Musical instruments Books

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Book SynopsisRockschool Guitar Grade 6 2024.

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Book SynopsisRockschool Bass Grade 1 2024.

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Book SynopsisRockschool Drums Grade 8 2024.

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Book SynopsisA practical guide to jazz composition, illustrating technical and instrumental variations on themes.

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Book SynopsisEverything you wanted to know about accordions in America--but were afraid to askTrade ReviewKlaus Wachsmann Prize for Advanced and Critical Essays in Organology, Society for Ethnomusicology, 2014. "A serious work of musical and cultural history."--Shelf Awareness"A fascinating cultural history of the most underestimated of instruments."--Booklist "An illuminating and occasionally whimsical account, in keeping with the instrument itself."--Library Journal"An excellent book about the piano accordion's evolution, a number of major accordionists, and the many musical genres where it has been used, from polka and zydeco to rock 'n' roll and classical music. Fascinating reading not only for accordionists, ethnomusicologists, and folklorists, but especially also general readers interested in ethnic music and cultural history."--Deborah Anders Silverman, author of Polish-American Folklore "Solid. . . . This book holds plenty of interest for those who love accordion music."--Kirkus Review "Using meticulous research, Jacobson not only touches on how topics as diverse as immigration, movies, war, and feminism have influenced the accordion's popularity, but she also finds time to drop in countless little known pop culture nuggets about great accordionists."--Publishers Weekly"Wunnerful, wunnerful. . . . A delightful and illuminating surprise."--The Wall Street Journal"An academic resource, a detailed history, and a quirky travelogue. . . . [Time] to roll out the barrel and uncork the champagne: with this book, the lowly squeezebox has begun to get its cultural due."--Maclean's “Marion Jacobson prefaces her delightful book with a quote from the Minneapolis Journal of December 16, 1912: ‘A fearful instrument that looks like a cash register, and sounds worse, produces gasps of pleasure at the Orpheum this week. It is called the piano accordion and its behaviour is shameless.’ . . . This often-maligned instrument has found a worthy champion in Jacobson. Her likeable, informative and readable book, illustrated with superb colour plates of classic instruments and performers, looks set to remain the definitive work on the subject.” —Lou Glandfield, The Times Literary Supplement "An excellent, readable book, filled with all the names one needs to know. Highly recommended."--Choice "Jacobson is at her best when she is chronicling the history of the instrument that she loves and the social scenes of which it is a part. A fun read for accordion enthusiasts"--Ethnomusicology "Ethnographically rich, compellingly written, and resting on a solid theoretical and methodological foundation, Marion Jacobson's cultural history of the accordion is a welcome addition to the extant literature on popular music, free-reed instruments, and cultural and diaspora studies."--Italian American Review "Jacobson shows the complexity and vitality of the accordion culture in America. Squeeze This! is a groundbreaking work."--Journal of American Folklore "Squeeze This! presents sound ethnomusicological scholarship based on first hand musical knowledge and performance experience as well as field and scholarly research. Jacobson's contribution to the ethnography of musical instruments in general and of the piano accordion in particular is her portrayal of the processes by which an instrument enters and is assimilated into a culture."--Western Folklore "An enthralling monograph that explores the history, diverse cultural meanings, and multifaceted musical and social roles of the piano accordion in the United States.--Journal of the Society for American Music

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Book SynopsisThe accordion in the new worldTrade Review"An excellent collection of ethnomusicology scholarship that will be of interest to those who like world music, ethnography, or unusual instruments."--Library Journal"This book should help lift the accordion's reputation to the place it deserves for its role in music history. Highly recommended."--Choice"The Accordion in the Americas offers a history rich in insights drawn from the complex intertwining of society, race and culture in American music-making."--Times Literary Supplement"The Accordion in the Americas tells of the symbolism of the accordion and the role the instrument and its genres play in a variety of cultures. Few world instruments are as pervasive as the accordion and few are as under-represented in scholarly literature."--Journal of Folklore Research"Ridiculed as the old-world instrument of minority ethnic groups, the accordion has also been largely dismissed as a topic of historical or folkloristic inquiry. This edited volume rights this wrong and traces the accordion from its central European roots to 11 regional forms in the Americas. In this volume, the accordion has received its due recognition and respect as a folk instrument."--Journal of American Folklore"An in-depth introduction to the mechanical, musical, and social workings of free-reed instruments in the New World."--Journal of the Society for American Music"This cultural study of the accordion makes a major contribution to understanding the instrument's important social function within different ethnic cultures. The impressive group of contributors illuminates the importance of studying mass culture and indicates the accordion's enduring significance to many cultural and personal identities."--Victor R. Greene, author of A Singing Ambivalence: American Immigrants between Old World and New, 1830–1930Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 HELENA SIMONETTChapter 1 From Old World to New Shores 19 HELENA SIMONETTChapter 2 Accordion Jokes: A Folklorist's View 39 RICHARD MARCHChapter 3 From Chanky-Chank to Yankee Chanks: The Cajun Accordion as Identity Symbol 44 MARK F. DeWITTChapter 4 'Garde ici et 'garde la-bas: Creole Accordion in Louisiana 66 JARED SNYDERChapter 5 "Tejano and Proud": Regional Accordion Traditions of South Texas and the Border Region 87 CATHY RAGLANDChapter 6 Preserving Territory: The Changing Language of the Accordion in Tohono O'odham Waila Music 112 JANET L. STURMANChapter 7 Accordions and Working-Class Culture along Lake Superior's South Shore 136 JAMES P. LEARYChapter 8 Play Me a Tarantella, a Polka, or Jazz: Italian Americans and the Currency of Piano-Accordion Music 156 CHRISTINE F. ZINNIChapter 9 The Klezmer Accordion: An Outsider among Outsiders 178 JOSHUA HOROWITZChapter 10 Beyond Vallenato: The Accordion Traditions in Colombia 199 EGBERTO BERMUDEZChapter 11 "A Hellish Instrument": The Story of the Tango Bandoneon 233 MARIA SUSANA AZZIChapter 12 No ma'se oye el fuinfuan: The Noisy Accordion in the Dominican Republic 249 SYDNEY HUTCHINSONChapter 13 Between the Folds of Luiz Gonzaga's Sanfona: Forro Music in Brazil 268 MEGWEN LOVELESSChapter 14 The Accordion in New Scores: Paradigms of Authorship and Identity in William Schimmel's Musical "Realities" 295 MARION S. JACOBSON Glossary 315 Contributors 319 Index 323

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Book SynopsisThe leading textbook in jazz improvisation, Creative Jazz Improvisation, Fifth Edition represents a compendium of knowledge and practice resources for the university classroom, suitable for all musicians looking to develop and sharpen their soloing skills. Logically organized and guided by a philosophy that encourages creativity, this book presents practical advice beyond the theoretical, featuring exercises in twelve keys, ear training and keyboard drills, a comprehensive catalog of relevant songs to learn, and a wide range of solo transcriptions, each transposed for C, Bb, Eb, and bass clef instruments. Chapters highlight discussions of jazz theory - covering topics such as major scale modes, forms, chord substitutions, melodic minor modes, diminished and whole-tone modes, pentatonic scales, intervallic improvisation, free improvisation, and more - while featuring updated content throughout on the nuts and bolts of learning to improvise. New to the Fifth Edition:Table of ContentsPART 1: THE ART OF IMPROVISATION / 1. Practicing and Performing Jazz / PART 2: DIATONIC CHORDS AND THE MODES IN THE MAJOR SCALE / 2. Major Scales and Major 7th Chords / 3. Dorian Scales and Minor 7th Chords / 4. Mixolydian and Dominant Bebop Scales, and Dominant 7th Chords / 5. The ii V I Progression and Functional Harmony / 6. Locrian and Aeolian Scales, and the iiØ7 V7♭9 i Progression / 7. Lydian and Phrygian Scales, and Major 7♭5 Chords / PART 3: CHORD SUBSTITUTIONS, HARMONIC STRUCTURES, AND FORMS / 8. The Blues Scale, the Blues Form, and Chord Substitutions / 9. Sectional Forms and Rhythm Changes / 10. Harmonic Structures and Coltrane Substitutions / PART 4: ALTERED CHORDS, DIMINISHED MODES, WHOLE-TONE SCALES, AND HARMONIC MINOR AND MELODIC MINOR MODES / 11. Diminished Scales, Fully Diminished Chords, and Dominant 7♭9 Chords / 12. Whole-Tone Scales and Augmented Chords / 13. Melodic and Harmonic Minor Scales, and Minor/Major 7th Chords / 14. Locrian #2 and Altered Scales, and Minor iiØ9 V7 ♯9♯5 i Progressions / 15. Lydian Augmented and Lydian Dominant Scales, and Major 7th ♯5 and Dominant 9th ♯11 Chords / PART 5: BEYOND FUNCTIONAL HARMONY / 16. Free Improvisation / 17. Pentatonic Scales / 18. Four-Note Groupings Derived from Pentatonic Scales / 19. Intervallic Improvisation / 20. Odd Meters / Appendix I: Intervals / Appendix II: Modes in the Major Scale / Appendix III: Modes in the Melodic Minor Scale / Appendix IV: Diatonic 7th Chords in Major Keys / Appendix V: Diatonic 7th Chords in Minor Keys / Appendix VI: Chords and Their Relationship to Scales / Appendix VII: Upper Structure or "Slash" Chords / Appendix VIII: Creativity and an Overview of Kenny Werner’s Effortless Mastery Method

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Book SynopsisA practical but scholarly guide to Japanese instruments by one of the country's leading composers. The unique sounds of the biwa, shamisen, and other traditional instruments from Japan are heard more and more often in works for the concert hall and opera house. Composing for Japanese Instruments is a practical orchestration and instrumentation manual with contextual and relevant historical information for composers who wish to learn how to compose for traditional Japanese instruments. Widely regarded as the authoritative text on the subject in Japan and China, it contains hundreds of musical examples, diagrams, photographs, and fingering charts. Many of the musical examples can be heard on a companion website. The book also contains valuable appendices, one of works author Minoru Miki composed using Japanese traditional instruments, and one of works by other composers -- including Toru Takemitsu and Henry Cowell -- using these instruments. Minoru Miki was a composer of international renown, recognized in Japan as a pioneer in writing for Japanese traditional instruments. Marty Regan is associate professor of music at Texas A&M University. Philip Flavin is associate professor at the Osaka University of Economicsand Law and adjunct senior research associate of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.Trade ReviewThe standard reference work on the subject. A fascinating book. Helpful advice on what may bother or help a player of a specific traditional Japanese instrument. [Now that the book has been reprinted without CDs,] we can listen to [the] musical examples on-line. The five and a half page introduction should be required reading for anyone interested in any traditional Japanese art form, as it deals with what makes Japanese music Japanese, and by extension what makes Japanese art and aesthetics Japanese. * NOSTALGIA (LUTE & EARLY GUITAR SOCIETY OF JAPAN *An invaluable resource for all composers, scholars, and performers who are interested in Japanese instruments. The aptly chosen examples from both traditional repertoire and Miki's own contemporary pieces, clear charts for ranges and fingerings, and in-depth discussion of idiomatic performance techniques go a long way to help demystify these beautiful instruments. I wish I had this book many, many years ago. -- Ken Ueno, Rome Prize-winning composer and Professor at the University of California, BerkeleyComposing for Japanese Instruments is a well-organized and systematic manual on how to approach, listen to, and compose for traditional Japanese instruments. When Minoru Miki first published it in 1996, he brought alive the arcane world of traditional Japanese instruments and music for a new generation of Japanese composers. Now, with the English edition, composers and scholars from around the world will have the same opportunity to discover and utilize the rich musical possibilities inherent in these beautiful instruments. --, Shakuhachi performer, Artistic Director, The International House of Japan, Inc. -- Christopher Yohmei BlasdelThis is the book I've always wished to have. It is not only complete in teaching about Japanese instruments but also challenging and inspiring for those of us who have an interest in new sounds and ways of making music. --Hyo-shin Na, composer * . *A most welcome addition to the few items available in English concerning Japanese musical instruments. -- Philip Gelb, composer and shakuhachi playerTable of ContentsWind Instruments String Instruments (Lutes) String Instruments (Zithers) Percussion Instruments Afterword Appendix I: Works for Japanese Instruments by Minoru Miki Appendix II: Contemporary Works for Traditional Japanese Instruments by Composers Other than Minoru Miki, 1981-2015 Notes Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisSt Cecilia's Hall is Scotland's oldest purpose-built concert hall and home to the University of Edinburgh's world-famous musical instrument collection. Comprising over 500 rare and beautiful instruments from across the globe - many of which are still played as part of the Hall's lively programme - the collection is housed in the newly refurbished Music Museum. This selection of highlights brings these fascinating instruments to a wider audience than ever.

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Book SynopsisThe former first horn of the Boston Symphony Orchestra writes about playing under Klemperer, Koussevitzky, Munch etc, the french horn, and specific horn passages. In this volume, Harold Meek, former first horn of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, shares anecdotes and insights about the joys and travails of playing under Klemperer, Koussevitzky, Munch, and others. He also brings together some important information about changes in the instrument itself, including a little-known letter from the great British horn virtuoso, Dennis Brain, about the virtues of different makes of horn. A valuable appendix prints interpretively challenging horn passages from three dozen masterpieces, and evaluates the solutions offered in recordings by various prominent conductors.

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Book SynopsisIn The Symphony, renowned critic Michael Steinberg offers music lovers a monumental guide to this most celebrated of musical forms, with perceptive commentaries on some 118 works by 36 major composers.Trade Reviewa treat for those addicted to reading the program notes before the concert begins * Booklist *an essential book for any concertgoer and any new or veteran fan of classical music * Michael Tilson Thomas, Music Director, The San Francisco Symphony *

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Trade Review[The author's] breezy prose and insight into the quintessentially American lives of his subjects make Drummin' Men well worth reading. * The New York Times Book Review *A brilliant account of a very important period in the history of American music. * Max Roach *A splendid achievement. * Artie Shaw *A book that illuminates not only the pantheon of jazz drummers in classical jazz but also makes clear the very essence of the jazz spirit. * Nat Hentoff *

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Book SynopsisA book on jazz's central modern music style: bebop. Focusing on jazz drumming, it shows how deftness, speed, fury, precision, and adventure changed the music's beat and was instrumental in establishing bebop, Korall weaves an account of the music that makes it one of the classic books on the subject.Trade Review"Korall's eagerly awaited sequel to his swing-era treatise is a lively, fascinatingly detailed text composed of narrative, exegesis, interviews and musical examples. Korall tells you exactly what these tub-thumpers did to make their music sound the way it did, from the obscure Lou Fromm to the familiar Kenny Clarke."--Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer"If you want to know what modern drumming is all about, this is your book. Burt Korall has done a remarkable job, and I strongly recommend it."--Artie Shaw"Nobody writes about jazz drumming like Burt Korall. He gets inside the important drummers, the jazzmen who played with them, the arrangers and the leaders, to capture the excitement, the feel, even the sound of the Bebop Era. What an achievement!"--Dom Cerulli, The Jazz Word"Attention drummers, jazz lovers, bebop lovers, and students of jazz history! Run--I repeat, run--do not walk to your local bookstore and purchase this absolutely wonderful book."--Allegro"Korall digs deep into the hippest period in drumming history. A fascinating must-read for any drummer of style or lover of modern jazz."--William F. Miller, Editorial Director, Modern Drummer Magazine"Burt Korall uses the topic of bebop drumming to range across the larger territory of music. Masterly in concept, scope and detail, his book tells the stories of the great bop drummers, and Korall is a superb story teller."--Doug Ramsey, author of Jazz Matters: Reflections on the Music and Some of its Makers"Unexpected coverage of artists like Tiny Kahn, Stan Levey, Shadow Wilson, and Don Lamond provide diversity and a greater understanding of how bop drumming evolved. It is a readable tome that would appeal to jazz enthusiasts and jazz scholars alike."--Library Journal

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Book SynopsisMusica getutscht (Basel, 1511) is the earliest printed treatise on musical instruments in the West. This early German 'do-it-yourself' manual not only tells us about music-making in that era, it also illumines other aspects of society in the years just before the Reformation.Table of ContentsPreface; List of abbreviations; Part I. Translator's Introduction; 1. Why study Musica getutscht?; 2. A biography of Sebastian Virdung; 3. The publication history of Musica getutscht; 4. The offspring of Musica getutscht; Part II. Musica Getutscht: 5. A note on the translation; 6. Sebastian Virdung's Musica getutscht; Appendix. Transcriptions of documents pertaining to Sebastian Virdung and Musica getutscht; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisW. Dean Sutcliffe investigates one of the greatest yet least understood repertories of Western keyboard music: the 555 keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. Scarlatti occupies a position of solitary splendour in musical history. The sources of his style are often obscure and his immediate influence is difficult to discern. Further, the lack of hard documentary evidence has hindered musicological activity. Dr Sutcliffe offers not just a thorough reconsideration of the historical factors that have contributed to Scarlatti's position, but also sustained engagement with the music, offering both individual readings and broader commentary of an unprecedented kind. A principal task of this book is to remove the composer from his critical ghetto (however honourable) and redefine his image. In so doing it will reflect on the historiographical difficulties involved in understanding eighteenth-century musical style.Trade ReviewReview of the hardback: '… this book provides an unparalleled study of these works: their form, musical grammar and idiosyncrasies, and their place in musical history.' The ConsortReview of the hardback: 'Sutcliffe is a useful and careful guide to the unsolved puzzles, knows both music and secondary literature thoroughly and has worked hard to take into account all kinds of sources (including CD notes) illustrating the approaches of today's scholars and performers. His remarks on the form of these sonatas are particularly valuable, as are the many observations on what is original and what less so.' The Times Literary SupplementReview of the hardback: '… a perceptive new investigation … Sutcliffe is an articulate, often witty writer …' BBC Music MagazineReview of the hardback: 'W. Dean Sutcliffe's recent publication is the first specifically about the sonatas to appear in English for 50 years and it probes deeply into every fact of Scarlatti's legacy … there are some stimulating and thought-provoking chapters, and the research is impeccable.' Early Music TodayReview of the hardback: 'An exceptional amount of work and much insight has gone into The Keyboard Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti … this book is clearly a landmark …' Eighteenth-century Music'His scholarship is both detailed and panoramic. His intimate knowledge of all things scarlattian is complemented by an uncommon familiarity with the musical and cultural backgrounds against which the composer worked …' PianoTable of ContentsPreface; 1. Domenico Scarlatti the interesting historical figure; 2. Panorama; 3. Heteroglossia; 4. Syntax; 5. Irritations; 6. 'Una Genuina Música de Tecla'; 7. Formal Dynamic; Finale.

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Book SynopsisTwelve of today's most distinguished scholar-performers offer essays in this volume on new and intriguing aspects of baroque keyboard music. Topics include fresh evidence on music of the seventeenth century (Frescobaldi, Froberger and Purcell), the place of the keyboard in concerted music and on comparative teaching methods (Couperin, Marpurg and Roeser), studies of the repertoire of J. S. Bach and his sons (including ornamentation in C. P. E. Bach and the Polonaises of Wilhelm Friedemann), and writing on the later eighteenth century (including Mozart) and on matters of repertoire and performance practice (continuo playing, improvisation). The volume gives a balanced picture of the latest theories and discoveries in keyboard music, of interest to both academic and performing musicians, and includes a new arrangement for keyboard of Bach's D minor Violin Partita, published here for the first time.Trade ReviewReview of the hardback: 'The very experienced writers know how to relate particular issues to broader contexts, so there is much for the enthusiast, and several of the articles will henceforth be standards on my reading lists.' The British Clavichord SocietyReview of the hardback: 'May this collection encourage by example and stimulate further generations of Leonhardt's under-gardeners to labour for their art.' The ConsortTable of ContentsPart I. Seventeenth-Century Keyboard Music: 1. On Frescobaldi's recreation of the Chaconne and the Passacaglia Alexander Silbiger; 2. Hanß Jacob Froberger's travels 1649–1653 Rudolf Rasch; 3. New perspectives on Lynar A 1 Pieter Dirksen; 4. Creating the corpus: the 'Complete Keyboard Music' of Henry Purcell Christopher Hogwood; Part II. The Early Eighteenth Century: 5. Towards a genealogy of the keyboard concerto John Butt; 6. Couperin, Marpurg and Roeser: A Germanic Art de Toucher le Clavecin, or a French Wahre Art? Davitt Moroney; Part III. The Bach Family: 7. Invention, composition and the improvement of nature: apropos Bach the teacher and practical philosopher Christoph Wolff; 8. Is there an anxiety of influence discernible in J. S. Bach's Clavierübung I? Peter Williams; 9. 'Toward the most elegant taste': developments in keyboard accompaniment from J. S. to C. P. E. Bach David Schulenberg; 10 '… welche dem größten Concerte gleichen': the polonaises of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Peter Wollny; Part IV. The Later Eighteenth Century: 11. Schnellen: a quintessential articulation technique in eighteenth-century keyboard playing Menno van Delft; 12. Mozart's non-metrical keyboard preludes Robert D. Levin; Part V. Musical envoi: 13. J. S. Bach: Keyboard Partita in A Minor after BWV 1004 Lars Ulrik Mortensen.

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Book SynopsisMusica getutscht (Basel, 1511) is the earliest printed treatise on musical instruments in the West. This early German 'do-it-yourself' manual not only tells us about music-making in that era, it also illumines other aspects of society in the years just before the Reformation.Table of ContentsPreface; List of abbreviations; Part I. Translator's Introduction; 1. Why study Musica getutscht?; 2. A biography of Sebastian Virdung; 3. The publication history of Musica getutscht; 4. The offspring of Musica getutscht; Part II. Musica Getutscht: 5. A note on the translation; 6. Sebastian Virdung's Musica getutscht; Appendix. Transcriptions of documents pertaining to Sebastian Virdung and Musica getutscht; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisBerlioz's 'dramatic symphony' RomÃo et Juliette is regarded by many as his finest work; it is certainly among the most original. It is played less often than his earlier symphonies, because it requires solo voices and chorus; yet at its heart is some of the most inspired orchestral music of the nineteenth century. This book summarises the complex genesis of the work before examining the music closely and always with a view to understanding its dramatic implications. The early and later critical reception is quoted and discussed and Julian Rushton concludes by suggesting a way of hearing the work which recognises the value of its mixed genre. The complete libretto is provided in both English and French.Trade Review"...an excellent analysis of Berlioz's dramatic symphony for chorus, solo voices, and orchestra....Highly recommended for all collections as an insightful guide to this compex work." ChoiceTable of ContentsList of abbreviations and acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. The genesis of Roméo et Juliette; 3. Berlioz, Shakespeare and Garrick; 4. Exordium: Introduction and Prologue; Roméo seul; 5. The heart of the matter: Scène d'amour; La reine Mab; 6. Tragedy and reconciliation: Convoi funébre; Roméo au tombeau; Finale; 7. A view from 1839 by Stephen Heller; 8. Performance and reception: 1839 and beyond; 9. Afterword: Roméo et Juliette as covert opera; Appendices; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisBeethoven's Ninth Symphony is acknowledged as one of the supreme masterpieces of the Western tradition. More than any other musical work it has become an international symbol of unity and affirmation. Yet early critics rejected it as cryptic and eccentric, the product of a deaf and ageing composer. Nicholas Cook's guide charts the dramatic transformation in the reception of this work. The story begins in Vienna, with the responses of listeners at the first performance, and ends in contemporary China and Japan, where the symphony has acquired diametrically opposed interpretations. The account embraces many of the major figures of nineteenth- and twentieth-century music, among them Wagner and Schenker. Including an account of the sketches, an examination of the performance tradition, and a suggested new interpretation, this book opens up new dimensions in our understanding of Beethoven's last symphony.Trade Review"A key problem with the Ninth, Cook notes, is that we've heard it so often that we no longer truly hear it. This book is an antidote; by examining the difficulties the work has caused auditors right from its premiere, Cook undermines our facile familiarity." Bernard D. Sherman, FanfareTable of Contents1. Sketches and myths; 2. First impressions; 3. Performance and tradition; 4. The Romantic Ninth; 5. The twentieth-century Ninth; Conclusion: beyond interpretation?; Appendices.

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Book SynopsisThis guide to Mozart's last and most celebrated symphony explores the historical background and aesthetic contexts of the work as well as the music itself.Trade Review"...it is a delight to find such a text immediately setting about debunking the kind of canonical valorization which is our critical heritage since the Back Revival. No mere collection of empirical data here, however, as Sisman links audience rowdiness and aestheic attitudes with unproblematic ease; a critical turn which should be less alien to more writers." Steve Sweeney-Turner, The Musical TimesTable of ContentsPreface; 1. The symphony in Mozart's Vienna; 2. Grand style and sublime in eighteenth-century aesthetics; 3. The composition and reception of the Jupiter Symphony; 4. Gesture and expectation: Allegro vivace; 5. Structure and expression: Andante cantabile; 6. Phrase rhythm: Menuetto, Allegretto; 7. The rhetoric of the learned style: Finale, molto allegro; Appendix: A. Oulibicheff, The Jupiter Symphony of Mozart (1843).

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Book SynopsisThis guide examines the intellectual background of Strauss's tone poem and considers ways in which it has been received by composers and writers, notably Romain Rolland and Bartok.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Abbreviations; 1. 'Freely after Nietzsche'; 2. The Straussian tone poem as drama; 3. Strauss's individualism; 4. Composition and first performances; 5. Reception; 6. Narratives; 7. Structures; 8. Rhetoric; 9. Afterword; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisA fresh look at the work and its composer with implications beyond Sibelius himself into the entire repertory of Post-Wagnerian symphonic composition.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Sibelius and the problem of 'Modernism'; 2. The crisis, 1909-1914: 'Let's let the world go its own way'; 3. Reassessed compositional principles, 1912-1915: the five key concepts; 4. Of Heaven's door and migrating swans: composing a confession of faith; 5. Musical process and architecture: a proposed overview; 6. Editions and performance tempos: a brief note.

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Book SynopsisRichard Strauss's tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra is one of his most controversial works. Its greatest popularity has been achieved when its connection with Nietzsche's book of the same name has seemed less relevant than its associations with Kubrick's film 2001 - A Space Odyssey. Although its early critical reception was mixed, it is nowadays one of the staples of the virtuoso orchestra, and a standard demonstration piece for innovations in recording technique. Its opening bars have become a kind of icon independent of the rest of the work. This guide examines the intellectual background of the work and considers ways in which it has been received by composers and writers, notably Romain Rolland and Bartok. It also discusses the musical background of Liszt and Wagner which gave rise to the genre, 'tone poem', and provides an analysis of several aspects of Strauss's musical language.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Abbreviations; 1. 'Freely after Nietzsche'; 2. The Straussian tone poem as drama; 3. Strauss's individualism; 4. Composition and first performances; 5. Reception; 6. Narratives; 7. Structures; 8. Rhetoric; 9. Afterword; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisSibelius's Fifth is one of the great late-Romantic symphonies. In this searching account, based on a wealth of new information, James Hepokoski takes a fresh look at the work and its composer. His findings have implications beyond Sibelius himself into the entire repertory of Post-Wagnerian symphonic composition. The early chapters place the Fifth Symphony squarely within the general culture of European musical 'modernism' and focus in particular on the problem of the clash of that culture with the more radical 'New-Music' experiments of an emerging younger generation of composers. Subsequent chapters include a probing consideration of Sibelius's style and meditative aesthetic; an account of how the symphony was composed; and a descriptive analysis of the final, familiar version. The book concludes with a discussion of the composer's own prescribed tempos for the Fifth Symphony, along with a comparison of several different recordings.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Sibelius and the problem of 'Modernism'; 2. The crisis, 1909-1914: 'Let's let the world go its own way'; 3. Reassessed compositional principles, 1912-1915: the five key concepts; 4. Of Heaven's door and migrating swans: composing a confession of faith; 5. Musical process and architecture: a proposed overview; 6. Editions and performance tempos: a brief note.

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Book SynopsisAfter the death of Mahler in 1911 the great Austro-German symphonic line was carried on mainly in England, America, Scandinavia and Russia. The Fifth Symphony of Carl Nielsen, Denmark's greatest composer, was composed in 1921â2. David Fanning discusses its place within the symphonic tradition since Beethoven, revealing the personal background to the work and taking full account of the extensive Danish commentaries, including the composer's own, which are given in English for the first time. In an absorbing analysis of the music he lays bare the origins of its images of inertia, anxiety and collapse in Nielsen's tone poems and incidental music for the theatre. Insights are offered into the symphony's 'progressive tonality' and its relationship to traditional structural models.Trade Review'The writing is imbued with a deep love and understanding of the music and the author has the skill to put it into historical and artistic perspective.' Musical TimesTable of Contents1. Tradition and renewal; 2. The first movement: dark, resting forces; 3. The second movement: alert forces; 4. Composition, reception, editions, recordings; Appendices: A. Interview with Axel Kjerulf; B. Statement to Ludvig Dolleris; C. Analytical reductions; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisAfter the death of Mahler in 1911 the great Austro-German symphonic line was carried on mainly in England, America, Scandinavia and Russia. The Fifth Symphony of Carl Nielsen, Denmark's greatest composer, was composed in 1921â2. David Fanning discusses its place within the symphonic tradition since Beethoven, revealing the personal background to the work and taking full account of the extensive Danish commentaries, including the composer's own, which are given in English for the first time. In an absorbing analysis of the music he lays bare the origins of its images of inertia, anxiety and collapse in Nielsen's tone poems and incidental music for the theatre. Insights are offered into the symphony's 'progressive tonality' and its relationship to traditional structural models.Trade Review'The writing is imbued with a deep love and understanding of the music and the author has the skill to put it into historical and artistic perspective.' Musical TimesTable of Contents1. Tradition and renewal; 2. The first movement: dark, resting forces; 3. The second movement: alert forces; 4. Composition, reception, editions, recordings; Appendices: A. Interview with Axel Kjerulf; B. Statement to Ludvig Dolleris; C. Analytical reductions; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisBeethoven's Pastoral Symphony is in many ways his most startlingly original symphony. It has a programmatic content, it is in five movements rather than the normal four, and its mood is quite different from the usual barnstorming image of the composer. Why did he want to compose such a work? Why did it take him five years to realise his vision? What was he hoping to communicate? How did he achieve it? Finally, how was the work received? In a fascinating account of this popular work, David Wyn Jones addresses all these vital questions. He places the work in the context of concert life in Vienna at the beginning of the nineteenth century and considers the long tradition of pastoral subject matter in music. His account of the music draws attention to those features of grammar, syntax and form that determine the unique character of the work, making reference to interesting aspects of the autograph and the sketches.Trade Review'... his guide is eloquent in matters of common sense, even as it resists insight by music analysis.... handbooks are not meant to be difficult affairs; they make their subjects accessible by being themselves accessibly written and attractively presented. Weather permitting, David Wyn Jones's Pastoral Symphony will be as readable on a picnic bench as at a library desk.' William Drabkin, The Times Literary SupplementTable of Contents1.The concert of 22 December 1808; 2. Background; 3. Genesis and reception; 4. Design and orchestration; 5. Technique and image; 6. 'Mehr Malerei als Empfindung'.

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first comprehensive guide to Holst's popular orchestral suite The Planets. It considers the music in detail and places the work in its historical context, describing the circumstances of its composition and its meteoric rise to popular acclaim. Starting with Holst's particular interest in astrology, Professor Greene explores the plotting of the work's central melodic and harmonic gestures to reveal a profound statement of human character and Holst's own psychological journey toward the mystic state. Using parallels in the verbal arts Greene weaves a fascinating tale of musical communication. An understanding of The Planets is crucial to a full appreciation of Holst's profound late works, and Greene's systematic appraisal provides the first revealing light in this direction.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction: musical character and a theory of musical rhetoric; 1. Holst and the two Londons; 2. Genesis; 3. Reception; 4. The character plots (1): Mars to Mercury; 5. The character plots (2): Jupiter to Neptune; 6. On becoming The Planets: the overall design; Epilogue; Appendices; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisBeethoven's Pastoral Symphony is in many ways his most startlingly original symphony. It has a programmatic content, it is in five movements rather than the normal four, and its mood is quite different from the usual barnstorming image of the composer. Why did he want to compose such a work? Why did it take him five years to realise his vision? What was he hoping to communicate? How did he achieve it? Finally, how was the work received? In a fascinating account of this popular work, David Wyn Jones addresses all these vital questions. He places the work in the context of concert life in Vienna at the beginning of the nineteenth century and considers the long tradition of pastoral subject matter in music. His account of the music draws attention to those features of grammar, syntax and form that determine the unique character of the work, making reference to interesting aspects of the autograph and the sketches.Trade Review'... his guide is eloquent in matters of common sense, even as it resists insight by music analysis.... handbooks are not meant to be difficult affairs; they make their subjects accessible by being themselves accessibly written and attractively presented. Weather permitting, David Wyn Jones's Pastoral Symphony will be as readable on a picnic bench as at a library desk.' William Drabkin, The Times Literary SupplementTable of Contents1.The concert of 22 December 1808; 2. Background; 3. Genesis and reception; 4. Design and orchestration; 5. Technique and image; 6. 'Mehr Malerei als Empfindung'.

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Book SynopsisIn this 1997 book, David Brodbeck examines the controversial status and relationship in the Beethoven tradition of this work. He begins with an account of the genesis and complicated background to the writing of the symphony, before providing a critical reading of the work.Table of Contents1. Frustrated efforts; 2. Completion, first performances, and publication; 3. Structure and meaning in the first movement; 4. The middle movements; 5. Structure and meaning in the last movement; 6. Early reception.

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Book SynopsisBrahms' First Symphony has been hailed as Beethoven's Tenth. Its controversial status and relationship in the Beethovenian tradition is considered alongside other important issues in the early reception history of this key work in the symphonic repertory. In this 1997 book, David Brodbeck begins with an account of the lengthy genesis and complicated background to the writing of the symphony, before providing a thorough critical reading of the work, movement by movement. In particular, the author reveals a dense web of extra-compositional allusions - references in the music to works by J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, and Robert Schumann - in which, the author argues, much meaning resides.Table of Contents1. Frustrated efforts; 2. Completion, first performances, and publication; 3. Structure and meaning in the first movement; 4. The middle movements; 5. Structure and meaning in the last movement; 6. Early reception.

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Book SynopsisAssociated through descriptive texts with literature, politics, religion, and other subjects, 'characteristic' symphonies offer an opportunity to study instrumental music as it engages important social and political debates of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This first full-length study of the genre illuminates the relationship between symphonies and their aesthetic and social contexts by focussing on the musical representation of feeling, human physical movement, and the passage of time. The works discussed include Beethoven's Pastoral and Eroica Symphonies, Haydn's Seven Last Words of our Savior on the Cross, Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf's symphonies on Ovid's Metamorphoses, and orchestral battle reenactments of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras. A separate chapter details the aesthetic context within which characteristic symphonies were conceived, as well as their subsequent reception, and a series of appendixes summarises bibliographic information for over 225 reTrade Review'… [this book] is never less than challenging and, at its best, is dazzlingly virtuosic.' Eighteenth-Century MusicTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Paradise lost; 2. Preaching the emotions; 3. The boundaries of the art; 4. Paradise regained; 5. Making memories; Appendixes: 1. Thematic index of characteristic symphonies; 2. Pastoral symphonies and movements; 3. Symphonies and movements by subject.

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Book SynopsisThis handbook addresses all who wish to consider the issues raised when performing music of the past. It provides sound advice on instruments and their care, historical techniques, stylistic issues and historically informed interpretation, with examples drawn from a wide range of case studies, including Bach, Handel and Mozart.Trade Review'… demonstrates a profound knowledge of the flute's history, and of the changes in performance style and technique.' Early Music Today'This is an excellent study …well written and easily accessible … Rachel Brown has done an excellent job. This practical guide can enrich recorder players' knowledge and should be consulted widely.' The Recorder Magazine'A highly informative, readable and welcome additions to the Cambridge Handbooks Historical Performance of Music series. It will prove invaluable both as a quick-reference guide and a general introduction to the early flute.' The ConsortTable of Contents1. Historical sources; 2. The development of the flute, 1700–1900; 3. Technique; 4. Style; 5. Case studies: Hotteterre, Handel, J. S. Bach, Gluck, Mozart, Boehm.

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Book Synopsis

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