Composers and songwriters Books

Book SynopsisThe essays in "The Resistible Demise of Michael Jackson" consummately demonstrate that writing on popular culture can be both thoughtful and heartfelt. The contributors, who include accomplished music critics as well as renowned theorists, are some of the most astute and eloquent writers on pop today. The collection is made up of new essays written in the wake of Jackson's death, and includes Barney Hoskyns' classic "NME" piece written at the time of "Thriller", and contributions from Ian Penman, David Stubbs, Paul Lester, and Chris Roberts.

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Book SynopsisPaolo Hewitt grew up in care in Woking in the 1960s and 70s, an experience he chronicled in his acclaimed memoir, The Looked After Kid. He moved to London in 1980 to become a music journalist and worked for Melody Maker and NME. In the early 1990s Paolo gave up full-time journalism to write his first novel, Heaven's Promise. He has since written biographies of The Jam, The Small Faces, Oasis and Steve Marriott. He lives in London.Trade ReviewPowerful and even emotional ... probably one of the best books about what it's like to be a Famous Person's Friend. And it's almost certainly the definitive Weller biography. * The Word *Fascinating... Hewitt pries into the dark corners of a personality that has long been kept under lock and key. * Guardian *A one-off... an intimate picture of a seemingly arrogant man * Metro *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Essential in filling out a more humane and complete portrait of the composer and his art.”—Jeremy Eichler, The Boston Globe“These newly translated documents provide deeper insight both into Tchaikovsky himself, and the family circle and larger society in which he was active.”—Rebecca Mitchell, Canadian-American Slavic Studies“This English-language version of the ground-breaking original Russian text has been prepared with great skill and care. The notes are particularly admirable, and the translations of the letters and other documents impeccable”– Arnold McMillin, The Slavonic and East European ReviewWinner of the Outstanding Academic Title for 2018 award sponsored by Choice"We are now at home with much that was once taboo about Tchaikovsky—his tsarist loyalties, his homosexuality, how he died. But the Sentimentalism of his letters, its emotional register, still startles the modern reader. This revealing collection helps us see that how one writes letters is only a small part of who one is."—Caryl Emerson, Princeton University“This collection of finely translated letters, documents, and musical mementos moves Tchaikovsky considerably beyond the vapid biographical clichés of yesteryear. Turns out, the genius was also a human being —funny, coarse, germaphobic, borderline alcoholic, with great friends and supportive siblings. Gay? Fine by them.”—Simon Morrison, Princeton University"This indispensable volume, containing copious unpublished private correspondence, allows us to gain an unparalleled insight into Tchaikovsky as a human being, and thus move beyond the clichés surrounding the composer’s biography." —Rosamund Bartlett, author of Tolstoy: A Russian Life

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Book SynopsisGeechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba are Camp Lo. These two emcees from the Bronx, NY entered the American hip hop scene with an insider slang that bewildered listeners as they radiated the look of a bygone era of black culture. In 1996, they collaborated with producer Ski and a host of other contributors to create Uptown Saturday Night, featuring the seminal single Luchini (a.k.a. This is It). While other 1990s rappers referred to 1970s Blaxploitation culture, Camp Lo were self-described time travelers who weaved the slang and style of a soulful past into state-of-the-art lyrical flows. Uptown Saturday Night is a tapestry of 1970s black popular culture and 1990s New York City hip hop. This volume will detail how the album's fantastic world of Coolie High reflected classic films like Cooley High and the Sidney Poitier film from which the album's title is derived, and promoted vintage slang and fashion. The book features new interviews with Camp Lo, producer Ski, Trugoy tTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Black Nostaljack 2. Coolie High Gotcha Wide 3. D&D, Ski, and the Recording of Uptown 4. Blahzay, Blahzay, Blahzay 5. Diamond Crooks vs. the American Music Industry Appendix: The Lo Lexicon

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Book SynopsisKoji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. (1985) score redefined video game music. With under three minutes of music, Kondo put to rest an era of bleeps and bloops—the sterile products of a lab environment—replacing it with one in which game sounds constituted a legitimate form of artistic expression. Andrew Schartmann takes us through the various external factors (e.g., the video game crash of 1983, Nintendo’s marketing tactics) that coalesced into a ripe environment in which Kondo’s musical experiments could thrive. He then delves into the music itself, searching for reasons why our hearts still dance to the “primitive” 8-bit tunes of a bygone era. What musical features are responsible for Kondo’s distinct “Mario sound”? How do the different themes underscore the vastness of Princess Peach’s Mushroom Kingdom? And in what ways do the game’s sound effects resonate with our physical experience of the world? These and other questions are explored within, through the lens of Kondo’s compositional philosophy—one that would influence an entire generation of video game composers. As Kondo himself stated, “we [at Nintendo] were trying to do something that had never been done before.” In this book, Schartmann shows his readers how Kondo and his team not just succeeded, but heralded in a new era of video games.Trade ReviewSchartmann is convincing on Kondo's genius ... It's hard not to appreciate his high aim. If anyone still doubts a video game can be art, perhaps their definition of art is at fault. * The Wire *The most compelling aspects of Schartmann’s book involve the widening circumference of Kondo’s imagination, the possibilities he saw in this new world of electronic composition. The move to home consoles had freed video gaming from the initial, “hailing” approach to sound…It’s Schartmann’s sense of conviction, the hyperbole that occasionally frames his dive into composition and structure, that gives the book its charm. -- Hua Shu * The New Yorker *Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack gave me a greater appreciation of something that appears to be so simple on the surface. * Pure Geekery *Koji Kondo's Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack comes in at 120 pages, not counting the notes and preface, which appears well on par with other books in the 33 1/3 series. It's a book that takes itself seriously, as it should, and soundly proves the case that video game composition is worthy of discussion among keepers of music as a craft. If you have an appreciation for game music, this is worth buying. Even if you don't get a few parts, they're only likely to make you admire the work and design that go into composing all the more. -- Tim Latshaw * NintendoLife *Andrew Schartmann does both the spirit of the series and video game history proud with his investigation into the iconic music from Koji Kondo. Matching a fanboy’s sensibilities with serious scholarship, Schartmann provides the reader with an engaging discussion of Kondo’s themes and ideas, both in terms of stylistic flair and compositional acumen … Of equal importance are his excellent research skills, as he collects worthwhile source material and pairs them [with] compelling quotes from Kondo and other luminaries at Nintendo to make his case for this soundtrack’s inclusion in the 33-1/3 series. The result is a superb blend of professional musicology and video game nerdery. * Dryvetyme.tumblr.com *Andrew Schartmann’s extensive, thoughtful treatise on Japanese composer Koji Kondo and his work on the soundtrack to the original Super Mario Bros game is probably the most unusual entry in the 33 1/3 music chapbook series … As Schartmann demonstrates, Kondo’s work on this seminal game – and the legacy of industry influence that followed – is much more than the primitive bleeps and bloops we all remember … -- Justin Cummings * Critics at Large *There’s something ballsy about including a videogame soundtrack in the 33 1/3 series since it’s not a traditional album per se, though Andrew Schartmann makes a compelling case for Koji Kondo’s score for Super Mario Bros. -- Hubert Vigilla * Ruby Hornet *Excerpted * VICE *Featured in "The Genius of the Super Mario Bros. 'Game Over' Theme" * Slate *Schartmann argues Super Mario Bros. composer Kondo transcended the medium of composition to break free from its restrictions, creating something new to be examined and improved upon … Super Mario Bros. has an enduring sonic legacy. Music is, after all, one of the great social connectors, and the infectiousness of Super Mario Bros.’ iconic main theme is ignorant of geography’s constraints. -- Josh O’Kane * The Globe and Mail *Table of ContentsForward Preface Acknowledgements INTRODUCTION CONTEXTS 1-1 An Unlikely Hero is Born 1-2 Mario Grows Up 1-3 Kondo’s Compositional Philosophy 1-4 Kondo’s Instruments MUSIC 2-1 Overworlds and Underworlds 2-2 The “Underwater” Waltz 2-3 Bowser’s “Castle” Theme & Other Endings 2-4 Sound Effects CONCLUSION Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisHe came from Outer Space...It was the greatest invention in the history of pop music – the rock god who came from the stars – which struck a young David Bowie like a lightning bolt from the heavens.Trade ReviewDazzlingly pulls together all the vibrant strands that made up the star-spun cloth of Ziggy. Goddard is the aficionado. -- Gary KempDoes for David Bowie what Greil Marcus's Lipstick Traces did for the Sex Pistols... Big, bold and refreshingly original... It's Ziggy as experienced from the alien inside * MOJO Magazine **** *A tremendous account * Q Magazine **** *If you’ve been enjoying David Bowie’s comeback, you’ll relish Simon Goddard’s offbeat paean of man-love to his earlier incarnation. Goddard offers a thrillingly unusual slant on how Ziggy Stardust…came into being * The Observer *A great deal of research has gone into Ziggyology… Ziggy becomes a forcefield of fabulation, an imaginative cartography through and to whom all manner of ley lines pass…ingeniously and entertainingly (rendered) * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisIn his first book, front man of Slipknot and Stone Sour, Corey Taylor took on the Seven Deadly Sins, pulling them apart to reveal all that is irrelevant and wrong about the vices in the modern world through his own uniquely hilarious yet ferocious style. But in Corey''s eyes that''s not all that is wrong with the world today...From bad music, fame and infomercials to raising kids, sex and airport security, You''re Making Me Hate You is the result of a one-man mission to demonstrate the alarming rise in worldwide idiocy, buffoonery and out-and-out disregard for intelligent thought.Rant-filled but eloquent, shocking but intelligent, this is bestselling author Corey Taylor at his most Corey Taylor and he doesn''t leave himself out either... turns out he''s just as f***ing stupid as the rest of us, too.

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Book SynopsisJimmy McDonough is a journalist who has contributed to such publications as Variety, Film Comment, Mojo, Spin and Juggs. But he is perhaps best know for his intense, definitive Village Voice profiles of such artists as Jimmy Scott, Neil Young and Hubert Selby, Jr. He is also the author of The Ghastly One: The Sex-Gore Netherworld of Filmmaker Andy Milligan. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.Trade ReviewThe raw materials of the story are sensational: burning ambition, clashing egos, onstage epileptic seizures, deranged groupies, great albums, the birth and death of Sixties idealism, and, most of all, extremes of substance abuse * Scotland on Sunday *Succeeds in stripping a star of his iconography - McDonough's book excels at anecdotes of music excess from a bygone era * Observer *It's hard to imagine anyone trying to better this book - It has an abundance of what Young values above all else - passion * Evening Standard *I've been reading this biography of Neil Young called Shakey and it's changed my life, man -- Liam Gallagher * NME *

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Book SynopsisThe genius behind such classic songs as Suzanne, So Long, Marianne, and Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen has been one of the most influential songwriters of our time, a man of spirituality, emotion, and intelligence whose work has explored issues of human life - sex, religion, power, meaning, love. This book explores various facets of Cohen's life.Trade ReviewCohen gets the music biography he truly deserves * Mojo *Simmons’ clear affection for her subject helps to illuminate Cohen’s motivations and working methods and gives an intriguing insight into his singular mind * Sunday Times *The year’s most meticulous, elegant and satisfying rock book * Independent *Simmons loves language, hates cliché and takes her time... [she] recreates long-gone incidents with such vigour that you’d swear Simmons was there at the time, sitting in the corner and taking notes * Guardian *A well-rounded portrait of the poet-singer…his dry wit finds an echo in Simmons’s phrase-making * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisThis collection of in-depth analytical essays celebrates music by female composers from the twelfth to nineteenth centuries. The essays, written by leading music theorists and musicologists, examine select compositions in detail, collectively establishing a foundation for new scholarly research into outstanding compositions created by women.Trade ReviewThe many compelling analyses offered by this volume have the potential to inform and enrich analytical thinking beyond as well as within the community of scholars, students and musicians with special interests in women composers, and thereby not only to join but also to transform the mainstream * Susan Wollenberg, Revue de musicologie *This book has much to offer, showcasing, as it does, relatively unknown repertoire and employing a variety of analytical approaches... This diversity is also a strength, with music spanning almost 700 years carefully analyzed through a wide range of methods. I highly recommend it. * Roxane Prevost, University of Ottawa, CAML Review *In this beautifully produced volume...The essays, well-documented in the endnotes, are illustrated with a wealth of musical examples, tables, and figures...Significantly, this volume offers college and university instructors an engaging body of music analysis, scholarly writing, and writings in music theory to share with their students. Deborah Hayes, College of Music at the University of Colorado Boulder. * Deborah Hayes, College of Music at the University of Colorado Boulder, Journal of the International Alliance for Women in Music *

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Book SynopsisBeethoven's Ninth Symphony has held musical audiences captive for close to two centuries. Honing in on the significance of the symphony in contemporary culture, this book establishes a dialog between Beethoven's world and ours. In particular, it outlines what is special about the Ninth in millennial culture, where music is encoded not only as score but also as digital technology.Trade Review"Beethoven meets media theory in Alexander Rehding's wonderful and expansive account of Symphony No. 9. Taking the symphony's monumental challenges into the 21st century, Rehding offers a novel interpretation based on its recent performance and adaptation history, troubling our most fundamental understandings of music, communication and time in the process. A delightful and surprising read."-Jonathan Sterne, McGill University, author of MP3: The Meaning of a FormatTable of ContentsContents Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Beethoven's Ninth for a New Millennium Chapter 2: Marking History Chapter 3: Marking Hearing Chapter 4: Marking Time Chapter 5: Marking Form Chapter 6: Marking Noise Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis is one of the most important resources on late classical European music to have emerged in recent years. * M. Dineen, CHOICE Connect, Vol. 59 No. 8 *Table of ContentsPreface Abbreviations Introduction: Music in the Twilight of the Habsburg Empire Chapter 1. Two Viennese Families: The Bergs and Nahowskis Berg's Early Life The Specter of Ill Health The Marie Scheuchl Affair The Nahowski Family Helene Nahowski and Paul Kammerer Berg's Courtship of Helene Nahowski Chapter 2. Berg's Musical Apprenticeship, 1899-1911 Studies with Schoenberg Berg's Early Songs Seven Early Songs (1907) Four Songs, Op. 2 Music for Piano Piano Sonata, Op. 1 String Quartet, Op. 3 Chapter 3. A Struggle for Recognition, 1911-15 Before the War Berg's Work for Schoenberg The Scandal Concert Berg as Writer Five Orchestral Songs to Picture Postcard Texts by Peter Altenberg, Op. 4 Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5 Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6 Chapter 4. The War and Its Aftermath, 1915-22 Patriotic Enthusiasm Berg's Conscription Superstition and Pseudo-Science Postwar Burdens A Change of Profession Chapter 5. Wozzeck Operatic Plans and Uncertainties From Play to Libretto A Wozzeck Chronology The Music of "Wozzeck" "Wozzeck" on Stage Chapter 6. International Acclaim, 1923-5 Wozzeck Triumphant The Continuing Quest for Health New Directions in Post-War Music: Neoclassicism and Dodecaphony Chamber Concerto Chapter 7. Secret Programs with Twelve Tones, 1925-7 The Hanna Fuchs Affair A Return to Composing Lyric Suite for String Quartet Chapter 8. The Celebrated Composer, 1928-34 Summer Retreats and Family Entanglements Flight from Reality Berg's Music and the Nazi Threat A Musical Digression: Der Wein Chapter 9. Lulu The Search for Lulu Wedekind's Lulu Plays Berg's Libretto for Lulu A Chronology of Composition The Music of Lulu Prospects for Staging Symphonic Pieces from the Opera "Lulu" Chapter 10. Berg's Final Year, 1935 Berg's Financial Crisis Political Turmoil and Austrofascism The Violin Concerto Berg's Final Illness Chapter 11. Helene Berg and the Management of Berg's Legacy, 1936-76 The Completion of Lulu Bereavement, Grief, and Helene Berg's "Eternal Marriage" Helene Berg's Life Under the Nazis, 1938-45 Berg's Musical Manuscripts and Letters Toward a Berg Biography The Alban Berg Foundation Helene Berg's Last Years Epilogue: Berg the Outsider Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisComposer, pianist, teacher, and social-justice activist Margaret Bonds fought against racism, sexism, and economic injustice throughout her career, amassing a portfolio of social-justice compositions unrivalled in eloquence and originality which challenged longstanding barriers between Black and White, male and female, popular and classical. During her lifetime the political economy of music publishing consigned most of her music to manuscript dissemination, and since her death -- despite the enduring popularity of works such as He''s Got the Whole World in His Hand and The Ballad of the Brown King -- her success in transcending the barriers she faced as an African American and a woman has been obscured by the forces of racism and sexism in concert life, which, together with White- and male-dominated music historiography, have viewed her life and work through the lens of specious, racist, and sexist tropes. This book draws on an unprecedented mass of archival evidence to set aside those tropes and offer a fresh portrait of Margaret Bonds. Examining her published and unpublished music, it shows how the child prodigy rose to become the first African American woman whose music was performed widely in Africa; one of the first African American women whose music was broadcast on European radio; the first African American woman and pianist to perform with a major U.S. orchestra; the second African American woman in classical music to attain full membership in ASCAP; the first woman Black or White to win not one or two, but three, awards from that predominantly White and male organization; the lasting musical voice of Langston Hughes; and the teacher of other notables including Ned Rorem and Cheryl Wall. It thus shows how the confluence of natural genius, matrilineal and racial pride, faith, and support from the community of African American artists, intellectuals, and institutions enabled Margaret Bonds to become one of the most extraordinary figures in all of twentieth-century music. In response to the increasing globalization of music, the Composers across Cultures series, formerly the Master Musicians series, seeks to explore the inexhaustible diversity of music, and its common links to our shared humanity.

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Book SynopsisFrom 1981 to 1994, music patron and art collector Betty Freeman (1921--2009) hosted a series of monthly musicales, or salons, in Los Angeles. Most of these salons were held in a room off the den of Freeman's Beverly Hills home--a space she dubbed the music room. Freeman saw these salons as an important space to foster the development of contemporary composition among leading and upcoming composers in both America and Europe. Over the span of thirteen seasons, 144 composers, performers, and dignitaries in the contemporary music world spoke, performed, and shared their music before a gathering of elite arts administrators, scholars, critics, patrons, and composers from the greater Los Angeles area. Freeman and her co-organizer, music critic Alan Rich (1924--2010), ensured that young, local composers were frequently featured alongside established ones with international reputations, constructing a network of mentors and mentees within contemporary music. The Music Room is a collection of

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Book SynopsisA major figure in American blues and folk music, Big Bill Broonzy (1903-58) left his Arkansas Delta home after World War I, headed north, and became the leading Chicago bluesman of the 1930s. This book traces Big Bill's career from his rise as a nationally prominent blues star to his influential role in the post-World War II folk revival.Trade Review"Bob Riesman's account of Broonzy's career in Chicago, Paris, London, and later on the US folk circuit with Peter Seeger and others, is as dense and detailed as it is clear and straightforward.... I Feel So Good is a well-written, beautifully produced account of a life lived in performance." (Times Literary Supplement)"

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Book SynopsisIn 1948, at the age of 15, Manu Dibango left Africa for France, bearing three kilos of coffee for his adopted family and little else. This autobiography chronicles his life, from his birth in Cameroon to his achievements as a composer, producer, performer, film-score writer and humanitarian.

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Book SynopsisThe Charlatans'' Tim Burgess invites you to the greatest listening party of all time. In 2020 when the world was forced to hit pause on live in-person gigs, Tim Burgess found an ingenious way to bring people together by inviting artists and bands, from Paul McCartney and New Order to Michael Kiwanuka and Kylie, to host real-time album playbacks via Twitter.Relive 100 of the most memorable listening parties here with stories from bands and fans, rarely seen backstage images, and unique insider info from those who created these iconic albums.Hey Twitter, let''s all say a big thanks to Tim for these brilliant events this year! We really needed them. So much great music being talked about.'' - Sir Paul McCartney Twitter being used for something really positive. - Mary BeardTrade Review...The Listening Party is a refreshingly different rock book, as it gained interviews that would never normally have been approved... In years to come when artefacts are gathered to represent the 2020-21 Pandemic, The Listening Party will be pride of place. * Record Collector *

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Book Synopsis'Until Hank Williams came along, it was just Bob Willis,' says Willie Nelson. 'He wasit.' And indeed he was, especially for the thousands in the Southwest who knew and loved the King of Western Swing. The colorful band leader-composer-fiddler from Turkey, Texas, lassoed the emotions of country-and-western fans nationwide. In the early 1940s, his records outsold those of any other recording artist. He was voted not only into the Country Music Hall of Fame but also into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the only performer other than Gene Autry to be so honored.Affectionately written by a Texan who responded to the legendary fiddler''s style,San Antonio Rosecaptures Wills''s magnetism and the musical excitement he created. Charles R. Townsend traces Wills''s dynamic life from his birth into a family of frontier fiddlers through his career and stardom and on to the poignant last recording session in 1973 and his death two years later. Townsend shows how Wills broughTrade Review"One can only stand in awe at the kind of work that went into Townsend's book. . . . San Antonio Rose must be recognized as a major advance in the study of American music. It is a masterpiece of layout and design, rich with photos and well-done illustrations, [and] should be in the library of anyone interested in American music."--Charles Wolfe, Journal of Country Music"A warm and honest portrait of the man who brought the music of 'country folks' to town, who merged the spontaneity of country fiddling with the Big Band Sound, giving birth to Western Swing."--Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times Book Review"A landmark in country music scholarship."--Michael Mendelson, Western FolkloreTable of ContentsPreface xi 1. Cotton Fields and Cotton Camps 1 2. Down between the Rivers 16 3. "I Slurred My Fiddle . . .to Play the Blues" 36 4. Frontier Folk Music Moves to Town 44 5. Western Jazz 53 6. Light Crust Doughboys and Texas Playboys 68 7. The Spread of Western Jazz 88 8. Music out of a Straitjacket 98 9. "You Hired Bob Wills, Didn't You?" 112 10. Here Comes de Judge 121 11. "The Ballad of 'Seabiscuit' McAuliffe" 132 12. The Glory Years and the most Versatile Band in America 143 13. Faded Loves 156 14. "San Antonio Rose," Western Swing, and Some of the Finest Jazzmen You've Ever Heard 190 15. The Silver Screen and Music on the West Coast 206 16. That Certain Woman: Betty and the Summer of '42 215 17. "This Is the Army, Mr. Wills" 225 18. "Take Me Back to Tulsa" 235 19. Just Lookin' for a Home 261 20. "His Body Wore Out before His Desire" 277 21. Country Music Hall of Fame 283 22. More Tributes to a Pioneer Musician 295 23. A Product of the Jazz Age 310 24. Twilight Falls 316 Essay on Sources 325 The Bob Wills Recordings: A Comprehensive Discography Bob Pinson 337 A Preliminary Bob Wills Filmusicography Bob Pinson 375 Index 377

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Book SynopsisThe all-embracing, whaddya got? nature of rebellion in Fifties America included pop music's unlikely challenge to entrenched notions of masculinity. Within that upheaval, four prominent artists dared to behave in ways that let the public assumebut not seetheir queerness. That these artists cultivated ambiguous sexual personas often reflected an understandable fear, but also a struggle to fulfill personal and professional expectations. Vincent L. Stephens confronts notions of the closetboth coming out and staying inby analyzing the careers of Liberace, Johnny Mathis, Johnnie Ray, and Little Richard. Appealing to audiences hungry for novelty and exoticism, the four pop icons used performance and queering techniques that ran the gamut. Liberace's flamboyance shared a spectrum with Mathis's intimate sensitivity while Ray's overwrought displays as Mr. Emotion seemed worlds apart from Little Richard's raise-the-roof joyousness. As Stephens shows, the quartet not only thrived in an era of graTrade Review"Scholars interested in queer history, music history, race, and American popular culture generally will therefore learn much from this excellent book." --Journal of the History of SexualityAn Advocate Best Queer Non-Fiction Book of 2019 "Stephen's Rocking the Closet investigates how contemporary queer stars such as Little Richard navigated the mid-twentieth-century popular music landscape and, as important, how observers reacted to their unconventional gender presentation. . . . Stephens should be commended for the diverse range of primary sources marshalled in his study. . . . Rocking the Closet presents students and practitioners of queer cultural history, as well as those studying post-war cultural history, with fresher methods of examining popular culture and its legacies." --Cultural History"Distinguished by excellent writing Rocking the Closet achieves the admirable goal of being both a sound scholarly work and accessible to readers from all walks of life. It raises provocative ideas and arguments, challenging entrenched ways of thinking about the history of queerness in postwar America." --Notes "Well-argued and thoughtful." --Arts Fuse "Rocking the Closet is a worthy contribution to better understanding the queering of postwar masculine identities and popular music. . . . As the barriers between folk and popular cultures continue to be dismantled, scholarship such as Rocking the Closet follows an interdisciplinary trajectory that will satisfy scholars across disciplines." --Western Folklore "The spirit of Rocking the Closet is enjoyed in how deftly Stephens illuminates those nuances. He is as lucid about the music as about the cultural moment, the entertainment business, and the lives of the musicians." --On the Seawall "The contemporary mainstream LGBT narrative claims that artists should out themselves for the greater good. But Rocking the Closet makes a persuasive case that 'open secrecy' helped make stars of Little Richard, Liberace, Johnny Mathis, and Johnny Ray in the decades prior to and after Stonewall. These (until now) academically under-examined, yet enormously successful and influential musicians used the surprising leeway of the glass closet to develop artistic personae that were both appealing and ambiguous, leading to commercial success that rivals that of our current musicians. Stephens' insightful intersectional book will liven the debate in identity and popular culture scholarship!"--Shana Goldin-Perschbacher, Temple University

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Book SynopsisToday, the names Bach and Mozart are mostly associated with Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But this volume of Bach Perspectives offers essays on the lesser-known musical figures who share those illustrious names alongside new research on the legendary composers themselves. Topics include the keyboard transcriptions of J. S. Bach and Johann Gottfried Walther; J. S. Bach and W. A. Mozart's freelance work; the sonatas of C. P. E. Bach and Leopold Mozart; the early musical training given J. C. Bach by his father and half-brother; the surprising musical similarities between J. C. Bach and W. A. Mozart; and the latest documentary research on Mozart's 1789 visit to the Thomasschule in Leipzig. An official publication of the American Bach Society, Bach Perspectives, Volume 14 draws on a variety of approaches and a broad range of subject matter in presenting a new wave of innovative classical musical scholarship. Contributors: Eleanor Selfridge-Field, Yoel Greenberg, NoellTrade Review"It is a major challenge to do justice to the topic of Bach and Mozart and nearly impossible to fulfill the expectations of a book so entitled. Nevertheless, each of the six conference papers that make up the present volume (originally presented at the joint meeting of the American Bach and Mozart Societies at Stanford in 2019) add fresh and illuminating facets to the big picture of the two composers and their interrelationship."--Christoph Wolff, Bach's Musical Universe: The Composer and His WorkTable of ContentsPreface AbbreviationsThe Keyboard Transcriptions of J. S. Bach and J. G. Walther BY ELEANOR SELFRIDGE-FIELDPrecedents for the “Secondary Development” from Bach to Mozart and Their Implications for Understanding Early Sonata Form 23 BY YOEL GREENBERGA Pursuit of Wealth: The Freelance Endeavors of Bach and Mozart BY NOELLE M. HEBERJohann Christian Bach’s German Heritage BY STEPHEN ROEMozart, J. C. Bach, and the Bach Tradition BY DAVID SCHULENBERGDoles and the Prefect of the Choir: New Observations on Mozart’s Visit to the Thomasschule BY MICHAEL MAULContributorsGeneral IndexIndex of Works

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Book SynopsisNow available in paperback, William C. Banfield’s acclaimed collection of interviews delves into the lives and work of forty-one Black composers. Each of the profiled artists offers a candid self-portrait that explores areas from training and compositional techniques to working in a exclusive canon that has existed for a very long time. At the same time, Banfield draws on sociology, Western concepts of art and taste, and vernacular musical forms like blues and jazz to provide a frame for the artists’ achievements and help to illuminate the ongoing progress and struggles against industry barriers. Expanded illustrations and a new preface by the author provide invaluable added context, making this new edition an essential companion for anyone interested in Black composers or contemporary classical music. Composers featured: Michael Abels, H. Leslie Adams, Lettie Beckon Alston, Thomas J. Anderson, Dwight Andrews, Regina Harris Baiocchi, David Baker, William C. Ban?eld, YsayTrade Review"If you are intrigued by the mystery of artistic creativity, this is your book. If you want to know where these musicians believe they stand among their white peers, read on. If you are curious about how non-commercial composers and performers thrive or survive in our warped economy, there is much here to consider." --On the Seawall"Traversing a richly diverse gamut of Black culture and heritage across classical and jazz-- which many here agree is in effect ‘the classical music of America’—the crucial contribution of Black composers in and far beyond the US becomes clear. Wise, moving, and thought-provoking, it's a timely reiteration of the continued need for their wider acknowledgment." --BBC Music Magazine“A valuable guide to the repertoire.”--Times Union"While some composers are familiar (including Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin), the overwhelming impression is how many unsung Black composers have contributed so much pleasure to music lovers. It’s abundantly clear their work has enriched and expanded the world’s musical palette. . . . A book that should be in every music lover’s library." --Library Journal, Starred ReviewTable of ContentsDedication Foreword Preface: Black Beethovens: Essential Conversations with American Composers In Loving Memory Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Laying the Foundations Part 2: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 1 (1922–1936) H. Leslie Adams Thomas J. Anderson David Baker Noel DaCosta George Russell Hale Smith Frederick C. Tillis George Walker Part 3: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 2 (1937–1945) Adolphus Hailstork Wendell Logan Dorothy Rudd Moore Olly Wilson Part 4: Perspectives on Spirituality, Jazz, and Contemporary Popular Languages Dwight Andrews Ysaye Maria Barnwell Billy Childs George Duke Jester Hairston Herbie Hancock Stephen Newby Michael Powell Billy Taylor Tony Williams Michael Woods Part 5: The Composer as Conductor and Composer Leslie Dunner Bobby McFerrin Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson Patrice Rushen Kevin Scott Julius Williams Part 6: Generation X and Beyond (1950–1965) Michael Abels Lettie Beckon Alston William C. Banfield Regina Harris Baiocchi Anthony Davis Donal Fox Jonathan Holland Anthony Kelley Jeffrey Mumford Gary Powell Nash Evelyn Simpson-Curenton James Kimo Williams Postlude: Extensions of the Tradition—Linkages and Canon Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisThe artist’s impact on country music and how his death changed the genre A beloved member of the country music community, David “Stringbean” Akeman found nationwide fame as a cast member of Hee Haw. The 1973 murder of Stringbean and his wife forever changed Nashville’s sense of itself. Millions of others mourned not only the slain couple but the passing of the way of life that country music had long represented. Taylor Hagood merges the story of Stringbean’s life with an account of murder and courtroom drama. Mentored by Uncle Dave Macon and Bill Monroe, Stringbean was a bridge to country’s early days. His instrumental savvy and old-time singing style drew upon a deep love for traditional country music that, along with his humor and humanity, won him the reverence of younger artists and made his violent death all the more shocking. Hagood delves into the unexpected questions and uneasy resolutions raised by the atmosphere of Trade Review"The story about the life of the man and the details of his life's tragic end is expertly covered in this new book. . . . After reading this book, I feel as though I got to know David "Stringbean" Akeman and his story very well. Highly recommended!" --Dan Miller, Bluegrass Unlimited“Stringbean was one of the very first friends Doolittle, my husband, and I made when we first came to Nashville in 1960. He and his wife Estelle were some of the nicest folks you could find anywhere. . . . It was heartbreaking when we lost him and his wife.”--Loretta Lynn“Stringbean and Estelle would be like your favorite aunt and uncle, or your favorite cousin. Any time we had a celebration, they were always there, and most of the time cooked for everybody. Those were precious times.”--Lulu Roman, Hee Haw star"This tale will appeal to readers curious about the formative years of the United States' country-music scene." --Library Journal"Get your orders in! You will like this book. Thanks, Taylor Hagood, for filling in so many blanks, even those you filled in from your remote closeness to the gentle and genuine spirit of Stringbean. Stringbean is still a vital part of our music. Stringbean shows us that." --Bluegrass Standard"Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Legend by Talyor Hagood, not only serves to remind and establish Stringbean’s often overlooked musical legacy, but also serves as a true crime thriller with a highly detailed account of the murder and ensuing trial. Hagood expertly details Stringbean’s long career and gives new meaning to both him and his music." --Americana UK"Hagood, who writes with an appealingly loose and earnest style, has genuine affection for Stringbean. Perhaps the most moving passages are those in which Hagood reflects on the symbiotic relationship between the man and his trusty Vega No. 9 Tubaphone banjo. " --NewCity "Almost as soon as I picked up Taylor Hagood's biography of David Akeman, I knew I could put aside my instinct to find fault in order to luxuriate in a well-documented, carefully constructed combination of biography and true crime story. . . . I highly recommend this well-researched and highly readable book." --Ted Lehmann “It was always a rare treat to get to see the hat flipping, banjo picking man from ole Kentucky on the television or old video tape. Stringbean was one of my first musical heroes as a kid while learning to play the banjo. I'm very excited to get this book! I can never get enough of Ole String! Thank you, Taylor!”--Leroy Troy, Grand Ole Opry star and 1996 National Old-Time Banjo Champion "Taylor Hagood is a gifted writer, and I'm truly pleased with the book he wrote about my uncle, David Akemon."--Phillip AkemonTable of ContentsA Note on Names Prologue. Short Life and Trouble: November 11, 1973 Chapter 1. Way Back in the Hills of Old Kentucky: 1915-1935 Chapter 2. Stringbean and His Banjo: 1935-1942 Chapter 3. Goin’ to the Grand Ole Opry to Make Myself a Name: 1942-1945 Chapter 4. Big Ball in Nashville: 1945-1952 Chapter 5. Herdin’ Cattle in a Cadillac Coupe de Ville: 1953-1959 Chapter 6. Pretty Polly: 1960-1965 Chapter 7. Me and My Old Crow (Got a Good Thing Going): 1966-1973 Interlude. Goodbye Sweet Thing: Stringbean’s Final Day of Life, November 10, 1973 Chapter 8. Sinner Man, Where You Gonna Hide: November 1973, January 1974 Chapter 9. You Can’t Do Wrong and Get By: January, November 1974 Epilogue. Forgetting to Forget You: 1975-2014 Acknowledgments Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA biography of Ignaz Friedman that offers the reader the behind and the between of the life and career of this extraordinary pianist. It examines Friedman's life as a cultured Jewish musician in Poland; his studies in Leipzig and Vienna; his relationship with Manya Friedman; and, his performing career, teaching, and retirement in Australia.Trade ReviewAllan Evans's biography of Ignaz Friedman . . . is a beautifully written and marvelously researched book about one of the greatest piano virtuosos of the twentieth century. . . . This is a book to savor, to read and reread. April 1, 2011 * Clavier Companion *This book is a must read, above all, for those interested in Ignaz Friedman, and for those interested in the musical world of his time. September 8, 2009 * www.classicalmusicguide.com *Evans packs so much into these pages that it is not just an interesting biography but more an immersion into the entire piano world of the first half of the 20th century. The book includes a number of interesting photos; the appendixes are a rich source, meticulously documented, of Friedman's concert repertoire, recordings, compositions, and editorial work on the compositions of Frederic Chopin. This volume is a true labor of love. . . . Highly recommended.January 2010 * Choice *This distinguished study brings back to the forefront a great artist who was in danger of being forgotten. November 2009 * Gramophone *Ignaz Friedman is thoroughly researched and offers readers new insight into the life and activities of this pianistic giant.Vol. 25, 2010 * Music Research Forum *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1. Musical Traditions That Hide in Shellac2. From Poland3. "Music begins where technique leaves off"4. 2,800 Concerts5. From Old Russia6. Encroaching Modernism7. From Beethoven to Hitler8. In Safety, Down Under9. Exile10. Chopin on the Nile11. The Piano According to Tiegerman12. The Piano According to FriedmanAppendix A: Friedman's RepertoireAppendix B: DiscographyAppendix C: Friedman's and Tiegerman's CompositionsAppendix D: Friedman's Edition of Chopin's Piano WorksNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn authoritative guide to Prokofiev’s nine piano sonatas by the pianist and teacher Boris BermanTrade Review“Berman’s book opens up Prokofiev’s musical language marvellously. There is a chapter each for all nine piano sonatas, with a general discussion, then a detailed but accessible analysis, then a ‘masterclass’ with suggestions for performance practice. Berman briefly traverses his life, musical influences, style and context.”—Barney Zwartz, The Age (Australia)“Berman has a vast knowledge of Russian sources—almost completely unknown in the West—and Russian traditions as well as international experience as a performer. He brings a wealth of new ideas and new information. His new book is invaluable.”—Alexander Ivashkin, Centre for Russian Music, Goldsmiths College, University of London“Having performed and recorded (to acclaim) Prokofiev’s piano sonatas, Professor Berman has a unique point of view to offer in writing about one of the twentieth century’s most important collections of piano works. An important, personal, and original work.”—Boaz Sharon, University of Florida“Drawing from a wide cultural background and vast experience as performer and teacher, Boris Berman has fashioned a remarkable guide to the Prokofiev piano sonatas.”—Jerome Lowenthal, Juilliard School“A lucid and originally conceived book from one of the most respected performers of this music—essential reading for the enquiring listener and the skilled performer alike.”—Christopher Elton, Royal Academy of Music, London“This new book by Boris Berman is a must read for those who care about the music of Prokofiev. It is a very in-depth guide by someone who has obviously spent many years thinking about and playing the music of this great genius. Bravo to Boris Berman!”—Yefim Bronfman

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of Creedence Clearwater Revival, exploring the band's legendary rise to fame and how their music embodied the cultural landscape of the late '60s and early '70sFrom 1969 to 1971, as the United States convulsed with political upheaval and transformative social movements, no band was bigger than Creedence Clearwater Revival. They managed a two-year barrage of top-10 singles and LPs that doubled as an ubiquitous soundtrack to one of the most volatile periods in modern American history, and they remain a staple of classic rock radio and films about the era. Yet despite their enduring popularity, no book has ever sought to understand Creedence in conversation with their time. A Song for Everyone finally tells that story: the thirteen-year saga of an unassuming suburban quartet's journey through the wilds of 1960s pop, and their slow accrual of a sound and ethos that were almost mystically aligned with the concerns of decade's end. Starting in middle school, these Californian friends and brothers cut a working-class path through the most expansive decade in American music, playing R&B, country, and rock 'n' roll under a variety of names as each of those genres expanded and evolved. When they finally synthesized those styles under a new name in 1968, Creedence Clearwater Revival became instantly epochal, then fell apart under the weight of personal grievances that dated back to adolescence. As musicians and as men, they embodied the contradictions and difficulties of their time, and those dimensions of their career have never been explored until now.Drawing on wide-ranging research into the social and musical developments of 1959-1972, extensive original interviews with surviving Creedence members and associates, and unpublished memoirs from people who knew the group closely, A Song for Everyone is the definitive account of a legendary and still-beloved American band. At the same time, it is also a cultural history of those same years—from Elvis to Altamont, Eisenhower to Watergate—seen through the eyes of four men who encapsulated them in song for all time, told by one of the rising figures in contemporary music writing.

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Book SynopsisThis volume draws together a collection of Robin A. Leaver's essays on Bach's sacred music, exploring the religious aspects of this repertoire through consideration of three core themes: liturgy, hymnology, and theology. Rooted in a rich understanding of the historical sources, the book illuminates the varied ways in which Bach's sacred music was informed and shaped by the religious, ritual, and intellectual contexts of his time, placing these works in the wider history of Protestant church music during the Baroque era.Including research from across a span of forty years, the chapters in this volume have been significantly revised and expanded for this publication, with several pieces appearing in English for the first time. Together, they offer an essential compendium of the work of a leading scholar of theological Bach studies.Table of ContentsPrefacePart I Liturgy1. Bach’s Cantatas and the Liturgical Year2. Bach’s Music and the Leipzig Liturgy3. Bach’s Agnus Dei Compositions4. Bach’s Parody Process: From Cantata to Missa5. Bach and the Cantata Controversy in the Early Eighteenth CenturyPart II Hymnology6. Bach and Johann Christoph Olearius7. Bach’s Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 4): Hymnology and Chronology 8. Bach’s Orgelbüchlein9. Bach and the Hymnic Aria10. Bach and the Letter Codes of the Schemelli GesangbuchPart III Theology11. Bach and Pietism12. Bach, Gesner, and Johann August Ernesti13. Bach and Erdmann Neumeister14. Bach’s Clavierübung III15. Bach and Anniversaries of the ReformationBibliography

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Book SynopsisThe definitive account of Louis Armstrong—his life and legacy—during the most creative period of his career.Trade Review"Thomas Brothers has brought together startling new discoveries and insights, a fresh look at hallowed recordings, and an understanding of the multifold influences that helped shape Louis Armstrong. In so doing, he has written by far the most complete and original look at an American icon whose influence continues into its second century." -- Loren Schoenberg, artistic director, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem"Honest, uncompromising, and wholly sympathetic to its subject, Louis Armstrong, Master of Modernism is the ideal for jazz biography and criticism." -- Scott DeVeaux, author of The Birth of Bebop: A Social and Musical History"Brothers proves his thesis and then some…an encyclopedic authority." -- C.W. Mahoney - American Spectator

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Book SynopsisThe Rite of Spring is Stravinsky's most revolutionary work. This important new book provides a comprehensive guide to the work, telling in vivid detail the story of its inception and composition, of the stormy rehearsals which led to the scandalous premiere on 29 May 1913, and of Stravinsky's later betrayal of the ballet's first choreographer, Vaslav Nijinsky. At the same time, in a radical reassessment of the work's musical values, Peter Hill probes beneath the surface of the music to reveal an architectural conception of unsuspected guile and subtlety. A feature of the book is a detailed discussion of the work in performance, drawing on recordings by the Rite's greatest interpreters, Stravinsky himself included. Finally, the significance of the Rite is thoroughly reviewed in a hard-hitting conclusion which poses a radical challenge to the orthodox view of the work.Table of ContentsPart I. Prelude: 1. Origins; 2. Sketches; 3. Rehearsals; Part II. The Music: 4. Language; 5. Commentary; Part III. Aftermath: 6. Anthology; 7. Stravinsky's collaborators; 8. The Rite restored; 9. Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsMY KZ, UR BF; Qwerty Finger; Schoolin'; Leave The Engine Room; Final Form; Photoshop Handsome; Two For Nero; Suffragette Suffragette; Come Alive Diana; NASA Is On Your Side; Tin (The Manhole); Weights; Hiawatha Doomed; Wizard Talk; Luddites And Lambs; DNA Dump!; Making Some New Sense; Riot On The Ward; Cough Cough; Kemosabe; Torso Of The Week; Duet; Choice Mountain; Feet For Hands; Undrowned; Arc; Armourland; The House Is Dust; Radiant; The Peaks; Don't Try; Awe/Arc; No Plan; Justice; Distrikt!; A.D.; Treasure Set ; Pendolino; To The Blade; Distant Past; Get To Heaven; Regret; Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread; The Wheel Is Turning Now; Fortune 500; Blast Doors; Zero Pharaoh; No Reptiles; Warm Healer; We Sleep In Pairs; Hapsburg Lipp; President Heartbeat; Brainchild; Yuppie Supper; Only As Good As My God; Pressure; Magnetophone; Live Intro; I Believe It Now; Night Of The Long Knives; Can't Do; Desire; Big Game; Good Shot, Good Soldier; Run The Numbers; Put Me Together; A Fever Dream; Ivory Tower; New Deep ; White Whale; Breadwinner; The Mariana; Lost Powers; Big Climb; It Was A Monstering; Planets; Moonlight; Arch Enemy; Lord Of The Trapdoor; Black Hyena; In Birdsong; The Actor; Violent Sun; Supernormal; Mercury & Me; Teletype; I Want A Love Like This; Bad Friday; Pizza Boy; Jennifer; Metroland Is Burning; Leviathan; Shark Week; Cut Up!; Hex; My Computer; Kevin's Car; Born Under A Meteor; Software Greatman

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Book SynopsisFranz Liszt is well known for his early years as ''super-star'' pianist who excited audiences throughout Europe, but his later life is also of great interest. In his final 25 years he sought to achieve his life''s aims of promoting new forms of music and giving stronger witness to his Christian faith, while continuing to support his stalwart life partner Princess Carolyne. However, he was to face unexpected problems in the continued negative reception of his music and recrimination in his closest relationship.Drawing on detailed analysis of Liszt''s correspondence from his fiftieth year onwards, Peter G. Coleman approaches his later life as a case study of an older person grappling with a succession of often disturbing life experiences. These included the deaths of two of his children, political upheaval and war within Europe, and a growing realisation of his own past failings. Liszt suffered frequent bouts of depression but never ceased composing music nor steadfastly heeding Christ''Trade Review'Ferenc Liszt - a man so famous in life that only a very few people really knew him, especially a number of discerning women. His avuncular relations with and generosity to his students and disciples were legion; his family relationships were very often a catalogue of opportunities missed. His deep-rooted desire to serve his God and his Church through music and in a well-lived life was a notion too esoteric for most of his male colleagues. At 50 his life circumstances changed; his self-scrutiny in an array of later correspondence is acutely probed in this wonderfully sensitive account of Liszt's final decades.' - Professor Leslie Howard, Pianist and President of The Liszt Society 'The enigmatic figure of Franz Liszt continues to baffle with the apparent inconsistencies between his spiritual and secular life. Peter Coleman, internationally renowned gerontologist, provides valuable insights into the mind, heart, and soul of the ageing Liszt through a meticulous analysis of his correspondence with family, friends and lovers. Coleman's analysis leaves us with an admiration for Liszt's passion and redeeming devotion to his music, his spiritual vocation, and to the women in his life.' - Professor Paul Wink, Wellesley College, Massachusetts. Author of Prima Donna: The Psychology of Maria Callas 'Franz Liszt emerges from this scholarly, elegantly written book as a nineteenth century prototype popular superstar. Although supremely talented as a composer and adored as a concert pianist, at the end of a long life he was preoccupied by perceived failures in relationships with women and having fallen below his religious values. Peter Coleman's account of his spiritual and biographical pain is moving and carefully empathetic. The study rests on thorough research methods and its conclusions are illumined by theories of ageing, although these aspects of the work are only briefly mentioned in the text. It is Coleman's evident love of the music and the man that shines through.' - Professor Malcolm Johnson, University of Bristol and University of BathTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface 1. Understanding Liszt through His Correspondence 2. Psychological and Spiritual Crises in Liszt's Earlier Life 3. Liszt and His Correspondents in His Fiftieth Year (1860-61) 4. Returning to His Religious Vocation (1861-65) 5. Disappointment and Conflict (1865-71) 6. Pursuing Divergent Goals (1871-76) 7. Bearing a Heavy Burden (1876-80) 8. Through Triumph and Disaster (1881-86) 9. Seeing Liszt Whole: Music, World and Spirit Editions of Liszt's Correspondence Consulted Other References Cited Index

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Book SynopsisWhen George Klein was thirteen, he couldn''t have known how important the new kid in class - the one with the guitar, the boy named Elvis - would become in his life. But from the first time GK (as he was nicknamed by Elvis) heard this kid sing, he knew that Elvis Presley was someone extraordinary. In this heartfelt, entertaining and affectionate memoir, George Klein writes candidly about their close friendship, which began at school and continued through Elvis''s rise to fame and the wild swirl of his tumultuous life, right up to the singer''s tragic death. Writing with the authority of someone who was in the midst of it all, from the good times at Graceland and hanging out with Hollywood stars to butting heads with Elvis''s iron-handed manager, Colonel Tom Parker, GK reveals who the King really was and how he acted when the stage lights were off. Full of anecdotes and first-hand accounts of some of the most defining moments in the legend''s life, Elvis: My Best Man cTrade ReviewGK was there from the beginning, and there 'til the end. This book is fact. * Jerry Lee Lewis *This memoir has the authentic twang of someone who was really there to see it all...If you like Presley, you'll love this book -- Mike Simkins * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe contradictions between Wagner's antipathy toward the amorphous entity ""The Jews"" and his genuine friendships with individual Jews, are the subject of this book. Drawing on sources, including his autobiography and the diaries of his second wife, this book places Wagner's anti - Semitism in perspective with his life and work.

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Book Synopsis'A must have for Dylan enthusiasts, lovers of London, and anyone with even a passing interest in the history of music. I devoured it in two sittings - and I loved it!' Conor McPherson, playwright, Girl from the North CountryTrade Review'Meticulously researched and packed with delicious detail, this highly enjoyable book reveals both Bob Dylan and London in all of their compelling originality. With wry observation and entertaining incident, this is the story of Dylan's earliest visits to London as an unknown folk singer, crashing in friends' bedsits, right through to his sell-out concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and Earls Court.' Conor McPherson, playwright, Girl from the North Country

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Book SynopsisThe long-awaited autobiography by Derek Forbes, the Simple Minds legend known for those iconic spine-rattling bass riffs which we recognise in many Simple Minds' songs. This is his story.Trade Review‘…beneath the distinctive interplay between guitar and keyboards there was a powerful engine with a deep, punchy bass line driving the music forward. Enter Derek Forbes!’ Peter Walsh, award-winning record producer. ‘I couldn’t get Derek’s riffs out of my head. ‘In Trance as Mission’, ‘Sweat in Bullet’, ‘Love Song’, ‘The American’ … bass lines! And again the next year, ‘Glittering Prize’, ‘Promised You a Miracle’, ‘Big Sleep’ and the mother lode: ‘New Gold Dream’. Who plays like that and gets away with it? And the next year, ‘Waterfront’, ‘Up on the Catwalk’, ‘Speed Your Love to Me’. Those songs based on the mighty and hypnotic bass lines of Derek Forbes are still some of my favorite music ever made. He’s the bassist in my dream band.’ Jon Carin, musician, producer, songwriter. ‘At the root, the bass work of Derek Forbes, one of the great British musicians. A man who plays with the dexterity and invention of someone who, ideally, would like to have more strings – and perhaps a couple of more fingers – at his disposal, but who also values the art of simplicity, repetition, mood, motion. Any German band of the 1970s would have been fortunate to have had Forbes. Praise scarcely comes any higher.’ Graeme Thomson, author, Themes for Great Cities ‘

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Book SynopsisThis book develops ways of discussing musical practices to articulate a new approach to understanding connections between recordings, singers, and singing. Centred around materials from the mid-twentieth century, this book focuses on a time when composers and performers were questioning the idea of authorship within their musical practice. Materials drawn upon include recordings, scores, archival content, visual art, interviews, and liner notes to develop a rich conception of practices of performance. Analysis of performances include recordings of singers such as Cathy Berberian, Linda Hirst, Loré Lixenberg, Angelika Luz, and Meredith Monk. Compositions by Cathy Berberian, Luciano Berio, John Cage, and Manuel De Falla are considered. The book utilizes these sources to examine the collective way in which singers and composers form practices as multiple, transforming, emergent, and not hierarchical. The book articulates with a detailed, close consideration of specific iTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Performing Transformations (a risky approach) 3. Transforming Black Square 4. Transforming Fictions 5. Transforming scores, stable performances: Cathy Berberian, Stripsody and Pop art. 6. Transforming analytical assumptions: What is Sequenza III? 7. Epilogue

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a fresh, interdisciplinary approach to the study of the contemporary composer Arvo Pärt and his reception. The volume charts his influence on areas including film, cultural programming, new media, cultures of listening, politics and performance practice. It addresses a wide readership across the humanities, with technical analysis kept to a minimum.Trade Review'This diverse collection of essays from a team of Pärt scholars, led by Laura Dolp, strongly advances the understanding of Pärt's music while filling gaps in current scholarship and grappling with the various, often erroneous, perceptions of the composer and his music.' Thomas Robinson, NotesTable of Contents1. Introduction Laura Dolp; 2. Empathy and tintinnabuli music in film Maria Cizmic; 3. Pärt and the sound of one hand clapping Robert Sholl; 4. Pärt and the experience of the neutral Sander van Maas; 5. Ethos and the industry of culture Laura Dolp; 6. An ethnography of spirituality Kythe Heller; 7. Politics and protest Michael Palmese; 8. Sonic embodiment C. J. May; 9. Performing Pärt Andrew Shenton.

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Book SynopsisIgor Stravinsky's strikingly original compositions continue to fascinate scholars and music-lovers across the globe. This volume brings together a collection of 35 short, specially commissioned essays that illuminate the varied contexts from which emerged Stravinsky's impressive catalogue of innovative and richly creative music.Trade Review'a fascinating read for more-seasoned musicians … Recommended.' M. Neil, Choice ConnectTable of ContentsPreface; List of Contributors; List of Abbreviations; Part I. Russia and Identity: 1. Memory and truth: Stravinsky's childhood (1882-1901) Catriona Kelly; 2. Religion, life and death in St Petersburg Natalia Braginskaya; 3. Kashperova and Stravinsky: the making of a concert-pianist Graham Griffiths; 4. Reminiscences of Rimsky-Korsakov, his family and artistic circle Lidia Ader; 5. Orthodoxies and unorthodoxies: Stravinsky's spiritual journey Ivan Moody; 6. The Russian soul Rowan Williams; Part II. Stravinsky and Europe: 7. Sergei Diaghilev and Stravinsky: from world of art to ballets russes John E. Bowlt; 8. Paris and the Belle Époque Davinia Caddy; 9. Paris, Art Deco, and the spirit of Apollo Jonathan Cross; 10. Stravinsky's Spain: fan or mirror? Graham Griffiths; 11. 'It is Venice that he loves…' Mauricio Dottori; Part III. Partnerships and Authorship: 12. Stravinsky's sphere of influence: Paris and beyond Inessa Bazayev; 13. Stravinsky and his literary collaborators Maureen Carr; 14. Assuming co-authorship: Stravinsky and his 'ghost-writers' Valérie Dufour; 15. Nadia Boulanger and Stravinsky: the transition to America Kimberly Francis; 16. Conversations with Craft Anna Schmidtmann; Part IV. Performance and Performers: 17. Challenges to realism and tradition: Stravinsky's modernist theatre Massimiliano Locanto; 18. Igor Stravinsky and ballet as modernism Stephanie Jordan; 19. Stravinsky's ear for instruments Chris Dromey; 20. Towards a conductor-proof ideal Hannah Baxter; 21. The pianist in the recording studio: re-imagining interpretation Daniel Barolsky; 22. The legacy of Stravinsky as recorded history Per Dahl; Part V. Aesthetics and Politics: 23. Stravinsky versus literature Emily Frey; 24. Stravinsky and Greek antiquity Katerina Levidou; 25. Stravinsky's response to 'Japonisme' Mai Ikehara; 26. Stravinsky, modernism and mass culture Ross Cole; 27. Perspectives on Schoenberg and Stravinsky: Adorno and others Alan Street; 28. Stravinsky's 'problematical' political orientation during the 1920s and 1930s Erik Levi; Part VI. Reception and Legacy: 29. The Apollonian clockwork re-wound Elmer Schönberger; 30. Stravinsky reception in the USSR Philip Ewell; 31. The Stravinsky/Craft conversations in Russian and their reception Olga Manulkina; 32. Publishing Stravinsky Nigel Simeone; 33.Copyright, the Stravinsky estate, and the Paul Sacher foundation Heidy Zimmermann; 34. Evoking the past, inspiring the future Lynne Rogers; 35. 'Music is, by its very essence, powerless to express anything at all' Daniel K L Chua; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book, first published in 1934, contains the recollections of the varied and coloured life of a great pianist and composer, who is one of the most striking figures of the musical world. Rachmaninoff dictated his memoires to the author of this book, and much of the story is therefore told in the first person. The final chapter is Riesemannâs own contribution. It is an estimate of Rachmaninoffâs qualities as composer; it shows knowledge of all his more important works; and it shows discrimination. The whole book is an authoritative and interesting study of a popular artist. Table of ContentsPreface; 1. Happy Childhood in the Country 2. The St. Petersburg Conservatoire 3. Moscow. Sverev and Arensky 4. A Dramatic Incident. The Moscow Conservatoire 5. The "Free Artist" In Moscow. Performance of the First Symphony and its Consequences 6. Serious Mental Shock and Mental Recovery 7. Growing Popularity as Composer and Conductor 8. An Idyll in Dresden 9. The Summit of Life 10. War and Revolution 11. America 12. Rachmaninoff as Composer; Note on the Family of Rachmaninoff; List of Works; Index

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Book SynopsisTaylor Swift needs no introduction. The global superstar is one of the greatest singer-songwriters of her generation with a fanbase that covers the globe. Now it''s the fandom''s time to shine with FOR THE SWIFTIES: A Puzzle Book Inspired by Taylor Swift (Unofficial Version).Put your Tay-Tay knowledge to the test with puzzles ranging from things you know All Too Well to slightly more tricky ones that might confound you with a Blank Space. Taking in every album she''s ever made, right up to The Tortured Poets Department, and packed full of Taylor-themed quizzes, wordsearches, crosswords and much more, this is the perfect activity to do with your friends en route to a concert or at home listening to your favourite album (Taylor''s Version).This is the perfect keepsake of The Eras Tour and an ideal gift for the Swiftie in your life. Are you ready for it?

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