Composers and songwriters Books

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Book SynopsisIn July of 1884, pianist Calixa Lavallée performed a recital of works by American composers that began a highly influential series of such concerts.Table of ContentsIntroduction Prelude: American Concerts before 1884 The MTNA Concerts, 1884-1888: an idea whose time had come Henry Krehbiel, critic Frank Van der Stucken's Novelty Concerts The Exposition Universelle of 1889: American Music on a world stage Interlude: Flood Tide The MTNA Concerts, 1889-1892: an idea whose time had past The Arens tour of 1891-1892: Propaganda, Parochialism, and All-American Concerts Edward MacDowell, reluctant hero The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893: American art and music humiliated The Manuscript Societies and the Ghettoization of New Music Postlude: Dvorak and new directions in American art music Appendix 1: Master List of American Composers' Concerts Appendix 2: Programs and Reviews of the Van der Stuken Festival, November 1887 Appendix 3: Programs and Reviews of American Composers' Concerts in Europe Appendix 4: Repertoire Performed at Public Meetings of the Manuscript Society of New York, 1890-1901 Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis analysis of Duke Ellington's works draws on observations by Ellington himself and by members of his orchestra to show how blues, ragtime and Tin Pan Alley influenced Ellington and how he integrated black folk music practices with elements of European art music.Table of ContentsAn introduction to Ellingtonia. Part 1: Ellington's approach to composition; the Ellington effect; the influence of the blues; the influence of ragtime; the influence of tin pan alley. Part 2: the music of the mature period, 1939-1941; Ko Ko; Mr J.B. Blues; concerto for Cootie; junior hop; subtle slough; some conclusions and comparisons. Appendices: a chronology of Duke Ellington; Ellington's principal sideman; a selective discography; Ellington's copyrighted works; evidence of the blues in classic piano ragtime notes.

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Book SynopsisThis selection of letters written by Hindemith spans his entire career, from World War I until shortly before his death in 1963. They reveal that he was an observant, engaging and opinionated correspondent who took a keen interest in contemporary culture and politics.

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Book SynopsisExamining the life of Kurt Weill, this text explores the phases of the composer's life, from his childhood as the son of a cantor in the Jewish section of Dessau, Germany, to his renunciation of Germany in 1933. It also looks at his emigration to America (1935) and his premature death (1950).

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Book SynopsisThis up-to-date book focuses on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, exploring the cultural and musical meanings that surround this powerful work of genius. The author includes an examination of interpretations of the work by prominent conductors, including Wagner, Mahler, and Weingartner.Trade Review"Levy operates from many perspectives - social, cultural, historical, and theoretical... his scholarship is formidable and absolutely current." B. J. Murray, Choice

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Book SynopsisGeorge Stauffer explores the music and complex history of Bach's last and possibly greatest masterpiece. Stauffer demonstrates Bach's reliance on contemporary models from the Dresden mass repertory and his brilliantly innovative methods of unifying his immense composition.Trade Review"Stauffer's greatest contribution to our knowledge and understanding of Bach's Mass lies in his extensive survey of the Dresden Mass repertory... He also provides an extensive examination of issues of scoring, particularly relevant for the Credo section onwards since Bach's original performing parts - which would have provided many details concerning both instrumental and vocal scoring - do not survive." John Butt, Early Music

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Book SynopsisSuitable for pianists wishing to play Shostakovich's work as well as for listeners, this work studies Shostakovich's largest work for piano, the "Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues, Opus 87". It describes the cultural contexts in which Shostakovich composed, and relates the cycle to numerous piano works (by Bach, Hindemith, and others).Trade Review"Mazullo knows how to empower a performer’s analytical and imaginative drive. [...He] brings the music to life as a veritable carnival of expression, and gives listeners and performers the means to sample, test, question, connect, refine, judge, and endlessly reconsider all the kinds of expression that the work offers. What a joy this is!" —James Parakilas, Bates College "An outstanding piece of work—illuminating, attractively written [...and] stimulating. It is a book that will be welcomed by scholars of Russian music, readers interested in the cultural life of the Soviet Union, and interested listeners to a remarkable body of repertory."—Michael Steinberg“Written with great style and flair . . . a compelling and cogent case for the art of Shostakovich.”—John Rego, Notes -- John Rego * Notes *"Clear and convincing . . . there is much information articulated here that is useful for most readers who are interested in tackling the mysterious puzzle of Shostakovich's style."—Kori Bond, Clavier Companion -- Kori Bond * Clavier Companion *

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Trade Review"This study by a distinguished scholar of an important and neglected body of music will be of great interest to musicologists everywhere."—Kathryn Bailey, author of The Twelve-Note Music of Anton Webern

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Book SynopsisPopularly known during his lifetime as The World's Greatest Living Composer, Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) not only wrote some of the twentieth century's most influential music, he also assumed the role of cultural icon. This book reveals Stravinsky's two sides-the public persona, preoccupied with his own image and place in history, and the private composer, whose views and beliefs were often purposely suppressed. Charles M. Joseph draws a richer and more human portrait of Stravinsky than anyone has done before, using an array of unpublished materials and unreleased film trims from the composer's huge archive at the Paul Sacher Institute in Switzerland. Focusing on Stravinsky's place in the culture of the twentieth century, Joseph situates the composer among the giants of his age. He discusses Stravinsky's first American commission, his complicated relationship with his son, his professional relationships with celebrities ranging from T. S. Eliot to Orson Welles, his flirtations with H

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Trade ReviewSelected as an "Outstanding" book in 2007 by AAUP University Press Books for Public and Secondary School Libraries Finalist for the George Freedley Memorial Award of the Theatre Library Association."Stephen Banfield's study is a major addition to Kern scholarship."—Gerald Bordman, author of American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle"Banfield's book is heroic in its scope and coverage of a neglected but essential American music icon."—Michael Feinstein, Singer, Music Historian “With P.G. Wodehouse, Jerome Kern wrote some of the first, funniest, and most charming American musical comedy songs; with Oscar Hammerstein, he wrote the great musical epic of the Broadway stage, Show Boat; with Dorothy Fields, he wrote the most enduring jazz and pop standards of the American songbook, including ’The Way You Look Tonight’ and ’I Won’t Dance.’ He did all this and more without ever swimming into either biographical or musicological focus the way Gershwin, Porter, and others did. Stephen Banfield has now rectified both omissions with a book that’s intelligent and authoritative but also a vivid evocation of early twentieth-century show business. This lively study not only conjures Kern and his world but lays out clearly why this music is of value and why it will last.”—Mark Steyn, author of Broadway Babies Say Goodnight

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Trade ReviewSelected as a 2008 AAUP University Press Book for Public and Secondary School Libraries."Frank Loesser was that rare bird: a skillful stage composer and brilliant writer of song lyrics. Riis's deeply researched and musically astute study shows us what makes a great show such as Guys and Dolls tick."—Ralph P. Locke, Professor of Musicology, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester"This superb, imaginative songwriter has finally received the biography he deserves."—Gerald Bordman, author of American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle

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Book SynopsisMoonlight Serenade, Sunrise Serenade, Little Brown Jug, In the Mood... These and other memorable tunes endeared Glenn Miller to millions in the Swing Era and all who recall those times. After playing trombone and arranging for leading orchestras of the Dorsey brothers, Ray Noble, Ben Pollack, and Red Nichols, Glenn Miller formed his own sweet band, which from 1938 to 1942 achieved widespread popularity second only to Benny Goodman''s. Miller learned all he could from these and other bands like Jimmie Lunceford''s and Artie Shaw''s, going on to create a uniquely rich sound with clarinet over four saxes and four trombones (three-part harmony sounds too thin, he once exclaimed). Simon tells of both the successes and hard times of Miller''s illustrious career, up to his celebrated Army Air Force band and his untimely death.

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Book SynopsisNotes and Tones is one of the most controversial, honest, and insightful books ever written about jazz. As a black musician himself, Arthur Taylor was able to ask his subjects hard questions about the role of black artists in a white society. Free to speak their minds, these musicians offer startling insights into their music, their lives, and the creative process itself. This expanded edition is supplemented with previously unpublished interviews with Dexter Gordon and Thelonious Monk, a new introduction by the author, and new photographs. Notes and Tones consists of twenty-nine no-holds-barred conversations which drummer Arthur Taylor held with the most influential jazz musicians of the ''60s and ''70s,including:Table of Contents* Introduction to the Da Capo Edition * Dexter Gordon * Miles Davis * Randy Weston * Ornette Coleman * Philly Joe Jones * Don Byas * Ron Carter * Johnny Griffin * Charles Tolliver * Eddie Lockjaw Davis * Erroll Garner * Leon Thomas * Max Roach * Dizzy Gillespie * Carmen McRae

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