Composers and songwriters Books

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 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 SynopsisMaurice El Medioni (born on 18 October 1928 in Oran, Algeria) is an Algerian Jewish pianist, composer and interpreter of Andalusian, Rai, Chaabi, Sephardic and Arab music. He is one of the few living artists to have performed with the great Chaabi artists Lili Labassi, Line Monty, Samy el Maghribi, and Reinette l'Oranaise along with modern Rai greats like Khaled. This book contains his original handwritten memoirs, translated by Jonathan Walton. He tells firsthand the story of his early life in the derb (Oran's Jewish quarter); his first piano; Rommel's Nazi forces and his experiences during WW2 with the Dominican and Puerto Rican GIs; how he developed his unique 'pianorientale' style; the subsequent golden years of nightlife in Oran, the 'Paris of the South'; the horrific years of bloodshed that followed in the Algerian war of Independence; his exile from Algeria; and his later life in France.

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Book SynopsisThis work is an exposition of the traditions of Japanese blind singers who accompanied themselves on the biwa, and of the complex identity of Yamashika Yoshiyuki (1901–1996), a man widely portrayed as the last such "living relic" of the medieval bards called biwa hoshi. The author draws upon approaches from Japanese historical and literature studies, performance studies and ethnomusicology in an examination of history, which yielded on the one hand images of blind singers that still circulate in Japan, and on the other a particular tradition of musical story-telling and rites in regional Kyushu, of representations of Yamashika in diverse media, of his experience training for and making a living as a professional performer and rituals from the 1920s on, and of the oral compositional process in performances made between 1989 and 1992.Trade Review[T]his book gives an excellent ethnomusicological overview of these blind musicians, their situations, and the social, cultural, and historical contexts surrounding their work. Although de Ferranti mentions that the documents about them are scarce, he was able to gather enough detailed information to give, I believe, a pertinent idea of their life, particularly through the eyes of a unique musician -- Bruno Deschenes * Monumenta Nipponica *

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Book SynopsisFeatured in the 2020 Association of University Presses Book, Jacket, and Journal Show In 1993, Prince infamously changed his name to a unique, unpronounceable symbol. Yet this was only one of a long string of self-reinventions orchestrated by Prince as he refused to be typecast by the music industry’s limiting definitions of masculinity and femininity, of straightness and queerness, of authenticity and artifice, or of black music and white music. Revealing how he continually subverted cultural expectations, I Wonder U examines the entirety of Prince’s diverse career as a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, record label mogul, movie star, and director. It shows how, by blending elements of R&B, rock, and new wave into an extremely videogenic package, Prince was able to overcome the color barrier that kept black artists off of MTV. Yet even at his greatest crossover success, he still worked hard to retain his credibility among black music fans. In this way, Adilifu Nama suggests, Prince was able to assert a distinctly black political sensibility while still being perceived as a unique musical genius whose appeal transcended racial boundaries. Trade Review“Adilifu Nama’s work is a sharp, incisive, and fresh take on the life and career of Prince Rogers Nelson. He seamlessly weaves in a critical yet thoughtful analysis of the intersections of race, masculinity, and sexuality while simultaneously chronicling the evolution of Prince’s music. For the Prince fan, it is a must read.” -- Matthew Oware * author of I Got Something to Say: Gender, Race, and Social Consciousness in Rap Music *"Dr. Nama explores the life of Prince through the lens of racial politics and the American music industry to illuminate the ways that Prince acted as a racial 'shape shifter.' This book will make you think, make you laugh and make you critically reflect on the constant shifting gendered and racial attitudes American society continues to grapple with." -- Sheena Howard * author of Encyclopedia of Black Comics *"A must for Prince fans and for readers interested in his impact on the music industry, pop culture, and race and gender theory." * Library Journal *"A must for cultural studies practitioners, especially those who analyze the work of iconic figures." * Cercles *Table of ContentsIntroduction Incognegro On the Black Hand Side Enfant Terrible Cherry Bomb Chaos and Crossroads Don’t Call it a Comeback… Dearly Beloved: An Epitaph Acknowledgements Notes Index

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Book SynopsisFeatured in the 2020 Association of University Presses Book, Jacket, and Journal Show In 1993, Prince infamously changed his name to a unique, unpronounceable symbol. Yet this was only one of a long string of self-reinventions orchestrated by Prince as he refused to be typecast by the music industry’s limiting definitions of masculinity and femininity, of straightness and queerness, of authenticity and artifice, or of black music and white music. Revealing how he continually subverted cultural expectations, I Wonder U examines the entirety of Prince’s diverse career as a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, record label mogul, movie star, and director. It shows how, by blending elements of R&B, rock, and new wave into an extremely videogenic package, Prince was able to overcome the color barrier that kept black artists off of MTV. Yet even at his greatest crossover success, he still worked hard to retain his credibility among black music fans. In this way, Adilifu Nama suggests, Prince was able to assert a distinctly black political sensibility while still being perceived as a unique musical genius whose appeal transcended racial boundaries. Trade Review“Adilifu Nama’s work is a sharp, incisive, and fresh take on the life and career of Prince Rogers Nelson. He seamlessly weaves in a critical yet thoughtful analysis of the intersections of race, masculinity, and sexuality while simultaneously chronicling the evolution of Prince’s music. For the Prince fan, it is a must read.” -- Matthew Oware * author of I Got Something to Say: Gender, Race, and Social Consciousness in Rap Music *"Dr. Nama explores the life of Prince through the lens of racial politics and the American music industry to illuminate the ways that Prince acted as a racial 'shape shifter.' This book will make you think, make you laugh and make you critically reflect on the constant shifting gendered and racial attitudes American society continues to grapple with." -- Sheena Howard * author of Encyclopedia of Black Comics *"A must for Prince fans and for readers interested in his impact on the music industry, pop culture, and race and gender theory." * Library Journal *"A must for cultural studies practitioners, especially those who analyze the work of iconic figures." * Cercles *Table of ContentsIntroduction Incognegro On the Black Hand Side Enfant Terrible Cherry Bomb Chaos and Crossroads Don’t Call it a Comeback… Dearly Beloved: An Epitaph Acknowledgements Notes Index

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Book SynopsisOne of the secrets to Bruce Springsteen’s enduring popularity over the past fifty years is the way fans feel a deep personal connection to his work. Yet even as the connection often stays grounded in details from his New Jersey upbringing, Springsteen’s music references a rich array of personalities from John Steinbeck to Amadou Diallo and beyond, inspiring fans to seek out and connect with a whole world’s worth of art, literature, and life stories. In this unique blend of memoir and musical analysis, John Massaro reflects on his experiences as a lifelong fan of The Boss and one of the first professors to design a college course on Springsteen’s work. Focusing on five of the Jersey rocker’s main themes—love, masculinity, sports, politics, and the power of music—he shows how they are represented in Springsteen’s lyrics and shares stories from his own life that powerfully resonate with those lyrics. Meanwhile, paying tribute to Springsteen’s inclusive vision, he draws connections among figures as seemingly disparate as James Joyce, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Thomas Aquinas, Bobby Darin, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Shades of Springsteen offers a deeply personal take on the musical and cultural legacies of an American icon.Trade Review"Massaro’s work is academically sound — he’s done his research, quoting everyone from Jung to Albert Camus to Ta-Nehisi Coates, not to mention a who’s-who of Springsteen experts like Peter Ames Carlin, Eric Alterman, Marc Dolan and Andy Greene. But the book is also part memoir, with stories of Massaro’s own father and family experiences that resonate within Springsteen’s words, and vice versa. It’s a fine analysis even without them, but don’t skip those sections: If you’ve read this far, I have a feeling you’ll relate."— Blogness on the Edge of Town "Book on The Boss published by Potsdam Professor," by Craig Thorton— WWNY7 "Massaro’s thesis of connective tissue in the themes of the book’s subtitle Politics, Love, Sports and Masculinity that he artfully argues drive Springsteen’s canon and best explains the songwriter’s ability to overcome his own issues of depression, is solid. He digs deep, but with an entertaining flair, explaining how all of these themes comes through in nearly every stanza of Springsteen’s songs."— James Campion, The Aquarian "Shades of Springsteen fits squarely into what is now a sizeable literature of Springsteen studies. The tenor of that discourse, like that of fandom generally, has a deeply personal dimension, but Massaro is part of what might be termed a strongly ethnographic cast in recent Springsteen writing....Rutgers University Press, which published Shades of Springsteen, has been at the vanguard of this trend in honoring its local son....Shades of Springsteen is a useful contribution to a vibrant, ongoing conversation."— Jim Cullen, New Jersey Studies "John Massaro writes about classic Springsteen themes––politics, love, sports, and masculinity––with insight, care, and thoughtfulness. Massaro finds meaning in the singer’s lyrics that should resonate with Springsteen fans, whether long-time admirers or those just learning about him."— June Skinner Sawyers, co-editor, Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen "A gifted speaker and writer, John Massaro speaks very astutely to contemporary issues involving love, masculinity, and sports, connecting with both the reader and Springsteen."— Kenneth Womack, author of Solid State: The Story of “Abbey Road” and the End of the Beatles First Person: Springsteen and politics, Adirondack murder mystery, ins and outs of dog training - interview with John Massaro— "First Person," North Country Public Radio (Canton, NY)Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Springsteen’s Biography 2 Springsteen and Politics Teaching with Springsteen Essay 1. Teaching Politics (and More) with Bruce Springsteen Springsteen and Patriotism Essay 2. “Born in the U.S.A.” and Patriotism Essay 3. “But Was It Right?” Studying Springsteen Essay 4. Image and Reality: A Review of Springsteen’s Autobiography Born to Run Essay 5. A Note on the State of Springsteen Scholarship Springsteen, Class, and Depression Essay 6. Springsteen and Depression Essay 7. Straddling Class and Demons Essay 8. “Used Cars” and the Hidden Injuries of Class Essay 9. Wrecking Ball and Class Warfare? Essay 10. Why I Am a Democratic Socialist and Springsteen Isn’t—Yet Springsteen and Race Essay 11. Racism and “American Skin (41 Shots)” Conclusion: Springsteen and Politics 3 Springsteen, Love, and Relationships Essay 12. A Fitzgerald/Springsteen Pastiche: “Gatsby” Down the Jersey Shore Springsteen, Fathers, and Sons Essay 13. Springsteen to Springsteen: Speaking of Love Essay 14. Flying Essay 15. Pakistani Son, Pakistani Father: An Updated Review of Sarfraz Manzoor’s Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion, and Rock ’n’ Roll Compassion and Understanding in Love (and Even in Politics) Essay 16. “Scumbag Bobby” and Springsteen’s “Spare Parts” Essay 17. The Nixon in All of Us Springsteen and Tunnel of Love Essay 18. Springsteen on Relationships in Tunnel of Love Essay 19. Bravery and Honesty in Patti Scialfa’s Rumble Doll Album The Sacred and the Profane Essay 20. The Sacred and the Profane: Springsteen, Caravaggio, “Earth Angel,” and “Reno” Essay 21. The Sacred and the Profane? The Love of a Daughter and George Carlin’s “Seven Dirty Words” Essay 22. The Good News according to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Essay 23. Springsteen and Apocalypse Sex Conclusion: Springsteen and Love 4 Springsteen, Synchronization, Sports, and Masculinity “Glory Days” Essay 24. Springsteen’s “Glory Days” and Synchronization Essay 25. Synchronizing with Springsteen Essay 26. “Glory Days” and Uncle Phil Two More “Boring Stories” of “Glory Days” Essay 27. Replay Essay 28. The Stuff of Life Springsteen and Fatherhood Essay 29. Fatherhood: From a Different Perspective The Traditional Model of Masculinity Essay 30. The Traditional Model of Masculinity and Me Essay 31. Bruce Springsteen and the Traditional Model of Masculinity Grandpa Bruce? Essay 32. Man to Man in Maine Conclusion: Springsteen, Sports, and Masculinity 5 Loose Ends Essay 33. Why Write? Some Answers Provided by Bruce Springsteen, Roger Rosenblatt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Alexander Hamilton Essay 34. Concluding Statement References Index

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Book SynopsisOne of the secrets to Bruce Springsteen’s enduring popularity over the past fifty years is the way fans feel a deep personal connection to his work. Yet even as the connection often stays grounded in details from his New Jersey upbringing, Springsteen’s music references a rich array of personalities from John Steinbeck to Amadou Diallo and beyond, inspiring fans to seek out and connect with a whole world’s worth of art, literature, and life stories. In this unique blend of memoir and musical analysis, John Massaro reflects on his experiences as a lifelong fan of The Boss and one of the first professors to design a college course on Springsteen’s work. Focusing on five of the Jersey rocker’s main themes—love, masculinity, sports, politics, and the power of music—he shows how they are represented in Springsteen’s lyrics and shares stories from his own life that powerfully resonate with those lyrics. Meanwhile, paying tribute to Springsteen’s inclusive vision, he draws connections among figures as seemingly disparate as James Joyce, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Thomas Aquinas, Bobby Darin, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Shades of Springsteen offers a deeply personal take on the musical and cultural legacies of an American icon.Trade Review"Massaro’s work is academically sound — he’s done his research, quoting everyone from Jung to Albert Camus to Ta-Nehisi Coates, not to mention a who’s-who of Springsteen experts like Peter Ames Carlin, Eric Alterman, Marc Dolan and Andy Greene. But the book is also part memoir, with stories of Massaro’s own father and family experiences that resonate within Springsteen’s words, and vice versa. It’s a fine analysis even without them, but don’t skip those sections: If you’ve read this far, I have a feeling you’ll relate."— Blogness on the Edge of Town "Book on The Boss published by Potsdam Professor," by Craig Thorton— WWNY7 "Massaro’s thesis of connective tissue in the themes of the book’s subtitle Politics, Love, Sports and Masculinity that he artfully argues drive Springsteen’s canon and best explains the songwriter’s ability to overcome his own issues of depression, is solid. He digs deep, but with an entertaining flair, explaining how all of these themes comes through in nearly every stanza of Springsteen’s songs."— James Campion, The Aquarian "Shades of Springsteen fits squarely into what is now a sizeable literature of Springsteen studies. The tenor of that discourse, like that of fandom generally, has a deeply personal dimension, but Massaro is part of what might be termed a strongly ethnographic cast in recent Springsteen writing....Rutgers University Press, which published Shades of Springsteen, has been at the vanguard of this trend in honoring its local son....Shades of Springsteen is a useful contribution to a vibrant, ongoing conversation."— Jim Cullen, New Jersey Studies "John Massaro writes about classic Springsteen themes––politics, love, sports, and masculinity––with insight, care, and thoughtfulness. Massaro finds meaning in the singer’s lyrics that should resonate with Springsteen fans, whether long-time admirers or those just learning about him."— June Skinner Sawyers, co-editor, Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen "A gifted speaker and writer, John Massaro speaks very astutely to contemporary issues involving love, masculinity, and sports, connecting with both the reader and Springsteen."— Kenneth Womack, author of Solid State: The Story of “Abbey Road” and the End of the Beatles First Person: Springsteen and politics, Adirondack murder mystery, ins and outs of dog training - interview with John Massaro— "First Person," North Country Public Radio (Canton, NY)Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Springsteen’s Biography 2 Springsteen and Politics Teaching with Springsteen Essay 1. Teaching Politics (and More) with Bruce Springsteen Springsteen and Patriotism Essay 2. “Born in the U.S.A.” and Patriotism Essay 3. “But Was It Right?” Studying Springsteen Essay 4. Image and Reality: A Review of Springsteen’s Autobiography Born to Run Essay 5. A Note on the State of Springsteen Scholarship Springsteen, Class, and Depression Essay 6. Springsteen and Depression Essay 7. Straddling Class and Demons Essay 8. “Used Cars” and the Hidden Injuries of Class Essay 9. Wrecking Ball and Class Warfare? Essay 10. Why I Am a Democratic Socialist and Springsteen Isn’t—Yet Springsteen and Race Essay 11. Racism and “American Skin (41 Shots)” Conclusion: Springsteen and Politics 3 Springsteen, Love, and Relationships Essay 12. A Fitzgerald/Springsteen Pastiche: “Gatsby” Down the Jersey Shore Springsteen, Fathers, and Sons Essay 13. Springsteen to Springsteen: Speaking of Love Essay 14. Flying Essay 15. Pakistani Son, Pakistani Father: An Updated Review of Sarfraz Manzoor’s Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion, and Rock ’n’ Roll Compassion and Understanding in Love (and Even in Politics) Essay 16. “Scumbag Bobby” and Springsteen’s “Spare Parts” Essay 17. The Nixon in All of Us Springsteen and Tunnel of Love Essay 18. Springsteen on Relationships in Tunnel of Love Essay 19. Bravery and Honesty in Patti Scialfa’s Rumble Doll Album The Sacred and the Profane Essay 20. The Sacred and the Profane: Springsteen, Caravaggio, “Earth Angel,” and “Reno” Essay 21. The Sacred and the Profane? The Love of a Daughter and George Carlin’s “Seven Dirty Words” Essay 22. The Good News according to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Essay 23. Springsteen and Apocalypse Sex Conclusion: Springsteen and Love 4 Springsteen, Synchronization, Sports, and Masculinity “Glory Days” Essay 24. Springsteen’s “Glory Days” and Synchronization Essay 25. Synchronizing with Springsteen Essay 26. “Glory Days” and Uncle Phil Two More “Boring Stories” of “Glory Days” Essay 27. Replay Essay 28. The Stuff of Life Springsteen and Fatherhood Essay 29. Fatherhood: From a Different Perspective The Traditional Model of Masculinity Essay 30. The Traditional Model of Masculinity and Me Essay 31. Bruce Springsteen and the Traditional Model of Masculinity Grandpa Bruce? Essay 32. Man to Man in Maine Conclusion: Springsteen, Sports, and Masculinity 5 Loose Ends Essay 33. Why Write? Some Answers Provided by Bruce Springsteen, Roger Rosenblatt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Alexander Hamilton Essay 34. Concluding Statement References Index

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Book SynopsisMusical director to some of the biggest names in showbusiness, Johnny Harris is also a distinguished composer and arranger in his own right. Flamboyant and energetic as a conductor, he has earned countless accolades for his dynamic stage performances with Sir Tom Jones, Dame Shirley Bassey, Englebert Humperdinck, Lulu, Liza Minelli and Lynda Carter to name but a few. This biography, written by his daughter Julie Pearce-Martin, takes you on a journey from his student days at London's Guildhall and the Swinging Sixties to the present day and the star-studded Palm Springs Follies in the USA.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisGiuseppe Verdi is the famous Italian composer of opera. While he was sometimes criticized for writing music considered too "simple," his works have endured, and are still performed throughout the world. This volume is a guide to the Verdi's life and operas, containing "New Grove" articles, a section on modern Verdi productions, and more.

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Book SynopsisA timeless tale of human strength and weakness set in one of the most vibrant periods of American musical history, MacDowell traces the composer's rise from humble beginnings in lower Manhattan to the pinnacle of musical fame, and the precipitous fall from grace that followed.Trade ReviewIt is fascinating reading and a useful book for study purposes, if not, by design, a textbook. Bomberger succeeds in making a strong argument for the study of a U.S.-born composer of nineteenth-centurymusic as an indispensable part of global music history. * Marianne Betz, Journal of the Society for American Music *this is a major achievement. * International Piano *Table of ContentsContents ; List of Illustrations xii ; List of Musical Examples xiii ; List of Bibliographic Abbreviations xv ; Book One: The Education of Edward MacDowell ; Chapter 1. Quaker Roots 1 ; Chapter 2. The Latin American Connection 17 ; Chapter 3. The Paris Conservatory 31 ; Chapter 4. A Fourth-Rate Conservatory and a First-Rate Mentor 53 ; Chapter 5. The Big Break 72 ; Chapter 6. Establishing a Career in Germany 94 ; Chapter 7. Married Life 121 ; Chapter 8. Templeton Strong, Loyal Friend 142 ; Book Two: Edward MacDowell in Boston ; Chapter 9. The Prodigal Returns 165 ; Chapter 10. The Politics of Musical Boston 194 ; Chapter 11. MacDowell the Pianist 205 ; Chapter 12. The Darkest Winter 220 ; Chapter 13. European Aesthetics vs. American Opportunities 234 ; Chapter 14. A Cabin in the Woods 258 ; Book Three: Edward MacDowell in New York ; Chapter 15. Columbia University, 1896-1901 268 ; Chapter 16. Outside the University 284 ; Chapter 17. The Price of Fame 297 ; Chapter 18. Columbia University, 1901-1904 309 ; Chapter 19. A Living Death 342 ; Chapter 20. MacDowell's Legacy 364 ; Appendices ; A. Calendar 376 ; B. List of Works 392 ; C. Personalia 405 ; D. Bibliography 427 ; Index 457

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Book SynopsisWho writes the books we read about music that excites us, and why? Is classical music' all about class? Related questions underpin this partly polemical study, written by an academic who believes that the Humanities, to be really humane, must confront their methods and aims. Two recent studies of Benjamin Britten have specifically interested the author, who was educated in a world where the composer was a living subject of criticism and praise, his works reflecting values, worries and dramas that were not just about music'. Franklin's response is to question the recent writers, proposing that, like theirs, his own story conditioned when and how he experienced Britten. This he unfolds autobiographically in and around the discussion of specific works. Recalling his encounters with the composer as a schoolboy, as a student and opera-goer, and then as a teacher, he challenges recent assertions about Britten and modernism in the period.

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