Composers and songwriters Books

Book SynopsisThis biography of Minna Planer, Richard Wagner's wife of 30 years, reveals her as a self-assured woman and artist who was vital to her husband's creative life. When Richard Wagner first met Minna Planer in 1834, he was an unknown conductor, she a popular actress. His hectic pursuit of her affections culminated in marriage in 1836. Minna endured poverty with him, nursed him through chronic illness, followed him across Europe as he fled from creditors and pursued his artistic goals, and sought to provide him with the stable domestic and erotic life that he craved. He played his works to her as he wrote them, up to Tannhäuser and Lohengrin, and set store by her opinions. But when he went on the run as a wanted revolutionary, Minna only reluctantly followed him into Swiss exile. Domestic peace tentatively prevailed, but was ultimately destroyed by Wagner's passion for Mathilde Wesendonck. In 1858, he and Minna separated, she returned home to Germany, and subsequent efforts at reconciliation proved ultimately impossible. They remained married, however, until Minna's death in 1866. Despite having been at Richard's side as he matured into the composer of the Ring and Tristan, Minna has been given short shrift by most Wagner commentators. In Eva Rieger's acclaimed biography, translated into English by Chris Walton, the author reveals Minna as a self-assured woman and artist who played a crucial role in the creative life of her husband.Trade ReviewFascinating, detailed, and absorbing. Chris Walton has done a superb job in creating the illusion that this volume was written in English. Detailed footnotes are included as well as a number of germane photographs. Marvelous to read and completely engrossing. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *Through Rieger's vivid and sometimes humorous presentation of Richard and Minna's daily life together, we discover an attractive and also tragic figure, courageous, highly adaptable and generous to the point of offering her last piece of bread to a hungry friend, even when she didn't know what her own next meal would be. -- Anna Stoll Knecht * The Wagner Journal *Table of ContentsIllustrations Abbreviations Notes on this translation Introduction: "He could not breathe without her" Chapter 1. "I have become her despot": From Love to Marriage Chapter 2. "Deprived of incipient motherhood": Riga, London, Paris, 1836-1842 Chapter 3. "Home for me is you alone": Dresden 1842-1847 Chapter 4. "My knucklehead of a husband": Revolution and Its Aftermath, 1848-1850 Chapter 5. "This ridiculous, amorous intrigue": The Jessie Laussot Affair, 1850-1851 Chapter 6. "That good, foolish man...": Exile in Zurich, 1852-1854 Chapter 7. "I'm a poor, stupid woman to have let you go...": Zurich and London, 1854-1856 Chapter 8. "Alas, now all our happiness is gone...": The Wesendonck Scandal, 1857-1858 Chapter 9. The Bitter End: 1858-1859 Chapter 10. "In love and fidelity, your Emma": Emma Herwegh Chapter 11. "...neither wife, housekeeper, nor friend": Dresden, Paris, Biebrich, 1860-1862 Chapter 12. "That weak, blind man...": The end of a marriage, 1863-1866 References Index

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Book SynopsisA ground-breaking study of the musical and literary priorities, professional practices and creative interactions that shaped one of the most adventurous artforms of the Belle Époque. French art song, or mélodie, was one of the most radical and exploratory artforms of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was also among the most intimate, a genre of experimentation, hesitation and unfiltered artistic conversation. In this landmark history, Emily Kilpatrick charts the compositional preoccupations and literary stimuli, the friendships and rivalries, critical narratives and performance practices that shaped French art song between 1870 and the First World War. She traces the expanding horizons of an essentially new musical idiom, moving from the lively debates of the avant-garde to the social and artistic contradictions of the salons, the pedagogy of the Paris Conservatoire, and the eventual accession of song to the concert platform and a central place in the world's musical imagination. The mélodie of the Belle Époque flourished amidst a culture of creative collaboration, and through the musicianship and advocacy of performers as well as composers. Setting key works by Fauré, Duparc, Chausson, Debussy, and Ravel alongside historical curiosities and hidden gems, French Art Song: History of a New Music probes composer-performer relationships and the shaping of performance traditions and addresses the challenges faced by the twenty-first century interpreter. Kilpatrick twines cultural history with musical insight and a wealth of previously unpublished source material in a wide-ranging and richly detailed account of the public and private faces of musical invention.Trade ReviewBalances musical analysis with historical narrative and philosophical speculation...[and] deserves the highest praise. Kilpatrick emphasises the hitherto neglected roles of the composer Pierre de Bréville and his partner the tenor Maurice Bagès, and is at her most entertaining in describing the arrival of Fauré as director of the Paris Conservatoire in 1905 and his campaign against the sloppy, narrow-minded voice teaching he found there. A major contribution. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *This landmark study...explores the musical and literary ethos, professional practices, friendships and rivalries, and creative interactions of composers, poets, singers, and painters. Extensively annotated and illustrated. A valuable resource for performers, teachers, and music lovers. Readers can sit by the piano as they read this book loaded with musical extracts from scores. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *A rich, multifaceted study of the mélodie in its 'golden age'...Combines meticulous philology and archival research, poetic and musical analysis, and approaches from social history, feminist critique, and reception studies. Offers close studies of works not treated elsewhere (like Chausson's early songs or Strohl's Bilitis), models of word-text analysis, and rare insights. * MUSICOLOGY AUSTRALIA *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Part I: Poet 1 Baudelaire's Invitation to Composers 2 Song and Memory in the "Terrible Year" 3 "To the Depths of the Unknown in Search of the New!" 4 Interlude: The Poet Sings Part II: Singer 5 Mélodie at the Crossroads 6 Song, Salons, and the "Society Singer" 7 Collaboration and Creative Process 8 Interlude: The Voices of Fêtes Galantes Part III: Public 9 Singing Histories 10 Reimagining Song at the Conservatoire 11 Mélodie Centre Stage 12 Postlude: Philosophies of Composition Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe first biography of the composer Gérard Grisey shows how the artist's sensuality and rigor came together to form the musical genre known as spectralism. The French composer Gérard Grisey (1946-98) changed the course of music history with his small but potent output. Labeled "spectral" music, his compositions looked to the physics of sound and the capacities of human perception for material and inspiration. Born in Belfort, Grisey was the son of a French Resistance veteran turned car mechanic and a homemaker. His first instrument was as humble as his background: the accordion. But Grisey rose from his provincial background to the heights of his profession. This first biography of Grisey traces his journey from rigid Catholicism to broader mysticism; his studies in Olivier Messiaen's legendary composition class; the development of the first "spectral" works in the 1970s; Grisey's stint teaching at the University of California at Berkeley, during which he suffered severe depression; the development of his late, post-spectral style; and his untimely death at the age of 52, shortly after completing his masterpiece on death, the Four Songs for Crossing the Threshold. Drawing on original archival research, interviews with more than fifty of Grisey's colleagues, friends, and lovers, and the study of previously overlooked sketches, this biography shows the delirium and form at the heart of Grisey's life and art—the structured sensuality that allowed him to revolutionize the music of the twentieth century.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. The Lost Voice (1946-1961) 2. The Carnal Shell (1961-1965) 3. The Rhythm of Love (1965-1967) 4. Exchange Beyond Language (1968-1970) 5. The Silence that Attracts (1970-1972) 6. The Sensual Embrace (1972-1974) 7. Ultimate Fusion (1974-1978) 8. Astarte (1978-1979) 9. Extreme Pleasure, Extreme Pain (1980-1982) 10. The Grains of Sound (1982-1986) 11. Absolute Love (1986-1988) 12. Seduced by the Star (1988-1991) 13. Suggestions of the Infinite (1991-1996) 14. Nut (1996-1998) 15. Berceuse Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe formative early ballets of West Side Story creators Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins explored in detail for the very first time. 2022 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Winner. Leonard Bernstein and choreographer Jerome Robbins stand as giants of the musical-theatre world, but it was ballet that launched their stage careers and established their relationship. With Fancy Free (1944), their triumphant debut collaboration produced by Ballet Theatre, Bernstein, Robbins, and set designer Oliver Smith-all in their mid-twenties- captured the spirit of wartime New York, created a defining ballet of the period still widely performed today, and became overnight sensations. The hit musical On the Town (1944) and a now largely forgotten ballet, Facsimile (1946), followed over the next two years. Drawing extensively on previously unpublished archival documents, Bernstein and Robbins: The Early Ballets provides a richly detailed and original historical account of the creation, premiere, and reception of Fancy Free and Facsimile. It reveals the vital and sometimes conflicting role of Ballet Theatre, explores how Bernstein composed the scores, sheds light on the central importance of Oliver Smith, and considers the legacy of these works for all involved. The result is a new understanding of Bernstein, Robbins, and this formative period in their lives.Trade ReviewSophie Redfern's groundbreaking and compelling new book offers a vivid account of the often high-octane collaboration between Leonard Bernstein and the choreographer Jerome Robbins-and to a lesser extent, the theatre designer Oliver Smith. . . . [A] manifestly important book that will undoubtedly establish itself as a classic text in the fields of both Bernstein and ballet studies, and which is distinguished throughout by its expert interweaving of historical narrative, source studies, music analysis, and criticism. -- Mervyn Cooke * MUSIC & LETTERS *This very interesting book primarily relates the early partnership of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins. I enjoyed Redfern's...discussion of the staging and choreography of the various shows. The author wisely includes a discussion of Bernstein's ability to work quickly on theatrical assignments and Robbins's legendary rehearsal requirements, and how that affected their relationship. This book offers corrections to...prior information and presents the ballet information with enough detail to better appreciate the music and choreography. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *For choreographers interested in commissioning scores for their dance pieces, the information contained in this book is very useful. -- Mark Kappel * NEWSNOTES DANCE BLOG *Sophie Redfern's new book on Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins provides a rich portrait of their collaborative relationship [and] the first in-depth, published analysis of their ballets. Her book adds many insights into the working relationship between these two influential figures. A fascinating narrative arc emerges. Redfern's book is important reading for scholars...who want to think more deeply about collaborative relationships between composers and choreographers. * STUDIES IN MUSICAL THEATRE *Rich [archival] materials and Redfern's thorough analysis of Bernstein's music constructively articulate how each artist's individual contributions defined the futures of both ballet and musical theater in the United States...Some of the most compelling highlight Bernstein's adaptation of popular and Latin music into the classical French structure of ballet. Fancy Free's inclusion of defined character motifs, stacked ostinatos, tone rows, and rhythmic complexity would give American ballet a definitive form. * SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN MUSIC BULLETIN *Table of ContentsIntroduction Setting the Scene: American Ballet and Jerome Robbins Towards a First Ballet: Fancy Free Takes Shape Creating Fancy Free: A Long-Distance Collaboration The Music of Fancy Free: The Sketches and Score Explored The Fancy Free Premiere and a Move to Broadway Towards a Second Ballet: Bye Bye Jackie and the Creation of Facsimile The Music of Facsimile: The Sketches and Score Explored The Facsimile Premiere and Legacy of the Ballets Epilogue: Bernstein and Dance Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEssays on the history of bands in America from ca. 1820 to 1930, offering new insights on a major sphere of music making that brought diverse repertories to wide audiences.The essays in this volume, written by leading scholars in the field of American band history, examine a broad spectrum of issues, including biography, performance, repertoire, and marketing. Detailed studies of key turning points in the evolution of bands examine P. S. Gilmore's 1864 New Orleans concerts, the Kaiser-Cornet-Quartett's 1872 tour, the 1892 transition from Gilmore's Band to Sousa's Band, C. G. Conn's lavish artist-endorsement posters, and the demise of the Sousa Band in the late 1920s. Additional essays seek to rectify oversights and add insights to the lives of key figures in band history. African American keyed bugler Frank Johnson's earliest works receive close scrutiny, as does the life of neglected cornet superstar Alice Raymond. A complete reevaluation of Francesco Fanciulli, the US Marine Band leader whose reputation suffered greatly from an 1897 scandal, shows his importance in the realm of conducting and composition. An essay on the repertoire of a town band in antebellum New Hampshire and a documentary study of Civil War bandsmen seek to better understand social aspects of bands in the 1850s and 1860s.Edited by Bryan Proksch and George Foreman. Contributors: Patricia Backhaus, Margaret Downie Banks, Steve Bornemann, Jim A. Davis, Dave Detwiler, Michael B. O'Connor, Eric Roefs, and Colin Roust.

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Book SynopsisBecause Johnny Cash cut his classic singles at Sun Records in Memphis and reigned for years as country royalty from his Nashville-area mansion, people tend to associate the Man in Black with Tennessee. But some of Cash’s best songs—including classics like “Pickin’ Time,” “Big River,” and “Five Feet High and Rising”—sprang from his youth in the sweltering cotton fields of Mississippi County in northeastern Arkansas.In Country Boy, Colin Woodward combines biography, history, and music criticism to illustrate how Cash’s experiences in Arkansas shaped his life and work. The grip of the Great Depression on Arkansas’s small farmers, the comforts and tragedies of family, and a bedrock of faith all lent his music the power and authenticity that so appealed to millions. Though Cash left Arkansas as an eighteen-year-old, he often returned to his home state, playing some of his most memorable and personal concerts on his native soil, where, to use Cash’s phrase, he could touch his roots again. Drawing upon the country legend’s songs and writings, as well as the accounts of family, fellow musicians, and chroniclers, Woodward reveals how the profound sincerity and empathy so central to Cash’s music depended on his maintaining a deep connection to his native Arkansas—a place that never left his soul.Trade Review“Johnny Cash comes alive in Arkansas, and it in him. Though his fabulous career took him far afield, as Colin Woodward tells us in this important book, all roads led back to the piney woods and gumbo soil of his fateful home state.”—Michael Streissguth, Johnny Cash: The Biography“Country Boy is a welcome addition to all things Cash, focusing directly on his home state of Arkansas and the influence it had on shaping his values and nurturing his creativity. Colin Woodward peels away myths and legends, including some perpetuated by Cash himself, and replaces them with facts and absorbing scenarios of how the fictions came about.”—Ruth Hawkins, Emeritus director, Arkansas State University Heritage Sites, and founding director, Johnny Cash Boyhood Home.“Colin Woodward has scraped away any romanticism that might obscure the reality of Cash’s roots: the hardscrabble existence along with nobility, faith, and the best of the human condition. We know where Johnny Cash ended up. This inspiring book tells us how he got there.”—Mark Stielper, music historian “It would be hard to overstate the role of Johnny Cash’s Arkansas upbringing, through Depression and wartime, in shaping the artist and citizen he later became. Country Boy puts Cash in proper historical and geographic context in this vital contribution to our understanding of the Man in Black.”—Michael Stewart Foley, author of Citizen Cash: The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash“In Country Boy: The Roots of Johnny Cash, Colin Edward Woodward argues that the connection between Cash and his native Arkansas deserves far more scholarly attention than it has received in the past. He contends that Arkansas germinated the seed of Cash’s genius and served as a lifelong anchor as he navigated the twists and turns of an iconic career. … Woodward grounds Cash firmly within scholarly sources and wider historical contexts, focusing on Cash’s humanity, his failures and successes as a husband and father, his drug abuse, and his important contributions to prison reform and Native American social justice. Throughout, Woodward keeps Cash grounded as he surveys the artist’s recording career in Memphis, his move to California, and his life on the outskirts of Nashville. Woodward’s musical analysis is particularly strong throughout the book. … The book is accessible and well-researched, and a welcome addition to southern history. Woodward’s command of Cash historiography is clear, and his careful use of contemporary newspaper coverage, family remembrances, and Cash’s own words renders a compelling argument worthy of recommendation.”—Brian Dempsey, Journal of Southern History, August 2023

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Book SynopsisBroadcasting the Ozarks explores the vibrant country music scene that emerged in Springfield, Missouri, in the 1930s and thrived for half a century. Central to this history is the Ozark Jubilee (1955–60), the first regularly broadcast live country music show on network television. Dubbed the “king of the televised barn dances,” the show introduced the Ozarks region to viewers across America and put Springfield in the running with Nashville for dominance of the country music industry—with the Jubilee’s producer, Si Siman, at the helm. Siman’s life story is almost as remarkable as the show he produced. He was booking Tommy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, and Glenn Miller during the mid-1930s while still a high school student and produced nationally syndicated country music radio shows in the decades that followed. Siman was a promotional genius with an ear for talent, a persuasive gift for gab, and the energy and persistence to make things happen for many future Country Music Hall of Famers, including Chet Atkins, Porter Wagoner, the Browns, and Brenda Lee. Following the Jubilee’s five-year run, Siman had a hand in some of the greatest hits of the twentieth century as a music publisher, collaborating with such songwriters as rockabilly legend and fellow Springfieldian Ronnie Self, who wrote Brenda Lee’s signature hit, “I’m Sorry,” and Wayne Carson, who wrote Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind.” Although Siman had numerous opportunities to find success in bigger cities, he chose to do it all from his home in the Ozarks.

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Book SynopsisDespite the nearly universal fame of the Beatles, many people only know the fairytale version of the iconic group's rise to fame. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Liverpool, Francis Kenny reveals the real John Lennon who preceded the legend, showing how his childhood shaped his personality, creative process, and path to success, and how it also destroyed his mental health, leading to the downfall of one of the most confident and brilliant musicians of the past century.The Making of John Lennon is a must-read for any Beatles fan. It explains how Lennon's turbulent family background affected his relationships, why the true inspiration for "Strawberry Fields" could not be revealed, how Pete Best's college connection led to his removal from the group, and why class backgrounds were the real reason for the breakup of the legendary band. Offering a complex portrait of Lennon's early life, The Making of John Lennon tells the true story behind the rise of the legendary icon.Trade ReviewThis isn't a roller-coaster ride, skipping through John Lennon's life, but a carefully prepared examination of his early years, slowly examining the general picture that surrounded John's life, rather than focusing on one specific aspect, wrapping the surroundings of the city, the family, the friends, the music and the events which forged the young man who became a 20th century icon, into a whole. -- Bill Harry, author of The John Lennon EncyclopediaThe author focuses on the question of what might have caused the downfall of one of the most brilliant musicians of the past century. Kenny emphasizes three main influences which helped shape Lennon's creative process and stayed with him throughout his life: his strong roots in his hometown of Liverpool; his troubled mental health; and a turbulent family background. * Huffington Post *Table of ContentsMilestones in The Making of John LennonIntroduction1. 1800s: City of Outsiders2. 1900s: Toxteth Park3. 1940-45: Salvation Army Hospital4. 1946-50: Wandsworth Jail5. 1950-55: Gladstone Hall6. 1955-57: Town and Country7. 1957-60: Hope Street8. 1960-61: The Wyvern Club9. 1961-62: Great Charlotte Street10. 1961-62: The Grapes11. 1963-64: Liverpool Town Hall12. 1964: Hansel and Gretel House13. 1965: Perugia Way14. 1965-66: Candlestick Park15. 1966-67: Cavendish Avenue16. 1967-68: Foothills of the Himalayas17. 1968: Abbey Road18. 1969: Savile Row19. 1969 (Part 2): Tittenhurst20. 1970-71: Dakota BuildingEpilogueEndnote ReferencesBibliographyInterviewsUseful Websites

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Book SynopsisHarry Vanda and George Young put Friday on our minds, triggered Easyfever with the Easybeats, and harnessed the raw energy and power of Aussie pub rock to make superstars of AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, and the Angels. The day Vanda and Young met at Sydneys Villawood Migrant Hostel has been called the most significant moment in Australian music history. What followed, as members of the Easybeats, producers and mentors for Georges brothers band AC/DC, and songwriters of a diverse range of hits from Friday on My Mind, Shes So Fine, Yesterdays Hero and Love is in the Air to Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, has provided the soundtrack to the last 50 years. Featuring revelatory interviews with Vanda and Young and members AC/DC and the other chart-topping acts they worked with, this is the inspirational story of Australias top songwriters, producers and starmakers.

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Book SynopsisJimi Hendrix: Soundscapes offers fascinating new insight into Hendrix's resounding talent and the way he exploited the physical places and noise around him to create his distinct, innovative sound.

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Book SynopsisChristopher Fifield's remarkable study explores the personality, life and work of a conductor who influenced and inspired the leading composers, singers and instrumentalists of his day. The Austro-Hungarian Hans Richter (1843-1916) was the first career-conductor to gain international fame. His first appointment was to Budapest, and he went on to dominate music-making in Vienna, Bayreuth, London, Manchester (withthe Hallé Orchestra) and other towns and cities in Britain and Europe between 1865 and 1912. Richter gave first performances of works by Wagner, Brahms, Elgar, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Stanford and Parry and helped to further the careers of Dvorák, Sibelius, Bartók and Glazunov. Christopher Fifield's remarkable study explores the personality, life and work of a conductor who influenced and inspired the leading composers, singers and instrumentalists of his day. Originally published in 1993, this revised and expanded edition contains extensive new material in the form of Richter's conducting books. Translated and reproduced in full, they detail every one of the 4,351 public performances Richter gave in a professional life spanning 47 years. Drawing on Richter's own diaries, the book also presents his correspondence with many contemporary composers (Wagner in particular) and performers. Fifield's biography of this seminal figure provides a revealing insight into British and European music and concert life during the long nineteenth century. CHRISTOPHER FIFIELD is a conductor, music historian, lecturer and broadcaster.He is the editor and author of the Letters and Diaries of Kathleen Ferrier and Max Bruch: His Life and Works, both published in new editions by The Boydell Press. He has also written Ibbs & Tillett - The rise andfall of a Musical Empire and The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms.Trade Review[W]ritten in a very engaging style with little tidbits about seemingly everyone. . . .This is, obviously, an important book if you are interested in conducting and 19th Century performance, but it also gives a wonderful look at the whole musical culture in Germany and England at the time. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *An outstanding achievement, not merely a model biographical study, but one which will have set truly high standards for any future scholars. * BRIO *A formidable achievement...The sheer weight of archival research and supporting documentary evidence in this study is extraordinary...Even those who possess the original publication of 1993 should invest in this new edition. * THE WAGNER JOURNAL *Table of Contents1843-1865 Childhood and Years of Study 1866-1867 Tribschen 1868-1869 Munich 1870-1871 Brussels : Tribschen 1871-1874 Budapest 1874-1875 Budapest and Bayreuth 1875 Vienna 1876 Bayreuth 1877 London 1878-1879 Vienna 1879-1880 Friends and Enemies 1880-1881 London and Vienna 1881-1882 Richter and d'Albert 1882 Richter and d'Albert 1882-1883 The Master's Death 1884 More Opera in London 1885-1886 Vienna, London and Birmingham 1887-1888 Return to Bayreuth 1889-1900 Vienna 1897-1900 Richter and Mahler 1889-1890 England 1891-1895 England 1895-1900 England 1890-1899 Bayreuth 1894-1899 Richter's diary 1899-1900 Hallé Orchestra 1900-1902 England 1903-1904 England 1904-1906 England 1906-1908 England 1908-1909 England 1909-1911 England 1911-1914 Retirement 1914-1916 The Last Years Finale Hans Richter's Conducting Books Appendix 1: Works conducted by Hans Richter Appendix 2: Cities and towns where Richter conducted Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisA detailed and long-overdue study of Frank Bridge's music and its socio-cultural and aesthetic contexts The English composer, violist, and conductor Frank Bridge (1879-1941), a student of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, was one of the first modernists in British music, developing the most radical and lastingly modern musical languageof his generation. Bridge was also one of the most accomplished British composers of chamber music in the twentieth century. After the lyrical romanticism of the early period, a notable expansion of style can be observed as earlyas 1913, leading eventually to the radical language of the Piano Sonata and Third String Quartet, drawing on influences such as Debussy, Stravinsky and the Second Viennese School composers.However, Bridge became frustrated that his later, more complex music was often ignored in favour of his earlier 'Edwardian' works; this neglect of his mature music contributed to the growing obscurity into which his music and reputation fell in his last years and afterhis death. Symptomatically, Bridge is still often remembered primarily for privately tutoring Benjamin Britten, who later championed his teacher's music and paid homage to him in the 'Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge' (1937).This book, the first detailed, and long-overdue, study of Bridge's music and its relevant socio-cultural and aesthetic contexts, encourages a more thorough understanding of Bridge's style and development and will appeal to readers with interests in British music, early twentieth-century modernism and post-romanticism as well as genre and style. FABIAN HUSS is Visiting Fellow at the University of Bristol and has published widely on British music (particularly EJ Moeran), with an emphasis on cultural history, and aesthetic and analytical issues.Trade ReviewA major landmark. * THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL MUSICAL ASSOCIATION *This book is a tour de force ...an intense study of Frank Bridge's music. * SPIRITED *This volume is a crucial addition to scholarship. Being the first 'detailed and long-overdue study of Bridge' it will be of huge interest to serious researchers into his music. Added value here is the thoughtful analysis of many works that have been previously ignored or just touched upon by critics. The book will be of great help to all reviewers and popularisers who choose to explore Frank Bridge's music. * MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL *Table of ContentsIntroduction Background, Royal College of Music and Early Works First Maturity Transitional Period Bridge's Post-Tonal Idiom; Piano Sonata and Third String Quartet Interlude: Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Progressive Works, 1927-1932 Interlude: Benjamin Britten Last Years List of Works Bibliography

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Book SynopsisHow have Handel's 'lives' in biographies and histories moulded our understanding of the musician, the man and the icon? To evaluate the familiar, even over-familiar, story of Handel's life could be seen as a quixotic endeavour. How can there be anything new to say? This book seeks to distinguish fact from fiction, not only to produce a new biography but also to explore the concepts of biography and dissemination by using Handel's life and lives as a case study. By examining the images of Handel to be found in biographies and music histories - the genius, the religious profound, the master of musical styles, the distiller into music of English sentiment, the glorifier of the Hanoverians, the hymner of the middle class, the independent, the prodigious, the generous, the sexless, the successful, the wealthy, the bankrupt, the pious, the crude, the heroic, the devious, the battler of ill-fortune, the moral exemplar - and by adding new factual information, David Hunter shows how events are manipulated into stories and tropes. Onesuch trope has been employed to portray numerous persons as Handel's enemies regardless of whether Handel considered them as such. Picking apart the writing of Handel's biographers and other reporters, Hunter exposes the narrative underpinnings - the lies, confusions, presumptions, and conclusions, whether direct and inferred or assumed - to show how Handel's 'lives' in biographies and histories have moulded our understanding of the musician, the man andthe icon. DAVID HUNTER is Music Librarian at the University of Texas at Austin.Trade ReviewAt the heart of his project is an attempt to explore the gap between image and individual-in this case, between 'Handel' and Handel. Handel as image, argues Hunter, is a phenomenon that has superseded Handel the person.the care and intelligence with which Hunter interrogates the facts of Handel's life, and their use by biographers, should attract the attention of all readers interested in the perils and pleasures of biography. * EARLY MUSIC *[A] unique contribution to Handel scholarship. * MUSIC & LETTERS *Handel was an early entrepreneurial composer: he owned his own opera company, he borrowed from himself and others to increase his musical output, and he was impressively resourceful for his time. This study focuses on the multiple representations of Handel that were at least partly a result of his legendary resourcefulness as well as on questions that remain about his sexuality, health (disability), nationalism, friends and acquaintances, and so on. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Audience: Three Broad Categories, Three Gross Errors The Audience: Partner and Problem Musicians and Other Occupational Hazards Patrons and Pensions Musical Genres and Compositional Practices Self and Health Self and Friends Nations and Stories Biographers' Stories Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAn international collaboration between leading scholars showcases a broad spectrum of observations on Handel and his music, covering many aspects of modern interdisciplinary and traditional philological musicology. As soon as Handel composed, rehearsed and performed his music, it was already a subject of fascination for the authors of reports, polemics and critical appraisals. The continuous yet evolving culture of Handelian studies is represented here in its current state by several generations of scholars who are inspired by the research, publications and teaching of Donald Burrows. This festschrift contains twenty essays that exemplify aspects both of traditional philological enquiry and of modern interdisciplinary musicology. Much like a baroque dramma per musica, the narrative is divided into three parts. Act I, 'Handel's Music and Creative Practices', is an exposition that sets the scene and introduces the main characters: musical case studies stretch from his first opera Almira (Hamburg, 1705) to his last English oratorio The Triumph of Time and Truth (London, 1757). Act II, is 'Sources, Documents and Attributions', develops complications to the plot: there is new information about the authenticity of chamber cantatas and instrumental pieces, and reports on manuscript, printed, and archival sources that demonstrate how primary research may be interpreted and understood. Act III, 'Context and Reception', moves us towards the lieto fine: some broad contexts of Handel in relation to his contemporaries and colleagues are considered alongside reception studies of the composer's music both within and after his lifetime. DAVID VICKERS teaches Academic Studies at Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester) and is a council member of The Handel Institute. CONTIBUTORS: Graydon Beeks, Michael Burden, John Butt, Hans Dieter Clausen, Matthew Gardner, Anthony Hicks, David Hunter, H. Diack Johnstone, Andrew V. Jones, David Kimbell, Richard G. King, Annette Landgraf, Tríona O'Hanlon, Suzana Ograjenšek, Leslie M. M. Robarts, John H. Roberts, Ruth Smith, Colin Timms, David Vickers and Silas Wollston.Trade ReviewNew Perspectives on Handel's Music presents a touching, well-deserved tribute to Burrows and his distinguished career as a preeminent Handel scholar. * Music Library Association Notes *This book approaches Handel and his music from a range of perspectives, mixing close analysis of scores, images, catalogues, and texts, with reception history, insights into Handel's business relationships, and glimpses into gender studies and the psychology of music. * Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies *This weighty festschrift is a 'must' for all serious students of Handel and his context, and for all music libraries. It is a worthy tribute to a great and much-loved Handelian scholar. * The Consort *Table of ContentsOuverture David Vickers Act I. Handel's Music and Creative Practices 1 'Almire regiere': Some Reflections on the First Aria in Handel's First Opera David Kimbell 2 Il pastor fido by Guarini (1585) and Handel (1712): From tragicommedia pastorale to dramma per musica Suzana Ograjenšek 3 Late or Soon? Cadential Timing in the Continuo Recitatives of Handel and his Contemporaries John H. Roberts 4 Handel's Bilingual Versions of Esther and Deborah, 1734-1737 David Vickers 5 Handel's Compositional Process in the Creation of the Grand Concertos, Op. 6 Silas Wollston 6 The London Revisions of Handel's First Roman Oratorio: Il trionfo del Tempo e della Verità (1737) and The Triumph of Time and Truth (1757) Matthew Gardner Act II. Sources, Documents and Attributions 7 Handel's Continuo Cantatas: Problems of Authenticity, Classification and Chronology Andrew V. Jones 8 When and Why Did Handel Replace his Conducting Scores? Hans Dieter Clausen 9 Handel, the Duke of Chandos and Investing in the Royal African Company David Hunter 10 Handel and Comus at Exton Colin Timms 11 Wordbooks for Handel's Oratorios, Especially Joseph and his Brethren and Hercules: Copyright and Production Leslie M.M. Robarts 12 New Music by Handel for Horns? †Anthony Hicks (rev. Colin Timms) Act III. Context and Reception 13 Bach and Handel: Differences within a Common Culture of Musical Invention John Butt 14 Le rivale regine: Faustina and Cuzzoni in Satirical Engravings, Literature and Opera in the 1720s and 1730s Richard G. King 15 Charles Jennens Revisited Ruth Smith 16 'O Come, Let us Sing unto the Lord': Performances of the Cannons Anthems during Handel's Lifetime Graydon Beeks 17 Charity Performances of Handel's Works in Eighteenth-Century Dublin (1736-1760) Tríona O'Hanlon 18 Early Keepers of the Flame: Vanneschi (and Handel) at the Opera Michael Burden 19 Revamped Handel: The Content and Context of his So-Called 'Miserere' H. Diack Johnstone 20 Handel's 'celebrated Largo': Remarks on the Reception History of 'Ombra mai fu' Annette Landgraf The Works of Donald Burrows Index of Handel's Works General Index Tabula Gratulatoria

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Book SynopsisA complete new edition of Beethoven's conversation books, now translated into English in their entirety for the first time. Covering a period associated with the revolutionary style of what we call "late Beethoven", these often lively and compelling conversations are now finally accessible in English for the scholar and Beethoven-lover. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is recognized the world over as a composer of musical masterpieces exhibiting heroic strength, particularly in the face of his increasing deafness from ca. 1798. By 1818, the Viennese composer hadbegun carrying blank booklets with him, for his acquaintances to jot their sides of conversations, while he answered aloud. Often, he himself used the pocket-sized booklets to make shopping lists and other reminders, including occasional early sketches for his compositions. Today, 139 of these booklets survive, covering the years 1818 up to the composer's death in 1827 and including such topics as music, history, politics, art, literature, theatre, religion, and education as perceived on a day-to-day basis in post-Napoleonic Europe. An East German edition, begun in the 1960s and essentially complete by 2001, represents a diplomatic transcription of these documents. It is a masterpiece of pure scholarship but is difficult to use for anyone who is not a specialist. Moreover, Beethoven scholarship has moved on significantly since the long-ranging genesis of the German edition. These important booklets are here translated into English in their entirety for the first time. The volumes in this series include an updated editorial apparatus, with revised and expanded notes and many new footnotes exclusive to this edition, and brand new introductions, which together place many of the quickly changing conversational topics into context. Due to the editor's many years of research in Vienna, his acquaintance with its history and topography, as well as his familiarity with obscure documentary resources, this edition represents an entirely new venture in source studies - vitally informative for scholars not only in music but also in a wide variety of disciplines. At the same time, these often lively and compelling conversations are now finally accessible for the English-speaking music lover or history buff who might want to dip into them and hear what Beethoven and his friends were discussing at the next table.Trade ReviewThis is going to send everybody scurrying to revise biographical concepts about Beethoven...the conversation books are going to be a game-changer...these 'compelling conversations' will finally allow English-speaking music lovers to hear what Beethoven and his friends were discussing. * THE OBSERVER *This is absolutely fascinating. John Suchet, * CLASSIC FM *Featured in the10 must-read books for Beethoven 250, * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *Just how deaf was Beethoven? As the 250th-anniversary year of the German composer's birth gathers pace, a leading music scholar has given this often debated matter an added twist. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *A brilliantly accessible piece of scholarship. . . . As they flash from scene to scene, with a huge cast of characters taking turns in the spotlight, these extraordinary little books read like a film script, with a laconic but massive presence at its heart. It's a goldmine for music historians, and a riveting saga for the rest of us. -- Michael Church * BBC Music Magazine *The publication of the third volume of this much-hoped-for series of the surviving conversation books in English is very much to be welcomed, coming as it does hot on the heels of volumes 1 and 2. . . . Overall the volumes are a very salutary corrective of the oft-encountered "heroic" narratives of Beethoven's life, especially in the way they illustrate the more mundane and human preoccupations and activities of the great composer. The Boydell Press are again much to be thanked for their involvement in the publication of these fascinating documents. Vol. 4 is eagerly anticipated. -- Thomas Cooper * The Consort *Table of ContentsHeft 17 (ca. May 27, 1822 - ca. June 12/13, 1822) Heft 18 (ca. October 31/November 1, 1822 - November 4, 1822) Heft 19 (January 19, 1823 - January 26, 1823) Heft 20 (January 21, 1823 - January 26, 1823) Heft 21 (January 27, 1823 - January 30, 1823) Heft 22 (January 30, 1823 - February 6, 1823) Heft 23 (ca. February 6/7, 1823 - February 12, 1823) Heft 24 (February 12, 1823 - February 21/22, 1823) Heft 25 (February 22, 1823 - March 2, 1823) Heft 26 (March 4, 1823) Heft 27 (ca. March 20, 1823 - March 26, 1823) Heft 28 (March 31, 1823 - April 8, 1823) Heft 29 (April 11, 1823 - April 17, 1823) Heft 30 (ca. April 20, 1823 - April 26, 1823) Heft 31 (April 27, 1823 - May 4, 1823) Appendix A: Descriptions of the Conversation Books in Volume 3 Bibliography

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Book SynopsisA new collection with contributions from performing musicians and Grainger scholars and a detailed Catalogue of Works. In the thirty years since his Centenary in 1982 it has become even clearer that Percy Grainger [1882-1961] - composer, pianist and revolutionary - was a man born out of his time. Many of his ideas, both musical and social, sit farmore easily in our contemporary world. Those thirty years have also seen a notable expansion of interest in Grainger's music. Innumerable recordings have been made, including the first complete Grainger recording survey by Chandos in its monumental Grainger Edition. The growth of the internet has made it possible, as never before, for Grainger's music to be heard widely. The central theme of The New Percy Grainger Companion is to give information and help from established musicians for performing and listening to this life-celebrating repertoire. The Companion's fully detailed, up-to-date Catalogue of Works - the most complete of any existing catalogue - givesinvaluable assistance. Authoritative contextual chapters in the Companion offer some surprising new background information, together with thoughtful evaluations which signal a new twenty-first century perspective in Grainger scholarship. PENELOPE THWAITES is recognised internationally as a leading Grainger exponent. Her research, performances and extensive Grainger discography over four decades reflect a unique understanding of the manand his music. Contributors: BRIAN ALLISON, TERESA BALOUGH, ROGER COVELL, KAY DREYFUS, LEWIS FOREMAN, PAUL JACKSON, JAMES JUDD, JAMES KOEHNE, ASTRID BRITT KRAUTSCHNEIDER, BARRY PETER OULD, STEWART MANVILLE, MURRAY MCLACHLAN, TIMOTHY REYNISH, BRUCE CLUNIES ROSS, DESMOND SCOTT, PETER SCULTHORPE, GEOFFREY SIMON, RONALD STEVENSON, STEPHEN VARCOE, DAVID WALKERTrade ReviewAn essential handbook for anyone doing research on Percy Grainger himself, on the musical world of his time, or on the types and forms of music which he wrote or researched...handbooks such as this provide the folklorist with the background to understanding the life and work of a figure who had a deep interest in folk music and the music of the non-Western world. * FOLKLORE *A highly readable and important volume. [It will] prove invaluable to both performers and researchers in years to come. * BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY *The New Percy Grainger Companion [...] does Grainger's legacy a great service because of the rich, and at times unexpected, contexts against which the man and his music are set. * MUSIC & LETTERS *This book successfully removes his masks of bravado, outrageousness, contradictions and obsessions to reveal a vulnerable, warm humane man, who was proud to call Australia home. * STRINGENDO *It is a breath of fresh air [...] to encounter a book that concentrates exclusively on Grainger's work as a composer, pianist and pioneering thinker. [...] it contributes very usefully to a better understanding of this truly remarkable Australian figure. * MUSIC FORUM *Grainger is not just a composer, or a pianist, or an arranger, he is a phenomenon. And in The New Percy Grainger Companion we are given a vision of that phenomenon in the wealth of his music and in his wide global context. * . *Thwaites and her fellow contributors go far in restoring to general consciousness the full scope of Grainger's work as composer, performer, and ethnomusicologist. The book has something to offer almost every conceivable audience. [...] Recommended. * CHOICE *This is an invaluable book about one of music's least understood practitioners. [...] British-born Australian pianist and composer Penelope Thwaites has done a terrific job piecing together the jigsaw that was Grainger. * THE AUSTRALIAN *[T]his handsome volume is an invaluable - and essential - contribution towards a fuller understanding of a composer on the cusp of overdue rediscovery. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *Recommended without hesitation. * THE DELIAN *This book is full of useful advice. * SYDNEY MORNING HERALD *Generously filled with black and white photographs, reproductions of programmes and musical illustrations, this handsome volume is an invaluable - and essential - contribution towards a fuller understanding of a composer on the cusp of overdue recovery. * INTERNATIONAL PIANO *Thwaites has already contributed substantially to a Grainger revival [...]. Here, as an editor, she manages the trick of finely balancing the various competing aspects of Grainger's energetic and highly productive life [...]. This New Companion succeeds in its aim to portray a complicated man in all his variety [...]. * TLS *

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Book SynopsisWitold Lutoslawski was one of the most important composers of the twentieth century, whose significance extends far beyond his native Poland. His vita is just as captivating as his compositionally path-breaking music. Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994) was one of the most important composers of the twentieth century. His significance extends far beyond his native Poland: his classical music was premiered by internationally renowned performers likethe LaSalle Quartet and Krystian Zimerman, and his symphonies, concertante, chamber, instrumental and vocal music are produced by the leading labels of the recording industry. Lutoslawski's vita is just as captivating as his compositionally path-breaking music. He lived through the Second World War and brutal German oppression of Poland, negotiated the challenges of Soviet influence and fluctuating local politics during Poland's post-war transition to communism, and finally strove for a new voice in the post-Stalin Thaw of the mid-1950s. Lutoslawski's Worlds is a landmark volume which looks at the multi-faceted spheres that informed the composer's life and works andrepresents a new departure in the study of his music. Throughout his life, he steered musicologists away from the connections between his extraordinary biography and concert music. He also sought to minimize scholarly attention to the many other spheres of creative activity - popular music, theatre music, film scoring, propaganda music, and educational music - that occupied him. In this volume, for the first time, the world's leading Lutoslawski scholars consider the full range of his musical output and the biographical, cultural and historical contexts in which those musics were created. It contends that all of Lutoslawski's worlds are equally worthy of study, because each represents an opportunity better to understand the life and music of a figure of paramount importance to the critical and cultural history of twentieth-century music.Table of ContentsIntroduction - Lisa Jakelski and Nicholas Reyland Witold Lutoslawski's Muzyka zalobna [1958] and the Construction of Genius - Lisa Cooper Vest Personal Loss, Cultural Grief, and Lutoslawski's Music of Mourning - Nicholas Reyland Lutoslawski's String Quartet: Mourning, Melancholia, and Modern Subjectivity - Michael L. Klein Behind the Curtain of Oblivion: Lutoslawski's Music for Theatre and Radio Plays - Wioleta Muras Derwid as Lutoslawski's Patron - Danuta Gwizdalanka Witold Lutoslawski in Occupied Warsaw - Katarzyna Naliwajek-Mazurek Lutoslawski and Sonoristics - Iwona Lindstedt Lutoslawski on Contemporary Music: Critical Commentary in Letters and Documents from the Lutoslawski Correspondence Collection - Stanislaw Bedkowski Witold Lutoslawski's Artistic Diary: an Unknown Document of the Composer's Creative Path - Zbigniew Skowron MAT. LUDOWE: The Lutos File - Adrian Thomas Lutoslawski and Stalinism: Contextualizing Artistic and Political Choices around 1950 - David G. Tompkins Lutoslawski's Political Refrains - Andrea F. Bohlman Lutoslawski, Revived and Remixed - Lisa Jakelski Heart and Brain, Tradition and Modernism: Lutoslawski and the Continuing Story of Harmony - Steven Stucky Selected Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis first full biography of Edward J. Dent (1876-1957), Cambridge Professor of Music and foremost musicologist, tells the story of a remarkable man who played a crucial role in the formation of twentieth-century culture and cultural institutions. Operating at both personal and international levels, Dent knew and quietly influenced musicians, poets, artists, writers, politicians, theatrical producers and designers, including Busoni, E.M. Forster, Sassoon and Maynard Keynes. The book covers not only his pioneering music scholarship and cultural activities but also his personal crusades on behalf of music and opera, gays, refugees and the culturally destitute. Drawn from a wide variety of unpublished sources, from behind Dent's carefully constructed public persona of a cosmopolitan gentleman scholar the picture emerges of a more complex and fascinating human being: a lifelong pacifist and agnostic; a scion of the upper classes who voted Labour; 'the kindest heart and the wickedest tongue in Cambridge', who always helped friends in need; a natural rebel and iconoclast; an English internationalist. His seminal books and articles remain fresh and vital and his writing hugely entertaining, while his ideas on the importance of the arts in everyday life are as relevant as ever. Dent's fundamental belief in 'training the imagination' and in personal friendships, along with his lifelong quest to 'understand all music', kept music and the arts alive through the most dire periods in the last century and into our own.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Edward J. Dent: Another Kind of Genius 1: The Ribston Pippin 1876-1894 2: The Bumptious Undergraduate 1895-1899 3: The Accidental Scholar 1899-1901 4: The Travelling Fellow 1901-1907 5: The Wanderer 1906-07 6: The 'New Spirit' 1907-1910 7: The Impresario 1910-1914 8: The Pacifist 1914-1918 9: The Journalist 1919-1922 10: The International Musician 1922-1926 11: The Professor 1926-1931 12: The Juggler 1931-1934 13: The Beleaguered Diplomat 1935-36 14: The Colonial Doctor 1936-39 15: Titurel 1939-1945 16: Tityvillus 1946-1957 Afterword Appendix: Dent's Ulcer Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA detailed study of the well-known, yet poorly understood, music theory of composer Paul Hindemith (1895-1963). The music theory of composer Paul Hindemith (1895-1963), originally entitled Unterweisung im Tonsatz, is well known, yet poorly understood. This book provides a critical engagement with Hindemith's Unterweisung, particularly concerning its relationship to existing acoustic music theories. By examining different Unterweisung-versions, it charts the evolution of Hindemith's use of language and mode of communication, including his reference to polytonality, atonality, Fuxian species counterpoint, and avoidance of existing music for his examples. It also elaborates the source material on which the theory is based, using a reconstruction of Hindemith's personal library. Central to the book is the relationship of Hindemith's Unterweisung to his compositional practice. Hindemith's fascination with the challenges of music theory falls into a middle period in his oeuvre, enabling profitable comparisons with his compositional practice both before and after his theory-making. The book also comprises a detailed discussion of Hindemith's theoretical and compositional legacy. Beginning with an overview of existing polemics, it draws together unpublished materials from the Yale Hindemith Institute with reminiscences from former students to construct an Unterweisung reception history. The book shows that, while many areas of Hindemith's theory have been overtaken by recent interests in music theory that relate to cognition and geometry, his influence has been deeply felt. SIMON DESBRUSLAIS is Lecturer in Music and Director of Performance at the University of Hull and an internationally acclaimed trumpet soloist.Table of ContentsIntroduction An Unterweisung Critical Commentary Hindemith's Fourths Stylistic Borrowing and Pre-Unterweisung Music The Ludus Tonalis as Quintessential Hindemith Theory-based Revisions Practical Music and Practical Textbooks The Hindemith Legacy Postlude Bibliography

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Book SynopsisJohn Sigismond Cousser, as performer and composer, was a pioneering figure in the musical history of the European Baroque era. John Sigismond Cousser - born Johann Sigismund Kusser in Pressburg, Hungary in 1660 - was a pioneering figure in the musical history of the Baroque era. Having worked professionally as a performer and composer across Europe over the span of a fifty-year career, this well-travelled and cosmopolitan musician was subsequently acknowledged by Johann Mattheson as having played a key role in the transmission of both the French and Italian musical styles throughout the German-speaking lands. Following study in Paris, Cousser was employed at a string of German courts, training musicians in the newly fashionable French style. At the court of Duke Anton Ulrich in Wolfenbüttel, he experienced at first hand performances of opera by Italian virtuosos and subsequently introduced countless German musicians and their audiences to the Italian musical style. Yet with the onset of war in 1701, Cousser was forced to seek his fortune elsewhere, moving to London in 1704 before settling permanently in Ireland. The Well-Travelled Musician expands current knowledge of Cousser's early life and professional career significantly, examining his particular role in the dissemination of music and musical styles throughout the German-speaking lands, as well as in early eighteenth-century London and Dublin. Drawing upon a rich body of primary sources, above all the unparalleled evidence contained in Cousser's so-called commonplace book, it reveals the practicalities of early modern musical exchange at a grass-roots level, from Pressburg (now Bratislava) to Paris, Hamburg to Dublin, and beyond. SAMANTHA OWENS is Associate Professor of Musicology at Victoria University of Wellington, New ZealandTrade ReviewA substantial contribution to our knowledge of not just Cousser but also baroque musical culture. * THE CONSORT *An exciting contribution to the study of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century musical life through the unique lens of the everyday experiences of musicmaking... a valuable perspective that hopefully will encourage future studies of a similar kind, and for which Owens's monograph would serve as an excellent model. * CONTEXT: A JOURNAL OF MUSIC RESEARCH *Will be of interest not only to musicologists, but anyone with an interest on social and cultural exchange across Europe in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. * SLAVONIC AND EAST EUROPEAN REVIEW *This wonderful and much-needed monograph not only provides the essential information about Cousser's life and career, but also allows us to examine the contents of a precious little book, pocket-sized that Cousser kept and wrote in from the 1690s until his death. . . . [which] 'offers a wealth of evidence concerning activities and preoccupations of a Baroque musician, not only professionally, but also far beyond that sphere' . . . . [Genuine praise is due Samantha Owens for offering us this fascinating and excellent addition to our music libraries. * EARLY MUSIC AMERICA *Table of ContentsIntroduction: John Sigismond Cousser and his 'Commonplace Book' Hungarian Beginnings and the Adoption of French Musical Style Kapellmeister at the Wolfenbüttel Court and Braunschweig Opera House Ariadne to Porus - Cousser's Braunschweig Operas 'The Incomparable Director' in Hamburg, Nuremberg and Augsburg Heliconische Musen-Lust - Opera at the Württemberg Court 'Il Paradiso terrestre'? - Cousser in London 'Fortune Not Blind' - Music for Dublin Castle 'Our Concert' - A Musician at Home Cousser's 'Collection of Fine Musick' and the Practicalities of Musical Exchange Appendix 1: Summary of the Contents of Cousser's 'Commonplace Book' Appendix 2: Cousser's Address Book Appendix 3:Cousser's Books of Cantatas, Madrigals, Duets and Serenatas Appendix 4:Cousser's Inventory of Ouverture Incipits Appendix 5: Transcription of Cousser's Notes for his 1716 Trip to London and the Continent

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Book SynopsisJoseph Joachim (1831-1907) was arguably the greatest violinist of the nineteenth century. But Joachim was also a composer of virtuoso pieces, violin concertos, orchestral overtures and chamber music works. Uhde's book will be thestandard work on the music of Joseph Joachim for many years to come. Joseph Joachim (1831-1907), of Jewish-Hungarian descent, was arguably the greatest violinist of the nineteenth century. His performing career in Berlin transformed the aesthetics and interpretation of German music. But Joachim wasalso a composer of virtuoso pieces, violin concertos, orchestral overtures, and chamber music works, all written between 1847 and 1864 in one intense outpouring of creativity. Katharina Uhde follows Joachim's compositionalpath through a changing cultural milieu. Joachim's compositions display intimate knowledge of the works of Mendelssohn, Wagner, Liszt, Schumann, and Brahms, yet he was no mere imitator. Joachim's style, classically conceived yetseasoned with a preference for dark, melancholy soundscapes and, in the earlier years, ciphers, virtuosity, and 'psychological' programmaticism, emerges as the product of various personal and socio-cultural currents: his search for national, religious, and cultural identity and a mature compositional style. Joachim's music drew on a wealth of treasures accumulated in his process of 'enculturation', which began with Mendelssohn in Leipzig. Joachim'saesthetic evolved from a deeply subjective approach, not insignificantly inspired by his muse, Gisela von Arnim. Her circle - the von Arnim and Grimm families - became Joachim's cultural and literary haven. But unforeseen events also impacted his output, among them Schumann's death, the ascent of the young Brahms, and the 'War of the Romantics'. Joachim's music throws light onto a vibrant decade, colored by realism, naturalism, new visual technologies, andemerging academic disciplines including psychology. Uhde's book will be the standard work on the music of Joseph Joachim for many years to come. KATHARINA UHDE is Assistant Professor for Violin and Musicology at Valparaiso University, IN.Trade ReviewIn the end, it seems that the conflicting binaries of nationality, of virtuoso performer vs. 'priestly' performer and of performer-interpreter vs. composer remained unresolved within Joachim himself. This book goes a long way towards illuminating these tensions and marks an important step towards opening up the topic for discussion. * STUDIA MUSICOLOGICA *A study centred around Joachim's music and his life as a composer...uncovers relationships both external and regional, as well as personal influences...In her analysis, Uhde shows immense musical and, in particular, technical expertise by exploring the structural and harmonic depth of Joachim's compositions from a violinist's point of view. * JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF MUSICOLOGY IN IRELAND *This book is the first full-length treatment in English devoted to Joachim as a composer . . . [and a] sorely needed addition to the scholarly literature of the late Romantic period. Uhde does an exemplary job of presenting and analyzing the entirety of Joachim's oeuvre, and she does so with the rarest of sensibilities, namely that of a musicologist who is also a performing musician. She intersperses the work with numerous biographical details, and her examinations of Joachim's compositions include plenty of cultural and historical context. . . . [A]n important work about a too-long neglected musician. * CHOICE *Gives an exhaustive analysis of Joachim's works, with research into Joachim's life at that point, German politics and philosophy and comparisons with other pieces that were influential to him. * STRINGENDO, AUSTA NATIONAL JOURNAL *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Approaching the Music of Joseph Joachim Virtuosity Uncoiled: Two Fantasies Re-discovered From Leipzig to Weimar Between Uncoiled Virtuosity and Lisztian Temptations Finding his Voice: Between Vergangenheitsmusik and Zukunftsmusik Joachim Encoded, or, 'Psychological Music' 'Psychological Music' Experienced and Remembered: Joachim and the Demetrius Plot in 1854 and 1876 Resisting the Dark Butterfly Joachim and the Art of Variation Identities: The Hungarian Concerto and Hebrew Melodies Gisela von Arnim and Compositional Memories, or Ciphers in Disguise Cultural Objects in a Prussian Society Conclusion: an Assessment of Joachim's Style Appendix: Joachim Catalogue of Works Bibliography

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Book SynopsisBritten is the most literary British composer of the twentieth century. His relationship to the many and varied texts that he set was deeply committed and sensitive. As a result, both his responses to poetry and his collaborationswith his librettists tell us a great deal about his music, and often, about the man himself. Britten is the most literary British composer of the twentieth century. His relationship to the many and varied texts that he set was deeply committed and sensitive. As a result, both his responses to poetry and his collaborationswith his librettists tell us a great deal about his music, and often, about the man himself. This book takes a unique approach to Britten, drawing together well-known Britten experts alongside English, music, modern language andhistory scholars who bring their own perspective to bear on Britten's work. Chapters examine all aspects of Britten's text setting, from his engagement with a wide variety of poetry to his relationship with his librettists. By approaching Britten's operas and songs through their literature, this book offers fresh insights into his vocal works. KATE KENNEDY is the Weinrebe Research Fellow in Life-writing at Wolfson College, Oxford, where she is an associate of both Music and English Faculties. She is a frequent broadcaster for the BBC and specialises in interdisciplinary biography and has published widely on twentieth century music and literature. Contributors:JOANNA BULLIVANT, PHILIP ROSS BULLOCK, NICHOLAS CLARK, MERVYN COOKE, DAVID FULLER, JOHN FULLER, PETER HAPPÉ, J. P. E. HARPER-SCOTT, JOHN HOPKINS, KATE KENNEDY, ADRIAN POOLE, HANNA ROCHLITZ, PHILIP RUPPRECHT, REBEKAH SCOTT, VICKISTROEHER, JUSTIN VICKERS, LUCY WALKER, BRIAN YOUNGTrade ReviewThis authoritative collection of studies on a composer steeped in literature ancient and modern should engage the interest not just of Britten specialists but of all those fascinated by the theory and practice of setting words to music. * FORUM FOR MODERN LANGUAGE STUDIES *Of particular interest are the essays that illuminate Britten's compositional methods of setting text, methods that have their origin in his intimate interaction with a wide variety of poetic and literary works. . . . Highly recommended. -- M. Neil emeritus * CHOICE *This is a comprehensive book of essays, illustrations and musical examples...It teems with perspectives, engrossing facts and excerpts from scores and will certainly make an informative read for Brittenites of all persuasions - from the amateur enthusiast through to the seasoned academic. * BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY NEWSLETTER *Table of ContentsIntroduction - Kate Kennedy Britten and His Librettists: The Composer as Auteur - Mervyn Cooke Britten, Auden and the 1930s - John Fuller James, Britten, Piper and the Literary Supernatural: The Changing 'vision of evil' in The Turn of the Screw and Owen Wingrave - Nick Clark 'Thought's Wildernesses': The Development of Britten's Nocturne from Library to Score - Kate Kennedy 'Reading at Intervals': Britten's Romantic Poetry - Brian Young Britten's Drops: The Lyric into Song - Rebekah Scott 'Without any tune': The Role of the Discursive Shift in Britten's Interpretation of Poetry - Vicki P. Stroeher Britten and Modern Tragedy - Adrian Poole Settings from Boyhood - Lucy Walker 'Practical Jokes': Britten and Auden's Our Hunting Fathers Revisited - Joanna Bullivant Choice and Inevitability: The Moral Economy of Peter Grimes - Philip Ross Bullock Sin, Death, and Love: Britten's Holy Sonnets of John Donne - David Fuller Britten's Donne Meditation - Justin Vickers Scenes from Britten's Spring Symphony - Philip Rupprecht 'I have read Billy Budd': The Forster-Britten reading(s) of Melville - Hanna Rochlitz Miles Must Die: Ideological Uses of 'innocence' in Britten's The Turn of the Screw - Benjamin Britten and Medieval Drama at Chester: From Abraham and Isaac to 'The Nativity' - Peter Happe Ambiguous Venice - John Hopkins Bibliography

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Book SynopsisLeos Janácek (1854-1928) occupied a pre-eminent position in Moravian (and wider Czech) culture, not only as a composer but also as a folksong collector, journalist, educator and nationalist. One of the greatest and most original composers of the early twentieth century, Leos Janácek (1854-1928) occupied a pre-eminent position in Moravian culture, not only as a composer but also as a folksong collector, journalist, educator and nationalist. His friends and associates included artists, writers, ethnographers and politicians, as well as conductors, singers and instrumentalists. Janácek's many pupils included the conductor Bretislav Bakala and thecomposer Pavel Haas. He had important associations with publishers in Vienna and Prague and with the earliest years of Czech Radio. Janácek was strongly attached to particular places - Hukvaldy, Brno, Luhacovice - and had professional links with Prague, Berlin, London and beyond. The Janácek Compendium includes nearly 300 entries on every aspect of Janácek's life and works, with detailed notes on all his significant compositions - above all the operas - providing the latest information to emerge about some of his most famous pieces. An extensive bibliography supports the entries, which are cross-referenced to enable wider exploration of particular topics. NIGELSIMEONE is a widely respected writer and lecturer on music, with a lifelong interest in Czech music. His books include Janacek's Works (Oxford University Press, 1997, co-authored with John Tyrrell and Alena Nemcová), TheLeonard Bernstein Letters (Yale University Press, 2013), and Charles Mackerras (Boydell Press, 2015, co-edited with John Tyrrell). He is a regular broadcaster on BBC radio.Trade ReviewThe Compendium is well written, authoritative, and interesting enough to be read cover-to-cover or in large chunks, though most people will delve into it as fancy dictates. For scholars writing an article or paper on the composer it should be invaluable. . . . [It] is a sturdy hardbound, designed to be opened frequently. Its high quality pages are full of clean print, little white space, and 21 black-and-white pictures. It's a treasure trove of Leos Janácek and Czech music in general. -- Roger Hecht * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *An encyclopedia of its subject...cover[ing] Janacek's works, his colleagues and main interpreters.his family members and further significant others, places important to his life or career, and contemporary organizations that performed his works...the operas themselves are dealt with generously and with a clarity of approach that in each case explains their origins. * OPERA MAGAZINE *Simeone offers an excellent guide to specific works and other aspects of Janácek's career as a conductor, ethnographer, and teacher. . . . Anglophones will consider this the standard English-language resource for Janácek studies; specialists, however, will also find the German-language online encyclopedia Leos Janácek (www.leos-janacek.org) extremely useful. . . . Highly recommended. * CHOICE *Omits little or nothing that even the most demanding seeker for information and opinion about Janácek could expect to find. * GRAMOPHONE *This Compendium represents a book that has been conspicuously absent from the Janácek literature. It is quick and straightforward to find all of the important information on Janácek's life and works, including key personalities and editions. Everything essential is here, supported by an admirably thorough and up-to-date bibliography. As always, Nigel Simeone's work is of the highest quality, and this publication is a must for all musicologists, opera lovers and admirers of Janácek's extraordinary music. Dr Jirí Zahrádka, Curator of the Janácek Archive, Brno, * Czech Republic *Table of ContentsIntroduction Biography Dictionary Works Bibiliography

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Book SynopsisAs a noted composer and critic, Paul Dukas was a major figure in fin-de-siècle and early twentieth-century French music. Best known for L'Apprenti sorcier, he was internationally recognised as an artist and intellectual ofdistinction who contributed significantly to Parisian musical cultures and critical debates. As a noted composer and critic, and later an editor and composition teacher, Paul Dukas (1865-1935) was a major figure in fin-de-siècle and early twentieth-century French music. Although his catalogue of published scores was relatively modest in quantity, he was internationally recognised as an artist and intellectual of distinction who contributed significantly to Parisian musical cultures and critical debates as they evolved from the 1890s until the 1930s Moving in the same circles as Debussy and Fauré, as well as networking with trailblazers such as the Ballets Russes director Sergei Diaghilev and the conductor Serge Koussevitzky, Dukas created works that reflect French sensibilities but also resonate with transnational audiences. L'Apprenti sorcier is still his best-known work, while the opera Ariane et Barbe-Bleue has been revived and remains relevant for the twenty-first century. Works such as the Piano Sonata and the ballet La Péri respectively exemplify the twin attractions of tradition and progress for the composer. Intensely self-critical, however, he ended up destroying many of his scores. This book is the first full-length Anglophone study of Dukas. It perceives his critical essays as a form of creative, philosophical thought that synthesised the riches of the Parisian music scene yet also represented the formationand development of his own artistic voice. Investigating Dukas's interrelated identities as composer and critic, it seeks to explain his broad aesthetic motivations and artistic agenda. LAURA WATSON is Lecturer in Musicat Maynooth University.Table of ContentsIntroduction An Intellectual and Aesthetic Formation: From Student Composer to Music Critic Symphony in C and Discourses of the French Symphony L'Apprenti sorcier and Theorising a Theatre of Programme Music Piano Works in Dialogue with Tradition Ariane et Barbe-Bleue and Conceptualising Opera after Wagner and Debussy Dance between the Symphonic Poem and Stage: Responding to Russian Influence After the First World War: Creative Renewal and Return to Music Criticism Afterword Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis book accompanies the Paul Sacher Foundation's exhibition at the Bonn Beethovenhaus. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, composers have referred to Beethoven in their music. The volume explores this subject and illustrates it with documents from the Foundation's archives in Basel. Although the notion of a musical "mainstream" with Beethoven as its fons et origo barely holds today, countless composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have referred to Beethoven in their music or creatively sought to distance themselves from him. This volume illustrates his ongoing relevance using documents from the collections of the Paul Sacher Foundation. Designed to accompany the eponymous exhibition in the Bonn Beethovenhaus, itadopts the four thematic areas of that exhibition: "Learning and Teaching with Beethoven," "Idealizations," "Strategies of Reference," and "Distortion - Dismantlement." It explores the contexts, techniques, and ideological thrustsof Beethoven references in musicians of very wide-ranging backgrounds, from Anton Webern, Béla Bartók, and Richard Strauss to Mauricio Kagel, Cathy Berberian, and Kaija Saariaho. The selected documents are captured in photographic reproduction and accompanied by detailed commentary. Each section is preceded by an introductory essay discussing general aspects of recent Beethoven reception. A publication of the Paul Sacher Foundation

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Book SynopsisA landmark in Sibelius scholarship, this is the first book that presents all of Sibelius's solo art songs in their musical and aesthetic context. Indispensable for scholars and performers alike. This is the first book to discuss the complete solo art songs of Jean Sibelius and to locate them in their musical, literary and artistic context. The book is organized around the poets Sibelius set to music and the literary themes associated with them, thus providing invaluable information for the scholar, student and performer. The musical and aesthetic contextualisation of the songs will help to enable new interpretations on the performance stage.Table of Contents1. Wrestling with the text 2. Sibelius and the poems of the idealistic realist Runeberg 3. Idle wishes and summer nights 4. Diamonds and tears - Runeberg's contemporaries in Finland 5. Longing for the eternal - 19th-century poets from Sweden 6. Realism and emerging symbolism 7. Solace of the harp, song to my tongue - other 19th -century poets in Sweden 8. Rapid riders and hoodwinked women 9. Betrayal, urbanity and decadence 10. O, kämst du doch! 11. A last Kalevala excursion Appendix List of Sibelius's songs by opus number Alphabetical list of Sibelius's songs without opus numbers Alphabetical list of Sibelius's songs by English title Alphabetical list of Sibelius's poets Text of the two lost songs, op. 72 nos. 1 and 2 Text to the melodrama Ett ensamt skidspår (Gripenberg) Bibliography

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Book SynopsisOffers a unique investigation of the composition of the entire corpus of Beethoven's symphonies, reconstructing their creation through the most extensive study of Beethoven's sketches yet. Beethoven's nine symphonies are a cornerstone of Western classical music and have revolutionised it. Composers succeeding Beethoven found their output measured against this master's work. But how did his symphonies come into being and how did they reach their final form? These are the questions this book seeks to answer. Barry Cooper has been one of the leading advocates of the need for extensive studies of Beethoven's sketches, and we see him here applying his usual investigative rigour to the study of the symphonies. For most of the symphonies the sketches have not previously been fully examined. In contrast, Cooper's book provides a much deeper exploration of these sketches, along with autograph scores, corrected copies and first editions, while the Beethoven correspondence offers additional information on the first publication and performances of the symphonies. The result is a clear overview of the creation of each symphony in turn, placed within the context of musical life in Beethoven's Vienna. Another strand of the investigation covers Beethoven's unfinished symphonies and how they helped to provide the fertile soil from which the finished ones grew. Most of those did not progress beyond a few bars, but two, known as No. 0 and No. 10, were sketched extensively. This book therefore offers a unique investigation of the composition of the entire corpus of Beethoven's symphonies, reconstructing their creation from Beethoven's rather than posterity's viewpoint.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Long and Hazardous Road to the First Symphony, Op. 21 2. A Creation in Two Parts: The Second Symphony, Op. 36 3. Elevating the Genre: The Third Symphony (Eroica), Op. 55 4. The Oppersdorff Connection: The Fourth Symphony, Op. 60 5. Motivic Intensity: The Fifth Symphony, Op. 67 6. 'More an Expression of Feeling than Painting': The Sixth Symphony (Pastoral), Op. 68 7. 'Great, Exalted' Work: The Seventh Symphony, Op. 92 8. 'Just because it is much better': The Eighth Symphony, Op. 93 9. The Philharmonic Connection: The Ninth Symphony, Op. 125 10. Epilogue Bibliography Index of music manuscripts Index of Beethoven's works General index

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Book SynopsisIn the vinyl era, David W. Berner played rock 'n' roll in a neighborhood garage band. Decades later at the age of 57 he enters a national songwriting contest and quite unexpectedly is named a finalist. But there's more. He's called on to perform the song live at a storied venue for Americana music. Grabbing his old guitar and the love of his life, David hits the road, hoping to live out a musical fantasy he thought had been buried long ago. October Song is a powerful examination of the passage of time, love, the power of music, and the power of dreams. FINALIST American Book Fest's 2017 American Book AwardsTrade ReviewOctober Song is about and for all who wonder if it's too late to follow a dream. Through his easy conversational tone, David W. Berner shares his heart and soul as if we were curled up together, sipping hot chocolate in front of a fireplace. Like a favorite song, that warm fuzzy feeling lingers on well after the story is done. -- Viga Boland, author of No Tears for My Father With his gift of a no-holds-barred writing styleraw, honest, confessionalBerner succeeds, once again, as a master storyteller. Music can tell the story of our past. Lyrics evoke memories; melodies make the heart thump like it did on a first date. October Song brings the reader through a mix tape of life, as Berner tells his tale of new love while traveling through landscapes and time. Each chapter reads like a beloved song. -- Geralyn Hesslau Magrady, author of Lines October Song strikes all the right chords; the high notes and the low notes of a life's journeythe losses, the lessons, the loves. Composed with tenderness and affection, Berner's heartfelt and ultimately life-affirming joy ride teaches us that you're never too old to roll down the window, crank it up and belt it out. -- Randy Richardson, author of Cheeseland, Lost in the Ivy

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Book SynopsisThe life and songs of singer-songwriter Momus during his time at Creation records and beyond. Momus - the stage name of musician Nicholas Currie - is one of the most prolific and talented indie songwriters of the last forty years. His work is controversial, influential and highly regarded. From aspiring indie pop star of the 1980s to Japanese chart success in the 1990s through many experimental works to the present day, he has been a constant in the search for intelligent, thinking person's pop. Jarvis Cocker asked him to produce his band Pulp, the NME memorably awarded his album "Hippopotamomus" 0/10, Creation Records dropped him when he proved too dangerous for them, and his more controversial work led to astounding legal tussles. His personal life has involved scandal and heartbreak and he lost an eye following an infection, resulting in his distinctive eye-patch. His songs including "The Hairstyle of the Devil", "The Guitar Lesson" and "I Want You but I Don't Need You" are acclaimed and have been covered by artists including Amanda Palmer and Steven Wilson.

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Book SynopsisThe first full-length biographical study of Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994). The British-born Irish composer (Dame) Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) is best known today for her cycle of thirteen string quartets, composed over five decades. And yet, her oeuvre ranges from large scale choral works, to ballets, operas, and symphonic scores. Having studied with Charles Wood and Ralph Vaughan Williams at the Royal College of Music, many of her compositions also garnered accolades from peers and established musical figures such as Gustav Holst, Donald Francis Tovey, and Henry Wood, among others. With access to a wealth of documentation previously unavailable, this book explores Maconchy's life and music within a greater consideration of the social and political context of the world in which she lived. While the influence of Bartók has been well documented, this book reveals the equally potent influence of Vaughan Williams on Maconchy's musical idiom. This book also discusses Maconchy's foray into administration and her advocacy of young composers through her work as the first woman to be elected Chairman of the Composers' Guild of Great Britain in 1959 and President of the Society for the Promotion of New Music following the death of Benjamin Britten in 1976. It will be required reading for those interested in the lives of women composers, twentieth-century British music, and musical modernism.Trade ReviewThis authoritative and intriguing book is both well-researched and generously illustrated. Erica Siegel writes with passion in an engaging, fluent and readable style. The book will appeal to lovers of Maconchy's music, devotees of English music and those with an interest in female composers. * MusicWeb International *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 An Unexpected Talent, 1907-23 2 The Royal College of Music, 1923-9 3 Prague, Paris, Vienna, and London, 1929-31 4 An Expansion of Style, 1932-5 5 A Growing Reputation, 1936-9 6 Darker Days Ahead, 1939-45 7 Balancing Motherhood and a Career, 1946-50 8 Glimmers of Hope, 1951-5 9 A Musical Block and an Operatic Solution, 1956-9 10 Administrative Diversions, 1959-66 11 Of Ageing and Critics, 1967-73 12 Recognition at Last, 1973-7 13 Sunset before Twilight, 1978-94 Epilogue Chronological List of Works Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisConnects discussions of vocality and operatic culture with broader aesthetic and cultural shifts in society.In the decades that span the turn of the twentieth century, the Italian tradition of operatic singing became 'modern'. This book identifies and explores the formative elements of this multifaceted 'modernity', and its connections with the emergence of verismo, a realistic trend that affected every aspect of creative and intellectual life in fin-de-siècle Italy. Thisnovel approach to artistic representation meant that singers had to redefine the operatic voice, exchanging the bel canto ideal of 'pure' vocal quality with an irreversible gendered connotation and an erotically charged expressive force. Pivotal to this shift was the gradual development of a homogeneous vocal colour through the compass, an aesthetic principle that was alien to the voice culture of the previous centuries. Star singers such as Enrico Caruso, Titta Ruffo, Emma Carelli and Eugenia Burzio were instrumental

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Book SynopsisBrings to life the day-to-day details of staging the premiere of one of the most iconic works of Western classical music. The Ninth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven with its final choral movement is one of the iconic works of Western classical music. And yet, the story never fully told concerns the months leading to the symphony's world premiere in Vienna on 7 May and repeat performance on 23 May 1824. In his new book, Theodore Albrecht brings to life the day-to-day details that it took to stage that premiere. It's a story of negotiating for performance halls and performers' payments, of hand-copying legible scores and individual parts for over 120 performers, of finding financiers, as well as space and time for rehearsals. Importantly, it is also a story of the relationship between Beethoven and the musicians who performed this symphonic masterpiece. In fact, as the maddening rehearsal schedule towards the symphony's premiere shows, it transpires that many passages of the Ninth have been tailored to specific orchestral players. Many modern-day musicians will recognize familiar situations in rehearsals, many scholars and students will relish unprecedented new detail. All this comes to the fore by reconstructing the story drawing on the (almost) deaf composer's Conversation Books which Beethoven had been using since 1818. In the performance story of the Ninth Symphony's premiere, Albrecht makes full use of these invaluable documents, which are now being translated for the first time into English in a series of 12 volumes published by the Boydell Press. THEODORE ALBRECHT, Professor Emeritus of Music at Kent State University, Ohio, is an award-winning Beethoven scholar. He has authored many important articles on the composer and is the editor of Letters to Beethoven and Other Correspondence (1996) as well as translator and editor of Beethoven's Conversation Books (Boydell Press).Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Composition of the Ninth Symphony Chapter 2: Petition, Preparations, Copying Chapter 3: Finding a Location Chapter 4: Final Preparations / First Rehearsals Chapter 5: Rehearsals and Confusion Chapter 6: Premiere and Celebratory Dinner Chapter 7: One More Time Chapter 8: Second Premiere and Financial Reality Appendix A: Anton Schindler's Acquaintance with Beethoven (March, 1814 - May, 1824) Appendix B: The Ludlamshöhle Petition, late February, 1824 Appendix C: Vienna's Principal Theaters and Halls in Beethoven's Time Appendix D: Orchestral Personnel, Kärntnertor Theater, 1822/1824 Appendix E: Choral Personnel, Kärntnertor Theater, 1822/1824 Appendix F: Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde's Volunteer Sign-Up Sheet, 1824 Appendix G: Schindler's Account of Beethoven's Post-Akademie Dinner in the Prater Bibliography Index of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony Index of Beethoven's Other Compositions General Index

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Book SynopsisGround breaking and comprehensive reference volume covering an extensive range of Purcell studies, including his life and works, his milieu and the reception of his music to the present.

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Book SynopsisA vivid picture of the public and private life of a professional musician in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century London. This well-documented life of Samuel Wesley gives a vivid picture of the life of a professional musician in late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century London. Wesley was born in 1766, the son of the Methodist hymn-writer CharlesWesley and nephew of the preacher John Wesley. He was the finest composer and organist of his generation, but his unconventional behaviour makes him of more than ordinary interest. He lived through a crucial stage of English musicfrom the immediately post-Handel generation to the early Romantic period, and his large output includes piano and organ music, orchestral music, church music, glees, and songs. He also taught and lectured on music, and was involved in journalism, publishing, and promoting the music of J. S. Bach. This book draws on letters, family papers, and other contemporary documents to offer a full study of Wesley, his music, and his life and times. PHILIP OLLESON is Professor of Historical Musicology at the University of Nottingham. He has edited The Letters of Samuel Wesley: Professional and Social Correspondence, 1797-1837, is the joint author (with Michael Kassler) of Samuel Wesley (1766-1837): A Source Book, and has written extensively about other aspects of music in England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.Trade ReviewMasterful. [...] Both musicologists and historians of the period will find in Olleson's book an exceptionally well-considered discussion of Wesley's life and times, and an extremely valuable addition to research of the period. * RECUSANT HISTORY *This is a major study which may be enjoyed on several levels; as a biography, or social commentary, or background to the musical life of Georgian/Regency England, or as informed discussion of the composer's output, and more besides. As a biography, it is a gripping read.... [A] splendid book. * THE ORGANIST'S REVIEW *This totally absorbing account, fluently narrated and minutely documented with the help of the prolific letter-writing Wesleys, guarantees a sympathetic hearing for the troubled Samuel. It deserves to be widely read, and not just by musicians, for its intelligent perspective on the consequences for individuals of living through a period of artistic, social and philosophical change. * THE MUSICAL TIMES *Not only a scholarly work, but a stonking good read. * CLASSICAL TIMES *Philip Olleson's astonishing biography.is a fascinating read. * THE DELIAN *Strongly recommended to anyone with a serious interest in Wesley or in the period encompassing his life. * AD PARNASSUM *Leads the reader carefully through the evolution of Samuel's career, portraying his volatile life and personality candidly and with good taste. [.] Establishes the significance of Wesley's career intelligently. * ANGLICAN AND EPISCOPAL HISTORY *

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Book SynopsisA revised and enlarged paperback edition to mark the centenary of the much-loved singer's birth. In 1953, at the age of 41, Kathleen Ferrier, England's greatest lyric contralto, lost her courageous battle with breast cancer. Her huge appeal to a wide audience - in concerts, on records, on the radio and in the opera house - has ensured her name endures to this day, despite a career which lasted barely ten years. In just half that time, this former telephone exchange operator was singing on stage at Covent Garden, before royalty at private parties, andat New York's Carnegie Hall. This collection of letters and twelve years of her personal diaries was first published by Boydell Press in 2003. Here, an enlarged paperback edition contains a new chapter revealing her growingimportance to the BBC, an additional 90 letters, together with much revised material and a selection of moving tributes. Published to mark the centenary of her birth in 1912, the book, of more than 400 letters, provides a vivid picture of a life which illuminated the war and post-war years of austerity and hardship. Kathleen Ferrier was surely fun to know. Her personality was a mix of extreme modesty and self-determined ambition, topped with a mischievously blunt sense of earthy Lancastrian humour. She is known for her glorious voice, but through the pages of these fascinating letters and diaries we get to meet the real person. DR CHRISTOPHER FIFIELD is a conductor, music historian, lecturer and broadcaster. He is the biographer of Max Bruch [Boydell Press 2005] and conductor Hans Richter, and the author of a history of the music agents Ibbs & Tillett.Trade ReviewIt is this treasury of information that makes this book such a valuable piece of scholarship. [...] a remarkable portrait of the life and times, the moods and concerns, the fun and the pain of Kathleen Ferrier. [...] Christopher Fifield [...] has written what may be regarded as an ideal model of this kind of book. [...] I strongly recommend this book. -- John France * MUSIC.WEB.INTERNATIONAL *[The] letters and diaries [...] are wonderfully colourful; they are funny and down-to-earth, informative and detailed. Her courage, to the very end, never faltered. * THE LANCASHIRE MAGAZINE *Christopher Fifield edits the domestic and professional material with informed sensitivity, discretely offering clarifications or context when necessary. There will be few better - or truer - tributes to this still much-missed singer. * CLASSICAL MUSIC [Editor's Choice] *Fifty years on, a voice that still touches the heart. * GRAMOPHONE *A vivid self-portrait of a brave, secure woman in love with life and music, whose joie de vivre was palpable and supported both by a notable lack of inflated egoism and a singular sense of humour which rarely faltered, even toward the end. Anyone interested in Kathleen Ferrier's life and art, and the milieu of the Second World War years and their aftermath by which they were embraced, will find this welcome book required reading. It is above all, and despite the final descent, a celebration of living. * JOHN TALBOT, BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY NEWSLETTER *On closing [this book] with a terrible sadness, I'm a fan too... The secret is her voice - the plain-speaking tone of a Lancashire lass who was also an aesthete, a joker and an exemplary friend. These letters...chronicle everything, from whom she knocked around with - Britten, Pears, Barbirolli, Danny Kaye, Rex Harrison - to what she sang and what she greedily ate. -- Michael Church * FINANCIAL TIMES *Delightful letters and diaries. -- Rupert Christiansen * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Editing and presentation are as fine as anyone could wish and Fifield's introductions to each chapter could not be better written. -- Best Buy5 Stars * CLASSIC FM *Table of ContentsIntroduction Letters 1940-1947 Letters 1948 Letters 1949 Letters 1950 Letters 1951 Letters 1952 Letters 1953 Kathleen Ferrier and the BBC: Letters 1941-1953 The Diaries: Introduction Diary for 1942 Diary for 1943 Diary for 1944 Diary for 1945 Diary for 1946 Diary for 1947 Diary for 1948 Diary for 1949 Diary for 1950 Diary for 1951 Diary for 1952

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Book SynopsisEmslie's study of Wagner's creativity examines the centrality of love - and its obverse, hate - to the composer's world view. Richard Wagner and the Centrality of Love is a bold book which argues that Wagner's music dramas cannot be understood if treated separately from his essays, his life, the intellectual and artistic climate of his day, and the broader history of Germany. Wagner attempts a range of reconciliations that are radical in content and form and appear to succeed partly because he is in well-nigh complete command of the aesthetic product; not only text and music, but also production practice. Nonetheless, all the reconciliations ultimately break down, but in a manner that is illuminating. This is not a celebration of the seamless work of art, but a radical unpicking of the seemingly seamless. 'Love' is the central organising concept of the whole Wagnerian project. Love - sexual and spiritual, egotistical and charitable, love of the individual and of the race - is the key Wagnerian driving force. And therefore so is hate. Of course Wagner cannot employ love without its opposite, and it is critically significant that his anti-semitism is based upon his view that the Jews are 'loveless'. The book handles Wagner's anti-semitism (andthe ongoing row about it) in a unique way, in that it is shown to be aesthetically and intellectually productive (for him!). This leads to a radical reinterpretation of Wagner's music dramas. BARRY EMSLIE is an independent scholar who lives and teaches in Berlin.Trade ReviewEmslie makes some important points with clarity and precision. ... [He] rightly emphasises the importance of Wagner's prose works, not just the well-known theoretical tracts but lesser-known essays such as 'Die Wibelungen' and 'Jesus von Nazareth' as central to the Wagnerian project. * MUSIC AND LETTERS *[P]rovides an impressively wide-ranging setting for discussion of Wagner on the whole. [...] it is fitting that the book emanates from this country's most ambitious medieval publishers who also have an impressively expanding music list. * TLS *Emslie's... entertainingly opinionated examination of Wagner's operas offers a psychological study of the composer, a guide to his often contradictory writings and an up-to-the minute commentary on interpretation. * . *One of the Financial Times' books of the year 2010 * . *Discussing the operas in chronological order, Emslie charts the many manifestations of love in Wagner from the fraternal to the eternal...The result is a fascinating read offering challenging new perspectives that take one back to the music to listen anew...surely the essential Wagner book of the year. -- Michael Quinn * CLASSICAL MUSIC *This new study offers a lively introduction to anyone seeking to understand [Wagner's ideas]...his highly opinionated survey brings fresh air to the debate. -- Andrew Clark * FINANCIAL TIMES *This book has one thinking about Wagner as most do not...I would recommend any serious Wagner-lover, perhaps Wagner-hater, to read it. -- Michael Tanner * OPERA *Emslie...writes engagingly, carrying one along with his way of thinking, and driving one to think for oneself...I enjoyed reading [this book]. It has given me much to ponder, much to contest. -- Mark Berry * WAGNER JOURNAL *Table of ContentsIntroduction or the Uses of Love Sensuality and spirituality in the early music dramas Music and the eternal feminine (a) Music, philosophy and religion (b) Art and the woman The Ring of the Nibelung (a) Contradiction, disorder and musical language (i) Plot (ii) Meaning (iii) Theory (b) The Pagan Ring (i) Pantheism (ii) Incest Love and Death: Tristan und Isolde (a) Schopenhauer betrayed and/or corrected (b) Identity (c) Words and Music The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (a) Words and Music Again (b) Language and Volk (c) Love, hate and anti-semitism Parsifal (a) Kundry (b) The Grail Contradictions and Speculations

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Book SynopsisA critical re-evaluation of the music of Carl Nielsen which examines its context and relationship to musical modernism. Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) is one of the most playful, life-affirming and awkward voices in twentieth-century music. His work resists easy stylistic categorisation or containment, yet its melodic richness and harmonic vitality are immediately appealing and engaging. Nielsen's symphonies, concertos and operas are an increasingly prominent feature of the international repertoire, and his songs remain perennially popular at home in Denmark. But his work has only rarely attracted sustained critical attention within the scholarly community; he remains arguably the most underrated composer of his international generation. This book offers a critical re-evaluation of Carl Nielsen's music and his rich literary and artistic contexts. Drawing extensively on contemporary writing and criticism, as well as the research of the newly completed Carl Nielsen Edition, the book presents a series of case studies centred on key works in Carl Nielsen's output, particularly his comic opera Maskarade, the Third Symphony (Sinfonia Espansiva), and his final symphony, the Sinfonia Semplice. Topics covered include his relationship with symbolism and fin-de-siècle decadence, vitalism, counterpoint, and the Danish landscape. Running throughout the book is a critical engagement with the idea of musical modernism - a term which, for Nielsen, was fraught withanxiety and yet provided a constant creative stimulus. DANIEL M. GRIMLEY holds a University Lectureship in Music at Oxford, and is the Tutorial Fellow in Music at Merton College and Lecturer in Music, Landscape at University College. His previous books include Grieg: Music, Landscape and Norwegian Identity (Boydell, 2006) and the Cambridge Companion to Sibelius (Cambridge University Press, 2004).Trade ReviewOne closes Carl Nielsen and the Idea of Modernism grateful for what one has learned [...] and resonating with a striking impression that will not go away. That impression is, to put it in Grimley's terms, simply one of breakthrough. [...] opens the door into understanding, at least in part, how the Danish Nielsen is different in kind from his kindred 'senior' modernists, in Finland, Norway, and England. * TWENTIETH CENTURY MUSIC *This well written book offers a broad critical summary of his work through detailed analysis of his musical language. * STRINGENDO *[T]he act of airbrushing Nielsen out of musical history has been reversed in uplifting detail: [the] new study from Nordic music scholar Daniel Grimley recasts Nielsen as a visionary - a vital precursor to modernism and a central protagonist in the playground scrap that was 20th-century music. -- Andrew Mellor * GROMOPHONE *Nielsen fans will find plenty to feast on. -- Philip Clark * GRAMOPHONE *In brief, the result is highly recommendable. Grimley is extremely well read in cultural, literary, and art history, in music theory and music aesthetics of Nielsen's and later times as well as in music history, be it of Scandinavia, United Kingdom, Germany, or France. Thus his readings are very convincing, in analytical detail as well as in the contexts of Danish and European cultural life. A Danish translation should be mandatory. * DANISH YEARBOOK OF MUSICOLOGY *Grimley has given us provocative and stimulating new guidelines for understanding Nielsen, not as a marginal figure, but as one very much a part of a cultural generation deeply involved in aesthetic change and renewal. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *The book presents some fascinating source material that will interest anyone [...] who believes Nielsen to be one of the truly distinctive geniuses of latter-day symphonic writing. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction. Carl Nielsen at the Edge Thresholds Hellenics Energetics Funen Dreams Counterpoints Cosmic Variations Conclusion

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Book SynopsisPublished to coincide with the 50th anniversary of his death, this book presents new articles by leading authorities on John Ireland and his music, together with transcriptions of his broadcast talks and of interviews with the composer. John Ireland [1879-1962] was one of the most distinctive and distinguished of a generation of exceptional British composers that included Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Frank Bridge and Arnold Bax. They emerged in the decade before the First World War and, in the inter-war years, produced a remarkable body of music. In Ireland's case his was not only the most popular British Piano Concerto of its time, but he also composed a splendid repertoire of songs,piano music, chamber music and orchestral and choral scores. This richly illustrated Companion will be essential for all admirers of the composer. Not only for the performer - pianist, singer, conductor - but for thewider musical public, record collectors and music historians, academics and anyone interested in British music of the earlier twentieth century. Lewis Foreman has drawn on his extensive research into Ireland's life and letters over many years, and, in association with the John Ireland Charitable Trust, has not only commissioned a wide range of chapters from leading performers and writers of today, but has brought together in one convenient format Ireland's own writings on music, the memories of his friends and students (including Britten, Moeran and Arnell) and a selection of important earlier articles. The Companion also includes a complete list of works and themost comprehensive discography of Ireland ever compiled. The accompanying CD contains historical recordings featuring the voice of John Ireland, with two of his broadcast talks, as well as otherwise unobtainable performances of Ireland's music from the composer himself and from other well-known performers of the past. LEWIS FOREMAN is author of Bax: A Composer and His Time [Boydell, 2007] and London: a Musical Gazetteer [Yale 2005]. Contributors: FELIX APRAHAMIAN, RICHARD ARNELL, BENJAMIN BRITTEN, JOCELYN BROOKE, ALAN BUSH, GEOFFREY BUSH, GEORGE DANNATT, JULIE DELLER, JEREMY DIBBLE, EDWIN EVANS, LEWIS FOREMAN, NORAH KIRBY, FREDERICK LAMOND, PHILIP LANCASTER, STEPHEN LE PROVOST, STEPHEN LLOYD, CHARLES MARKES, ROBERT MATTHEW-WALKER, E.J. MOERAN, ANGUS MORRISON, ERIC PARKIN, BRUCE PHILLIPS, C. B. REES, FIONA RICHARDS, ALAN ROWLANDS, R. MURRAY SCHAFER, MARION SCOTT, COLIN SCOTT-SUTHERLAND, HUMPHREY SEARLE, FREDA SWAIN, KENNETH THOMPSON, RODERICK WILLIAMS, KENNETH A. WRIGHTTrade Review[T]he Ireland enthusiast [...] will enjoy dipping into the contents again and again. * FANFARE *[A]n eminently readable [...] volume. * MUSICAL TIMES *This impressively large book [...] contains almost everything the reader could wish to know about the composer John Ireland. * DELIUS SOCIETY JOURNAL *[An] impressive publication, eagerly awaited and finely produced. * BMS NEWS *[A] well constructed and more than comprehensive volume. [...] beautifully produced and copiously illustrated [...] highly recommended. * ELGAR SOCIETY JOURNAL *What a cornucopia this is for admirers of Ireland's music, as the 50th anniversary of his death is marked for this year. [...] Many musical examples and some wonderful photographs enhance this splendid, thoroughly recommendable book. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *[T]his Companion (and a forthcoming collection of letters) will have to stand as the nearest thing to a true portrait of the man. * FINZI JOURNAL *Comprehensive and magisterial. * CHURCH TIMES *Any reader interested in the music of John Ireland will find this book a marvellous source of information [...] handsomely illustrated and beautifully produced. * RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS SOCIETY JOURNAL *In this substantial hardback, Ireland himself is brought to life through sympathetic explanations and pertinent recollections as well as exhaustive listings of repertoire and recordings [...] Much is revealed - a timely opportunity to stimulate or re-excite interest in a considerable composer. * GRAMOPHONE *[T]he latest monument to Lewis Foreman's heroic toil for British music. [...] A very impressive achievement. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE [5 stars] *Lewis Foreman deserves a medal for his Stakhanovite endeavours. A bouquet is in order, too, for the superb standards of production and proof-reading. ... [A] mighty achievement. John Ireland has come home. * INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW *The present volume takes a vitally important place in the relatively sparse bibliographical catalogue of John Ireland's life and music. [...] This book is essential reading for all enthusiasts of John Ireland's music in particular and British music in general. * MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL *Table of ContentsForeword by Julian Lloyd Webber John Ireland - a life in music - Colin Scott-Sutherland John Ireland: a personal discovery - Bruce Phillips Meeting John Ireland - Alan Rowlands John Ireland's personal world - Fiona Richards Interview with John Ireland - Murray Schafer Aprahamian, Bush, Markes, Morrison, Thompson remember John Ireland John Ireland and the BBC - Lewis Foreman Sea Fever: John Ireland and Deal - Julie Deller Remembering John Ireland and His World - Freda Swain Arthur Machen and John Ireland - Colin Scott-Sutherland Helen Perkin: pianist, composer and muse of John Ireland - Fiona Richards John Ireland and Charles Markes: a creative relationship - George Dannatt The John Ireland Charitable Trust - Bruce Phillips John Ireland: some musical fingerprints - Alan Rowlands John Ireland and the piano - Eric Parkin John Ireland in the Concert Hall: Orchestral and Choral-Orchestral Music - Lewis Foreman The Happy Highways: John Ireland's Chamber music - Bruce Phillips The Church Music of John Ireland - Jeremy Dibble The Organ Music - Stephen Le Provost The Songs of John Ireland - Charles Markes Songs of Innocence: the part-songs of John Ireland - Philip Lancaster John Ireland and Poetry: a singer's experience - Roderick Williams John Ireland on Record - Robert Matthew-Walker John Ireland: a personal impression - Geoffrey Bush Arnell, Britten, Bush, Moeran and Searle: Ireland's Pupils on their Teacher John Ireland: two reminiscences - Jocelyn Brooke Appreciation and biographical sketch - Norah Kirby Piano Sonata - Frederick Lamond Discovering John Ireland - Kenneth A. Wright John Ireland - E.J. Moeran John Ireland the Man - C.B. Rees Modern British Composers: John Ireland - Edwin Evans John Ireland's Writings on Music Appendices: John Ireland's Addresses and a Note on John Ireland's Handwriting Catalogue of works Discography

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Book SynopsisMäkelä's study brings together German, Nordic and Anglo-American work on Sibelius, and synthesizes these various strands of Sibelius reception into a single coherent critical narrative. This acclaimed study, available in English for the first time, looks at the music of Jean Sibelius in its biographical context. Myths have surrounded Sibelius [1865-1957] and his work, for more than 100 years, often diverting attention away from his creative output. Drawing on many unpublished sources, Mäkelä's study leads us back to Sibelius as a musician and a 'poet' of universal validity. Chapters examine the composer's creativity, inspiration, influence, aspects of genre, as well as the relationship of the artist with nature and homeland. Those who knew Sibelius at an early age tell of a youthful bohemian in the midst of European decadence. This 'age of Carmen'[Eduard Munch] marked Sibelius's formative years. The composer's most important works, dating from a time between his third symphony and Tapiola, reflect the modernistic mainstream. Sibelius's last three decades, known asthe 'Silence of Ainola', have inspired the masculine clichés that this book deconstructs. Sibelius was one of the least political artists of his time who nevertheless became heavily politicized. The first supreme musical talent in the region, he gave his nation a genuine sound. Europeans of the late nineteenth century showed increasing affinity with Nordic culture. Aino, Sibelius's wife, was instrumental in creating the image of her husband as a Nordic icon. The book closely scrutinizes this popular image. In an Anglo-American artistic context his mix of regionalism and modernity remained attractive even when these elements went out of fashion in the art movement of continental Europe. Ideas of Finland and the North vastly influenced the interpretation of meaning in Sibelius's music, a music that until this day remains enigmatic.Trade ReviewThe attempt to draw a complete picture is carried out impressively, with a critical basis that is seldom present in such portraits. * KLASSISK MUSIKKMAGASIN *[C]arefully details Sibelius's life and provides a richly painted portrait of the world around the composer. [...] will be a source for Sibelius scholars for many years to come. [...] Recommended. * CHOICE *[W]ith its exhaustive archival underpinning and determination not to short-circuit complex issues, the book is unlikely to be challenged [...] for quite some time. * MUSICAL TIMES *Tomi Mäkelä has assembled a vast amount of referential material [...] free from stridency and polemic, keen to raise questions [...] and genuinely interested in an enthralling subject. I found myself responding with increasing pleasure and respect. -- Malcolm Hayes * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *Mäkelä provides thought-provoking historical and cultural insights. His exceptionally thorough research draws on a wide range of source materials that is wider than usual, including some rarely tapped sources close to Sibelius himself. * UK SIBELIUS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER *Mäkelä is creating a notably elaborate artistic and intellectual context in which to assess Sibelius's unique - 'visionary, ecstatic, imagination based' - creative urge. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *Table of Contents1 Insights 2 The Creator in His World 3 Influence and Resistance from 1880 to 1929 4 The Large-Scale Genres 5 Artist, Nature, Homeland: From Insight to Intention 6 Epilogue 409

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Book SynopsisA novel approach to biography, drawing on interview material and other sources, all extensively annotated. This book is a major source of information about one of the most influential British composers of the mid-twentieth century and the musicians he knew. It also provides details of the musical relationship between Paris and London before, during and after World War II. Berkeley had a ring-side seat when he lived in Paris, studied with Nadia Boulanger and wrote reviews about musical life there from 1929 to 1934. His little known letters to her reveal the mesmeric power of this extraordinary woman. Berkeley was an elegant writer, and it is fascinating to read his first-hand memories of composers such as Ravel, Poulenc, Stravinsky and Britten. The book also contains interviewswith Berkeley's colleagues, friends and family. These include performers such as Julian Bream and Norman Del Mar; composers Nicholas Maw and Malcolm Williamson; the composer's eldest son Michael, the composer and broadcaster; andLady Berkeley. Lennox Berkeley knew Britten well, and there are many references to him in this eminently readable collection. Peter Dickinson, British composer and pianist, has written and edited numerous books about twentieth-century music, including Cage Talk: Dialogues with and about John Cage as well as Samuel Barber Remembered (both with University of Rochester Press) and three books published by Boydell Press: The Music of Lennox Berkeley; Copland Connotations; and Lord Berners: Composer, Writer, Painter. Peter Dickinson's music is widely performed and recorded. Dickinson knew Berkeley from 1956 until the composer's death in 1989; performed many of the songs with his sister, the mezzo Meriel Dickinson; and has written and broadcast regularly about his music.Trade ReviewThis collection [...] is a major source of information concerning one of the most influential composers of the mid-twentieth century and the musicians he knew. * DELIUS JOURNAL *This is a fascinating and always interesting read - splendid for bedtime dipping and, thanks to the index, for research. Strongly recommended. * ELGAR SOCIETY JOURNAL *One doesn't need to be an admirer of Lennox Berkeley's music to appreciate the wisdom and insights which this most welcome collection of various writings has to offer. [...] Peter Dickinson is to be commended for bringing together this illuminating material. * MUSICAL TIMES *Every page in this excellently edited, finely produced volume speaks of a composer who listened to his inner voice, turning a deaf ear to the blandishments of fame or fortune. ... [Berkeley] has been too often overlooked; Peter Dickinson's book will surely do much to remedy that. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *[Berkeley's writings reveal the same kindly, urbane and by no means undiscerning personality that is heard in his music. * INTERNATIONAL PIANO *This valuable book reminds us that by keenly analysing limitations in other composers and himself without undue cruelty, Berkeley was more than the gentle and kindly soul whom all of the interviewees recall; he was also a most perceptive thinker about opera. * OPERA *[T]his is a handsome and welcome tribute to a composer who did not necessarily make a huge statement [...] As a publication and as a chronicle of a creative life, it could not be better achieved. * GRAMOPHONE *[P]rolific composer and well-loved man, Lennox Berkeley [...] remains an enigma to most of us even if we know little of his enormous output of songs, symphonies, ballets and spiritually inclined choral music. [...] [This] new collection of writings, letters and interviews, edited by his one-time pupil Peter Dickinson, offers an easily digested introduction to the composer and his milieu. * SPECTATOR *After reading [this] new volume I feel I almost knew the man. [...] highly recommended. * CLASSICAL.NET *This book is essential reading for all enthusiasts of 20th century music, and will be of tremendous value to all scholars of British music in particular and Western music in general. -- John France * MUSIC.WEB.INTERNATIONAL *Table of ContentsIntroduction Reports from Paris, 1929-34 Letters to Nadia Boulanger, 1929-79 Selections from Berkeley's Later Writings and Talks, 1943-82 Interviews with Berkeley, 1973-8 Extracts from Berkeley's Diaries, 1966-82 Interviews with Performers, Composers, Family and Friends, 1990-91 Memorial Address by Sir John Manduell Catalogue of Works Bibliographies

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth study of the life of Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1941), pianist, composer and conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, who arguably made Manchester the most important focus for music in Britain in his day. Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1941) is best known as the conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, who arguably made Manchester the most important focus for music in Britain in his day. This book chronicles and analyses Harty's illustrious career, from his establishment as London's premiere accompanist in 1901 to his years as a conductor between 1910 and 1933, first with the LSO and then with the Hallé, to his American tours of the 1930s. Tragically, Harty died from cancer in 1941 at the age of only 61. This book also looks at Harty's life as a composer of orchestral and chamber works and songs, notably before the First World War. Although Harty's music cleaved strongly to a late nineteenth-century musical language, he was profoundly influenced during his days in Ulster and Dublin by the Irish literary revival. A great exponent of Mozart and especially Berlioz, Harty was also a keen exponent of British music and an active supporter of American composers such as Gershwin. Harty's role in the exposition of standard and new repertoire and his relationship with contemporary composers and performers are also examined, against the perspective of other important major British conductors such as Sir Thomas Beecham, Malcolm Sargent and Sir Henry Wood. Additionally, the book analyses the debates Harty provoked on the subjects of women orchestral players, jazz, modernism, and the music of Berlioz. JEREMY DIBBLE is Professor of Music at Durham University and author of John Stainer: A Life in Music(The Boydell Press, 2007) and monographs on C. Hubert H. Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford and Michele Esposito.Trade ReviewSheds a good deal of light on the life, varied career, and works of an important but neglected figure. Dibble's writing is clear, and he brings a great deal of knowledge and passion to bear on his subject. His treatment of the multifaceted Harty has something to offer those interested in the history of recording, of British orchestras, of 20th century British composers, and, of course, in Harty himself. * ARSC JOURNAL *For experienced scholars, it is a fascinating refresher. . . . Dibble's writing . . . whet[s] the appetite for further discovery. A biography that makes the reader want to discover more is surely a successful one. * NABSMA Reviews *Including an excellent bibliography, discography, and index, this is a major study of Harty. Summing Up: Recommended. * CHOICE *This is a valuable work of scholarship, meticulously researched from a wide range of sources, and an engaging read. * GRAMOPHONE *This landmark biography reveals there is a great deal more to him. . . . Engaging and fluent style . . . fascinating. I hope this book will stimulate both performances and recordings . . . Dibble provides an indispensable primer for all future research. . . . An essential volume for anyone interested in the history of British music. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *This impressive biographical study of Hamilton Harty and his achievement is a timely re-discovery of one of the most important and charismatic figures in British music. [T]he first major biography of this composer/conductor to be published. . . . [I]ndispensable reading for anyone who is interested in his compositions, the influence that Harty had on orchestral playing and administration. . . . Dibble presents strong and coherent arguments to assure Harty his place in the Valhalla of British conductors such as Thomas Beecham, Henry Wood and Malcolm Sargent. * MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL, *[Jeremy Dibble's Hamilton Harty reveals] great detail and in a manner that always maintains the reader's interest, making it imperative to turn the page to find out what happens next. The sheer number of primary sources that he has uncovered and explored is impressive . . . considerable achievement . . . recommending it wholeheartedly . . . beautifully produced book and amply illustrated with photographs and music examples. * ELGAR SOCIETY JOURNAL *Here, at last, is a full appreciation of [this] remarkable musician. Most engaging. . . . Deeply moving. [Five Stars] * BBC MUSIC, February 2014 *Table of ContentsPreface Hillsborough, Belfast and Dublin - A Musical Apprenticeship - 1879-1901 London (1) 1901-1909: A Pre-eminent 'Collaborator' and Aspiring Composer London (2) 1909-1914: Composer and Conductor The War Years and After - 1914-1920 The Hallé Years - 1920-1927 Apogee: From Hallé to the LSO - 1927-33 America and Australia: An Unforeseen Romance - 1933-1936 The Last Years: The Children of Lir - A Creative Codicil - 1933-41 Bibliography Appendix One: List of Works Appendix Two: List of Recordings

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Book SynopsisThe first-ever biography of Richard Wagner's artistically gifted granddaughter who fought against Hitler's Germany but achieved no personal success for her troubles. She was not the 'black sheep' of her family, as often claimed, but a heroic rebel. Friedelind Wagner (1918-1991), Richard Wagner's independent-minded granddaughter, daughter of Siegfried and Winifred Wagner, despised her mother'sclose liaison with Adolf Hitler and was the only member of the Wagner clan who fled Germany in protest. Although Winifred warned her that the Nazis would 'exterminate' her, should she continue her open opposition, she travelled toLondon and published articles pillorying the Nazi élite. All the same, her former proximity to Hitler & Co. made her suspicious in the eyes of the authorities, who promptly interned her. Even the British Parliament debated her fate. Only with the help of the world-famous conductor Arturo Toscanini was she able to gain an exit visa. Once she arrived in New York she broadcast, lectured and published against the Nazis, wrote an autobiography, and became friends with many other emigrants including singers who had themselves abandoned Bayreuth. After the war the Mayor of Bayreuth asked her to run the Festival, but she declined in favour of her brothers. They showed little gratitude, however, for after Friedelind returned to Germany in 1953 she found herself manoeuvred out of any role in the Festival management. She still made a remarkable effort to find a niche in post-war German society and culture, and did her best to cope with a family notorious for its intrigues past and present. Friedelind Wagner remained a staunch friend of artists such as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Frida Leider, Otto Klemperer, Erich Kleiber, Leonard Bernstein, WalterFelsenstein, Michael Tilson Thomas and many others. Drawing on archival research in many countries, Eva Rieger has here written the first-ever biography of Richard Wagner's talented, artistic granddaughter who fought againstHitler's Germany, but achieved no personal success for her troubles. Her book gives many new insights into wartime and postwar musical life in Germany, Europe and the United States. EVA RIEGER is a feminist musicologist and author of many books on music.Trade ReviewEva Rieger, in her impeccably researched and highly readable biography of Friedelind Wagner . . . is both admirably forthright and even-handed. . . . The biography, published originally in Germany, has been translated sympathetically and accurately by Chris Walton. * THE WAGNER JOURNAL *A scrupulously researched book. . . . Photographs are handsomely presented, as indeed is the book as a whole. * MUSIC & LETTERS *Packed with scrupulously researched detail and judicious evaluations. Rieger is eminently balanced in her assessment of Friedelind's virtues and weaknesses. The life she describes is a life of missed opportunities and thwarted ambition, in which a compassionate, free-willed, principled woman pays a heavy price for her independence of spirit. * WAGNER JOURNAL *A fascinating biography. . . . Chris Walton's translation of Eva Rieger's compelling narrative reads well. . . . Her story made an equalling uplifting read. * MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL *A loving, illuminating tribute to this unusual, bighearted woman who was all too often written off as a silly eccentric and traitor after the war. * BLOOMBERG NEWS, January 2014 *This disturbing book will arouse a decent measure of sympathy for the dispossessed Friedelind, an unsung victim of the Wagner fantasy. * WALL STREET JOURNAL, January 2014 *Table of ContentsIntroduction A 'giant Easter egg'. Mausi's home and family The noisy child. 1924 to 1931 'She should learn to cope with drudgery'. At boarding school. 1931 to 1935 'Impudent, endearing and witty'. Friedelind and her aunts. 1936 to 1937 'Is it German, what Hitler has done for you?' 1938 to 1939 'It's precisely because I'm German that I'm not living in Germany'. The farewell. 1940 In England, behind barbed wire. 1940 to 1941 'My heart is overflowing'. From Buenos Aires to New York. 1941 to 1943 'Only you could still save our inheritance!' 1943 to 1945 After the War is over. 1946 to 1950 Friedelind returns. 1950 to 1955 The master classes begin. 1956 to 1960 Heyday of the master classes and their end. 1960 to 1966 Sibling conflict. 1967 to 1970 Schemes and setbacks. The 1970s 'A foster mother, a guiding light'. The 1980s Endnotes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe first large-scale study of the music of Herbert Howells, prodigiously gifted musician and favourite student of the notoriously hard-to-please Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Herbert Howells (1892-1983) was a prodigiously gifted musician and the favourite student of the notoriously hard-to-please Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Throughout his long life, he was one of the country's most prominent composers, writing extensively in all genres except the symphony and opera. Yet today he is known mostly for his church music, and there is as yet relatively little serious study of his work. This book is the first large-scale study of Howells's music, affording both detailed consideration of individual works and a broad survey of general characteristics and issues. Its coverage is wide-ranging, addressing all aspects of the composer's prolific output and probing many of the issues that it raises. The essays are gathered in five sections: Howells the Stylist examines one of the most striking aspect of the composer's music, its strongly characterised personal voice; Howells the VocalComposer addresses both his well-known contribution to church music and his less familiar, but also important, contribution to the genre of solo song; Howells the Instrumental Composer shows that he was no less accomplished for his work in genres without words, for which, in fact, he first made his name; Howells the Modern considers the composer's rather overlooked contribution to the development of a modern voice for British music; and Howells in Mourning explores the important impact of his son's death on his life and work. The composer that emerges from these studies is a complex figure: technically fluent but prone to revision and self-doubt; innovative but also conservative; a composer with an improvisational sense of flow who had a firm grasp of musical form; an exponent of British musical style who owed as much to continental influence as to his national heritage. This volume, comprising a collection of outstanding essays by established writers and emergent scholars, opens up the range of Howells's achievement to a wider audience, both professional and amateur. PHILLIP COOKE is Lecturer in Composition at theUniversity of Aberdeen. DAVID MAW is Tutor and Research Fellow in Music at Oriel College, Oxford, holding Lectureships also at Christ Church, The Queen's and Trinity Colleges. CONTRIBUTORS: Byron Adams, Paul Andrews, Graham Barber, Jonathan Clinch, Phillip A. Cooke, Jeremy Dibble, Lewis Foreman, Fabian Huss, David Maw, Diane Nolan Cooke, Lionel Pike, Paul Spicer, Jonathan White. Foreword by John Rutter.Trade ReviewA major advance towards a fuller and more balanced understanding of the composer. * THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL MUSICAL ASSOCIATION *Superb and highly welcome addition to the literature on Howells ... goes a very considerable way towards demonstrating that this neglect is indeed highly unjust ... Unprecedented insight into both known and unfairly neglected corners of his oeuvre and should be keenly sought by anyone with an interest in his work and English music in the twentieth century. * CHOMBEC News *Now we can all appreciate these works afresh, with the useful and pertinent insights afforded by this welcome volume. * INTERNATIONAL PIANO *Eye opening dimensions ... fascinating ... Above all, this collection of essays emphasises purely and simply what a sophisticated and accomplished composer he was - headed up by a cameo of a foreword in which Howells enthusiast John Rutter expertly and engagingly sets the scene. * CLASSICAL MUSIC, December 2013 *The first large-scale and in-depth survey of his music ... Phillip A. Cooke and David Maw have curated and contributed to an excellent resource for anyone who wants to understand fully Howells's contribution to his musical landscape. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, February 2014 *Table of ContentsForeword - John Rutter Introduction: Paradox of an establishment composer - David Maw 'In matters of art friendship should not count': Stanford and Howells - Jonathan White Howells and Counterpoint - Lionel Pike Window on a Complex Style: Six Pieces for Organ - Diane Nolan Cooke 'Hidden Artifice': Howells as Song-Writer - Jeremy Dibble A 'Wholly New Chapter' in Service Music: Collegium Regale and the Gloucester Service - Phillip A. Cooke Howells's Use of the Melisma: Word Setting in his Songs and Choral Music - Paul Spicer 'From Merry Eye to Paradise': the Early Orchestral Music of Herbert Howells - Lewis Foreman Lost, Remembered, Mislaid, Re-written: A documentary study of In Gloucestershire - Paul Andrews Style and Structure in the Oboe Sonata and Clarinet Sonata - Fabian Huss 'Tunes all the way'? Romantic Modernism and the Piano Concertos of Herbert Howells - Jonathan Clinch 'a "modern"...but a Britisher too': Howells and the Phantasy - David Maw Austerity, Difficulty and Retrospection: The Late Style of Herbert Howells - Phillip A. Cooke 'In Modo Elegiaco': Howells and the Sarabande - Graham Barber On Hermeneutics in Howells: Some Thoughts on Interpreting his Cello Concerto - Jonathan Clinch Musical Cenotaph: Howells's Hymnus Paradisi and Sites of Mourning - Byron Adams Appendix: Catalogue of the Works of Herbert Howells - Paul Andrews Bibliography of Works Cited

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Book SynopsisThis book is the most authoritative and up-to-date source of quick reference on the Baroque composer and theorist Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) This book is the most authoritative and up-to-date source of quick reference on the Baroque composer and theorist Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), covering every significant area of his life and creative activity. In particular,the dictionary and work-list provide the reader with easy access to a wealth of cross-referenced material. The dictionary highlights recent discoveries and developments, and corrects a number of errors and misunderstandings. It includes entries on institutions, places, individuals, genres, instruments, technical terms, iconography, editions, specific works and publications, and caters for the fact that some users will be at least as interested in Rameau'stheoretical writings as in his life and music. Performers too are well served by the range of entries, many of which illuminate aspects of Rameau's notation and performance practice that can prove puzzling to the non-specialist. The biographical chapter not only provides relevant factual information but also draws attention to significant patterns in Rameau's life and work. This book counters the widespread perception of the composer as a dry, irascible, unsociable individual, revealing him in a far more sympathetic light by giving due weight to hitherto little-known information. GRAHAM SADLER is Professor Emeritus at the University of Hull, Research Professor at Birmingham Conservatoire and Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He is known internationally as an authority on French music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.Trade ReviewA work for the specialist library, performer and musicologist. * REFERENCE REVIEWS *The greatest strength of this compilation is its author's stunning expertise, evident on every page. * EARLY MUSIC REVIEW *[T]his volume can be highly recommended to anyone interested in French baroque music in general and Rameau in particular. * THE CONSORT *Second in the promising 'Boydell Composer Compendium Series,' . . . Sadler's work is passionately and exhaustively researched, elegantly organized, and gracefully documented. Sadler (emer., Univ. of Hull, UK) has published on Rameau for 40 years, and for this volume's central dictionary and its surrounding biography, works list, and bibliography he has selected and woven together details to produce a work that is brilliant and beautiful. . . . [E]xcellent as both resource and model. * CHOICE *Indispensable for anyone wanting to quickly discover useful facts and scholarly information about every conceivable Ramellian subject . . . The compendium is a monumental dissemination of scholarship transformed into an engaging and user-friendly handbook, and hopefully it can reignite interest in a broader revival of Rameau's music. * GRAMOPHONE *Table of ContentsIntroduction Biography Dictionary Works Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe first full-length study devoted to Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870), pianist, conductor and composer. This book, the first full-length study devoted to Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870), explores how the son of middle-class Jewish parents in Prague became one of the most important musicians of his era, achieving recognition and world-wide admiration as a virtuoso pianist, conductor and composer, a sought-after piano teacher, and a pioneer in the historical performance of early music. Placing Moscheles' career within the context of the social, political and economic milieu in which he lived, the book offers new insights into the business of music and music making; the lives and works of his contemporaries, such as Schumann, Meyerbeer, Chopin, Hummel, Rossini, Liszt, Berlioz and others; the transformation of piano playing from the classical to romantic periods; and the challenges faced by Jewish artists during a dynamic period in European history. A section devoted to Moscheles' engagement as both a performer and editor with the music of J. S. Bach and Handel enhances our understanding of nineteenth-century approaches to early music, and the separate chapters that detail Moscheles' interactions with Beethoven and his extraordinarily close relationship with Mendelssohn adds considerably to the existing literature on these two masters. MARK KROLL has earned worldwide recognition as a harpsichordist, scholar and educator during a career spanning more than forty years. Professor emeritus at Boston University, Kroll has published scholarly editions of the music of Hummel, Geminiani, Charles Avison and Francesco Scarlatti, and is the author of Johann Nepomuk Hummel: A Musician's Lifeand World; Playing the Harpsichord Expressively; and The Beethoven Violin Sonatas.Trade ReviewIgnaz Moscheles [has] never been the object of a serious biography . . . the originality of this biography is that it reveals the multiple activities of this indefatigable musician, pianist, orchestra conductor, advocate of the music of Beethoven and proponent of Mendelssohn's, one who introduced early music and, before Liszt, the piano recital. . . . Written with a fluidity and clarity welcome to French reader . . . Kroll has recreated with remarkable care and thoroughness the career of [Moscheles] . . . the link with Beethoven, his friendship with Mendelssohn, his organization of historical concerts and the invention of the recital and, finally, his Jewishness. . . . [P]rovides a new light on European musical life in the nineteenth century through the prism of the activities of one of its key players [for] all those interested in the cultural life of the nineteenth century. * REVUE DE MUSICOLOGIE *[T]he first full-length examination of the composer to be published. . . . Will be of hugely significant interest to a wide range of musical historians and listeners. Primarily as, this is the first major study of the composer to be published in the 20th/21st centuries . . . Historians majoring on Beethoven, Bach and Handel will discover detailed information about their subjects. The examination of Moscheles' friendship with Mendelssohn is inspiring and is the underpinning of much further investigation. * MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL *Fascinating reading, and highly recommended. * EMAG *The last few years have witnessed increasing awareness of the compositions of Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870). . . . Mark Kroll has now completed these achievements with a full-length study of Moscheles's multifarious activities as composer, performer, teacher, conductor, close associate of Felix Mendelssohn, avid promoter of the music of Beethoven and indefatigable disseminator of pre-19th century music. * EARLY MUSIC *It is safe to assume that Ignaz Moscheles and the Changing World of Musical Europe is currently the most complete and accurate account of Moscheles, while paving the way for other research projects on the composer. . . . What Kroll has successfully established here is that, to adopt his own words, 'Moscheles was and remains a man worth knowing. * AD PARNASSUM *Fascinating reading, and highly recommended. * EARLY MUSIC AMERICA *Table of ContentsPreface From Prague and Vienna to England, 1794-1825 A Home in England, 1825-1846 Leipzig, 1846-1870 The Pianist, The Pedagogue and his Pianos Encounters with Beethoven and his Music A Friendship Like No Other: Mendelssohn and Moscheles Le Concert C'est Moscheles: Historical Soirées and the Invention of the Solo Piano Recital The Jewish Musician Reminiscences of Moscheles' Family by his Great-Great-Grandson Henry Roche - Henry Roche

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Book SynopsisJohn Cage's contribution to twentieth-century music, literature and art not only established his place as a leading figure in the post-war avant-garde, but also guaranteed his enduring controversy. His emphasis on chance, as opposed to intention, rejected traditional artistic methods and caused uproar amongst his peers. The shock provoked by pieces such as 4'33" still reverberates today, as Cage's radical approach to art and aesthetics continues to challenge and inspire artists worldwide. In his new biography Rob Haskins considers John Cage's life, art, ideas and work, evaluating the twin pillars of Cage's creative output and the ideas that lie behind it. Demystifying the artist's use of chance, and his relationship to Zen Buddhism, the book explores Cage's belief that everyday life and art are one and the same. John Cage will appeal to musicians and artists, as well as general readers interested in the art, music and ideas of the twentieth century.

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Book Synopsis

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