Bach country has no equivalent. Robert and Traute Marshall describe both the principal stations and the lesser known places where Johann Sebastian Bach and members of this distinguished family of musicians lived and worked in a wonderful way. History is truly brought to life for the traveling music lover. Small as it is in terms of geographic extent, Bach's world becomes truly monumental and memorable in this extremely useful book."--Christoph Wolff, author of Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician"The vivid descriptions and images of the places where Bach visited or lived, and the latest in musicological research, make this book essential reading for everyone who wants to know more about his music, life, and world."--Mark Kroll, harpsichordist and author of Johann Nepomuk Hummel: A Musician's Life and World
£21.59
Indiana University Press Dolly Parton Gender and Country Music
Book SynopsisLeigh H. Edwards explores Partons roles as musician, actor, author, philanthropist, and entrepreneur to show how her gender subversion highlights the challenges that can be found even in the most seemingly traditional form of American popular music. As Parton depicts herself as simultaneously "real" and "fake," she offers new perspectives on country music's claims of authenticity.Trade ReviewA stellar exploration of how Parton deftly balanced traditional country aesthetics with her willingness to rebel against those same trappings by completely owning her image and how she performed her femininity. Thanks to thorough research that digs into Parton's personal statements across her autobiography, social media outlets, and interviews in a variety of mediums, the reader is presented with a woman completely in control of who she is, her art, and how people interact with her. -- Adam P. Newton * BeardedGentlemenMusic.com *With her generous, comprehensive examination of Parton's image and career, Edwards makes a valuable contribution to studies of celebrity, gender, music, media, and popular culture that should be useful to scholars working in any of these areas. -- Jennifer Lynn Jones * Celebrity Studies *"The new book Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music investigates the character behind the chart-topping musician we've come to know and love." * Shondaland *Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music is a timely full-length monograph on a figure who has endured on the national and international scene for more than one-half century. Fittingly, this study is authored by a leading scholar of contemporary popular culture. The keyword in Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music is 'transgression,' for Professor Edwards demonstrates the terms by which, over decades, Parton's personae both conform to well-established patterns of identity and simultaneously subvert them. -- Cecelia Tichi, Journal of Popular Music Studies The book moves seamlessly from the mythology of Dolly Parton and the crafting of her gender persona to the singer's performance within different types of frameworks through Hollywood, crossover markets, and the digital stage. Edwards has allowed us to look deeper into how that combination of femininity has been a platform of change for both Parton and our perception of her persona, while opening the door for exploration of how Parton's influence may help craft the careers of future performers. * The Journal of Popular Culture *The book is full of solid arguments for the worthiness of Parton as a scholarly subject, including the complexities and juxtapositions of her life as a media figure with an enduring career. * Music Reference Services Quarterly *Overall, Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music examines Parton's trailblazing career in the male-dominated world of country music through the lens of gender themes and identity, including the expansion of her media empire of music, movies, theme park, and numerous other efforts. * Communication Booknotes Quarterly *Deftly introduces the public and private Dolly Parton in this well-researched study of a cultural phenomenon. * AudioFile *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Dolly Mythology1. "Backwoods Barbie": Dolly Parton's Gender Performance2. My Tennessee Mountain Home: Early Parton and Authenticity Narratives3. Parton's Crossover and Film Stardom: The "Hillbilly Mae West"4. Hungry Again: Reclaiming Country Authenticity Narratives5. "Digital Dolly" and New Media FandomsConclusion: Brand Evolution and DollywoodWorks CitedIndex
£16.14
Yale University Press Robert Schumann Life and Death of a Musician
Book SynopsisA biography that offers a fresh account of Robert Schumann's life. It confronts the traditional perception of the doom-laden Romantic, forced by depression into a life of helpless, poignant sadness. It frees Schumann from one hundred and fifty years of myth-making and unjustified psychological speculation.Trade Review"This interesting, well-researched examination of the life and death of one of the most important composers of the 19th-century Romantic movement is appropriate for students and researchers in higher education with some knowledge of Schumann's life and music."—Library Journal * Library Journal *"Drawing on letters, diaries, and previous biographies, Worthen relates Schumann's life in sometimes excruciating detail, dispelling myths of possible bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. One of the best biographies of a composer who had a lust for life of music, family, and friends."—Booklist * Booklist *"...beautifully written and meticulously researched and foodtnoted." -Simon Heffer, Literary Review -- Simon Heffer * Literary Review *"For well over a century the reputation of the Romantic composer Robert Schumann has been obscured by the perception of him as a man beset by mental illness, a hapless figure buffeted by perpetual misfortune. John Worthen's achievement is to rehabilitate Schumann through detailed attention to contemporary sources which substantially conflict with received wisdom...what emerges here is a man of conspicuous determination, passion and creativity." - The Good Book Guide * The Good Book Guide *"...engaging, well written and clearly aimed at the general reader...for those wanting to read an affectionate life of one of the greatest and most loveable figures of the early 19th century, this book can be recommended." -- Steven Isserlis, The Guardian -- Steven Isserlis * The Guardian *"…alongside the tragedies, this riveting account of Schumann’s life also manages to encapsulate both the joy and elation of one of music’s greatest, still neglected geniuses, and to express a passionate enthusiasm for his works. For this, Schumannites ought to be deeply grateful."---Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times -- Hugh Canning * The Sunday Times *"We have always lacked good biographies of Schumann, and this one will become a standard reference work. The late John Daverio’s fine 1997 biography is more deeply attuned to the music, but Worthen’s is by far the most comprehensive account I have read of the facts of Schumann’s life. His central thesis is important, and he writes clearly and freshly, bringing a wise head to an intricate tangle of evidence."---Susan Tomes, The Independent -- Susan Tomes * The Independent *"The tragedy of Schumann’s final years has fitted so perfectly with a certain Romantic stereotype – the demented and troubled genius – that it has exercised a captivating influence over his biographers ever since… It is this hindsight-laden interpretation of Schumann’s career that John Worthen’s fine and scholarly new biography sets out to undo."--- John Adamson, The Sunday Telegraph -- John Adamson * The Sunday Telegraph *"this is an impressive and elegantly-written biography." - Misha Donat, BBC Music Magazine -- Misha Donat * BBC Music Magazine *"this is a biography with attitude." - Misha Donat, BBC Music Magazine -- Misha Donat * BBC Music Magazine *"Life and Death of a Musician avoids the pitfalls which often beset large, detailed musical biographies, largely because it's so beautifully written." - Arminta Wallace, Irish Times -- Arminta Wallace * Irish Times *"A well-documented, genial, easy-to-read biography for the general reader. . . . We learn a great deal about the young and dissolute dilettante, music journalist, hypochondriac, mediocre conductor, literate and prolific composer, and of course the ardent suitor who finally makes Clara Wieck his wife over her father's objections. . . . A very affectionate portrayal of both the man and the composer."—Symphony * Symphony *A 2007 Top Seller in Music as compiled by YBP Library Services * YBP Library Services *Selected as a 2008 AAUP University Press Book for Public and Secondary School Libraries. -- Best Book of the Year Selection * Association of American University Presses (AAUP) *"An exemplary effort: beautifully written, very meticulously researched, with scrupulous reliance on original sources, balancing fine command of detail with a broader sense of Schumann's milieu. . . . This is an excellent and provocative biography that is sure to spark fierce debate among musicians and psychologists."—Aaron Kozbelt, PsycCRITIQUES -- Aaron Kozbelt * PsycCRITIQUES *"Worthen's biography takes its proper place as a book to reckon with on any shelf of studies of this brilliant, enigmatic, and tragic figure."—Stanley Hauer, Southern Humanities Review -- Stanley Hauer * Southern Humanities Review *“[A] detailed, insightful and above all affectionate account of Schumann’s life that reveals a man whose music defines the Romantic era.”—Julian Haylock, Classic FM Magazine -- Julian Haylock * Classic FM Magazine *
£23.75
Yale University Press Franz Liszt
Book SynopsisTrade Review". . . makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of Liszt as a man and superstar. Hilmes shines a light into the shadows behind a life lived in the spotlight, and he finds some surprising and indeed entertaining details there."—Andrew Taylor, Times"If this book has a once-over-lightly feel, that is because there were many intertwined strands in Liszt’s extraordinary life, each of which could merit a book in itself. . . . Hilmes is illuminating on the emergence—and continuance into old age—of Liszt’s preternatural gifts as a pianist. And by drawing on hitherto unpublished documentary sources he provides a riveting chronicle of the composer’s tangled relationships."—Economist"[It] has the great virtue of objectivity, and with the help of Stewart Spencer’s nicely fluent translation, Hilmes does a solid and fair-minded job of charting the long career of one of the dominant and iconic figures of 19th century culture—a romantic in every sense of the word."—Rupert Christiansen, Literary Review". . . Hilmes offers a riveting read, a vibrant story full of cannily etched detail. In the end you feel you have been visiting the characters at home, observing with forensic exactitude all their foibles, neuroses and, sometimes, hideous cruelty."—Jessica Duchen, Sunday Times Ireland"As a well-told, readable, fluently translated story of a strangely conflicted career that affected the lives of people as disparate as Lola Montez and Pope Pius IX [Franz Liszt] would be hard to beat."—Stephen Walsh, London Review of Books"The sub-title of this remarkable book at once tells you where Oliver Hilmes’ chief interest lies. Liszt was, indeed, all of these things, bewilderingly multi-faceted and of super-human strength and achievement. Yet he also paid a heavy price in his journey from 'Le petit Litz’ to ‘Le Grand Liszt.'"—Susan Nickalls, Classical Music "Editors Choice 2016""[A] new and vivid study of the great composer-pianist . . . imparts a novelistic vibrancy and urgency of narrative to a life that was undeniably of great intrinsic interest."—Andrew Thomson, Musical TimesWon the 2017 Choice Award for Outstanding Academic Title"This is the book about Liszt I have been waiting for, vividly evoking both him and his context to reveal him as one the central figures—if not the central figure—of Western music in the nineteenth century, a vital link between Beethoven and Bartók, and a truly great and generous man. At last, we see him whole."—Simon Callow
£14.99
Yale University Press Beethovens Piano Sonatas
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Pianists . . . will have much to gain from Rosen’s admirably wide range of musical reference, and his usual rich mixture of musical wisdom and opinion, both eminently worth having."—Leon Plantinga, Times Literary Supplement"In this sparkling ‘short companion,’ Rosen guides the listener through both musical structures and knotty performance decisions. . . . A CD on which Rosen himself plays completes a gorgeous package."—The Guardian"[R]ich in detail . . . graceful and embracing. All admirers of this repertory will gain much from this book. Highly recommended . . ."—Library Journal"[An] outstanding work: a performer’s guide to Beethoven’s piano sonatas. . . . The text is rich in detail, and Rosen’s prose is typically graceful and embracing. All admirers of this repertory will gain much from this book. Highly recommended for all collections."—Library Journal (starred review)"There is scarcely an observation from first page to last that doesn’t prompt the most fruitful reflection on the very essence of interpretation at every level. If you buy only one book on music this year, let it be this one."—Bettina Neumann, Piano"For someone seeking to understand the evolution and reception of the sonatas as a cultural and musical narrative, Rosen’s book will furnish a more vivid and illuminating experience."—Charles Fisk, Notes
£18.99
Hachette Books Fire and Rain
Book Synopsis"One of the most entertaining and informative books of the year...to be enjoyed not only by rock fans, but by anyone interested in popular culture and social change."--NPR.orgTrade ReviewAssociated Press "Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970 is a worthy addition to anyone's collection of such music histories...the nuanced account of the struggles inherent in making music is more than enough to satisfy, as are the delightful surprise connections and asides scattered throughout the book... I couldn't help but be riveted by the account of this group of immensely talented people who also, when they weren't at each other's throats, seemed like they'd be cool to hang out with." Entertainment Weekly A "Best New Summer Read" Chicago Reader "Its principal task is to dive into the 60s hangover on a day-to-day level, describing the tensions that drove U.S./UK rock culture--emblematized by the four artists in the subtitle--toward the sweet, consoling embrace of Let It Be, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Sweet Baby James, and Deja Vu, ... Browne renders this somnambulant period with such care that he makes it seem alive." Mojo "Highly readable ... shifts between the key points smoothly. He unearths some little-told stories along the way." Named one of the "Best Rock Books of the Year" by Rolling Stone Kirkus Reviews "Through the lens of four fabulously successful musical acts, a Rolling Stone contributing editor looks at the moment 1960s idealism "began surrendering to the buzz-kill comedown of the decade ahead...A vivid freeze-frame of Hall of Fame musicians, some of whom would go on to make fine records, none ever again as central to the culture." Parade "This juicy, fascinating read transports you back to a turbulent year...Browne artfully describes the creation of these classic songs in a way that makes them seem brand-new." New York Daily News "Through rich anecdotes and incisive analysis...the book threads traces of politics, but music remains its worthy focus. The form of the book, told chronologically over four seasons, lends it the compacted, real-time drama of an episode of '24'." New York Post "Behind-the-scenes, fly-on-the-wall looks at [the artists] make it a worthwhile read."
£13.29
Hachette Books Willin
Book SynopsisFormed in 1969 by ex-members of Frank Zappa''s Mothers of Invention, Little Feat created groove-heavy music that was an irresistible mix of rock, blues, R&B, country, jazz, soul, and funk. Fronted by the doomed, enigmatic, and charismatic vocalist and slide guitarist Lowell George, they recorded such classic studio albums as Sailin''shoes and Dixie Chicken , as well as what many consider to be one of the best live albums of all time: Waiting for Columbus . After George''s tragic death in 1979 and a long period of silence, the band later re-formed in 1987, delighting concert crowds with tight renditions of their beloved songs, including their signature outlaw trucker anthem Willin''.Acclaimed journalist Ben Fong-Torres, working with surviving band members and their friends and associates, has based Willin'' on hours of brand-new interviews with all the key players, resulting in the definitive, first-ever biography of this beloved rock ''n'' roll institution.
£15.99
Hachette Books Matters of Vital Interest
Book SynopsisA memoir of the author''s decades-long friendship and spiritual journey with the late singer, songwriter, novelist, and poet Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen passed away in late 2016, leaving behind many who cared for and admired him, but perhaps few knew him better than longtime friend Eric Lerner. Lerner, a screenwriter and novelist, first met Cohen at a Zen retreat forty years earlier. Their friendship helped guide each other through life''s myriad obstacles, a journey told from a new perspective for the first time. Funny, revealing, self-aware, and deeply moving, Matters of Vital Interest is an insightful memoir about Lerner''s relationship with his friend, whose idiosyncratic style and dignified life was deeply informed by his spiritual practices. Lerner invites readers to step into the room with them and listen in on a lifetime''s ongoing dialogue, considerations of matters of vital interest, spiritual, mundane, and profane. In telling their story, Lerner depicts Leonard Cohen as a captivating persona, the likes of which we may never see again.
£20.00
Hachette Books Endless Endless A LoFi History of the Elephant 6
Book SynopsisYears after its release, Neutral Milk Hotel''s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea remains one of the most beloved and best-selling albums in all of indie music, hailed as a classic so influential as to be almost synonymous with the ongoing vinyl revival. But despite its outsized impact, a question looms even larger: why did frontman Jeff Mangum, just as the record propelled him to the brink of music superstardom, choose instead to disappear entirely? The mystery has perplexed listeners for decades-until now.In barely two years, Neutral Milk Hotel rose from house show obscurity in Athens, Georgia, to widespread hype and critical acclaim, selling out rock clubs across the country and gracing the tops of numerous year-end best-of lists. But just as his band was reaching the escape velocity necessary to ascend from indie rock success to mainstream superstar, Mangum hit the eject button. After the 1998 release of Aeroplane and a worldwide tour to support it, Mangum stopp
£22.50
Hachette Books Punk Paradox
Book SynopsisFrom the legendary singer-songwriter of Bad Religion comes a historical memoir and cultural criticism of punk rock’s evolution. Greg Graffin is the lead vocalist and songwriter of Bad Religion, recently described as “America's most significant punk band.” Since its inception in Los Angeles in 1980, Bad Religion has produced 18 studio albums, become a long-running global touring powerhouse, and has established a durable legacy as one of the most influential punk rock bands of all time. Punk Paradox is Graffin's life narrative before and during L.A. punk's early years, detailing his observations on the genre's explosive growth and his band's steady rise in importance. The book begins by exploring Graffin’s Midwestern roots and his life-changing move to Southern California in the mid-’70s. Swept up into the burgeoning punk scene in the exhilarating and often-violent streets of Los Angeles, Graffin and his friends formed Bad Religion, built a fanbase, and became a touring institution. All these activities took place in parallel with Graffin's never ceasing quest for intellectual enlightenment. Despite the demands of global tours, recording sessions, and dedication to songwriting, the author also balanced a budding academic career. In so doing, he managed to reconcile an improbable double-life as an iconic punk rock front man and University Lecturer in evolution. Graffin’s unique experiences mirror the paradoxical elements that define the punk genre—the pop influence, the quest for society’s betterment, music’s unifying power—all of which are prime ingredients in its surprising endurance. Fittingly, this book argues against the traditional narrative of the popular perception of punk. As Bad Religion changed from year to year, the spirit of punk—and its sonic significance—lived on while Graffin was ever willing to challenge convention, debunk mythology, and liberate listeners from the chains of indoctrination. As insightful as it is exciting, this thought-provoking memoir provides both a fly on the wall history of the punk scene and astute commentary on its endurance and evolution.
£22.50
Taylor & Francis The Routledge Research Companion to Modernism in Music
Book SynopsisModernism has remained a pivotal focus of debate in musicology well into the twenty-first century, and recent critiques have failed to dampen its resilience. However, the picture of modernism has considerably broadened and diversified. As well as new approaches to areas that are relatively familiar, this book explores the less established topicsTable of ContentsIntroduction Björn Heile and Charles Wilson Part I Foundations 1: The Birth of Modernism – Out of the Spirit of Comedy James R. Currie 2: What Was Contemporary Music? The New, the Modern and the Contemporary in the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) Sarah Collins 3: Institutions, Artworlds, New Music Martin Iddon 4: Modernism and History David J. Code 5: Musical Modernity, the Beautiful and the Sublime Edward Campbell Part II Positions 6: Reactive Modernism J. P. E. Harper-Scott 7: Musical Modernism, Global: Comparative Observations Björn Heile 8: Musical Modernism and Exile: Cliché as Hermeneutic Tool Eva Moreda Rodríguez 9: Modernism: The People’s Music? Robert Adlington 10: Modernism for and of the Masses? On Popular Modernisms Stephen Graham 11: Times Like the Present: De-limiting Music in the Twenty-First Century Charles Wilson 12: The Composer as Communication Theorist M.J. Grant 13: How Does Modernist Music Make You Feel? Between Subjectivity and Affect Trent Leipert Part III Practices 14: Between Modernism and Postmodernism: Structure and Expression in John Adams, Kaija Saariaho and Thomas Adès Alastair Williams 15: Foundations and Fixations: Continuities in British Musical Modernism Arnold Whittall 16: The Balinese Moment in the Montreal New Music Scene as a Regional Modernism Jonathan Goldman 17: Vers une écriture liminale: Serialism, Spectralism and Écriture in the Transitional Music of Gérard Grisey Liam Cagney 18: Contemporary Opera and the Failure of Language Amy Bauer 19: ‘Es klang so alt und war doch so neu!’: Modernist Operatic Culture through the Prism of Staging 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg' Mark Berry 20: The Modernism of the Mainstream: An Early Twentieth-Century Ideology of Violin Playing Stefan Knapik
£43.99
WW Norton & Co Beethoven The Music and the Life
Book SynopsisAn authoritative work offering a fresh look at Beethoven’s life, career, and milieu. “Magisterial” —New York Review of Books.Trade Review"Why are not more musicians' biographies written like this?"Mitsuko Uchida, Books of the Year, The Guardian "If I were to keep only one book on Beethoven this would be a strong contender." Philip Borg-Wheeler, Classical Music "Lockwood writes like an angel, lucid, enthusiastic, stirring and enlightening. Beethoven has found his ablest interpreter." Jonathan Keates, The Spectator "Professor Lockwood's insight and scholarship are profound..." Michael Graubart, The Musical Times "...Professor Lockwood's original perspectives, his formidable knowledge and his elegant style will prove an invaluable new source." Alexander Waugh, Literary Review "...marvellously illuminating." Michael Church, Financial Times "The greatest strength of Lockwood's book-and it has many strengths-is the unusually enlightening way in which this scholar discusses Beethoven's music." The Times Literary Supplement
£18.99
WW Norton & Co Beethovens Symphonies An Artistic Vision
Book SynopsisAn exploration of the unswerving artistic vision underlying Beethoven’s symphonies, from a leading scholar of the composer’s works.Trade Review"...[Lockwood] paints a vivid picture of the creative context of each [symphony]." -- James Macmillan - Standpoint"[This] book will surely inspire new interest in Beethoven’s durable masterpieces." -- The New York Review of Books"No one brings Beethoven’s music to life as vividly as Lewis Lockwood. A towering achievement." -- Alan Gilbert, music director, New York Philharmonic"This remarkable book is much more than a guide to Beethoven’s symphonies. By granting us access to the composer’s workshop, Lockwood reveals a faltering human being whose unfaltering artistic resolution remains one of the great stories of the human spirit." -- Scott Burnham, Scheide Professor of Music History, Princeton University"Lockwood has given music lovers a great gift. By looking at historical context—who listened to Beethoven, what he read—and how the symphonies were planned, the reader gets a unique view of the creative process of one of our greatest musical minds." -- Yo-Yo Ma"Lockwood elegantly imparts an enormous amount of fascinating detail, placing each symphony in the context of Beethoven’s work in other genres and concert activity. What a pleasure to read!" -- Emanuel Ax, pianist
£14.24
WW Norton & Co Counterpoint
Book SynopsisA Pulitzer Prize–winning critic reflects on the meaning and emotional impact of a Bach masterwork.Trade Review"In short, this is a beautiful and unexpectedly uplifting read which will have you reaching for both Gould's Goldbergs and the Chaconne, and perhaps even looking at the world with renewed thoughtfulness." -- Charlotte Gardner - Gramophone"Lyrical and haunting." -- Alex Ross - The New Yorker"Full of arresting insights about the way music permeates our lives, as well as heartbreaking reflections on the wounds a parent can inflict on a child." -- Michael O'Donnell - The Wall Street Journal"A thought-provoking and accomplished memoir, meeting Kennicott's own criterion that ‘every good book or great piece of music carries with it the possibility of redemption." -- Martha Anne Toll - NPR"With stunning candor and elegance, Kennicott explores the complexities of grieving for an emotionally abusive person with brief dissertations on longing, on learning, on perfectionism... [he] turns what may have been a simple memoir into a shining, nonlinear meditation." -- Zoë Madonna - The Boston Globe
£13.29
Cambridge University Press Chopin Pianist and Teacher As Seen By His Pupils
Book SynopsisThe first English paperback edition of the unique collection of documents which reveal Chopin as teacher and interpreter of his own music. From the accounts of his pupils, acquaintances and contemporaries, together with his own writing, we gain valuable insight into Chopin's pianistic and stylistic practice, his teaching methods and his aesthetic beliefs. The documents are divided into two categories: those concerning technique and style, two notions inseparable in Chopin's mind, and those concerning the interpretation of Chopin's works. Extensive appendix material presents Chopin's essay 'Sketch for a method', as well as annotated scores belonging to Chopin's pupils and acquaintances, and personal accounts of Chopin's playing as experienced by his contemporaries: composers and pianists, pupils and friends, writers and critics. The statements of Chopin's own students in diaries, letters and reminiscences, written, dictated or conveyed by word of mouth, provide the bulk of these accountTrade Review' … truly a book about the way Chopin played the piano, and about the way he interpreted his own music … Anyone interested in Chopin will be grateful to Eigeldinger.' Charles Rosen, The New York Review of Books' … the book is really indispensable to the serious student of Chopin. Almost all those reading it will find their view of the composer made sharper and truer than before.' Nicholas Temperley, MLA NotesTable of ContentsList of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Explanation of references; Editor's note; Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Technique and style; 2. Interpretation of Chopin's work; Notes; List of Chopin's pupils whose recollections are quoted in this book; Appendix; Bibliography; Index of persons; Index of musical works.
£34.19
Faber & Faber The Book of Lieder
Book SynopsisThis unique volume contains, in parallel translation, a thousand of the most frequently performed Lieder, both piano-accompanied and orchestral. Composers are arranged alphabetically, with their songs appearing under poet in chronological order of composition - thus allowing the reader to engage in depth with a particular poet and at the same time to follow the composer''s development. Richard Stokes, whose work in this field is already widely acclaimed, provides illuminating short essays on each of the fifty composers'' approach to Lieder composition, as well as well as notes on all the poets who inspired the songs.The volume is notable for the accuracy and elegance of its translations, and for its fidelity to the German verse: every care has been taken to print the words of the sung text, while adhering to the versification and punctuation of the original poem.Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann, Goethe, Heine and Schiller are among the highlights of a
£32.00
Faber & Faber Listening to Van Morrison
Book SynopsisListening to Van Morrison represents Greil Marcus''s quest to trace Morrison''s particular genius through seminal moments in his long career, beginning in 1965, breaking open in 1968 with the incomparable Astral Weeks, and continuing in full force to this day. This is a portrait of a perplexing, mysterious and terrifyingly gifted artist and vocalist at the height of his powers, written by one of our most thoughtful cultural critics.
£11.69
Faber & Faber The Faber Pocket Guide to Mozart
Book SynopsisWhy is Mozart the best known and most popular of all the great Western classical composers? More than 250 years after his birth, his reputation stands higher than ever before. It also provides all you need to listen to and enjoy Mozart''s music, and will also introduce a new generation of concert-goers and record-listeners to his life and key works, from opera to symphony, concerto to song. In a crisp, sharp style, with recommendations of good recordings, Nicholas Kenyon shows how Mozart''s music has communicated with unique power across many generations.
£10.44
Faber & Faber Thomas Ades Full of Noises Conversations with Tom
Book SynopsisThomas Adès is feted from Los Angeles to London, from New York to Berlin, as the musician who has done more than any other living composer to connect contemporary music with wider audiences. But this celebrated composer, conductor and pianist is notoriously secretive about his creative process, about what lies behind his compositional impulse. Here, Adès opens up for the first time, in conversations with Tom Service, about how he creates his music, where it comes from, and what it means. In these provocative and challenging interviews, Adès connects his music with influences from a huge historical and cultural spectrum from Sephardic Jewish folk music to 80s electronica, from the films of Luis Buñuel and pre-Columbian art to the soundtracks of Al-Qaeda training videos and offers a unique insight into the crucible of composition.This edition is updated with a foreword on Adès's opera, Exterminating Angel.
£10.44
Faber & Faber Lyrical Diary
Book SynopsisAbsorbing insights into music and language by one of the world''s greatest Lieder Interpreters.Christian Gerhaher, one of the most important singers of our time, writes vividly of his performing life and the experiences that he has had in over thirty years with the great works of the history of the Lied, from Beethoven's ''An die ferne Geliebte'' via Schubert's great cycles, Schumann's varied Lieder, and art songs from Gustav Mahler to Othmar Schoeck and Wolfgang Rihm. He reflects on what these Lieder mean, what makes each of them unique and how they should be performed. An essential addition to the canon of writing on singing.
£21.25
