Music Books

Book SynopsisNotes for Cellists: A Guide to the Repertoire is an essential resource for anyone seeking to enrich their understanding of cello music. Written by cellist and cello professor Miranda Wilson, this book explores the world of cello repertoire with analytical overviews and background information on compositions spanning five centuries. In an engaging and accessible style, Notes for Cellists guides readers through the repertoire, providing detailed insights into the lives of composers and the cellists who inspired them. From Bach and Beethoven to contemporary works by living composers, Notes for Cellists offers historical and analytical contexts for over three dozen works. Whether you''re a student, professional, teacher, college faculty member, amateur player, or simply an enthusiast of the cello, Notes for Cellists is an indispensable tool. With extended program notes on the essentials of cello repertoire, this book serves as a guide for reference or a starting point for further research.

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Book SynopsisThe Last Romantic in His Own Words combines carefully curated personal and professional letters with reminiscences, pedagogical essays, and statements on public affairs that Hungarian musician Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) wrote throughout his lengthy career. Also included are a selection of interviews he gave in various capacities: as a celebrated and versatile performer, as the composer of beloved masterworks, as an internationally respected pedagogue, and as a leader in Hungary''s leading musical institutions. These texts--many of which have never appeared in English--shed new light on Dohnányi''s singular aesthetics, as well as on his career as a charismatic and at times controversial public figure who was one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century, particularly in Hungary.The result of twenty-five years of archival research in England, Hungary, and the United States, the documents outline the major chapters in Dohnányi''s long and fascinating life, from his joyful childhood in Hungary, through a globetrotting career that witnessed the advent of the radio as well as air travel, and ultimately to his final years in political exile. Along the way, readers will gain valuable insights into not only Dohnányi''s musical influences and personal philosophies as a performer, music educator, and composer, but more broadly musical life and the dissemination of musical knowledge and public taste in the first half of the twentieth century. The documents facilitate a much-needed reevaluation of a public figure and private individual caught up in the web of twentieth-century politics, resulting in a picture that is more complete than ever of one of the most elusive musicians of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisAmid the historic overturnings of 1989, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, pop music also experienced striking changes. This title reimagines how we understand both pop music and its social context in a vibrant exploration of a year famously described as 'the end of history'.Trade Review"[A] dense, provocative, wonderfully written little book... Masterful." The Progressive "[It] is an academic book, but also one that fans of politics and pop culture would savor." -- Carlo Wolff Boston Globe "[An] extraordinary work of political aesthetics... Clover is a gifted music writer, and his descriptions are vivid, surprising and politically sharp without ever being moralistic." -- Owen Hatherley New Statesman "Astute ... [A] vivid snapshot of a tumultuous moment in pop and history." Foreword Magazine "Up close, Clover's analysis is interesting an occasionally brilliant... Rich with historical and musical insight... It's the smaller discoveries along the way that make 1989 worth your time." Bookforum "The book ... makes a valuable contribution to the efforts of all those who believe in music's importance to our lives." Journal Of Popular Music "Music and politics, drugs and society prove to be eerily congruent, and Clover's tough analysis dismantles prevailing myths while revealing even stranger truths." -- Luc Sante, author of Low Life Mother Jones "Clover is a deeply learned and hugely enthusiastic student of popular music; his readings of songs are astute, witty, and unflappable, and each works in a larger argument." Bookslut "Offers a powerful framework through which pop history can be explored." Times Higher Ed Supp (Thes) "Rewardingly ambitious. [Clover] writes with precision and loads of personality, weaving between global politics and musical genres (rave, hip-hop, grunge) with a fan's intensity." Time Out New YorkTable of ContentsLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PROLOGUE INTRODUCTION: The Long 1989 PART ONE: 1989 (THE UNCONFINED UNRECKONED YEAR) 1. The Bourgeois and the Boulevard BRIDGE: da inner sound, y'all 2. The Second Summer of Love BRIDGE: I Was up above It 3. Negative Creep BRIDGE: Just a Stop down the Line 4. The Billboard Consensus PART TWO: "1989" (A SHOUT IN THE STREET) 5. The Image-Event and the Blind Spot EPILOGUE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS NOTES WORKS CITED INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe first ever comprehensive history of The Raincoats, the trailblazing all-female, queer, DIY band, the 'godmothers of grunge', who emerged as one of the first artists out of the mid-70s Rough Trade Records scene

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Book SynopsisSinister Resonance begins with the premise that sound is a haunting, a ghost, a presence whose location is ambiguous and whose existence is transitory. The intangibility of sound is uncanny - a phenomenal presence in the head, at its point of source and all around. The close listener is like a medium who draws out substance from that which is not entirely there.The history of listening must be constructed from the narratives of myth and fiction, ''silent'' arts such as painting, the resonance of architecture, auditory artefacts and nature. In such contexts, sound often functions as a metaphor for mystical revelation, forbidden desires, formlessness, the unknown, and the unconscious. As if reading a map of hitherto unexplored territory, Sinister Resonance deciphers sounds and silences buried within the ghostly horrors of Arthur Machen, Shirley Jackson, Charles Dickens, M.R. James and Edgar Allen Poe, Dutch genre painting from Rembrandt to Vermeer, artists as diverse as FrancisTrade ReviewIt's as if contemporary culture has developed a case of hyperacusis in the form of Toop's 'perpetual vigilance' as he haunts the permeable boundary between the extremities of sound and the fullness of silence. Ruminating on its unmatched power of evocation, Toop manifests sound after transient sound from the pages of this 'silent art', increasing awareness of our own auditory acuity as the walls between inner and outer space collapse around our ears. - David SylvianDavid Toop is the brilliant voyager of our sonic century, for whom music is a map of our dreams. With Sinister Resonance he takes us yet farther and deeper into coordinates uncharted but remembered all the same, beyond the horizon where the listener meets the listened. - Steve EricksonFor starters, Toop hauls out his 233 note Jaws-Harp and plays us ancient Siren's songs, Bloom's farts, Munch's round-the-world scream, the surfaces of Ad Reinhardt's paintings, Virginia Woolf's brooding interiors, Lynch's scary foley designs over an Akio Suzuki inaudible installation, in a seamless, erudite and virtuoso literary performance of the sound of sound sounding...yeah, a veritable sonic Tsunami. For anyone looking for the ultimate "lost chord," this is the place to find it! - Alvin CurranIt's all about a sound that no one could hear except those who might listen. And for ears that [can] dream.........what a noise !!! -Brothers QuayNo work on the subject of listening is as erudite, thoughtful, wide-ranging, and readable as Sinister Resonance. Toop's previous books revealed the astonishing breadth of his musical tastes and the immensity of his sonic world. Here he extends his purview to literature and art, treating paintings, sculptures, novels, and poems as objects with a spectral sonic life discernible through sensitive looking and listening. The result is a profound and thrilling meditation on the senses and their interrelationships that vastly surpasses fashionable but facile conceptions of "synaesthesia." - Christoph CoxMention in the New Titles section. The Wire, 1st June 2010. "This is not just a book about the uncanny history of sound, but about the hidden affinities between eras and art forms. The patterns it divines make Sinister Resonance something like a sonically minded companion to Marina Warner's Phantasmagoria, on the haunted nature of photography and cinema." - The Wire'Toop has provided a valuable companion to new departures in the academic study of sound.' -- Times Higher Education Supplement'This fourth in Toop's series of meditations turns out to be the most illuminating yet.' -- The Independent on Sunday‘Scarily erudite but ultimately enthralling.' -- guardian.co.ukSinister Resonance succeeds in arguing for the centrality of sound to emotional, psychological, social and political experience. This marks a welcome break from conventional aesthetic analysis. -- Radical PhilosophyIncredibly well researched, Sinister Resonance is a surprisingly thought-provoking work of pop-culture analysis. -- Alarm MagazineTable of ContentsSection one: Aerial; 1. Drowned by voices; 2. Each echoing opening; each muffled closure; 3. Dark senses; 4. Writhing sigla; 5. The jagged dog; Section two: Vessels and Volumes; 6. Act of silence; 7. Art of silence; 8. A conversation piece; Section three: Spectral; 9. Chair creaks, but no one sits there; Section four: Interior Resonance; 10. Snow falling on snow; Coda: Distant Voices; Acknowledgements; Notes; Index.

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Book SynopsisAn oral history of British rock band The Jam in the words of 300 fans

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Book SynopsisA Rough Trade Book of The Year 2023A Guardian Music Book of The Year 2023''Beautifully written and meticulously researched '' Classic Pop''[An] all-encompassing repository of Cure wisdom'' Record CollectorThe Cure are indisputable titans of alternative rock. Recognisable as much for their iconic aesthetic, videos and artwork as for the lyrical and musical genius of Robert Smith, The Cure''s work remains hugely influential upon contemporary pop culture, reverberating with fans for generations across the world through genres ranging from Emo to Goth, Industrial to Indie Rock.In Curepedia, Simon Price sifts through the facts, the myths and the tall tales around The Cure, their recording history and legendary tours, to deliver a uniquely kaleidoscopic portrait of the legendary band and a book that has been praised as the definitive document and account of their remarkable career.''An extraordinary piece of work'' Elis James''A pleasure to study and absorb - highly recommended'' Tim Burgess

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Book SynopsisThis impressive compilation offers a nearly complete listing of sound recordings made by American minority artists prior to mid-1942. Organized by national group or language, the seven-volume set cites primary and secondary titles, composers, participating artists, instrumentation, date and place of recording, master and release numbers, and reissues in all formats. Because of its clear arrangements and indexes, it will be a unique and valuable tool for music and ethnic historians, folklorists, and others.

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Book SynopsisThis impressive compilation offers a nearly complete listing of sound recordings made by American minority artists prior to mid-1942. Organized by national group or language, the seven-volume set cites primary and secondary titles, composers, participating artists, instrumentation, date and place of recording, master and release numbers, and reissues in all formats. Because of its clear arrangements and indexes, it will be a unique and valuable tool for music and ethnic historians, folklorists, and others.

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Book SynopsisJodie Harsh arrived in London aged 15, in 2002, heading straight off the train from Canterbury to her first club night at the Astoria. Intoxicated by this initial taste, she didn't leave the party for years, falling in with the right wrong people and exploring the sides of London best experienced under cover of darkness. Throughout the noughties, from Camden and Soho to Mayfair, stretching from Notting Hill to the Hackney Road and Primrose Hill, the city was a messy, beating, slick and sordid melting pot. New music, new fashion, new art, all coming together in a mad heady rush before and during the financial crash of 2008. Scenes collided, exploded, were reborn and shaped, all across the city, at rapid speed. Harsh grabs us by the hand and leads us back to those decadent times, from the Astoria to The Cross, the Soho Revue Bar to Mahiki, Boombox to The End and her famous friends' houses; to a time before social media and cameraphones were ubiquitous, and a life wit

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating new study by Mark Asquith offers an original approach to Hardy's art as a novelist and entirely new readings of certain musical scenes in Hardy's works.Trade Review'One of the best books on Hardy published in recent years...I was struck by how coherent, well-illustrated and informative it is, opening up a world of musicological debate and making sense of it; relating it to the way that the nineteenth century thought about emotion, embodiment and their transmission; and of course applying it in numerous incisive ways to a range of Hardy's work, taking in issues including the Darwinian landscape, social life, courtship and the chorus...An impressive and elegant book.' - Tim Armstrong, Royal Holloway, UKTable of ContentsIntroduction 'The Road to Norcombe Hill': Hardy's Musical Evolution 'Silent Workings of the Invisible Hand': Hardy's Metaphysical Evolution The 'Spider's Web': Metaphysics into 'Music Drama' 'The Plucked Harp String': Desire, Courtship Ritual and the Debate Concerning Speech Theory A Tale of 'Tragical Possibilities': Music and the Birth of Consciousness in The Return of the Native 'A Tragedy Appropriate for its Time': Music and the Story of a 'Man of Character' 'All Creation Groaning': A Deaf Ear to Music in Jude the Obscure Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBefore The Legend goes beyond the myth of Marley to bring readers the private side of a man few people ever really knew.

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Book SynopsisContributers from image and sound studies explore the history and the future of moving-image media across a range of formats including blockbuster films, video games, music videos, social media, experimental film, documentaries, video art, pornography, theater, and electronic music.Trade Review"This is an assemblage of monumentally impressive scholarly thought on timely issues and will undoubtedly stand up to repeated readings, analysis, and dialogue."--Association for Recorded Sound Collections JournalTable of ContentsIntroduction: ; 1. Carol Vernallis and Amy Herzog ; Cinema in the Realm of the Digital: Foundational Approaches ; 2. Thomas Elsaesser, Digital Cinema: Convergence or Contradiction? ; 3. Jean-Pierre Geuens, Angels of Light ; 4. William Whittington, Lost in Sensation-Reevaluating the Role of Cinematic Sound in the Digital Age ; Dialogue: Screens and Spaces ; 5. Sean Cubitt, Large Screens, Third Screens, Virtuality and Innovation" ; 6. Will Straw, Public Screens and Urban Life" ; Glitches, Noise, and Interruption: Materiality and Digital Media ; 7. Laura U. Marks, A Noisy Brush with the Infinite: Noise in Enfolding-Unfolding Aesthetics" ; 8. Lisa Coulthard, Dirty Sound: Haptic Noise in New Extremism" ; 9. Caetlin Benson-Allott, "Going Gaga for Glitch: Digital Failure @nd Feminist Spectacle in Twenty-F1rst Century Music Video" ; 10. Joanna Demers, "Discursive Accents in Some Recent Digital Media Works" ; 11. Melissa Ragona, "Doping the Voice" ; Uncanny Spaces and Acousmatic Voices ; 12. William Cheng, "Monstrous Noise: Silent Hill and the Aesthetic Economies of Fear" ; 13. Amy Herzog, "'Charm the Air to Give a Sound': The Uncanny Soundscape of Punchdrunk's Sleep No More>" ; 14. George Toles, "A Gash in the Portrait: Martin Arnold's Deanimated" ; 15. Warren Buckland, "The Acousmatic Voice and Metaleptic Narration in Inland Empire" ; Dialogue: Visualization and Sonification ; 16. Lev Manovich, "Visualization Methods for Media Studies" ; 17. Jake Smith, "Explorations in Cultureson" ; Virtual Worlds, Paranoid Structures, and States of War ; 18. Dale Chapman, "Music and the State of Exception in Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men" ; 19. Matthew Sumera, "Understanding the Pleasures of War's Audiovision" ; 20. James Buhler and Alex Newton, "Outside the Law of Action: Music and Sound in the Bourne Trilogy" ; 21. Eleftheria Thanouli, "Debating the Digital: Film and Reality in Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog" ; 22. Theo Cateforis, "Between Artifice and Authenticity: Music and Media in Wag the Dog" ; Blockbusters! Franchises, Remakes, and Intertextual Practices ; 23. Jessica Aldred, "'I Am Beowulf! Now, It's Your Turn': Playing With (And As) the Digital Convergence Character" ; 24. Carol Donelan and Ron Rodman, "Lion and Lambs: Industry-Audience Negotiations in the Twilight Saga Franchise" ; 25. Aylish Wood, "Sonic Times in Watchmen and Inception" ; 26. Miguel Mera, "Inglo(u)rious Basterdization? Tarantino and the War Movie Mashup" ; Dialogue: De-Coding Source Code ; 27. Garrett Stewart, "Sound Thinking: Looped Time, Duped Track" ; 28. Sean Cubitt, "Source Code: Eco-Criticism and Subjectivity" ; 29. James Buhler, "Notes to Source Code's Soundtrack" ; Rethinking Audiovisual Embodiment ; 30. Kiri Miller, "Virtual and Visceral Experience in Music-Oriented Videogames" ; 31. David McCarthy and Maria Zuazu, "A Gaga-World Pageant: Channeling Difference and the Performance of Networked Power" ; 32. Paul Morris and Susanna Paasonen, "Coming to Mind: Pornography and the Mediation of Intensity" ; Sounds and Images of the New Digital Documentary ; 33. John Belton, "The World in the Palm of Your Hand: Agnes Varda, Trinh T. Minh-ha, and the Digital Documentary" ; 34. Selmin Kara, "The Sonic Summons: Meditations on Nature and Anempathetic Sound in Digital Documentaries" ; 35. Jennifer Peterson, "Workers Leaving the Factory: Witnessing Industry in the Digital Age" ; Modes of Composition: Digital Convergence and Sound Production ; 36. Eric Lyon, "The Absent Image in Electronic Music" ; 37. Jann Pasler, "Hugues Dufourt's Cinematic Dynamism: Space, Timbre, and Time in L'Afrique d'apres Tiepolo" ; 38. Ron Sadoff, "Scoring for Film and Video Games: Collaborative Practices and Digital Post-Production" ; 39. Nicola Dibben, "Visualising the App Album with Bjork's Biophilia" ; Digital Aesthetics Across Platform and Genre ; 40. Carol Vernallis, "Accelerated Aesthetics: a New Lexicon of Time, Space and Rhythm" ; 41. Jay Beck, "Acoustic Auteurs and Transnational Cinema" ; 42. Allan Cameron, "Instrumental Visions: Electronica, Music Video, and the Environmental Interface" ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe book is a compendium of thinking on virtuality and its relationship to reality from the perspective of a variety of philosophical and applied fields of study. Topics covered include presence, immersion, emotion, ethics, utopias and dystopias, image, sound, literature, AI, law, economics, medical and military applications, religion, and sex.Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Mark Grimshaw ; I. The Foundations of Virtuality ; 1. The Virtuality and Reality of Avatar Cyberspace ; Bruce Damer and Randy Hinrichs ; 2. The Physical and Social Reality of Virtual Worlds ; Philip Brey ; 3. Envisioning the Virtual ; Brian Massumi ; 4. Being More Than Yourself: Virtuality and Human Spirit ; Andre Nusselder ; 5. Mythologies of Virtuality: "Other Space" and "Shared Dimension" from Ancient Myths to Cyberspace ; Maria Beatrice Bittarello ; 6. The Paradox of Virtuality ; Michael R. Heim ; II. Psychology and Perception ; 7. Avatar Psychology ; James K. Scarborough and Jeremy N. Bailenson ; 8. Not Quite Human: What Virtual Characters Have Taught Us about Person Perception ; Elizabeth J. Carter and Frank E. Pollick ; 9. Emotions and Altered States of Awareness: The Virtuality of Reality and the Reality of Virtuality ; Jean-Claude Martin ; 10. Applying Psychological Plausibility to the Uncanny Valley Phenomenon ; Angela Tinwell ; 11. The Psychology of Addiction to Virtual Environments: The Allure of the Virtual Self ; Deborah Abdel Nabi and John P. Charlton ; 12. Being Present in a Virtual World ; Giuseppe Riva and John A. Waterworth ; 13. Immersion in Virtual Worlds ; Gordon Calleja ; III. Culture and Society ; 14. Communication in Virtual Worlds ; Paul C. Adams ; 15. So Good, They Named It Twice? A Lacanian Perspective on Virtual Reality from Literature and the Other Arts ; David Rudd ; 16. History and Cultural Heritage in Virtual Environments ; Erik Champion ; 17. Flirting, Cheating, Dating, and Mating in a Virtual World ; Julie M. Albright and Eddie Simmens ; 18. Cybersex ; Stale Stenslie ; 19. A Virtual Assembly: Constructing Religion out of Zeros and Ones ; Robert M. Geraci ; 20. Acoustemologies of the Closet ; William Cheng ; IV. Sound ; 21. Breaking the Fourth Wall? User-Generated Sonic Content in Virtual Worlds ; Karen Collins ; 22. Sonic Virtuality: Understanding Audio in a Virtual World ; Tom A. Garner and Mark Grimshaw ; 23. Virtual Worlds: An Ethnomusicological Perspective ; Trevor S. Harvey ; 24. The Music That's Not There ; Martin Knakkergaard ; V. Image ; 25. Through the Looking Glass: Philosophical Reflections on the Art of Virtual Worlds ; Gary Zabel ; 26. Recreating Visual Reality in Virtuality ; Anthony Steed ; 27. The Translation of Art in Virtual Worlds ; Patrick Lichty ; 28. Painting, the Virtual, and the Celluloid Frame ; Simon J. Harris ; VI. Economy and Law ; 29. Virtual Law ; Greg Lastowka ; 30. Virtuality in the Sphere of Economics ; Vili Lehdonvirta ; VII. A-Life and Artificial Intelligence ; 31. On the Role of "Digital Actors" in Entertainment-Based Virtual Worlds ; Phil Carlisle ; 32. Evolution in Virtual Worlds ; Tim Taylor ; 33. Virtual Ecologies and Environments ; David G. Green and Tom Chandler ; 34. Computational Modeling of Brain Function and the Human Haptic System at the Neural Spike Level: Learning the Dynamics of a Simulated Body ; Gabriel Robles-De-La-Torre ; VIII. Technology and Applications ; 35. Distributed Embodiment: Real Presence in Virtual Bodies ; John A. Waterworth and Eva L. Waterworth ; 36. Level of Realism: Feel, Smell, and Taste in Virtual Environments ; Alan Chalmers ; 37. Developing Handheld Augmented Reality Interfaces ; Mark Billinghurst, Huidong Bai, Gun Lee, and Robert Lindeman ; 38. Avoidable Pitfalls in Virtual-World Learning Design ; Keysha I. Gamor ; 39. Medical Clinical Uses of Virtual Worlds ; Giuseppe Riva ; 40. Military Simulations Using Virtual Worlds ; Roger Smith ; IX. Utopia and Dystopia ; 41. Ethics at the Boundaries of the Virtual ; Charles M. Ess ; 42. The Social Imaginary of Virtual Worlds ; Patrice Flichy ; 43. Virtuality and Humanity ; David Kreps ; 44. Virtual Dystopia ; Andrea Hunter and Vincent Mosco ; An Afterword in Four Binarisms ; Tom Boellstorff ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive study of the relationship between music and language, this book challenges the widespread belief that music and language are processed independently. It argues that music and language share deep and critical connections, and that comparative research provides a powerful way to study the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying these uniquely human abilities.Trade Reviewa fascinating synopsis of the current, young state of scientific research in cross-domain language-music comparative study. The book transverses with ease the disciplinary lines of linguistics, music and neuroscience. This impressive work of scholarship will serve as a reference of the topic for years to come. * Phonology *...an intellectual tour-de-force...[the book] requires focused engagement, but the rewards are rich...this definitive analysis of music cognition and its relationship to language [is] a work of exceptional scholarship and clarity. * Nature *...this book undoubtedly provides the best attempt so far to synthesize theory and research findings, and in doing so highlights the many advantages of applying a holistic approach to the study of music and language. * Brain: A Journal of Neurology *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Sound Elements: Pitch and Timbre ; 2.1 Introduction ; 2.2 Musical Sound Systems ; 2.3 Linguistic Sound Systems ; 2.4 Sound Category Learning as a Key Link ; 2.5 Conclusion ; Appendixes ; 3. Rhythm ; 3.1 Introduction ; 3.2 Rhythm in Music ; 3.3 Rhythm in Speech ; 3.4 Interlude: Rhythm in Poetry and Song ; 3.5 Non-Periodic Aspects of Rhythm as a Key Link ; 3.6 Conclusion ; Appendixes ; 4. Melody ; 4.1 Introduction ; 4.2 Melody in Music: Comparisons to Speech ; 4.3 Speech Melody: Links to Music ; 4.4 Interlude: Musical and Linguistic Melody in Song ; 4.5 Melodic Statistics and Melodic Contour as Key Links ; 4.6 Conclusion ; Appendix ; 5. Syntax ; 5.1 Introduction ; 5.2 The Structural Richness of Musical Syntax ; 5.3 Formal Differences and Similarities between Musical and Linguistic Syntax ; 5.4 Neural Resources for Syntactic Integration as a Key Link ; 5.5 Conclusion ; 6. Meaning ; 6.1 Introduction ; 6.2 A Brief Taxonomy of Musical Meaning ; 6.3 Linguistic Meaning in Relation to Music ; 6.4 Interlude: Linguistic and Musical Meaning in Song ; 6.5 The Expression and Appraisal of Emotion as a Key Link ; 6.6 Conclusion ; 7. Evolution ; 7.1 Introduction ; 7.2 Language and Natural Selection ; 7.3 Music and Natural Selection ; 7.4 Music and Evolution: Neither Adaptation nor Frill ; 7.5 Beat-Based Rhythm Processing as a Key Research Area ; 7.6 Conclusion ; Appendix ; Afterword ; References ; List of Sound Examples ; Lis of Credits ; Author Index ; Subject Index

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Book SynopsisMusic in the USA: A Documentary Companion is an anthology of primary sources, which charts a map of American music and musical life through the words of composers, performers, writers and "the people." The anthology contains about 160 selections from 1540 to 2000 ranging from William Billings to Qbert, from psalmody to rap.Trade ReviewA treasure for anyone who is fascinated by America and its many streams of music. The selections are fresh and varied. The items treated include (to mention some that involve the letter C) Colonial hymns, Civil War marches, nineteenth-century prima donna and opera-company manager Clara Kellogg, Copland's Rodeo, Chuck Berry, and salsa musician Willie Colon. The annotations provide crisp information and context but also are studded with subtle, sometimes sly provocations. An ideal compendium for classroom use to complement - or perhaps even replace - a standard textbook on music in America. * Ralph P. Locke, Professor of Musicology, Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester) *The entire course of American music emerges from this judiciously selected and introduced collection of 159 examples. * Gramophone *A truly awesome and significant volume. * Alan Rich *Judith Tick has provided the field of American music studies with an eclectic body of source materials, a road map to our individual and collective pasts. This major contribution turns the volume up: it documents this country's unbridled obsession with her musical self. The experiences lived in America's hushed concert halls, smoky jam sessions, pious cathedrals, and rowdy theaters are embedded in the written cultures they inspired. Have readings ever sounded so good? * Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr., Associate Professor of Music History and Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania *Everyone who has an interest or a passion for this nation's music will want to become immersed in Music in the USA. Judith Tick weaves this collection of source readings and other writings into an ecstatic quil?- a portrait that could only be made in America. * George Boziwick, Curator, American Music Collection, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts *Table of ContentsPREFACE; INTRODUCTION; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; TABLE OF CONTENTS; LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; FIGURES AND GRAPHICS; 1540-1770

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Book SynopsisAdvice to young singers often follows the standard line of the great French singer Claire Croiza: Study the poem away from the music, so that you know what the words really mean. But Croiza''s advice is notoriously difficult to follow when performing French mélodies. Just how do you approach a French poem? In the lyric poetry on which the mélodie is based, meaning is conveyed not just through the words but also through the poem''s formal structure. Understanding French Verse: A Guide for Singers explains this formal structure and sets out the basics of French versification, using examples drawn from a wide range of well-known song settings. Its chapters examine French meters, stanzaic forms, sonnets, rondels and other fixed forms, rhyme and sound patterning, and free verse poems. Written in a clear and concise way, it explains the Alexandrine, how to distinguish different meters by counting syllables, and how to identify stresses in French verse. The book also illustrates how rhyme woTrade Review...very useful... * Dorothee Mertz-Weigel, French Review, vol. 80.1 *Table of Contents1: Why This Guide? 2: The Basics of the French Line 3: Common French Meters 4: Stanzas 5: Sonnets, rondels, and other fixed forms 6: Rhyme 7: Free verse Appendix 1. Commentaries on four poems Adieux de l'hôtesse arabe Le colibri En sourdine Montparnasse Appendix 2. Poems and songs discussed in the guide Appendix 3. A brief history of French versification Glossary of technical terms Notes Suggestions for further reading Index

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Book SynopsisIn this pioneering work of cultural history, historian Anthony Harkins argues that the hillbilly-in his various guises of briar hopper, brush ape, ridge runner, and white trash-has been viewed by mainstream Americans simultaneously as a violent degenerate who threatens the modern order and as a keeper of traditional values of family, home, and physical production, and thus symbolic of a nostalgic past free of the problems of contemporary life. Hillbilly signifies both rugged individualism and stubborn backwardness, strong family and kin networks but also inbreeding and bloody feuds. Spanning film, literature, and the entire expanse of American popular culture, from D. W. Griffith to hillbilly music to the Internet, Harkins illustrates how the image of the hillbilly has consistently served as both a marker of social derision and regional pride. He traces the corresponding changes in representations of the hillbilly from late-nineteenth century America, through the great Depression, theTrade Review"a sophisticated mélange of image and reality regarding southern white culture"-- History of Education Quarterly"Harkin's research is truly impressive, and his writing could not be clearer....a significant, highly accessible book of considerable value to scholars and advanced students."--History"Tony Harkins has gone deeper, understood a wider range of pop-culture materials, and analyzed more insightfully the twentieth-century image of the American 'hillbilly' than any other scholar in this or the previous century. My hat's not only off to him. It's way up in the air!"-- Jerry Williamson, author of Hillbillyland"This is an impressively researched and meticulously documented study of one of the pervasive terms in American popular culture, 'hillbilly,' a concept that has both reflected and shaped public views of southern white working people. Students in my field of research, Southern Folk Music, will obviously profit from this beautifully written work, but anyone intrigued by the ways in which stereotypes have clouded our perceptions will want to read this book."-Bill C. Malone, author of Country Music, U.S.A."Harkins' Hillbilly is an intriguing and wide-ranging study of a strangely enduring American type, one both loved and despised but still nationally (if not internationally) recognized. From Snuffy Smith and Li'l Abner to The Real McCoys and the Clampett clan, Harkins discusses how the hillbilly image itself has remained relatively unchanged, while its meaning has evolved in response to broader social, economic, and cultural transformations in American society."--Erika Doss, University of Colorado"Distilling truths and untruths about a great American archetype, Hillbilly is insightful and respectful without draining out all the fun. Anthony Harkins writes entertaining yet sophisticated analysis, free of ten-dollar words and other academic moonshine."--Scott A. Sandage, Carnegie Mellon University

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Book SynopsisFrom the Foreword by Renee Fleming: Kathryn LaBouff has developed an approach to singing in the English language which is wonderfully user-friendly, and which has surely saved much wear and tear on my voice. It is a technique that has empowered me with the knowledge and skills to bring a text to life and to be able to negotiate all of the sounds of the language with the least amount of effort. I have found her clever and extremely creative use of substitute consonants or combinations of consonants in creating clear diction utterly delightful because they are surprising and because they work. These techniques have been equally useful when singing in foreign languages. We sopranos are not usually known to have good diction, particularly in our high range. I found that working with Kathryn improved my ability to be understood by an enormous percentile of the audience with much less vocal fatigue than I would have experienced if left to my own devices. I have often told my colleagues enthuTrade ReviewIn the rehearsal process Kathryn LaBouff is my secret weapon. She has an uncanny ability to take dramatic ideas and unify them with her own technical and diction work for the performer. The result of her collaboration is that the performer can activate and communicate the text like no one else. The diction techniques that she developed are easily accessible in this book, and will help clean up English text delivery in productions around the world. This is a must-have for all directors, coaches, teachers, performers and anyone who champions opera in English. * Francesca Zambello, Director, Artistic Advisor to San Francisco Opera *Staggeringly high standard of diction. The surest method of converting people to Opera. * Opera Now *Singing in English can be one of the most satisfying experiences for a singer. Whilst singers realize considerable skills in a range of European languages, English remains sidelined, expected to look after itself. This book offers guidance to singers for 'singing and communicating,' which then leads to comprehension -- for artist and audience alike. In exploring this rich and varied language, Kathryn LaBouff deals fully with some obvious, and other much less obvious aspects of singing in English. Her book deserves a special place in every singer's library. * Sir Thomas Allen CBE, Kammersänger of the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Foreword Chapter 1: Why Study English Diction? Chapter 2: Communication Through Appropriate Stress Chapter 3: Preparation for Vowel Production Chapter 4: The Front Vowels Chapter 5: The Backing Vowels Chapter 6: The Mixed Vowels Chapter 7: The Diphthongs & Triphthongs Chapter 8: The Three Semi-Vowel Glides Chapter 9: Introduction to Consonants Chapter 10: The Plosives Chapter 11: The Fricatives Chapter 12: Nasal Consonants Plus Lyrical L Chapter 13: The Owner's Manual: Connecting the Dots Chapter 14: Singing in the British Dialect: "The Rain in Spain" Chapter 15: The Mid-Atlantic Dialect Afterword Appendices: I: IPA Alphabet for the English Language II: Three-Dialect Overview III: Regional Dialects Glossary Bibliography Index of Texts and Music Examples CD Guide

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Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Antonin Dvorak Comes to America ; American and Negro Music ; Dvorak's Symphony From the New World ; The Chicago World's Columbian Exposition from 1893 ; The National Conservatory of Music in America ; Paul Laurence Dunbar, Clorindy, and "The Talented Truth" ; James Reese Europe ; George Gershwin and African American Music ; Leonard Bernstein ; Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue ; The Clef Club Concert ; Will Marion Cook ; George Antheil's Ballet Mecanique ; Bernstein's Mass ; Duke Ellington ; Ellington's Queenie Pie ; Ellington's Black, Brown, and Beige ; Afterword ; Notes ; Selected Discography ; Selected Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy in Music Education, editors Wayne D. Bowman and Ana Lucía Frega have drawn together a variety of philosophical perspectives from a global who's who of scholars. Rather than relegating philosophical inquiry to moot questions and abstract situations, the contributors to this volume address everyday concerns faced by music educators everywhere. Emphasizing clarify, fairness, rigor, and utility above all,Trade ReviewOf special interest is the inclusion of a variety of practices in music education from a global perspective...Essential. * Choice *Table of ContentsAbout the Contributors ; 1. Introduction ; Wayne Bowman and Ana Lucia Frega ; I. The Nature and Value of Philosophical Inquiry in Music Education ; 2. What Should the Music Education Profession Expect of Philosophy? ; Wayne Bowman and Ana Lucia Frega ; 3. Rethinking Philosophy, Re-Viewing Musical-Emotional Experiences ; David J. Elliott and Marissa Silverman ; 4. Voicing imbas: Performing a Philosophy of Music Education ; Helen Phelan ; 5. Philosophy of Music Education as Art of Life: A Deweyan View ; Lauri Vakeva ; 6. Uncomfortable with Immanence: The Nature and Value of Music and Music Education as Singular or Supplemental ; Bennett Reimer ; II. The Nature and Values of Music ; 7. Learning to Live Music: Musical Education as the Cultivation of a Relationship between Self and Sound ; Randall Pabich ; 8. The Grain of the Music: Does Music Education 'Mean' Something in Japan? ; Tadahiko Imada ; 9. Musical Education: From Identity to Becoming ; Michael Szekely ; 10. Teaching practices in Persian Art Music ; Erum Naqvi ; 11. Understanding Music's Therapeutic Efficacy: Implications for Music Education ; Diane Thram ; III. The Aims of Education ; 12. The Impossible Profession ; Christopher Higgins ; 13. Education in Latin American Music Schools: A Philosophical Perspective ; Luis Alfonso Estrada ; 14. Must Music Education Have an Aim? ; V. A. Howard ; 15. Cultivating Virtuous Character: The Chinese Traditional Perspective of Music Education ; Yuhwen Wang ; 16. Ethical Dimensions of School-Based Music Education ; Thomas A. Regelski ; IV. Philosophical Inquiry Directed to Curricular and Instructional Concerns ; 17. Engaging Student Ownership of Musical Ideas ; Harold Fiske ; 18. Understanding Music as the Philosophical Focus of Music Education ; Keith Swanwick ; 19. Musical Heuristics: Contributions to the Understanding of Musical Creative Processes ; Ricardo Mandolini ; 20. Nurturing the Songcatchers: Philosophical Issues in Creativity and Music Education ; John Kratus ; 21. Avoiding the Dangers of Postmodern Nihilist Curricula in Music Education ; Robert Walker ; V. Challenges to Philosophical Practice in Music Education ; 22. Good for What, Good for Whom?: Decolonizing Music Education Philosophies ; Deborah Bradley ; 23. Place, Music Education, and the Practice and Pegagogy of Philosophy ; Sandra Stauffer ; 24. On Informalities in Music Education ; Estelle Jorgensen ; 25. Music Education for <"All My Relations>" ; Charlene Morton ; VI. Afterword ; 26. But is it philosophy? ; Wayne Bowman and Ana Lucia Frega ; Index

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Book SynopsisMusic and the Making of the Middle Class explores the making of middle-class culture by analyzing and comparing the ethos and organization of Leipzig's Gewandhaus and Birmingham's Triennial Festival. It employs a multidisciplinary approach to identify the social processes which formed the cultural configurations and meanings of art.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One: Introducing the Towns The Rise of Cultural Diversity, ca1750-1820 From Early Beginnings to Consolidation: The late 18th century to 1847 Post-Mendelssohn to Fin-de-Siècle Transformations and Approaches to War: Fin-de-Siècle to 1914 Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisBegins with a discussion of Zappa's role as a satirist and a discussion of his musical style, and then proceeds to an examination of his albums. This book deals with his treatment of topics, such as the falsified notion of love in popular culture, the influence of money on popular music, and the concept of freedom in a systematised society.Trade ReviewIn examining the songs of American composer Frank Zappa, Lowe offers introductory essays that examine Zappa's unique place in American music; his compositions in relation to other forms of popular music, most notably progressive rock; and his special brand of caustic social criticism in the tradition of satirists like Jonathan Swift and Lenny Bruce. The author then examines Zappa's songs by looking at his albums in four groups/chapters: The Mothers of Invention; Hot Rats, the Last Two Mothers Albums, Flo & Eddie, and The 'Jazz-Rock' Albums; The Duke-Brock/Progressive Rock Bands, Lather (Lather), and the Terry Bozzio Albums; and Politics: 1979-88. One of the strengths of Lowe's treatment is his contextualization of pop-culture references in the lyrics, explications that result in a clearer reading of Zappa's texts. Also useful are the discography of Zappa recordings and a critical bibliographic essay on the major contributions on the life and works of Frank Zappa. Students of popular or American music will appreciate this title. Recommended. Lower-/upper-division undergraduates; general readers. * Choice *The book is organized chronologically and divided by the artistic periods, beginning with The Mothers Of Invention (Zappa's first influential group) and ending with the Terry Bozzio albums an era identified by the presence of Zappa's greatest percussionist. Each of Zappa's albums is analyzed within these larger divisions, often scrutinized for entities as detailed as specific phrases, both musical and verbal. Sections on satire and politics bookend the sequential chapters, creating an excellent in-and-out to the chronological sections. To be sure, Lowe knows his Zappa, and he writes with an obvious affection for the subject, the artist, and the man. Frank Zappa is already important and respected part of music history. His reputation, influence, and contributions will continue to be more widely recognized, and ^IThe Words and Music of Frank Zappa^R is a publication sure to foster that growth. * Maximum Ink *Ever wonder about the significance of the kazoo in ^IFreak Out!'^Rs Hungry Freaks, Daddy? Kelly Fisher Lowe will tell you his theory. In examining Frank Zappa, the author does everything short of having his subject turn to the side and cough, addressing album after album and song after song in Da Vinci Code detail. Sure, the readings are occasionally questionable, but this is exactly what makes the book--and Zappa himself--so interesting. * chart *As part of a series on the work of singer-songwriters, this volume studies the music of Frank Zappa, looking at his songs as well as how he was a satirist. Lowe offers a reading of his rock and classical music from the 1960s to the 1980s, explores how Zappa was a satirist through his critique of pop culture, and analyzes his albums with the Mothers of Invention, as well as his jazz-rock and solo music, and political statements in the music on ^IJoe's Garage^R. * Reference & Research Book News *Author Kelly Lowe has left no aspect of Zappa's work unexamined, from his role as a satirist of the highest order, to his place within the genre of progressive rock and his importance as one of the foremost critics of American culture and society….[a] surprisingly clear perspective of his personal views is also provided, shedding light on his treatment of such topics as the falsified notion of love in popular culture, the compromising influence of money on popular music, and the concept of freedom in a systematized society. * Free Bird Times *[T]he first book to move beyond the details of Zappa's biography toward a focused treatment of his rock and pop songs. Author Kelly Lowe has left no aspect of Zappa's work unexamined, from his role as a satarist, to his place within the genre of progressive rock and his importance as one of the foremost critics of American culture and society. This title also features a bibliographic essay that discusses the current state of Zappa scholarship. * Library Media Collection *Table of ContentsSeries Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Frank Zappa and the Art of Satire You Call That Music? Listening to Frank Zappa The Mothers of Invention Hot Rats, the Last Two Mothers Albums, Flo & Eddie, and the "Jazz-Rock" Albums The Duke-Brock/Progressive Rock Bands, Läther, and the Terry Bozzio Albums Politics: 1979-1988 Conclusions Critical Bibliography Bibliography and Works Cited Discography Index

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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 SynopsisWhat would happen, ask the authors of this text, if America were to make good its promise of equal opportunity by granting every qualifying young adult a citizen's stake of 80,000 dollars? They analyze this initiative from moral, political, economic, legal and human perspectives.Trade Review"A serious, smart book, which also functions as a cogent critique of the inequality of opportunity that has become a given in modern America." New Yorker "A Big New Idea so bold in its simplicity, so pure in its claims to justice,...that the only shock is that it is certain to get a hearing as the fight to fix Social Security heats up this year." Matthew Miller, New York Times Magazine "The new century needs political and social innovation even more than it needs business innovation. The authors have done well what intellectuals are supposed, but are seldom bold enough, to do: innovate ideas about important social issues." Jack Beatty, Atlantic Monthly "A big idea like this is significant because it can reframe the public debate. It can change the prevailing assumptions. Eventually, it can change the course of the nation." Robert Reich, Former Secretary of Labor, Washington Post

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Book SynopsisVincenzo Galilei, the father of the astronomer Galileo, was a guiding light of the Florentine Camerata. His "Dialogue on Ancient and Modern Music", published in 1581 or 1582 and here translated into English, was among the most influential music treatises of his era.

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Book SynopsisThe story of the flute in the musical life of Europe and North America from the 12th century to the 21st. It seeks to illustrate the relationship that has bound the instrument, its music, and performance technique together through eight centuries of shifting musical tastes and practices.

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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 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 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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Book SynopsisTells the story of the life and musical work of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). Drawing on Sibelius' own correspondence and diaries, contemporary reviews, and the remarks of family and friends, this book presents an account of the events of the musician's life.Trade Review"Andrew Barnett is unfailingly perceptive and has the ability to engage the interest of both the less informed and the more expert reader. Few would be better qualified to undertake a new book on the Finnish master."—Robert Layton, author of Sibelius (Master Musicians Series) -- Robert Layton"A book of great importance: a fresh, evenhanded account of the composer, especially of his early years. . . . A welcome antidote to the seesaw of critical attention from uncritical admirers and excessively harsh critics. . . . Highly recommended."—Choice * Choice *“Barnett neatly dispels other myths, explaining how from around 1930 to his death, Sibelius completed briefer works while striving, unsuccessfully, to complete his Eighth Symphony. . . . A warmly humanizing, informed biography.”--Benjamin Ivry, The Newark Star-Ledger -- Benjamin Ivry * The Newark Star-Ledger *

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Book SynopsisProvides a revealing picture of the extraordinary Cosima Wagner - illegitimate daughter of Franz Liszt, wife of the conductor Hans von Bulow, then mistress and subsequently wife of Richard Wagner. This biography explores the achievements of this remarkable and obsessive woman while illuminating a chapter of European cultural history.Trade Review"'Oliver Hilmes has written by far the best biography of her... His book is a model of scholarship and also compellingly readable... A major achievement.' (Michael Tanner, BBC Music Magazine) 'This biography of Wagner's wife offers a wonderfully clear-eyed look at the couple's relationship and her fanatical tending of his flame.' (The Sunday Times) 'Oliver Hilmes has produced a surprisingly amusing book.' (Philip Hensher, Daily Telegraph) 'He has written a detailed, fair-minded and fascinating account, not just of a pivotal figure in European musical history, but of an epoch and an ethos: nineteenth-century German cultural and spiritual nationalism.' (Robert Carver, The Tablet) 'This well-written book (translated brilliantly - as ever - by Stewart Spencer) offers a clear and scrupulous insight into how she created and stoked the peculiar mania that infected the Wagner cult.' (Della Couling, Classical Music)"

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Trade Review“A compelling story about perseverance, hardship, craftiness and, ultimately, a kind of seething acceptance of the system that virtually imprisoned her, even as she found that she couldn’t live without it.”—Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post“Like the swans she danced so often—800 performances of ‘Swan Lake’ and unnumbered renderings of the Dying Swan—Maya Plisetskaya, one of the great ballerinas of the last century, mingled beauty and fierceness. . . . She has much to be angry about and, as the Bolshoi’s prima ballerina assoluta for decades and celebrated worldwide, quite a bit to be grateful for. . . . The Plisetskaya memoir is a moving success. Here is the woman, I proclaims, and we see her—not entirely polished but overwhelming—as if she were dancing.”—Richard Eder, New York Times“The fascinating story of how this artist of implacable will confronted and defied the Soviet regime—and eventually had her way. . . . I, Maya Plisetskaya has the virtues of candor and directness, and it has a real story to tell.”—Robert Gottlieb, Los Angeles Times Book Review“A riveting account of pursuing artistic excellence under Soviet oppression. . . . Plisetskaya doesn’t just tell an incredible story. She also lays bare the hard work and uncertainty involved in putting it all in a book. . . . Reading this memoir feels like listening to a wonderfully strong-willed friend.”—Boston Globe“Almost everything about Plisetskaya, now 76, seemed larger than life. And as her wonderfully intimate and detailed new autobiography reveals, that is the result of both her innately bold, born-to-be-a-diva personality, and of the often perilous Soviet political environment in which she forged her career. . . . This is a fascinating memoir, steeped in ambivalence.”—Chicago Sun-Times“I, Maya Plisetskaya isa memoir of the Terror, the Gulag and the very fertile Soviet arts, by the athletic prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet.”—Washington Post Book World“[A]n autobiography that is also a searing indictment of Soviet Russia, of communism and of the blind naiveté with which the Isadoras of this world have often approached her country. . . . Plisetskaya’s memoirs invariably describe a life in dance. But the book’s biggest value lies in being much more than that. I, Maya is social history written by a dancer who transcends the mute language of her art to tell a universal story of suffering and endurance. The thud of irony continually disrupts the mellifluous strains of Tchaikovsky that sounds in the background of a career that spanned 50 years. . . . [A] deliciously subversive book.”—Deirdre Kelly, Toronto Globe & MailSelected as one of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2001 by the Los Angeles Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisNo image of pre revolutionary Russian Jewish life is more iconic than the fiddler on the roof. At a time of both rising anti-Semitism and burgeoning Jewish nationalism, how and why did Russian music become the gateway to Jewish modernity in music? This book offers a fresh perspective on the emergence of Russian Jewish culture and identity.Trade Review“With this solid, savvy, and satisfying book, Loeffler advances Jewish studies, music history, and Russian studies by shedding new light on the stage of a twentieth-century social and musical drama.”—Mark Slobin, author of Fiddler on the Move: Exploring the Klezmer World -- Mark Slobin“The Jews’ remarkable place in the modern history of music – classical, popular and folk – is well known, but rarely subjected to serious analysis. Loeffler’s sophisticated and deeply researched book casts new light both on the Jewish contribution to music in general and to the emergence of specifically ‘Jewish music’ in the Russian Empire, home to the largest and most vital Jewish community in the world."—Ezra Mendelsohn, The Hebrew University -- Ezra Mendelsohn“James Loeffler’s new book is both fascinating and pathbreaking. This important and original contribution to scholarship must be read by students of music, Russian culture, and Jewish history.”—Leon Botstein, President of Bard College, and Music Director and Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra -- Leon Botstein

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