Entertainment Books

Book SynopsisBlack vaudevillians and entertainers joked that T.O.B.A. stood for tough on black artists. But the Theater Owner's Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) played a foundational role in the African American entertainment industry and provided a training ground for icons like Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Sammy Davis Jr., the Nicholas Brothers, Count Basie, and Butterbeans and Susie. Michelle R. Scott's institutional history details T.O.B.A.'s origins and practices while telling the little-known stories of the managers, producers, performers, and audience members involved in the circuit. Looking at the organization over its eleven-year existence (19201931), Scott places T.O.B.A. against the backdrop of what entrepreneurship and business development meant in black America at the time. Scott also highlights how intellectuals debated the social, economic, and political significance of black entertainment from the early 1900s through T.O.B.A.'s decline during the Great Depression. ClearTrade Review"Clarifies the important role African American entrepreneurs played in promoting entertainment by and for Black people during a transitional period in American show business history. . . .T.O.B.A. Time is an excellent addition to [the University of Illinois Press] catalogue." --NewCity Lit"In clear and precise prose Scott chronicles the coalescence of Black vaudeville and how T.O.B.A. helped establish and nurture the initial flowering of what became the incalculably influential Black entertainment industry. Readers who enjoyed Entertaining Raceby Michael Eric Dyson and Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib will find Scott’s unique history compelling. " --Booklist"Michelle R. Scott's T.O.B.A. Time: Black Vaudeville and the Theatre Owners' Booking Association in Jazz-Age America is a scholarship of the highest order. It provides an in-depth analysis of an organization that played an important role in providing a space for entrepreneurs and talented individuals to forge an independent role for themselves in segregated America. Scott effortlessly combines the minutiae of a multifaceted activity such as vaudeville with the broader currents which were operating in America in the early decades if the twentieth century." --British Journal of Industrial Relations“Scott’s meticulously researched and exquisitely detailed account reveals the broad impact of the T. O. B. A. circuit and the complexities of its organization and operations. The discussions of individual performers--famous and obscure--and their experiences as they worked the circuit are riveting. This is a benchmark book in theater studies and the definitive account of this fascinating institution.”--Allyson Nadia Field, author of Uplift Cinema: The Emergence of African American Film & The Possibility of Black Modernity Table of ContentsPreface AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: They Called It T.O.B.A. Chapter 1. “Whistling Coons” No More: Race Uplift & the Path to T.O.B.A. Chapter 2. Hebrew, Negro, and American Owners: Black Vaudeville and Interracial ManagementChapter 3. T.O.B.A Forms: The Interracial Business Plan for a New Negro BusinessChapter 4. The Multiple Meanings of T.O.B.A: The Performers’ PerspectiveChapter 5. A Responsibility to Community: Circuit Theaters and Black Regional AudiencesChapter 6. “Trouble in Mind": The End of T.O.B.A. TimeEpilogue: T.O.B.A.’s LegacyAppendixNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA traveling salesman with little formal education, Max Hunter gravitated to song catching and ballad hunting while on business trips in the Ozarks. Hunter recorded nearly 1600 traditional songs by more than 200 singers from the mid-1950s through the mid-1970s, all the while focused on preserving the music in its unaltered form. Sarah Jane Nelson chronicles Hunter’s song collecting adventures alongside portraits of the singers and mentors he met along the way. The guitar-strumming Hunter picked up the recording habit to expand his repertoire but almost immediately embraced the role of song preservationist. Being a local allowed Hunter to merge his native Ozark earthiness with sharp observational skills to connect--often more than once--with his singers. Hunter’s own ability to be present added to that sense of connection. Despite his painstaking approach, ballad collecting was also a source of pleasure for Hunter. Ultimately, his dedication to capturing Ozarks song culturTrade Review"Hunter recorded nearly 1600 songs from more than 200 singers over a period of several decades. Because he was not directly connected to academia or to the publishing world, his work might not be as familiar as are the works of other Ozark folklorists, but we learn through the determined research of Sarah Jane Nelson that his life as a collector was rich with stories of fascinating musicians, folkloristic debates, shifting attitudes, and relationships with folklorists and folklore-related institutions throughout the country." --OzarksWatch"Vividly illuminates the efforts of a remarkable ballad-hunter, festival impresario, and personality, while offering attention to nationwide folksong currents intersecting with the Ozarks. There is an audience of scholars, folksong performers and enthusiasts, and Ozarks residents and aficionados awaiting this book."--James P. Leary, author of Folklores of Another America: Field Recordings from the Upper Midwest, 1937–1946"I appreciate that Ms. Nelson took the time and energy to write about Max Hunter's life, his quest for ballads, and the family and singers who helped him along the way. Her writing style is clean and unpretentious." --Missouri Historical ReviewTable of ContentsForeword: The Singer in Me Robert CochranPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Max Hunter and the Ballad Field Singing on the Way to Church A Traveling Salesman in Eureka<> Rules of Collecting and How Hunter Got His Songs The Child Ballads and Other Bounty Singing Grandmas and the Musical Tribes of Stone County Circle of Friends The Importance of Columbia More Than a Hobby Max Hunter’s Map of the Ozarks Max Hunter and the Festival Circuit One Eye on the Past and One on the Future Notes Selected BibliographyIndex

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Book Synopsis**Winner of the American Book Award (2023)** ​**Longlisted for the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award (2023)** The long-awaited first full biography of legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins  Sonny Rollins has long been considered an enigma. Known as the “Saxophone Colossus,” he is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz improvisers of all time, winning Grammys, the Austrian Cross of Honor, Sweden’s Polar Music Prize and a National Medal of Arts. A bridge from bebop to the avant-garde, he is a lasting link to the golden age of jazz, pictured in the iconic “Great Day in Harlem” portrait. His seven-decade career has been well documented, but the backstage life of the man once called “the only jazz recluse” has gone largely untold—until now.  Based on more than 200 interviews with Rollins himself, family members, friends, and coll

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Book SynopsisThis is a music autobiography to remember. This is the story of Martyn Ware. The Human League and Heaven 17 were among some of the most pioneering bands of the 1980s, with Ware having played an integral role in each of their numerous successes. A young lad from the heart of post-war Sheffield, Ware formed The Human League a few years out of school in his early twenties. Described by David Bowie as ''the future of music'', it wasn''t long before the band become known for their innovative and infectiously catchy singles such as ''Being Boiled'', touring with the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Iggy Pop before Ware''s departure. Heaven 17 followed suit, with their soon-to-be classic albums, Penthouse & Pavement and The Luxury Gap, featuring several colossal hits. Ground-breaking icons in new wave and synth pop, both groups remain some of the biggest-selling bands across the UK and worldwide. In Electronically Yours, Martyn takes us through his incredible route to stardom; from his austere upbringing in various council houses and close teenage friendship with former-bandmate Phil Oakey, to the white-hot experimentation in the ''Synth Britannia'' era and his production career, which allowed him to work with some of the world''s greatest singers, including Tina Turner. But it''s not just his life inside the industry which is compelling; a proud socialist, Martyn writes poignantly about politics - how it can be a soulful, personal, moral duty - and its role in his music creation and Britain today. With charming meditations on culture, humour, travel and sport, Martyn also shares his love of 60s films, explains why Venice is the most beautiful city in the world, and reveals how Sheffield Wednesday has forever been his first and eternal passion. A huge page-turner and always warmly told, Electronically Yours sees Martyn talk candidly for the very first time about his extraordinary journey. Discover amusing anecdotes, raw confessions, and moving reflections of a life well and truly lived at the height of the music industry.Trade ReviewMartyn's memoir is at times hilarious, insightful, and bittersweet. He's a man who is owed much more credit for his contribution to the British electronic music legacy. -- Thomas DolbyWonderful, down to earth . . . a great story. From Heaven 17, to all of the miracles and magic that my life has seen. -- Sananda MaitreyaMartyn is trusty, encouraging, charming, helpful, musically skilled . . . [This is a] great book. -- Peter HookA man with a synthesizer trailblazing his way to some of the most innovative moments in music in a generation. -- Martin FryThis is a 100 per cent authentic Sheffield story. From the city's humble streets and football terraces to the very limit of the possibilities where the fearless creation of wonderful ground-breaking music can take you. F*ckin' brilliant story, brilliant book, brilliant Sheffield man! -- Richard HawleyEnthralling . . . An emotionally intelligent, honest book * Record Collector *

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Book SynopsisThe fascinating story of America's national anthem and a search for the source of its powerful meaning today

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Book SynopsisAn introductory guide to a prominent and expanding field of study: artists' unique contribution to the art of the moving image in the 20th and early 21st centuries.Trade Review'David is the only person I know who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of – and a passion for – film in all its possibilities' - Steve McQueen'An authoritative guide' - The Art Newspaper'A stand-out in terms of understanding the conceptual threads of new cinema with visual art aesthetics and content throughout the century, and an excellent reference' - RoseLee GoldbergTable of ContentsPreface Introduction 1. The Attraction of Film 2. ‘The Music of Light’ 3. ‘To Discover and To Reveal’ – The Artist’s Documentary 4. The Pleasures of Editing 5. The Conceptual Film and other phenomena 6. The Anti-Film & the Formal Film 7. The Everyday 8. The Individual Voice 9. Sustenance

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Book SynopsisMarcia Pally is Professor in Multilingual Multicultural Studies at New York University, USA, and held the Mercator Guest Professorship in the Theology Faculty at Humboldt University-Berlin (Germany), where she is now a regular Guest Professor.Trade ReviewMarcia Pally offers here an immensely rich theological interpretation of the work of legendary Canadian poet-musician Leonard Cohen. The key theological theme I see is Cohen's claim that we human beings were made for covenant with God and one another and yet the way we were made – or the way we have turned out – makes it immensely difficult for us to keep the very covenants that we need. So the human condition is tragic, and the tragedy may ultimately be traceable to the very God who alone is our source and our destiny. This book makes me want to marinate in the music and poetry, though not the lifestyle, of Leonard Cohen. It also deepens my immense appreciation for the impressive intellectual range of Marcia Pally. This is a tour de force. -- David P. Gushee, Mercer University, USAMarcia Pally has written an absolutely brilliant and arresting book about the lyrics of Leonard Cohen. Cohen’s lyrics have fascinated me for many years - a descendant of rabbis, he has done the remarkable thing of writing prophecy and social criticism into his lyrics. Marcia Pally’s book analyzes his extraordinary talent. Please read it! -- Erica Jong, award-winning author of Fear of Flying, novelist, and cultural commentator, USADrawing upon the entirety of Cohen’s creative output, including his oft-overlooked novels, Marcia Pally takes Cohen seriously as a religious thinker, “a mystic for the post secular age,” in the words of Aubrey Glazer. Pally swaps out Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Irving Layton and Federico García Lorca in favor of Rosenzweig, Heschel, Levinas, and Wolfson as she recontextualizes Cohen as a poet engaged in a lifelong wrestling match with the Almighty. The listener—or reader, in this case—comes out the winner. -- Seth Rogovoy, author of Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet, USAFrom This Broken Hill I Sing to You is must reading for those like myself who are torn between our devotion to Leonard Cohen's work and our dismay at his personal history with women. By painstakingly charting the poet/singer's lifelong struggle to reconcile his covenantal relationships (with God and women) with his real-life behavior, Marcia Pally has forged a deeply compelling new covenant between Cohen and us, his acolytes. To which, I say Hallelujah! -- Letty Cottin Pogrebin, a founding editor of Ms. magazine & author of Deborah, Golda, and Me: Being Female & Jewish in America, USAMarcia Pally’s From This Broken Hill I Sing to You is a superb book, from Moshe Halbertal’s inspired foreword to the piercing last chapter on Leonard Cohen’s last creed. The writing is sophisticated and accessible, fully up to the task of realizing the deep philosophic-anthropological and theological dimensions of Cohen’s work. The subtitle of the book, God, Sex Politics in the Work of Leonard Cohen, is only partly accurate - the book far more. There is a movement of the study of Cohen’s terse verse, and this book summarizes that work well and advances it with a decided focus on Cohen’s struggle with the tortured relationship between the mortal and the eternal. As someone whose relationship with “Old Priest” was rooted in theological discussions (Lurianic Kabbalah), it is such a pleasure to see his depth so beautifully and originally articulated. -- Rabbi Mordecai Finley, spiritual counselor to Leonard Cohen, spiritual leader of Ohr HaTorah congregation, and professor of liturgy, mysticism and Jewish ethics, USAI have always loved Leonard's work, and loved him personally, and knew that HE was the man along with Beatles, whose work would survive musically. Marcia Pally’s masterful book reveals that as a poet, songwriter, philosopher and ultimate mensch, Leonard Cohen, his work and his spirit are here for ALL TIME!! -- David Amram, one of the "Twenty Most Performed Composers of Concert Music in the United States" and collaborator with Leonard Bernstein, Dizzy Gillespie, Dustin Hoffman, Charlie Mingus, Elia Kazan, Odetta, Jack Kerouac, Betty Carter and Tito Puente, USATable of ContentsIntroduction and Biographical Sketch Chapter One: Theodicy: Arguments With God about Evil, Suffering, and God Himself Chapter Two: Covenantal Theology and its Place in Cohen’s Work Chapter Three: From Covenantal Theology to Theodicy: Failing Covenant with God and Persons Chapter Four: Failing Covenant with God and Persons: Doubled Imagery in Cohen’s Work Chapter Five: Those who did not fail covenant: Moses and Jesus—Cohen’s Jewish and Christian Imagery Chapter Six: The Double Bind That Is Not a Bond: Cohen and Women Chapter Seven: Betrayal of God, Betrayal of Persons, Political Betrayals—Cohen’s Trinity Concluding Remarks: You Want It Darker and Thanks for the Dance—Cohen’s Last Creed Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisRudolph Valentino was the silver-screen legend who for ever changed America''s idea of the leading man: a frightened young fellow who became the cinematic sex-god of his day. In this definitive retelling of Valentino''s short and tragic life - the first fully documented biography of the star - Emily W. Leider looks at the Great Lover''s life and legacy, and explores the events and issues that made him emblematic of his time. Valentino was reviled in the press for being too ''feminine'' a man; yet he also brought to the screen the alluring, savage lover who embodied women''s darker, forbidden sexual fantasies. In tandem, Leider explores notions of the outsider in American culture as represented by Valentino''s experience as an immigrant who became a celebrity: the silver screen''s first dark-skinned romantic hero.Trade Review"'Emily Leider scores a bull's eye with this perceptive and compassionate treatment of the star who "helped deflower post-war America".' Sunday Times; 'Brilliantly evocative... brings to life all that was exciting and decadent about the so-called Jazz Age.' Film Review"

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Book Synopsis''Some of the most exhilarating writing about theatre ever committed to paper, a beady and original analysis of Britain (and incidentally British theatre) in the 50s and 60s, a profound account of the evolution of modern Australia, and a darkly frank one of the inner life of its author. His arguments with England are in the end arguments with himself, but they are utterly engrossing.'' SIMON CALLOW, Guardian''This beautifully written book by the director Michael Blakemore puts most such volumes to shame. It is full of both sharp insights and sudden shafts of wisdom. Often wonderfully funny, it is also touching and painfully honest. By the time you have finished Arguments with England, the author feels like an unusually wise and sympathetic friend.'' Sunday TelegraphTrade Review"'This beautifully written book by the director Michael Blakemore puts most such volumes to shame. It is full of both sharp insights and sudden shafts of wisdom. Often wonderfully funny, it is also touching and painfully honest. By the time you have finished Arguments with England, the author feels like an unusually wise and sympathetic friend: Sunday Telegraph 'Some of the most exhilarating writing about theatre ever committed to paper, a beady and original analysis of Britain (and incidentally British theatre) in the '50s and '60s, a profound account of the evolution of modern Australia, and a darkly frank one of the inner life of its author. His arguments with England are in the end arguments with himself, but they are utterly engrossing.' Simon Callow, Guardian"

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Book SynopsisFranz Schubert''s Winterreise is at the same time one of the most powerful and one of the most enigmatic masterpieces in Western culture. In his new book, Schubert''s Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession, Ian Bostridge - one of the work''s finest interpreters - focusses on the context, resonance and personal significance of a work which is possibly the greatest landmark in the history of Lieder. Drawing equally on his vast experience of performing this work (he has performed it more than a hundred times), on his musical knowledge and on his training as a scholar, Bostridge unpicks the enigmas and subtle meaning of each of the twenty-four songs to explore for us the world Schubert inhabited, bringing the work and its world alive for connoisseurs and new listeners alike. Originally intended to be sung to an intimate gathering, performances ofWinterreise now pack the greatest concert halls around the world. Though not strictly a biography of Schubert,

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Book SynopsisIf I had not kissed anyone, or danced with anyone, or had a reason to cry, the music made me feel as if I had gone through all that anyway . . . the music attracted and repelled, organised and disturbed and then let us into the night, clusters of emotion ready to dissolve into sleep.In The Importance of Music to Girls, Lavinia Greenlaw tells the story of the adventures that music leads us into: getting drunk, falling in love, dying of boredom, cutting our hair, terrifying our parents, wanting to change the world. This is a vivid memoir unlike any other, recalling the furious passion of being young, female, and coming alive through music.

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Book SynopsisI am a composer. A composer of classical music. Quite honestly I am not quite sure how that happened to a girl born in Belize and brought up in Tottenham . . . It is clear that composing found me. It crept up on me and wouldn't let me out of its grasp.Now a leading international composer and a singer-songwriter, Errollyn Wallen is as much at home in jazz and pop as in the classical world. Part memoir, Becoming a Composer offers an intriguing glimpse into the mind and motivation of a composer and covers aspects of Wallen's sometimes troubled childhood, and her experiences of growing up as a black composer in the UK. It includes a collection of observations, diaries following the progress of new works and essays and seeks to shed light on the way a composer sees and hears the world.

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Book SynopsisA CLASH MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024A lively, subversive history of the new UK jazz wave, encapsulating its revolutionary spirit and tracing its foundations to birth of the genre itself.''Not solely a book about jazz, or even a nascent cultural shift; it's a record of a pivotal moment in UK history.''BIG ISSUEBy the end of the last century, jazz music was considered by many to be obsolete and uncool, a genre appreciated only by out of touch white men with deeply questionable taste. And yet, by 2019, a new generation of UK jazz musicians was selling out major venues and appearing on festival line-ups around the world. How has UK jazz rehabilitated its image so totally in twenty-five years? And how did it ever become uncool in the first place?Reaching back to the roots of jazz as the unapologetic expression' of oppressed peoples, shaped by the forces of slavery, imperialism and globalisation, Andre Marmot places this new wave within the wider context of a divided, postcolonial Britain navigating its identity in a new world order. These artists have crafted a sound which reflects the nation as it is today a sound connected to the very origins of jazz itself.Drawing on eighty-six interviews with key architects of this jazz renaissance and those who came before them from Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd to Gilles Peterson, Courtney Pine and Cleveland Watkiss Unapologetic Expression captures the radical spirit of a vital British musical movement.''A breathless run through of an inspiring era in British music, Unapologetic Expression contains deft character sketches and vivid memories, pausing to nail ineffable moments from recording sessions and gigs. Andre Marmot's role as an insider . . . grants the book a degree of intimacy other writers may have lacked.''CLASH

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Book Synopsis''There is something quite moving about seeing the lyrics of these fifty-six songs collected and assembled this way. You can see the evolution of the minds and hearts at work behind the lyrics'' Brandon Taylor, from the IntroductionSince the release of their breakout debut in 2008, Fleet Foxes and their frontman, singer-songwriter Robin Pecknold, have enjoyed international critical and commercial acclaim. Drawing comparisons to Simon & Garfunkel; Crosby, Stills & Nash; and the music of Brian Wilson, Grammy-nominated Fleet Foxes have reshaped the American indie-folk sound, crafting songs that are acoustically and melodically driven, steeped in gospel-like harmonies, and propelled by resonant and timeless lyrics.Wading in Waist-High Water: The Lyrics of Fleet Foxes contains Robin Pecknold's complete lyrics from 56 songs, capturing the poetic and inventive storytelling that is a hallmark of the band's music. These richly layered lyrics explore the complexity, dar

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis is a very useful collection of studies, working through many technical and rhythmical problems. All the studies are well laid out and carefully printed and each one indicates the technical pointed covered, useful for jogging the memory of the child. All have original, snappy titles which help to indicate the style of the piece, and the temp is given with a metronome mark and an Italian or English term. Harmonics, semi-quaver moment, pizzicato, slurred and legato bowings, string crossings, various other bowings, syncopated rhythms, etc., are all covered in the first volume…..A very pleasant, appealing, fun set of studies which children would enjoy. European String Teachers Association, Spring 1994

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Book SynopsisThe new editions of this popular series supports the new ABRSM string syllabus requirements from 2012, ensuring success in the sight-reading tests of graded exams.

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Book SynopsisContaining over forty pieces, Guitar Basics Repertoire offers a rich and varied mixture of folksongs from around the world, classical tunes and popular film music, alongside evocative originals. Designed both to consolidate the areas of study covered in Guitar Basics and present new topics in the fun but clear style of the popular method book.Trade ReviewAn accompaniment to the Guitar Basics book, this little gem contains over 40 pieces that underline the work covered in the first book – all in the same fun, clear style. Mi Pro Magazine, February 2011Table of ContentsThe Cat's Whiskers; Mousetrap; Aura Lee; Brown Girl In The Ring; The Soldier's March; March Of The Kings; Slip 'n' Slide; Smoke Signals; More Sore Fingers; Andante; Flat Attack; Nightwatch; Spooky; Blue Boogaloo; Bear Hunt; He's A Pirate (Pirates of the Caribbean); Homeward Bound; Minuet in G; Lame Horse Blues; Blue Bear's Bass; Mr Ease; Havana Good Time; Sakura; Home Sweet Home; Spanish Knights; Way Down South; It's So Calypso Good; The Wackiest Racers; Fez'd And Furious; Tirando Time; Falling Leaves; Connor's Reel; Stand By Who?; Red Rag; My Heart Will Go On; Tudor Dance; Samurai Sword; Shogun; Windmill Song; Lemonade; Hey Jimi!; Apache; Hedwig's Theme (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)

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Book SynopsisLang Lang Piano Academy: mastering the piano Level 4 (approximately equivalent to Grade 4/Early Intermediate) includes sections on legato pedalling, phrasing and rubato and new accompaniment styles.Table of ContentsLittle Study (Bartók); Flower Drum Song (Trad. Chinese); Waltz (Lang Lang); Little Study (Schumann); Arirang (trad. Korean); Prayer (Glière); Study In F (Dunhill); Waltz (Brahms); About Strange Lands and People (Schumann); La Petite Réunion (Burgmüller); Allegro Assai (Benda); Morning Prayer (Tchaikovsky); Study In G (Czerny); Sonatina (Kabalevsky); Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off (Gershwin); Ballade (Burgmüller); Watchman’s Song (Grieg); Sweet Dreams (Tchaikovsky); Der Dichter Spricht (Schumann); Alla Siciliana (Guilmant); Andante (CPE Bach); Study (Le Couppey); Sonatina No.3 (Clementi); Invention In F (JS Bach)

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Book SynopsisBy renowned piano pedagogue Lucinda Mackworth-Young, Piano by Ear is suitable for beginners through to experienced pianists.Trade Review"Mackworth-Young's approach is systematic and easy to follow, and I'd encourage teachers who have shied away from this area to explore this book...Highly recommended!" Pianist Magazine, December 2015 " [Piano by Ear] gives the pianist tools and skills which can be applied to other pieces, and the book is laid out simply and clearly so that you find yourself progressing to modulations and improvising with the blues logically and comfortably. I cannot recommend this book highly enough." Fiona Lau, Music Teacher Magazine, September 2015 "With Piano by Ear students can learn practically at the keyboard about intervals, chords, cadences, structure, scales and modes, phrases, keys and tonality and different styles of accompanying. This is a book that every piano teacher should have to hand in the term ahead as every page combines both practical teaching advice with inspiration on how to develop the ideas" The Curious Piano Teachers Blog, August 2015 "It’s the perfect book for those preparing for ABRSM Practical Musicianship exams (I wish I’d had this book when doing my Grade 8 Musicianship exam!). Going beyond exams, it could really help teachers wanting to diversify and those wishing to feel confident playing without the score, extemporising or even composing." Melanie Spanswick, The Classical Piano and Music Education Blog, July 2015 “Really useful and exciting! An excellent resource for individual and group teaching” Kristina Greally, Piano Teacher, July 2015 "Playing by ear is an invaluable skill that allows the musician to explore freely on their instrument. We often get so caught up in the notes that we lose the music. What a wonderful publication!" R Mepham, July 2015

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Book Synopsis***Winner of the Best Education Product 2017 at the Music Teacher Awards for Excellence*** Paul Harris's Simultaneous Learning Practice Starter Cards are a fun, imaginative way to kick-start music practice sessions and lessons.Trade Review"There’s really nothing to not like here. These cards are fun, imaginative, musical, and clearly support effective learning. Paul Harris’s ‘Practice Starters’ really are suitable for everyone. In fact, I think I will be encouraging all 60+ of my own students to go ahead and buy a pack straight away!". Andrew Eales, pianodao.com

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Book SynopsisA piece a week Piano Grade 4 is ideal to be used alongside the Improve your sight-reading! graded piano books to support and improve the reading skills so fundamental to successful sight-reading. These fun, short pieces are specifically written to be learnt one per week.Table of ContentsStick Insect Jig; Galaxies, Star Clusters and Black Holes; Haydn Comes To Tea; The Old Monastery In The Mist; Grasses Swaying In The Evening Wind; Strictly Sequins; Hustle & Bustle; Baroquing Chair; Masterspy On A Mission; Daytime TV; Dinosaur Alert; Drifting; A Biscuit; Q Box Pro; A Hint Of Einaudi; Deep Blue Sea; Egyptian Adventure; Pop Song; Au Revoir; Secret Agent TX9 Chasing The Villain; Blackpool Rock; Nocturne Parisienne; Humoresque; Agent TX9 Plotting The Next Move; The Bronx NYC; Neptune; The Big Number

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsA Game of Croquet (from The Theory of Everything); A Model of the Universe (from The Theory of Everything); Bað; A Sparrow Alighted Upon Our Shoulder; Be Over (from The Shadow Play soundtrack); Beauty (from Blind Massage); By the Roes, and by The Hinds of the Field; Dressing Up (from Personal Effects); The Drowned World; Eleven Thousand Six Hundred and Sixty-Nine Died of Natural Causes; Englabörn (piano version); Flight From the City; Flugeldar II; Good Morning, Midnight; He Says It’s the Future; Indian Wedding (from Personal Effects); Innocence (from Free the Mind); Já, Hemmi Minn; Jói & Karen; Linda and Walter (from Personal Effects); Melodia (III); Odi et Amo / Krókódíll; Payphone (from McCanick); The Radiant City; Ruslpóstur; The Sun’s Gone Dim and the Sky’s Turned Black; Theme from ‘Varmints’ soundtrack; The Theory of Everything (soundtrack); Time to Say Goodbye (from White Black Boy); Will’s Story (from Free the Mind)

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Book SynopsisThe modern German composer discusses his childhood, his musical development, electronic music, chance, music theater, and music education

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Book SynopsisA hands-on study skills guide that explores how film and moving image can be used as sources.Trade Review‘Using Film as a Source is a true research guide. It will succeed in familiarizing students new to the medium film with its characteristics, and can also inspire those already pursuing film studies to understand film as more than a text. Most importantly, Barber’s direct style of writing and the structure of the book can convince that the at times challenging or even intimidating project of conducting genuine research is not only manageable but also exciting.’Maraike M. Marxsen, Hamburg University, HJFRT Vol 36, No 4‘Using Film as a Source offers a concise summary for those wanting an intelligent and intelligible general introduction to the use of film as a scholarly resource, while also acting as a jumping-off point for those wanting to delve deeper.’Richard Farmer, University of East Anglia, Journal of British Cinema and Television, Volume 14 Issue 2 -- .Table of Contents1. Introduction2. Film and history 3. Film form and aesthetics 4. Film historiography 5. Formulating research questions 6. Theory and methodology 7. Resources 8. Using sources 9. Writing up your findingsBibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive guide to the guitar, with a practical playing manual and chord finder, a historical overview of the instrument and a visual directory of over 150 acoustic guitars, all shown in over 900 photographs and illustrations.

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Book SynopsisLet your lobster know how much they mean to you with this officially licensed, charming DIY gift book, inspired by Friends. Whether you and your other half are a Ross and Rachel or more of a Chandler and Monica, show your SO how much they mean to you with dozens of sweet, silly, and endearing expressions of love inspired by Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey, and Phoebe. Once completed, this book becomes a personalized gift for your loved one to cherish for years to come. Also features full-color photography from the show throughout.  

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Book SynopsisThe animations of Japan's Studio Ghibli are among the most respected in the movie industry. Their films rank alongside the most popular non-English language films ever made, with each new eagerly anticipated release a guaranteed box office hit. Yet this highly profitable studio has remained fiercely independent, producing a stream of...Trade Reviewone of the most authoritative texts available. Whether you're a newcomer or a longtime fan, Studio Ghibli is well worth a read -- Ashley Day * SciFi Now *the authoritative English language text on Studio Ghibli -- Marty Mulrooney * Alternative Magazine Online *a competent portrait of a great studio -- Andrew Osmond * SFX Magazine *an excellent overview -- Terry Hong * Library Journal *a valuable beginner's guide to their complex and beautiful world -- Paul Dale * The List Magazine *

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Book SynopsisIn 2016 Professor Stephen Hawking delivered the BBC Reith Lectures on a subject that has fascinated him for decades - black holes. In these flagship lectures the legendary physicist argues that if we could only understand black holes and how they challenge the very nature of space and time, we could unlock the secrets of the universe.Trade ReviewMaster of the Universe... One scientist's courageous voyage to the frontiers of the Cosmos * Newsweek *He can explain the complexities of cosmological physics with an engaging combination of clarity and wit... His is a brain of extraordinary power * Observer *One of the most brilliant scientific minds since Einstein * Daily Express *To follow such a fine mind as it exposes such great problems is an exciting experience * Sunday Times *The most brilliant British scientist of his generation * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisIn the thirty years since viewers first visited Nelson Mandela House, Only Fools and Horses has won countless awards and is still Britain''s most-watched and best-loved sitcom. Del Boy''s overwhelming popularity has even inspired the Oxford English Dictionary to include a selection of his most famous words and phrases, such as ''lovely jubbly'' and ''twonk''. In this fascinating, entertaining and meticulously researched book, acclaimed biographer Graham McCann goes behind the scenes to tell the inside story of Britain''s most enduring comedy. With major contributions from the people who wrote, produced and starred in the programme and with material drawn from the BBC archives, it''s time to take one last trip down Hooky Street . . .Trade ReviewThis is a thoroughly-researched, breezily-written, affectionate and yet never dewy-eyed account of how a great TV series was put together. It stands as a worthy monument to its creator * * Daily Mail * *McCann provides hundreds of interesting details . . . on how the show crept into the British consciousness and captured the British public's imagination with its characters and humour . . . The back stories of the actors and actresses are engrossing and how the theme music came about is a comic tale in itself * * Telegraph * *What is not to love about this book? It is meticulous, exact, intelligent, affectionate and somehow inspirational. McCann, who has written on Cary Grant and Morecombe & Wise, has delivered his best one yet. * * Guardian on Dad’s Army * *McCann's impeccably detailed biography is both a celebration and a lament. * * The Times on Morecambe and Wise * *Never has the sheer awkwardness of the human condition been so comically or beautifully conveyed. * * Daily Mail on Frankie Howerd * *You will laugh, you will learn and you will undoubtedly, start speaking in a silly voice. * * Word Magazine on Spike & Co * *This book also makes one look anew at one's favourite scenes . . . McCann has some nice insights into the production techniques that made this the most frenetic farce to have appeared on television. * * Telegraph on Fawlty Towers * *

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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