Composers and songwriters Books

Book SynopsisIn Charles Munch, D. Kern Holoman provides the first full biography of this giant of twentieth-century music, tracing his dramatic survival in occupied Paris, his triumphant arrival at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and his later years, when he was a leading cultural figure in the United States, a man known and admired by Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy.Trade ReviewA fascinating read. Holoman's passion for and knowledge of his subject is quite compelling. In contemporary discussions of the great conductors of that era, Munch tends to be relatively overlooked. Holoman makes a persuasive historical case for Munch's importance, both to musical life in France and to the evolution of the Boston Symphony. Along the way, he also provides a detailed look at what life was like for conductors (and orchestras) in the middle part of the twentieth century. * Aaron Sherber, Music Director and Conductor, Martha Graham Dance Company *A joy to read: well-conceived, well-executed, well-written. Holoman's combination of musical and literary skill brings twentieth-century culture to life throughout, on both sides of the Atlantic. 'Ah, qu'il était beau!' and he still is, in Holoman's vivid biography. * Thomas Kelly, Harvard University *Charles Munch * the musical icon. When you played a concert with Charles Munch or attended one of his performances as a listener, it was not just a concert. It was an event. He never used the same palette twice. As a player, you had to give 110% of yourself, or be left out of the music. This book is an excellent portrayal of this musical phenomenon!Vic Firth *The qualities that marked D. Kern Holoman's biography of Berlioz and his epic The Société des Concerts du Conservatoire * the grand sweep combined with the minute attention to detail, the narrative flair, the breadth of human sympathy, the evocation of the musician's existence, which, as himself a conductor and organiser of concerts, he understands so wellshine out in this new book. Charles Munch's life, spanning three continents and two world wars, raises fascinating issuespersonal, social, political, as well as musical. Reading it, we learn both about the teeming, intricate world of mid-twentieth-century music and about the struggles and achievements of one of its best-loved and most committed practitioners. Holoman has a remarkable story to tell and he tells it superbly.David Cairns *Among its other virtues, D. Kern Holoman's warmly sympathetic new biography sheds necessary light on an already forgotten chapter from the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Few readers of this book will be prepared to discover what was expected of a Boston Symphony music director as of 1949, when Charles Munch took over from Serge Koussevitzky * Munch was to stay put in Boston; guest conductors were a rarity. And there was new music on virtually every subscription concert. A lot has changed since then.Joseph Horowitz, author of Classical Music in America: A History *A book such as this has been needed for quite a while...Very strongly recommended: it is a masterly study. * Musical Opinion *Beautifully written and arranged in every respect...Accessible to a wide audience...Recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1 Strasbourg, Paris, Leipzig : September 1891 - October 1932 ; 2 Paris : November 1932 - May 1938 ; 3 The Societe des Concerts : June 1938 - May 1945 ; 4 Leaving France : June 1945 - September 1949 ; 5 Winning Boston : October 1949 - June 1951 ; 6 Boston after Koussevitzky : July 1951 - July 1956 ; 7 The Iron Curtain and Beyond : August 1956 - August 1958 ; 8 Shifting Perspectives in Boston : September 1958 - April 1962 ; 9 Paris, Again : May 1962 - August 1966 ; 10 The Orchestre de Paris : September 1966 - November 1968 ; 11 An Eternal Smile ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Trade Review"Not simply an illuminating and informative book but a lively and fascinating one....The clearest, most vivid, and most credible picture known to this reviewer of this most 'universal' of musical geniuses."--Roger Sessions, The New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisThis volume includes over a hundred interviews, critical essays, reviews and memoirs, as well as Ellington's own writings, to provide an historical anthology about this leading American jazz musician. It provides insights into Ellington's work and reveals the profound impact his music has made.Trade Review`gripping, constantly fascinating miscellany of writings about and by Ellington...Tucker's book is full of classic descriptions of him at work, in a swaying train compartment or on a bus, with a manuscript pad on his knee and his hat tilted back on his head.' Humphrey Carpenter, Sunday Times`meticulous collation of critical responses' Times Literary Supplement'It would have been possible to put together a perfectly decent anthology of pieces from easily available sources, but Mark Tucker has done much better than that' Observer'A valuable book has just been published: The Duke Ellington Reader.' Alun Morgan, Kent Today/Kent Messenger'comprehensive collection of writings on the composer' Andy Hamilton, The Wire'Mark Tucker's splendid volume ... offers a rich harvest of information and insight without attempting a final appraisal - which is just how Duke would have wanted it.' Geoffrey Smith, Country Life, April 1994'All his admirers will want to own The Duke Ellington Reader, admirably selected and edited by a professor of music at Columbia University.' The London Review of Books. Nov '94a carefully selected anthology of well-known and fugitive pieces, offers multiple perspectives on an elusive reader, sardonic and mocking genius who transcended the constraints of white racism and paternalism...deserves serious attention. Mark Tucker, an authority on Ellington's early life, provides succinct introductions to this and another hundred 'Selections' in a compilation which is both a joy to read and an indispensible addition to American Studies, Ellingtonia and jazz criticism. * American Studies vol 29 part 1 *this mighty tome on a giant of jazz will please new and old aficionados ... "any book that brings together a selection of articles and reviews from these magazines, and some lesser known ones, is to be welcomed, and THE DUKE ELLINGTON READER is a must for fans of his music." * Colin Cooper, Beat Scene, No. 23 *

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Book SynopsisGeorge Schuyler, a renowned and controversial black journalist of the Harlem Renaissance, and Josephine Cogdell, a blond, blue-eyed Texas heiress and granddaughter of slave owners, believed that intermarriage would invigorate the races, thereby producing extraordinary offspring. Their daughter, Philippa Duke Schuyler, became the embodiment of this theory, and they hoped she would prove that interracial children represented the final solution to America''s race problems. Able to read and write at the age of two and a half, a pianist at four, and a composer by five, Philippa was often compared to Mozart. During the 1930s and 40s she graced the pages of Time and Look magazines, the New York Herald Tribune, and The New Yorker. Philippa grew up under the adoring and inquisitive eyes of an entire nation and soon became the role model and inspiration for a generation of African-American children. But as an adult she mysteriously dropped out of sight, leaving America to wonder what had happeneTrade ReviewThis enthralling, heartbreaking book restores to attention Philippa Schuyler, child prodigy of the 1930s, pianist, composer, Harlem's Mozart, "the Shirley Templey of American Negroes" ... This tragic tale is a stimulating addition to the record of race relations in America, as well as a monument to an extraordinary woman.' The New York Times Book Reviewan incisive and readable biography of an intriguing figure * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisDesigned for general readers and scholars, this study explores the Lutheran commentary in Bach's St. John Passion and suggests that fostering hostility to Jews is not its subject or purpose. Also included are a literal, annotated translation of the libretto and an appendix discussing anti-Judaism and Bach's other works.Trade ReviewThe most important and lasting item to have emerged from this Passion season ... may turn out to be a little book of great complexity by Michael Marissen. ... [It] provides a model of how to deal with a piece of music grown controversial: not through avoidance, not through bowdlerization, but by supplying the richest and most provocative context in which to understand and interpret the work. * James R. Oestreich, The New York Times *The value of having the libretto, German and English, printed after the essay part of the book, quite apart from the supplementary and supporting material, is considerable * Jewish Culture and History *Particularly deserving of praise is the fine translation of the Passion text from German * Religious Studies Review *

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Book Synopsis'Something to Live For' investigates and analyses the entire oeuvre of Billy Strayhorn, who, for over 30 years, was the musical collaborator of Duke Ellington. Nearly 70 music examples, drawn directly from his original autograph scores, provide insight into the development of Strayhorn's own musical language and style.Trade Review"An epochal work--groundbreaking, fearless, sensitive, and exquisitely modulated, much like the music it illuminates. Something to Live For is the best possible book about Billy Strayhorn's art and a highwater mark of music scholarship."--David Hajdu, author of Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn "The celebration of Billy Strayhorn's life and legacy continues with Walter van de Leur's magnificent new book. Something to Live For immediately takes its place as an absolutely indispensable addition to the history of the Ellington orchestra and American music in general."--Ellingtonia "Richly provocative.... There is a real intellectual hunger in this exploration to identify the unique glory and lasting contribution Strayhorn made to the art of jazz.... Jazz musician and historian Van de Leur subjects Billy Strayhorn's musical arrangements to deep scrutiny and credibly finds them original, undervalued, frequently misattributed, and tasting of the sublime."--Kirkus Review "In this exemplary work, combining meticulous, dedicated research and brilliant analytic illumination, Van de Leur has brought Strayhorn, the musician, and his legacy into full and unobstructed view at last, thus deepening our understanding of Ellingtonia. Indispensable!"--Dan Morgenstern, Director, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University "For lovers of Ellingtonia, jazz, and twentieth-century music, Walter van de Leur's new book is indeed Something to Live For. The first in-depth study of the music of composer-arranger Billy Strayhorn, this volume is meticulously researched, clearly written, and enriched with excerpts from Strayhorn's autograph scores. For the first time, we can learn the details of Strayhorn's monumental 28-year contribution to the Duke Ellington Orchestra and music he wrote for other contexts. Something to Live For: The Music of Billy Strayhorn sets a new standard of excellence for jazz musicology."--Bill Kirchner, Composer-arranger, saxophonist, jazz historian, producer, educator, and editor of The Oxford Companion to Jazz "Richly provocative.... There is a real intellectual hunger in this exploration to identify the unique glory and lasting contribution Strayhorn made to the art of jazz.... Jazz musician and historian Van de Leur subjects Billy Strayhorn's musical arrangements to deep scrutiny and credibly finds them original, undervalued, frequently misattributed, and tasting of the sublime."--Kirkus Review "The celebration of Billy Strayhorn's life and legacy continues with Walter van de Leur's magnificent new book. Something to Live For immediately takes its place as an absolutely indispensable addition to the history of the Ellington orchestra and American music in general."--Ellingtonia "This scholarly evaluation of Strayhorn's compositions still manages to pay homage to the visionary force behind some of the 20th century's greatest music."--Publishers Weekly "An epochal work--groundbreaking, fearless, sensitive, and exquisitely modulated, much like the music it illuminates. Something to Live For is the best possible book about Billy Strayhorn's art and a highwater mark of music scholarship."--David Hajdu, author of Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn "Van de Leur posits that Strayhorn was not merely Ellington's alter ego but a distinctly different composer who had a direct influence on Ellington's music...this evaluation of Strayhorn's compositions manages to pay homage to the visionary force behind some of the 20th century's greatest music."--Publishers Weekly "In this exemplary work, combining meticulous, dedicated research and brilliant analytic illumination, Van de Leur has brought Strayhorn, the musician, and his legacy into full and unobstructed view at last, thus deepening our understanding of Ellingtonia. Indispensable!"--Dan Morgenstern, Director, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University "For lovers of Ellingtonia, jazz, and twentieth-century music, Walter van de Leur's new book is indeed Something to Live For. The first in-depth study of the music of composer-arranger Billy Strayhorn, this volume is meticulously researched, clearly written, and enriched with excerpts from Strayhorn's autograph scores. For the first time, we can learn the details of Strayhorn's monumental 28-year contribution to the Duke Ellington Orchestra and music he wrote for other contexts. Something to Live For: The Music of Billy Strayhorn sets a new standard of excellence for jazz musicology."--Bill Kirchner, Composer-arranger, saxophonist, jazz historian, producer, educator, and editor of The Oxford Companion to JazzTable of Contents1. Fantastic Rhythm: The Pittsburgh Years ; 2. The Renaissance of Arranging: First Works for and with Duke Ellington ; 3. The Strayhorn Effect: A New Way of Writing for Jazz Orchestra ; 4. Thinking with the Ear: Strayhorn's Musical Fingerprints ; 5. Writing and Arranging Companions: Credited and Uncredited Collaborations ; 6. "He is He and I am Me": The Ellington-Strayhorn Collaboration ; 7. Wounded Love: Away from the Ellington Organization ; 8. Masterpieces by STrayhorn: Writing for Albums ; 9. The Whodunnit Game: The Mature Style of Billy Strayhorn ; 10. North by Southwest: The Final Years ; 11. Conclusion ; Appendix A: Score of Scores: Manuscripts at the Duke Ellinton and Billy Strayhorn Collections ; Appendix B: Billy Strayhorn's Works on Record ; Appendix C: Billy Strayhorn's Works on Record (posthumously premiered) ; Appendix D: The Compositions of Billy Strayhorn

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Book SynopsisUsing sketches and other documentary evidence, this study is an investigation of composition in Renaissance music. It sets out the indispensable background to an inquiry and into the fundamental processes of Renaissance composition.Trade Reviewthe most comprehensive and enlightening study of Renaissance musical compostion yet written ... This excellent book is important not only for its general theory but for its illumination of the everyday * Anthony Pryer, TLS 29/10/99 *

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Book SynopsisUnder a totalitarian regime, can art and artists be innocent? This questions and its implications are explored in Michael Kater's broad survey of musicians, and the music they composed and performed during the Third Reich.Trade ReviewThe merit of the book lies in its detailed factual picture of the background for music and musicians in those troubled times. * Ralph F. Wells, Richard Strauss Society *A very readable and intriguing book for those interested in the impact of Nazism on cultural life in Germany. * Ralph F. Wells, Richard Strauss Society *Mr. Kater...has extracted masses of information from far-flung sources, including public and private archives in Germany and elsewhere, and has drawn level-headed, intelligent conclusions from his research....The broadest and clearest study of classical music in Hitler's Germany that has appeared to date....Mr. Kater's treatment of the complicated--and hotly debated--case of the conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler is thorough and convincing....A great deal more is packed into [this book], including fresh looks at the Wagner family's complicity with the Nazis and the cases of Paul Hindemith...and Herbert von Karajan....Anyone interested in the depressing but fascinating subject of art and politics will find this book exceptionally worthwhile. * The Wall Street Journal *Kater...has done prodigious primary research, much of it in hitherto unexamined files, to emerge with a mountain of fresh material....Anyone seriously interested in the interface of art and a peculiarly threatening political culture will find [this book] endlessly fascinating. * Publishers Weekly *[Gives] more analytical attention to the entire [Nazi] era's secrets. Kater...has combed newspaper archives, studied economic statistics, interviewed surviving composers and meticulously correlated information from denazification proceedings. His account...is the most throrough and nuanced now available of Nazi musical alliances, allegiances and ambiguities....Brings us to a more complicated understanding without tolerating latent defenses of old friends or 'Vissi d'Arte' alibis. * New York Times Book Review *Fills a conspicuous lacuna in 20th-century musicology. Kater...presents a detailed, disturbing, but always compelling account....There is a great deal here to engage scholars and professional musicians as well as general readers interested in the study of music and ideology. Highly recommended for all libraries. * Library Journal *The best source of information about conductors and other musicians in the Third Reich is now Mr. Kater's book, dense with facts, many of them newly unearthed. * New York Times *[An] impressive new book...far and away the finest and canniest treatment of the Nazi musical nightmare to date, presents an excellent case study of two conductors who were judged not ideologically but aesthetically. * The New Yorker *This absorbing study provides a painful reminder of the degree to which musicians were prepared to compromise their artistic integrity in order to appease the political hierarchy during the Third Reich. * Music Magazine *This work, with its emphasis on the social and political nature of music and the political attitude of musicians during the Nazi regime, is the first of its kind. It will be of interest to scholars and general readers eager to understand Nazi Germany, to music lovers and to anyone interested in the interchange of music and politics, and culture and ideology. * Avid-Magazine *...a well informed study of the state of serious or classical music....Kater is extemely knowledgable about the varieties of political allegiances deployed by the musical fraternity....[His] almost-encyclopedic study of these musicians' activities in the Third Reich reveals a great deal more than was hitherto documented about the least desirable sides of these men's characters. * Vancouver Sun *The most authoritative account to date of music and musicians in the Third Reich. * American Historical Review *This book bears many of the hallmarks of Kater's earlier work on jazz: resourceful research, copious documentation, straightforward writing, and a good working knowledge of music. Perhaps of even greater importance is that this book, like the one on jazz, succeeds brilliantly in conveying a sense of the ambiguities and contradictions of musical life in Nazi Germany...never before has the readiness of large numbers of German musicians, both major and minor, to acquiesce or cooperate actively in the purge of their colleagues, been as thoroughly and persuasively documented...offers fascinating portraits of several of the century's most important musical figures, such as Bruno Walter, Arnold Schonberg, Otto Kelmperer, and Kurt Weill. Kater has performed a valuable service by bringing their stories together in one place, integrating them into a study whose main focus is on what took place inside Germany's borders. * Central European History *In assembling this material, Kater has surely written the definitive study of the musician in the Third Reich (carefully documented with sixty-nine pages of detailed notes). It will prove indispensable for students of the culture of the period. * German History *Table of Contents1: National Socialism, The Third Reich, and the Music Scene 2: Musical Professionalism and Political Compromise 3: Persecuted and Exiled Jewish and Anti-Nazi Musicians 4: Music in the Institutions 5: Dissonance and Deviance

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Book SynopsisThis is an authoritative English-language biography of Dmitriy Shostakovich (1906-75), the internationally acclaimed composer who was the foremost musical "voice" of Soviet Russia. It includes never-before-published details on the composer's life, works, and times. A detailed worklist, a glossary of names, an extensive bibliography, and pictures are also supplied.Trade ReviewLaurel E. Fay's painstakingly researched Shostakovich: A Life has given us the long-awaited authoritative biography, taking full advantage of the post-Soviet Opening-up of archives to provide the best assemblage of factual information on Shostakovich's life and work in any language."--David Fanning, Music and Letters Laurel E. Fay's painstakingly researched Shostakovich: A Life has given us the long-awaited authoritative biography, taking full advantage of the post-Soviet Opening-up of archives to provide the best assemblage of factual information on Shostakovich's life and work in any language."--David Fanning, Music and Letters "Rather than continue a debate in which "the true-believing Communist citizen-composer is inverted into an equally unconvincing caricature of a lifelong closet dissident," Fay sets out to describe the composer based on the existing factual record of is life. It is a remarkably straightforward, non-sensationalized treatment of the composer's life and work. As such, it is a sorely needed contribution to a field that has been overheated with controversy. One may now approach his oeuvre and see it for what it is: an embittered, poignant and ultimately compelling musical diary of our time."-The Nation "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

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Book SynopsisAmy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867-1944), the most widely performed composer of her generation, was the first American woman to succeed as a creator of large-scale art music. Her Gaelic Symphony, given its premiere by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896, was the first work of its kind by an American woman to be performed by an American orchestra. Almost all of her more than 300 works were published soon after they were composed and performed, and today her music is finding new advocates and audiences for its energy, intensity, and sheer beauty. Yet, until now, no full-length critical biography of Beach''s life or comprehensive critical overview of her music existed. This biography admirably fills that gap, fully examining the connections between Beach''s life and work in light of social currents and dominant ideologies. Born into a musical family in Victorian times, Amy Beach started composing as a child of four and was equally gifted as a pianist. Her talent was recognized early by BostoTrade ReviewAward-winning study... her music... is enjoying a revival of interest that is richly deserved and long overdue. Block's book is a thorough, academic study of Beach's life and work. She handles the musical elements with both sharp analytic skills and considerable sensitivity. It is a satisfying and illuminating read and hopefully will encourage more musicians to delve into the music itself - which, by the way, is strong, beautiful and filled with Beach's individual musical voice. * Jessica Duchen, Classical Music 17/06/2000. *Block's patient reconstruction of the complex mediations that shaped Beach's career is a refreshing change from the one dimensional revisionism of some recent biographies ... painstaking reconstruction of a career suspended awkwardly between genius and conventional restraint. * Brian Morton, Times Higher Education Supplement *Table of Contents1: A Prodigy's New England Upbringing 2: The Cheneys and the Marcys 3: A Prodigy Despite Her Mother 4: The Making of a Composer: I 5: Two Ways of Looking at a Marriage 6: The Making of a Composer: II 7: Becoming Mistress of Her Craft 8: Reaching Out to the World 9: "One of the Boys" 10: Amy Beach's Boston 11: The Composer at the Keyboard: Beach Plays Beach 12: "A Veritable Autobiography"?: The Piano Concerto 13: The Composer's Workshop 14: Choral Music 15: The Chambered Nautilus 16: Europe and a New Life 17: "Lion of the Hour" 18: My Old New Hampshire House 19: At the MacDowell Colony: "Solitude in Silence" 20: Caring 21: A Fascinating New York Life 22: Beach the Modernist? 23: Reckonings 24: Harvest Time Postlude: The Legacy Appendix: Catalog of Works Music's Ten Commandments as Given for Young Composers

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Book SynopsisRuthe Seeger was a prominent American avant-garde composer of the 1920s. After her marriage, she became involved in the American folk song movement of the 1930s and 1940s. Caught in domestic life, this creative woman never fully realised her potential.Trade ReviewJudith Tick's sympathetic and vastly detailed study of her protagonist's works, life and times already reads like a classic. * BBC Music Magazine *

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Book SynopsisCharles Mingus was one of the most innovative jazz musicians of the 20th century. This new biography by the acclaimed music critic Gene Santoro argues that Mingus was not only a great musician and composer but a central character in the postwar American cultural renaissance.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition Physically bearish and imposing, Mingus always seemed even larger psychically, a figure to fill the room, alter the vibes, suck up all the air - a cross between Falstaff and Othello. In his marvellous hall of mirrors, Myself When I Am real, Gene Santoro has grasped him whole, or at least as whole as one can expect from mere prose. Some passages suggest the hammering rhythms of a drum solo, others the sprawl of a Mingusian piano meditation. It is a stunning achievement. * Gary Giddins, author of Visions of Jazz *Mingus's creative turbulence comes alive. we see how his life and times, including his battles with racism and the musci business and himself, were intimately entwined with his remarkable music. * Cassandra Wilson *An admirably objective attempt to come to terms with the personal and musical complexity that was Charles Mingus. Gene Santoro's comprehensively researched and critically insightful book makes Mingus as fascinating and as outrageous as Mingus himself seemed to have always wanted to be. * Albert Murray, author of Stomping the Blues *Table of ContentsPreface ; Introduction ; Prologue: Better Get It In Your Soul ; 1. Growing Up Absurd ; 2. Black Like Me ; 3. Making the Scene ; 4. Life During Wartime ; 5. Portrait of the Artist ; 6. The Big Apple, or On the Road ; 7. Pithecanthropus Erectus ; 8. Mingus Dynasty ; 9. Camelot ; 10. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady ; 11. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest ; 12. Beneath the Underdog ; 13. Let My Children Hear Music ; 14. Changes ; 15. Don't Be Afraid, the Clown's Afraid, Too ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Discography ; Acknowledgements ; Index

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Book SynopsisA seasoned jazz critic draws on his interviews of forty musicians, from Slide Hampton and Bucky Pizzarelli to Dee Dee Bridgewater and Diana Krall, illuminating their lives, careers, and art.Trade Review"W. Royal Stokes has contributed invaluably to jazz history from the inside. Living the Jazz Life is particularly unique because it focuses on how these diversified players became jazz musicians."--Nat Hentoff "Like a long jam session."--Kirkus Reviews "W. Royal Stokes has contributed invaluably to jazz history from the inside. Living the Jazz Life is particularly unique because it focuses on how these diversified players became jazz musicians."--Nat Hentoff "A pleasing...collection of generally insightful conversation, spawned by a nicely modest interlocuter."--Kirkus Reviews "Like a long jam session."--Kirkus Reviews

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Book Synopsis'Composers of the Nazi Era' is the final book in the trilogy on music and musicians in the Third Reich. This provides a detailed examination of the careers of eight prominent German composers who lived and worked among the dictatorship of the Third Reich.Trade ReviewA very impressive achievement - for two reasons above all. First, the range of Kater's research and documentation is awe-inspiring. Second, Kater sets out neither to canonise nor demonise ... Ultimately, this is a book which provokes thoughts rather than spelling them out ... Kater doesn't offer answers, but after reading his book, we can at least see the questions more clearly. * Stephen Johnson, BBC Music Magazine *Kater's background knowledge is impressive, and he refuses to oversimplify or to make facile judgements. * Times Literary Supplement *What do artists do in the face of tyranny, and how can creativity thrive under fascism? ... This last book of a trilogy of music and musicians in the Third Reich is intended to present a closer look at each of the people studied ... Especially compelling is the book's description of the Nazi Bureaucracy as regards art and culture before, during, and just after the Second World War. * Music Educators Journal *With this volume, Kater has completed a remarkable trilogy of books about music during the Nazi era ... Kater is rigorous in his attention to detail; his research is up-to-date, and his conclusions are persuasive. This book - indeed, the entire trilogy - should be a part of every collection. * Library Journal *A largely successful effort to clarify the motives and behaviors of some representative men during a fascinatingly ugly chapter of human history, without appearing to sit in judgment so much as to illuminate various noble, deplorable, and frequently contradictory phenomena of human character ... Meticulously documented. * The Washington Post *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Werner Egk: The Enigmatic Optimist ; 2. Paul Hindemith: The Reluctant Emigre ; 3. Kurt Weill: A Survivor on Two Continents ; 4. Karl Amadeus Hartmann: The Composer as Dissident ; 5. Carl Orff: Man of Legend ; 6. Hans Pfitzner: Magister Teutonicus Miser ; 7. Arnold Schoenberg: Musician of Contrasts ; 8. Richard Strauss: Jupiter Compromised ; Conclusion ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe Muse That Sings is a collection of interviews with 25 various American composers, born between 1930 and 1960, who explain how they think in sound, mould musical ideas, and ultimately transfer sonic creations to the printed page.Trade ReviewThe effect on the reader is astonishing as one after another of these composers is revealed, warts and all, to be desperately and wonderfully human. * David McGowan, American Music Teacher *Engaging and inspirinig. * Chamber Music Magazine *The Must That Sings [is] a book which will prove fascinating to those with an interest in contemporary musical composition, and in the creative process in general ... Every decade needs a book like this, for ideas and tastes will always change and it will always require the work of scholars to document how the creative minds of an age think about their art. Ann McCutchan has provided such a work. * The Ithaca Times *These interviews with 25 composers are distilled to short, informal yet highly focused discussions ... [McCutchan] allows the voices of the composers--most of whom live and work in the U.S. and were born between 1930 and 1960--to come through with candor ... These intimate snapshots of creative artists contemplating their role and function at the end of the 20th century succeed not only in shedding light on the creative process, but in dispelling many of the negative stereotypes attached to contemporary music." --Publishers WeeklyTable of ContentsAlphabetical List of Composers ; Foreword by Leonard Slatkin (Music Director, National Symphony Orchestra) ; Introduction ; 1. Eric Stokes (b. 1930) ; 2. Steve Reich (b. 1936) ; 3. William Bolcom (b. 1938) ; 4. John Corigliano (b. 1938) ; 5. John Harbison (b. 1938) ; 6. Joan Tower (b. 1938) ; 7. John Adams (b. 1947) ; 8. Claude Baker (b. 1948) ; 9. Dan Welcher (b. 1948) ; 10. Daniel S. Godfrey (b. 1949) ; 11. Fred Lerdahl (b. 1949) ; 12. Shulamit Ran (b. 1949) ; 13. Christopher Rouse (b. 1949) ; 14. Steven Stucky (b. 1949) ; 15. Libby Larsen (b. 1950) ; 16. Lois V Vierk (b. 1951) ; 17. John Zorn (b. 1953) ; 18. Michael Daugherty (b. 1954) ; 19. James Mobberley (b. 1954) ; 20. Bruce Adolphe (b. 1955) ; 21. Bright Sheng (b. 1955) ; 22. Richard Danielpour (b. 1956) ; 23. David Lang (b. 1957) ; 24. Sebastian Currier (b. 1959) ; 25. Aaron Jay Kernis (b. 1960)

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Book SynopsisPaul Taffanel (1844 - 1908) is essentially the father of modern flute playing. Drawing on previously unavailable material from a provate archive in Paris, Blakeman describes and evaluates Taffanel's life, career, and works, with particular reference to his influence as founder of the modern French School of flute playing.Trade Review...a book that will appeal to the aficionado as well as the proletariat, a highly readable documentation that balances the composer's achievements against the cultural institutions of the Belle Epoque. * Mark Tanner, Musical Opinion *...a good read, but the book will also prove invaluable as a reference tool...fascinating...[an] important book * Richard Langham Smith, Open University *Edward Blakeman...lucidly tells the story of this fascinating, important, and kindly man who influenced flute playing indelibly over the later decades of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth. This makes for a good read... [An] important book. * Richard Langham Smith, Music and Letters, Volume 88, Number 4 *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1: Early Life 2: The Conservatoire and After 3: Advances and Retreats 4: New Beginnings 5: Composing for the Flute 6: The Wind Society 7: The Magic Flute 8: From Russia to the Paris Exhibition 9: Toward a New Career 10: Wielding the Baton 11: Teaching the Flute 12: Last Words on the Flute Conclusion Appendixes 1: Papiers Paul Taffanel 2: Paul Taffanel Works List 3: Music Dedicated to Paul Taffanel 4: Société classique 5: Société de musique de chambre pour instruments à vent 6: Paris Conservatoire Flute Class Notes/Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisJ.S. Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin have been central to the violin repertoire since the mid-18th century. This introduction to these works explores their place within Bach's music, focusing on their structural and stylistic features as they have been perceived since their creation.Trade Review"The volume thus has a quadruple purpose, providing an analytical study and historical guide to Bach's solo-violin works, an introduction to Bach's style and its evolution and a forum for authoritative discussion of selected performance issues....will certainly assist violinists, students, scholars and other listeners to develop new perspectives on this music...and encourage the cultivation of more informed and more vivid performances." --The Strad"Serious violinists and theorists will applaud the thoroughness of Lester's work."--Choice"Joel Lester is one of America's leading theorists and analysts of music, as well as a professional violinist. He is therefore uniquely qualified to write a serious analytical and interpretive study of J. S. Bach's violin music. . . . It's quite incredible that, despite the stature and importance of this music, there has never been a serious full-length study of its repertoire. That is, until now. . . . This book is richly informative and insightful, abundantly displaying Lester's learning and analytical talents. It is also engagingly written."--Robert L. Marshall, Brandeis University"Performers will find this book's discussion of recordings invaluable, its performance-oriented analyses helpful in understanding the logic behind interpretation, and its historical excursuses informative. . . . Lester has the reputation of being an excellent performer, is a recognized scholar in the history of theory, and has written a harmony textbook. Who better to bring all of these talents and accomplishments to a book of this sort?"--Lee A. Rothfarb, University of California at Santa BarbaraTable of Contents1. The History of Bach's Solo-Violin Works ; 2. The G-minor Adagio ; 3. The G-minor Fuga ; 4. The Siciliana of the G-minor Sonata ; 5. The G-minor Presto ; 6. The Partitas ; 7. Closing Thoughts

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Book SynopsisJulian Budden, one of the world''s foremost scholars of Italian opera and author of a monumental three-volume study of Verdi''s works, now offers music lovers a major new biography of one of the giants of Italian opera, Giacomo Puccini. Blending astute musical analysis with a colorful account of Puccini''s life, here is an illuminating look at some of the most popular operas in the repertoire, including Manon Lescaut, La Boheme, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot. Budden provides an illuminating look at the process of putting an opera together, the cut-and-slash of nineteenth-century Italian opera--the struggle to find the right performers for the debut of La Boheme, Puccini''s anxiety about completing Turandot (he in fact died of cancer before he did so), his animosity toward his rival Leoncavallo (whom he called Leonasino or lion-ass). Budden provides an informative analysis of the operas themselves, examining the music act by act. He highlights, among other things, the influence Trade ReviewA major book on Puccini by the supremely authoritative Julian Budden arouses the highest expectations, wonderfully fulfilled by this new volume of over 500 pages. * Philip Borg-Wheeler, Classical Music *"He makes one hungry to hear the operas once again and reconsider one's own response--what can be higher praise for music criticism?"--Tim Page, Washington Post Book World"At the least, Budden's book will stand as the bellwether of studies of Puccini's music, the starting point for further scholarly work and for informed amateurs alike. At the most, he has given us the best survey we have of Italian opera around 1900.... He has made a minor art form of operatic description in prose, expanding the old format of plot-summary-plus-favoritie-themes to include music analysis, critical response, and secure judgments as to the echoes of other composers heard at any moment. He joins all this is a prose that will engage even those who cannot follow all the musical particulars. There is more: Budden contrives in the introductory sections of his chapters to give us a canny glimpse of Puccini's life at the time of each opera. And--this is one of the most impressive features of his study--he provides in each chapter vignettes that add up to a historical sketch of the musical culture Puccini lived and worked in."--Gary Tomlinson, The New York Times Book Review"Julian Budden's book fills a serious gap. Here is a single volume combining excellent biography with an often illuminating discussion of the work.... Budden's approach to the individual operas is often fresh and engaging. His investigation of the dramatic and musical problems that Puccini encountered while writing Manon Lescaut is fascinating.... Budden's is a book for the library shelf, a reliable reference work that the reader will want to consult when program notes fail or a fresh view of the operas."--Opera News"Budden is responsible for much of the new Puccini scholarship and his synthesis of this material is often elegant."--New York Review of Books"If you want in-depth insight into Puccini's operas, replete with many stanzas of music, Budden's bio and discussion should be on your shelf."--The San Diego Union Tribune"Essential reading, Budden's biography allies in-depth scholarship with narrative pace to offer us a masterly and intensely human portrait of the man and composer. Finely researched, surely the most thoughtful biography to date of Italy's last great opera composer."--Vivien A. Hewitt, Director, Festival Puccini of Torre del Lago"Bravo Budden!!!!!! His books on Verdi have been an invaluable aid to my study and role preparation over the years, and now the Puccini volume joins them in my library. Budden manages to synthesize the historical, academic, artistic, and human aspects of Puccini's operas in a way that is totally accessible, and most useful to any serious artist or music lover."--Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, Soprano"An enormously impressive achievement. Certainly the best book on Puccini in English. As we would expect from the author of The Operas of Verdi, Budden's discussion of Puccini's alarmingly popular music is both sensitive and challenging in its insights."--Roger Parker, Professor of Music and Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge University"Informed lay readers will gain insight while theoreticians will appreciate Budden's deeper musical analysis. His elegant turns of phrase ("rhythmic scaffolding") and obvious expertise combine in an exceptional whole."--Library Journal

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Book SynopsisFew musical works loom as large in Western culture as Richard Wagner's four-part "Ring of the Nibelung". This work looks at this greatest of Wagner's achievements, focusing on its far-reaching and subtle exploration of problems of meanings and endings in this life and world.Trade Review"In Finding an Ending Kitcher and Schacht break free from the contemporary clichés of producers determined to show Wotan as nothing more than a capitalist crook, and of commentators more interested in Wagner's political and ideological opinions than in his surpassing artistic achievement. It is the latter that they are exclusively concerned with, and they argue their case with style and passion. The result is the most rewarding new account of the Ring that I have read in many years, and it will surely take its place as one of the classics of Wagner criticism." --Michael Tanner, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, and author of Wagner"Eloquent...there is none of the extreme tone which so dominates both anti-Wagner tirades and expressions of Wagner idolatry. Instead, the mood introduced at the outset and maintained throughout is dignified and circumspect.... An analytic gem...[Kitcher and Schacht's] definitions and explanations [are] crystal clear.... Their discussion on the Ring teems with intimate references to musical movements, some of them truly moving.... This book will surely satisfy Wagner aficionados as much as it will make those who are new to the Ring feel welcome."--Nicholas Vazsonyi, Wagner Notes"This book examines the richness and complexity of Der Ring des Nibelungen. I particularly enjoyed the careful analysis of each of the important characters in their society, their psychological undercurrents, and their reactions to others. Philip Kitcher and Richard Schacht demonstrate how these mythological gods and heroes are ultimately recognizable as purely human." --Jane Eaglen"Each chapter contains thought-provoking discussions that will intellectually engage readers, even those who are unmoved, or perhaps repelled, by Wagner's music and ideas.... This book plunges more deeply into the intricacies of character development in the Ring itself, touching more lightly upon the details of philosophical inquiry. Recommended for all collections."--Library Journal"Determined like no other composer to 'fathom the depths of philosophy,' Wagner wrote operas exploring the elemental passions and conflicts of the human condition. Kitcher and Schacht, distinguished philosophers in their own right, present a profound analysis of the guiding ideas of the Ring which enables us to grasp as never before the power of Wagner's most ambitious work." --Charles E. Larmore, University of Chicago Law School"A strikingly successful reading of Wagner's music drama as a philosophical meditation on the meaning of human existence and freedom." --Paul Boghossian, New York University

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Book SynopsisIn 1919, the world stood at the threshold of the Jazz Age. The man who had ushered it there, however, lay murdered - and would soon plunge from international fame to historical obscurity. It was a fate few would have predicted for James Reese Europe; he was then at the pinnacle of his career as a composer, conductor, and organizer in the black community, with the promise of even greater heights to come. People don''t realize yet today what we lost when we lost Jim Europe, said pianist Eubie Blake. He was the savior of Negro musiciansin a class with Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King. In A Life in Ragtime , Reid Badger brilliantly captures this fascinating life, tracing a critical chapter in the emergence of jazz through one man''s remarkable odyssey. After an early start in Washington, Europe found his fame in New York, the entertainment capital of turn-of-the-century America. In the decade before the First World War, he emerged as an acknowledged leader in African-American mTable of ContentsPrelude ; 1. Down Home Rag ; 2. Washington Post March ; 3. On the Gay Luneta ; 4. Lorraine Waltzes ; 5. The Clef Club March ; 6. What It Takes to Make Me Love You - You've Got It ; 7. Castle House Rag ; 8. The National Negro March ; 9. Watch Your Step ; 10. The Rat-A-Tat Drummer Boy ; 11. The Separate Battalion ; 12. Over There ; 13. On Patrol in No Man's Land ; 14. Filling France Full of Jazz ; 15. All of No Man's Land is Ours ; 16. Flee as a Bird ; Coda ; Appendix 1: The Musical Compositions of James Reese Europe ; Appendix 2: James Reese Europe Discography ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisChopin's Polish Ballade examines the Second Ballade, Op. 38, and how that work gave voice to the Polish cultural preoccupations of the 1830s, using musical conventions from French opera and amateur piano music. This approach provides answers to several persistent questions about the work's form, programmatic content, and poetic inspiration.Trade Reviewhis connections with present performance concerns are also compelling ... the book is a welcome invitation to reconsider what approaches we might take to performing and listening to this music today. * Matthew Gelbart, Music and Letters *This book is highly recommendable to performers and music students alike * Philip Borg-Wheeler, Classical Music *Table of ContentsLIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES; INTRODUCTION; TWO VERSIONS; TWO KEYS; "CERTAIN POEMS OF MICKIEWICZ"; STORIES IN TONES; AMATEUR PROGRAM MUSIC; BALLAD POETRY AND MUSICAL FORM; OVERVIEW AND STYLISTIC SUMMARY OF THE FIRST BALLADE; KONRAD WALLENROD: PLOT AND STRUCTURE; KONRAD WALLENROD AS BALLADE SCENARIO; THE LAY OF ALDONA'S FATE; A FORMAL OVERVIEW OF CHOPIN'S SECOND BALLADE; THE SECOND BALLADE AND THE SONATA PROBLEM; BALLADE AS GENRE; THE OPERATIC BALLADE TO 1831; A PILGRIMS' BALLADE; A POLISH BALLADE; THE GREAT MIGRATION AND POLISH CULTURE IN EXILE; PERSONAL ANGUISH AND LITERARY APOTHEOSIS; SAPIENTI PAUCA; INTERNAL EVIDENCE I-THE A MATERIAL: SICILIANO; INTERNAL EVIDENCE II-THE B MATERIAL: STORM; INTERNAL EVIDENCE III-THE C THEME; OP. 38 AS NARRATIVE OF NATIONAL MARTYRDOM; VERSIONS, TONIC KEYS, AND MICKIEWICZ REVISITED; THE FOREST AND THE TREES; APPENDIX: "A M. F. CHOPIN, SUR SA BALLADE POLONAISE," BY FELICIEN MALLEFILLE; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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Trade ReviewIn this comprehensive study of Tristan und Isolde Eric Chafe has created a text that will serve as a point of reference for generations of scholars when they refer to this seminal work...Chafe has created a model investigation that will enable listeners to return to Wagner's familiar score and reclaim for themselves the nuances in the opera. * Tristania *Table of Contents1. The Path to Schopenhauer ; 2. Tristan and Schopenhauer ; 3. Tristan and Gottfried von Strassburg I: Minne ; 4. Tristan and Gottfried von Strassburg II: Honor ; 5. The Desire Music ; 6. The Prelude: A Musicopoetic View ; 7. Tragedy and Dramatic Structure ; 8. The Two Death Motives ; 9. Musicopoetic Design in Act One ; 10. Act Two, Scene One: Night and Minne ; 11. The Love Scene in Act Two: Transition and Periodicity ; 12. Tristan's Answer to King Mark: Moral and Philosophical Questions ; 13. Act Three: Musicopoetic Design ; 14. Love as Fearful Torment ; 15. The Road to Salvation

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Table of ContentsIntroduction: At the Intersection of Old and New Paths ; Part I: Schumann's One and Only Schubert ; Chapter 1: Schumann and Schubert's "Immortal" Piano Trio in E flat ; Chapter 2: The Gestus of Remembering: Schubert's Critique of Schubert's Impromptus ; Part II: Uttering CLARA in Tones ; Chapter 3: Schumann: Cryptographer or Pictographer? ; Chapter 4: Brahms's Musical Ciphers: Acts of Homage and Gestures of Effacement ; Chapter 5: The Folded Fan ; Part III: A Noble Model ; Chapter 6: Metaphysical Chess Games ; Chapter 7: Brahms, the Schumann Circle, and the Style hongrois: Contexts for the "Double" Concerto ; Epilogue: Crossing Paths and Modes of Experience

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Book SynopsisWolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the great icons of Western music. An amazing prodigy who toured the capitals of Europe as a child, astonishing royalty and professional musicians with his precocious skills, in his adulthood he wrote some of the finest music in the European tradition. Julian Rushton offers a concise and up-to-date biography of this musical genius, combining a well-researched life of the composer with an introduction to the works--symphonic, chamber, sacred, and theatrical--of one of the few who have composed undisputed masterpieces in every genre of his time. Rushton presents a vivid portrait, ranging from Mozart the Wunderkind--travelling with his family from Salzburg to Vienna, Paris, London, Rome, and Milan--to the mature composer of perennially fascinating operas such as The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute. During the past half-century, scholars have thoroughly explored Mozart''s life and music, offering new interpretations based on their hisTrade ReviewThe new edition of the series's Mozart biography is an essential, readable and authoritative resource. * Classic FM, *The Master Musicians composer biographies have long been invaluable handbooks for students. * Classic FM *A revised biography from OUP's excellent 'Master Musicians' series offers a captivating and accessible account of Mozart's life and music. * Classic FM *Table of ContentsCONTENTS; APPENDICES; A CALENDAR / B LIST OF WORKS / C PERSONALIA / D SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY /; INDEX

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Book SynopsisIn Benny Goodman's famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert, Catherine Tackley provides the first in depth, scholarly study of this seminal concert and recording. Through discussions of the cultural context, the performance itself, and its reception and response, Tackley shows why Goodman's 1938 concert remains one of the most significant events in American music history.Trade ReviewTackley is an especially goof researcher and it is unlikely one will find any related subject matter not covered thoroughly here. * Bob Porter, IAJRC Journal *Tackley's book attempts to do more than just relate the details of the concert; instead, she seeks to place the event among larger contexts, from the use of recordings as a basis for canonisation to embodiment of the musical past ... All will be inspired to obtain the recordings, not only of the concert itself, but also of the multitude of rich sonic evidence that Tackley cites from Goodman as well as his swing ear compatriots * Sarah Caissie Provost, Popular Music Journal *It is the evidently joyous combination of enthusiasm, scholarly discipline and musical expertise that makes this contribution to the Oxford Studies in Recorded Jazz intriguing for the analyst, particularly companionable for those of us who have grown up with this landmark recording (not released until 1950) and an entertaining narrative for the general reader interested in the place of jazz in American culture. * John Mole, Times Literary Supplement *a thoroughly researched, scholarly work ... For students of jazz history and those interested in the Goodman swing era, this will be a welcome arrival. * Sally Evans-Darby, Jazz Journal *the meat of the volume is the central track-by-track breakdown of the music programme ... Tackley writes compellingly. * Brian Priestley, Jazzwise *Only the fourth book in the "Oxford Studies in Recorded Jazz" series, Tackley's work joins the previous three entries as a distinguished contribution to the literature ... there should be a broad audience for this volume ... Highly recommended. All readers. * K. R. Dietrich, Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Preface ; Part 1 - Context ; Precedents ; Promotion ; Program ; Part 2 - Performance ; The Orchestra ; Twenty Years of Jazz ; Jam Session ; Trio/Quartet ; Conclusion ; Part 3 - Representation ; Repercussions ; Recording ; Reception ; Recreation ; Appendix 1 - Carnegie Hall Program ; Appendix 2 - Members of the Orchestra ; Notes ; References ; Discography

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Book SynopsisHermann Scherchan was a distinguished German conductor, described by Norman Del Mar as a `great doyen conductor of contemporary music'.Trade Reviewby far the most absorbing and demanding book on conducting ever published ... a veritable Bible for generations of conductors, it is both utterly visionary and rivetingly interesting ... His book will never cease to instruct, to inspire, and above all to enthral. * Norman del Mar *Table of ContentsPart I On conducting: the teachable technique of conducting; idiosyncrasies of conducting; orchestral playing and conducting. Part 2 The science of the orchestra: the bow instruments; the wind instruments; the brass; the percussion; the harp. Part 3 Conductor and music: the techniques of conducting; the applied technique, or practice, of conducting; practical examples.

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Book SynopsisCarl Schmidt's catalogue of Poulenc's works lists and describes the musical works of one of France's most important 20th-century composers. The book reveals a wealth of information about a composer whose music is heard constantly in concert halls and on record around the world, and adds the names of a small group of works to his musical canon for the first time.Trade ReviewNow we have the most complete reference source yet on the music, Carl B. Schmidt's catalogue. This monumental study provides Poulenc performers and scholars with a wealth of information about every known composition (complete or incomplete, published or unpublished) ... Schmidt has made a monumental contribution to Poulenc studies, especially because the volume is so much more than a catalogue of works. In addition, the author's scholarship is so thorough that it takes the most careful investigation to uncover even a minor error. "My music is my portrait!," Poulenc stated, and Schmidt has lovingly interpreted that portrait in this work, one likely to remain definitive for many years to come. * George Keck, Ouachita Baptist University, Notes, March 1997 *

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Book SynopsisBrahms has long been considered an arch-conservative, the last Classical master, but modern research reveals a troubled and self-critical Romantic whose genius united the emotionalism of his times with Classical principles. Malcolm MacDonald demonstrates how the musical and personal character of this great composer are inextricably intwined: how the man speaks in his music.Trade ReviewThere is no better book on Brahms in print, and all its succesors will be deeply in its debt ... inaugurates a new era in Brahms studies. * The Musical Times *Table of ContentsPREFACE; LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; 1. YOUNG KREISLER (1833-54); APPENDICES; INDEX

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Book SynopsisOf crucial importance to scholars has been the re-emergence in Krakow of the large number of Mendelssohn manuscripts considered lost since their removal from Berlin for safekeeping during World War II. This title presents the composer's manuscripts.Trade Reviewuseful as a reference book ... thorough in its musical analysis. * Hi-Fi News *

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Book SynopsisVivaldi has emerged during the last decades as a truly major composer of the early eighteenth-century. Taking account of recent research, to which he himself has made important contributions-including the discovery in 1973 of an unknown set of violin sonatas-Michael Talbot examines the life and works of this remarkable musician in their Venetian, Italian, and international settings.Trade Reviewa very well balanced, closely researched "life and works" of Vivaldi. * The Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisThe difficulties of interpreting Berlioz are interestingly explained by a conductor of legendary knowledge and understanding. For the students of conducting this book is nothing short of invaluable, being a guide to technique as well as to the confusions arising from Berlioz's imaginative orchestration.

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Book SynopsisThe Music of Berlioz offers an overall view of Berlioz's musical achievement as we approach the bicentary of his birth in 2003, and in doing so is the first such study to deal fully with the rediscovered Messe solennelle. It synthesizes previous scholarship, including the author's own, adding many new observations, together with information and insight into all the composer's works.Trade Review...magnificent study... * Andrew Thomson, Musical Times *Rushton shows his true vocation as pedagogue, for the musical detail contained within these sections forms a fine analytical study for Berlioz's major works which every university library should have on its shelves. * Clair Rowden, Nineteenth-Century Music Review *... carefully researched, often provocative ... interesting new views. * Music and Letters *Julian Rushton is well known and highly regarded as a leading Berlioz scholar ... whose detailed knowledge of Berlioz's oeuvre is astonishing. * Music and Letters *... carefully written. * Musical Times *Rushton's generous humanity and emotional maturity constantly shine through the constant stream of marvellous insights. * Musical Times *A most distinguished and penetrating study. * Musical Times *Fascinating ... Rushton has superbly perceptive pages on works he particularly admires. * BBC Music Magazine *Table of ContentsPreface ; List of Abbreviations ; I: A BIOGRAPHY OF BERLIOZ'S MUSIC ; 1. Provincial to Prize-Winner ; 2. The Romantic Decade ; 3. Damnation and After ; II: TECHNIQUES AND MEANINGS ; 4. Implications of a Musical Biography ; 5. Techniques of Composition ; 6. Signs and Evocations ; III: THE WORKS ; 7. The Lyric Berlioz ; 8. Architecture, Patriotism, and the End of the World ; 9. A Fantastic Symphonist ; 10. Berlioz Dramatist ; Bibliography ; Index of Berlioz's Works ; General Index

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Book SynopsisThis is the only English translation of this important book by the world''s most distinguished Bach scholar. This work is widely regarded as the most authoritative and comprehensive treatment of the Bach cantatas. It begins with a historical survey of the seventeenth-century background to the cantatas, and performance practice issues. The core of the book is a work-by-work study in which each cantata in turn is represented by its libretto, a synopsis of its movements, and a detailed analytical commentary. This format makes it extremely useful as a reference work for anyone listening to, performing in, or studying any of the Bach cantatas.In this edition all the cantata librettos are given in German-English parallel text. The most recent (sixth) German edition appeared in 1995. For the English edition the text has been carefully revised to bring it up to date, taking account of Bach scholarship since that date.Trade ReviewFor students studying Bach's cantatas, this book is the best reading material currently available. This is a book that every university library must have on its shelf. * Bach Bibliography Book Review03/12/06 *Table of ContentsPART 1 INTRODUCTION TO BACH'S CANTATAS; PART 2 CHURCH CANTATAS; PART 3 SECULAR CANTATAS

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Book SynopsisMahler's Symphonic Sonatas investigates Gustav Mahler's dynamic and career-long engagement with sonata-allegro form.Trade ReviewMahler's Symphonic Sonatas contains the most detailed, sophisticated, and insightful analytical readings of Mahler's music in existence. From every one of the book's analyses, the reader comes away with the intensely satisfying feeling of having come to know, indeed understand, a great piece of music better. If only more music theory were like this! For those reasons alone, the book is a milestone. * Steven Vande Moortele, Music Theory Spectrum *Table of ContentsContents ; Acknowledgements ; On the Accompanying Short Scores ; Introduction ; Part I ; Interpreting Mahler's Sonata Forms ; Chapter 1: Sonata Form in Mahler's Narrative Imagination ; Chapter 2: Adorno's Novel-Symphony: The Dialectic of Freedom and Determinism ; Chapter 3: Issues in Mahlerian Narrative ; Part II ; Mahler's "Classical" Sonatas ; Chapter 4: "A Demonic Haydn": Mahler's Confrontation with Tradition in the First Movement of the Sixth ; Chapter 5: "A Play within a Play": Games of Closure and Contingency in the First Movement of the Fourth ; Part III ; Mahler's "Epic" Sonatas ; Chapter 6: "The Objectification of Chaos": Epic Form and Narrative Multiplicity in Part One of the Third ; Chapter 7: "Tragedy refuses a nominalist form": "Inescapable" Coherence and the Failure of the Novel-Symphony in the Finale of the Sixth ; Works Cited

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Trade ReviewThis does a good job of putting those red-blooded melodies into context - from a childhood spent listening to his nurse's folk tales, to his death surrounded by unfinished potential masterpieces. * Anna Britten, Classic FM - The Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall is an historical, cultural, and analytical study of the album by the same name. Recorded in 1957, but lost until 2005, it is a particularly interesting lens through which to view jazz both as a historical tradition and as a contemporary cultural form.Trade Review"Solis's arguments are compelling and wide ranging, covering the specifics of this concert and recording but reiterating essential points for jazz studies research pertaining to the musical work, issues of authenticity and reproduction, nostalgia and reissued recordings, and academic institutionalization, among others, that make the book applicable and engaging beyond just the scope of its primary object of study."--Twentieth-Century MusicTable of ContentsIntroduction ; Chapter 1: Monk With Coltrane ; Chapter 2: The Morningside Community Center Benefit and the Jazz ; Concert as an Institution to 1957 ; Chapter 3: "Monk's Mood" and "Crepuscule with Nellie" ; Chapter 4: "Evidence" and "Nutty" ; Chapter 5: "Bye-Ya" and "Sweet and Lovely" ; Chapter 6: "Blue Monk" and "Epistrophy" ; Chapter 7: The Recording in Its Time ; References

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Book SynopsisA detailed chronicle of Prokofiev's career from 1932 to 1953, based on exclusive and extensive research conducted at several Russian archives. The People's Artist examines Prokofiev's decision to relocate to Stalin's Russia in 1936, the mandated rewriting of such major works as Romeo and Juliet and War and Peace, and the composer's aesthetic and spiritual views.Trade Reviewpainstakingly describe[s] the circumstances surrounding Prokofiev in his final years * G.S. Smith, Times Literary Supplement *The People's Artist: Prokofiev's Soviet Years should be on every serious music lover's Christmas list. * David Gutman, Gramophone *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION

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Book SynopsisMichael Dregni expertly traces the development of Gypsy Jazz not through straight musical history, but instead in a fascinating travelogue and detective story, following its birth with Django and its subsequent legacy, including all of the famous guitarists who have followed in Django's footsteps-Biréli Lagrène, Boulou Ferré, Dorado Schmitt, and others.Trade ReviewDregni's passion for Django Reinhardt and the enduring overlap of gypsy music and jazz leads to a picaresque journey from the US, across modern Europe and back again. The music itself is the wandering hero as Dregni gracefully weaves together historical research, personal insights, and conversations with colorful, music-making characters. Generous, musical storytelling at its best! * Ashley Kahn, author of A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album, and other jazz titles *Dregni writes as Django played: lyrical, inventive, engaging and often undeniably brilliant. With Gypsy Jazz he shines light upon the 'holes in history' that have so long obscured this most celebrated yet mysterious arena of Romany music. An astonishing text. * Garth Cartwright, author of Princes Amongst Men: Journeys With Gypsy Musicians *In this fascinating picaresque adventure into European gipsy culture, Michael Dregni not only discovers much hitherto undocumented information about the background to the great manouche guitarist Django Reinhardt, but also about his musical and social forbears, contemporaries and heirs. Dregni's sparky prose and fervent enthusiasm enliven his search, which always comes back to the music itself, in which he finds, alongside the influence of American jazz, a timeless romani wistfulness, the lingering melancholy of an itinerant people. * Alyn Shipton, Jazz critic of The Times, London, and author of A New History of Jazz *Table of ContentsPrologue ; Chapter 1: The Guitar with a Human Voice; In Search of Django Reinhardt ; Chapter 2: The Boy With the Banjo; Into a Zigzag Paradise ; Chapter 3: Bals Musette; Music from the Dark Side of the City of Light ; Chapter 4: Jazz Modernistique; Revisiting the Babylon of Gypsy Jazz ; Chapter 5: Songs of One Thousand and One Nights; Django Reinhardt, Schnuckenack Reinhardt, and Gypsy Jazz Under the Nazis ; Chapter 6: Gypsy Bebop; From Dizzy and Bird to Django and the Gibson Generation ; Chapter 7: Les Guitares a Moustache; Revolutionary Jazz Guitars for a Jazz Revolution ; Chapter 8: Crossroads; On the Road to Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer ; Chapter 9: Dynasty;Les Freres Ferret and their Musical Clan ; Chapter 10: La Derniere Valse des Niglos; Saints and Sinners of the Malha Clan ; Chapter 11: Au Son des Guitares; On the Trail of Patotte Bousquet ; Chapter 12: The Unsung Master of the Gypsy Waltz; Tracing the Legacy of Tchan Tchou ; Chapter 13: The Lost; The Secret History of Lousson Baumgartner and the "Other" Family ; Chapter 14: Minstrel; Bamboula Ferret and the Travels of a Romany Troubadour ; Chapter 15: Resurrection; The New Elegance of Bireli Lagrene, Stochelo Rosenberg, Angelo Debarre, and Ninine Garcia ; Chapter 16: The Music Thieves; Into America with Danny Fender, Johnny Guitar, John Adomono, and Julio Bella Chapter 17: Gypsy Jazz Rap; Syntax and the Search for "Le Meilleur Chemin" ; Chapter 18: The Most Dangerous Guitar Lesson; Jamming with David Reinhardt ; Epilogue: Latcho Drom - The Long Road ; Recommended Listening ; Notes ; Recommended Reading ; Bibliography ; Acknowledgments ; Index

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Book SynopsisToday Georges Bizet is most immediately recognized as the composer of the acclaimed opera Carmen. One of the most frequently performed operas for over a century, Carmen explores concepts such as the femme fatale and murderous jealousy with vivacity, color, and a wealth of melody. Yet it is only one act in Bizet''s story. In Bizet, renowned musicologist Hugh Macdonald goes beyond the composer''s most famous opera to take an in-depth look at his entire life and oeuvre. In so doing, Macdonald identifies a number of previously unknown pieces by Bizet, assembling the first comprehensive catalogue of the composer''s work. Incorporating these little-known pieces with a thorough reading of primary sources, Macdonald considers the latest in Bizet scholarship to create a complete biography of the composer. Revealing the true extent of Bizet''s work as arranger and transcriber, Macdonald sheds light on the composer''s complex relationships with his contemporaries, and traces the strange misrepresTrade ReviewThough best known as a distinguished Berlioz scholar, Hugh Macdonald now reveals himself as wearing a different French hat with no less aplomb. His fine new Master Musicians volume on Georges Bizet adds much to our knowledge of this deeply disappointed composer of operas * Musical Times, Andrew Thompson *One of Professor Hugh Macdonald's declared aims is 'to set the composer in the context of French music of the Second Empire', and this spledid biography proves that there is no one better qualifies for the task * BBC Music Magazine, Roger Nichols *Long meditated and meticulously documented, Hugh Macdonald's critical biography of Bizet will surely have no trouble being acclaimed as the definitine work on its subject * Rupert Christiansen, Literary Review *Table of ContentsPreface ; List of Illustrations ; 1 1838 - 1857: Le Docteur Miracle ; 2 1858 - 1860: Don Procopio ; 3 1860 - 1863: Les Pecheurs de perles ; 4 1864 - 1865: Ivan IV ; 5 1866 - 1867: La Jolie Fille de Perth ; 6 1868 - 1870: La Coupe du Roi de Thule ; 7 1870 - 1872: Djamileh ; 8 1872 - 1873: Don Rodrigue ; 9 1873 - 1875: Carmen ; 10 1875 - 2013: Life After Death ; Appendices ; A. Calendar ; B. List of Works ; C. Personalia ; D. Select Bibliography ; Index

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Trade ReviewClark tactfully addresses conspiracy theories surrounding the tragic death, including a far-fetched one, which claimed that England plotted the torpedo attack to lure America into the war. A compelling musical-historical panorama. * Newark Star-Ledger *Table of ContentsForeword by Alicia de Larrocha ; Preface to the Paperback Edition ; Abbreviations ; Map of Spain ; Preludio: Renaissance ; 1. A Born Pianist ; 2. The Emerging Composer ; 3. Works for Piano in a Central European Style ; 4. Teacher, Conductior, Organizer ; 5. Modernisme Catalan ; 6. Catalan Works with Texts by Apeles Mestres ; 7. La Maja de Goya ; 8. Goyescas ; 9. A World of Ideas ; Epilogo: The Legacy of Ideas ; Appendix 1: Genealogy ; Appendix 2: List of Works ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index of Works ; General Index

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Table of ContentsAbout the Companion Website ; Editor's Preface ; Foreword ; Preliminary Remarks ; First Movement ; Second Movement ; Third Movement ; Editions ; Bibliography of Cited Works by Heinrich Schenker ; Bibliography of Cited Works by Other Authors ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn J. S. Bach at His Royal Instrument, author Russell Stinson delves into various unexplored aspects of the organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Drawing on previous research and new archival sources, he sheds light on many of the most mysterious aspects of these masterpieces, and their reception, and shows how they have remained a fixture of Western culture for nearly three hundred years.Trade ReviewA wonderfully readble work of high scholarship ... Anyone with a serious interest in Bach should certainly engage the book carefully and in depth. * Jonathan B. Hall, The American Organist *Table of ContentsContents ; INTRODUCTION ; ONE ; Studies and Discoveries ; TWO ; Bach and the Varied Stollen ; THREE ; Some Observations on Mendelssohn's Reception of Bach's Organ Works ; FOUR ; Bach's Organ Works and Schumann's Neue Zeitschrift ; FIVE ; Cesar Franck as a Receptor of Bach's Organ Works ; Franck's Performances of Bach's Organ Works ; Matters of Pedagogy ; Franck's Compositional Responses to Bach's Organ Works ; SIX ; Edward Elgar as a Receptor of Bach's Organ Works ; Elgar as Bach Interpreter ; Elgar as Bach Devotee and Bach Critic ; Elgar's Bach Transcriptions ; SEVEN ; Aspects of Reception from Bach's Day to the Present ; The Six Trio Sonatas, BWV 525-30 ; The Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532 ; The Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, BWV 533 ; The Toccata and Fugue in F Major, BWV 540 ; The Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542 ; The Six Great Preludes and Fugues, BWV 543-48 ; The Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major, BWV 552 ; The Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C Major, BWV 564 ; The Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 ; The Fantasy in G Major (Piece d'Orgue), BWV 572 ; The Passacaglia in C Minor, BWV 582 ; <"Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ,>" BWV 639 ; <"Herzlich tut mich verlangen,>" BWV 727 ; APPENDIX 1 ; APPENDIX 2 ; LITERATURE CITED

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Book SynopsisThis book reconceives the history and reception of Rhapsody in Blue, freeing it from established narratives and frequently encountered anecdotes. By approaching the Rhapsody as an "arrangement," it shifts emphasis away from a centralized text and from the sole agency of George Gershwin, providing a dynamic and multifaceted reappraisal of this emblematic piece.Trade ReviewA fascinating exploration of the 'active and, at times, surprising life' of an American musical icon. Saturated in original archival research and musical insights, the book offers a vivid, unique account of the Rhapsody as a 'variable idea and not a fixed text'-a savvy approach that opens up fresh ways of hearing and understanding the piece. * Jeffrey Magee, Associate Professor of Music and Theater at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign *Addressing fascinating but little-noticed source material, Arranging Gershwin advances an original thesis that promises to change the way we think about Rhapsody in Blue in particular and the whole question of classical/nonclassical hybridity in general. Moreover, Banagale accomplishes his goal with an accessible, engaging style that draws in the general reader as well as the specialist. * Larry Hamberlin, Middlebury College, author oTin Pan Opera: Operatic Novelty Songs in the Ragtime Era *Table of ContentsCredits ; Acknowledgements ; About the Companion Website ; Introduction: Arranging an Icon ; 1. Complex Compositional Origins: Ferde Grofe and Rhapsody in Blue ; 2. Living Legends: George Gershwin and Rhapsody in Blue ; 3. From Camp to Carnegie Hall: Leonard Bernstein and Rhapsody in Blue ; 4. Rearranging Concert Jazz: Duke Ellington and Rhapsody in Blue ; 5. "It Ain't Necessarily So": Larry Adler and Rhapsody in Blue ; 6. Selling Success: Visual Media and Rhapsody in Blue ; Epilogue: Arranging at Multiple Levels ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe poignant memoir of forgotten Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe, and a remarkable chronicle of the early days of the world's most influential pop group.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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