Musicians, singers, bands and groups Books

3001 products


  • Wagner's Visions: Poetry, Politics, and the

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Wagner's Visions: Poetry, Politics, and the

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisExamines the impact of contemporary ideas about the psyche and neglected yet crucial artistic influences on the psychological dimension of Wagner's operas, especially Die Feen, Der fliegende Holländer, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, and the Ring. Wagner's Visions studies crucial influences on Wagner's dramatic style during the years before and just after the failed Dresden revolutionary uprising of 1849. Offering a detailed examination of Die Feen, Wagner's least-known complete opera, together with analysis of Der fliegende Holländer, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, and the four Ring dramas, Katherine Syer explores the inner experiences of Wagner's protagonists. Sources ofparticular political significance include the fables of the eighteenth-century Venetian playwright Carlo Gozzi, the Iphigenia operas of Christoph Willibald Gluck, and the legacy of the martyr Theodor Körner, whose poetry became the lingua franca of the revolutionary movement to liberate and unify Germany. Syer's book offers fresh insights into the historical context that gave rise to Wagner's dramatic art, revealing how his distinct and powerful imagery is intimately bound up with the crises and instabilities of his era. Katherine R. Syer is associate professor of theatre and musicology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Trade ReviewAn insightful analysis of Wagner's operas, which displays a profound understanding of the deep structure of operas and is impressive in its ability to draw together a wide variety of different phenomena. Not least because of the extremely skillful handling of language that leads to vivid and concise descriptions of both artworks and their historical and cultural environments, it is an enjoyable read. * MUSIC & LETTERS *Seldom, if ever, has Wagner's music been written about in such a lyrically beautiful way, with such penetrating insights. * WAGNERSPECTRUM *Accomplished and absorbing. . . . One of the strongest recent contributions to Wagner studies. * MUSICAL TIMES *Just when you think that scholarship has covered every angle of Wagner's work, along comes an author with yet another way of looking at it. In this wide-ranging study . . . [a]n impressive aspect of Syer's analysis is the frequency and skill with which she peels off the textual layers of Wagner's creations -- the revised accounts, different prose sketches, libretto revisions, staging comments etc. [This, along with the emphasis on live performance,] ensures Wagner's Visions a place among the most significant Wagner books of the decade. * WAGNER JOURNAL *Well-written narrative. With her unique insight into the early works, Syer sheds new light on the complex psychological elements of their characters and the creative strategies that set the political tone for the later works. Recommended [for] upper-division undergraduates through faculty. * CHOICE *Syer's new study is a major contribution to the scholarship on the first half of Wagner's career; let us hope that a study of the second half is forthcoming. * WAGNER NOTES *[A]n outstanding book on Wagner's literary roots in fairy tale, German Hellenism, and German patriotic Romanticism. Syer also brings further illumination to the phenomenon of psychological drama in Wagner's stage works, showing how these three-pronged roots played a role in the formation of Wagner's dramatic -- even fantastical -- protopsychology. This excellent contribution places Syer firmly among the leading Wagner scholars of her generation. -- -- Bryan Gilliam, Duke UniversityTable of ContentsTo Be Born in Leipzig in 1813 Fairytale Madness: Wagner and Gozzi Senta the Somnambulist Opposing Worlds: Tannhäuser and Lohengrin Hunding's Horns, Wotan's Storms, Sieglinde's Nightmare Notes Bibliography Index

    Out of stock

    £85.50

  • Anton Heiller: Organist, Composer, Conductor

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Anton Heiller: Organist, Composer, Conductor

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFirst English-language study of Anton Heiller (1923-1979), one of the twentieth-century's most influential organists Anton Heiller is one of the twentieth century's most renowned and influential organists. Born in 1923, Heiller was trained in Vienna and rose to prominence quickly, giving his first solo recital at the age of twenty-two. Before concentrating on the organ exclusively, he was a successful conductor of the symphonic repertoire, and, from 1945 until his untimely death in 1979, he was professor of organ at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.His interpretations of Bach, which included registration and articulation, as well as a consideration of the theological underpinnings, would change the way Bach is played. Anton Heiller: Organist, Composer, Conductorprovides an assessment of Heiller's works and teaching, while also examining his complex personality, one torn between strong religious devotion and the world of artistry. The narrative also offers a unique view of the organ worldin the decades after World War II, featuring the important organs, builders, and organists across North America and Europe. Peter Planyavsky was Anton Heiller's successor as an organ professor in Vienna, and organist of St. Stephan's Cathedral in Vienna from 1969 through 2004. He is also a prolific composer, improviser, and conductor. Christa Rumsey, a former student of Heiller's, translated the book from the original German.Trade ReviewHistory has already recognized Anton Heiller as a significant figure in 20th-century music, probably the most influential organist of his time. . . .Through his genius and personal charisma, he achieved what others could not: he brought the organ into the mainstream of music where it belongs. Planyavsky's biography delivers this message, while giving a complete picture of Heiller's life and work. . . . Belongs in the personal library of any serious organist. Through this book a great organist continues to interest and also to teach later generations of organists. A comparison . . . demonstrates not only an accurate but sensitive treatment of the original [German text]. * THE AMERICAN ORGANIST *The biographical chapters make . . . fascinating reading . . . [No chapter] is more gripping than the chapter devoted to 'Haarlem and the Rest of Europe.' . . . Christa Rumsey has done a sterling service for English-speaking readers by her elegant translation of an important book. -- Bruce Steele * ORGAN AUSTRALIA *A remarkable book [about] one of the greats of the mid-twentieth century. Packed with facts and stories. Christa Rumsey's excellent, flowing translation [is] a pleasure to read. * SYDNEY ORGAN JOURNAL *The text flows effortlessly. . . . The story is vibrant and gives extremely good insight into life between World War II and 1979 in Austria and life in Vienna in particular. Of interest to any interested in organ music and, in particular, developments in the early to mid-twentieth century. * ORGAN MUSIC SOCIETY OF ADELAIDE NEWSLETTER *Peter Planyavsky's book accomplishes a difficult task: that of doing justice to the life of a monumental musician. Planyavsky, himself an organist of international prominence, avoids the pitfall of presenting Heiller as primarily an organist, instead presenting a compelling picture of Heiller as the complete musician, giving ample room to a discussion of his career as a conductor as well as to a discussion of his many compositions. The result is a comprehensive and engaging account of a person who was a dominant figure in European musical culture for several decades of the twentieth century and whose influence was felt far beyond the circle of the Viennese musical scene. -- -- William Porter, Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester)Table of ContentsVery Early, Very Fast, Very Steep Beginning in the Golden West: Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Switzerland Haarlem and the Rest of Europe Heiller and America Short Midday, Long Sunset All the Registers of a Soul Compositions before ca. 1956 Compositions after ca. 1956 What He Thought, How He Played Appendix: Organ Specifications Chronology Notes List of Compositions Discography Bibliography Index of Names Index of Subjects

    Out of stock

    £99.00

  • Ralph Kirkpatrick: Letters of the American

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Ralph Kirkpatrick: Letters of the American

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThis collection of letters to and from the eminent harpsichordist, scholar, and early-music pioneer Ralph Kirkpatrick provides a portrait of the musician from the beginning of his career in Paris in the 1930s to its end in the early 1980s. This collection of letters to and from the eminent harpsichordist, scholar, and early-music pioneer Ralph Kirkpatrick provides a portrait of the musician from the beginning of his career in Paris in the 1930s to its end in the early 1980s, offering new insights into his work and scholarship. The volume contains letters from Europe to his family as well as correspondence with harpsichord makers, performers, and composers, including Nadia Boulanger, Alexander Schneider, John Kirkpatrick, Elliott Carter, Henry Cowell, John Challis, Kenneth Gilbert, Serge Koussevitzky, and Vincent Persichetti. In addition, two former students of Kirkpatrick, the guitarist Eliot Fisk and the harpsichordist Mark Kroll, write about their experiences studying with Kirkpatrick in a foreword and an afterword. The volume also includes a bibliography of publications by and about the musician, as well as a discography. MeredithKirkpatrick is a librarian and bibliographer at Boston University and is the niece of Ralph Kirkpatrick.Trade ReviewFascinating, behind-the-scenes details. Provides much biographical insight. The photographs . . . are an excellent addition. Kirkpatrick's letters reveal a richness of detail that, while history from today's vantage point, shows the vibrancy of the musical world he inhabited less than a century ago. * MLA NOTES *Offers fascinating insights into the life and work of a highly significant figure. The book, excellently edited and organised by Kirkpatrick's niece Meredith . . . is beautifully produced, containing many photographs of Kirkpatrick throughout his career, as well as others with whom he worked. . . . One of the most invigorating aspects of his letters is their directness; he pulls no punches...The range of subjects covered is vast, and the exchanges give every impression of being frank and honest. Kirkpatrick himself always wrote courteously, but stated his views trenchantly. . . . This book goes a long way to reaffirming Kirkpatrick's seminal role in our present-day understanding of early keyboard music. . . . A significant publication that should be read by everyone with an interest in early keyboard music especially. . . . [The letters to harpsichord builder John Challis] are full of interesting insights and repay careful study. -- John Kitchen * EARLY MUSIC PERFORMER *Engrossing picture of a brilliant and passionate man working to establish a place for what he loved, against many handicaps, in a world that was barely ready. The correspondents include musical and artistic luminaries of the age, such as Nadia Boulanger, Serge Koussevitzky, Roger Sessions, Elliott Carter, [and] Thornton Wilder. * EARLY MUSIC AMERICA *Goes a long way toward fleshing out our knowledge about one of the most prominent and respected figures in the 20th-century American harpsichord revival. Important correspondence with American composers Roger Sessions, Elliott Carter, Otto Luening, Quincy Porter, Vincent Persichetti, Henry Cowell, and Mel Powell, as well as Europeans Frank Martin and Bengt Hambraeus. Carefully selected and annotated. -- Larry Palmer * DIAPASON *Scrupulously edited. Sympathetic yet honest appraisals by Mark Kroll and guitarist Eliot Fisk bookend a fascinating document that chronicles not just a life lived through scholarship and performance, but also a revolution that was profoundly indebted to Kirkpatrick in how we experience the music of the past. Letters to family . . . prove the most vivid. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *Table of ContentsForeword: "The Glowing of Such Fire" -- A Tribute to Ralph Kirkpatrick - Eliot Fisk Acknowledgments Introduction Selected Letters to Family Nadia Boulanger Alexander Mackay-Smith Wanda Landowska John Challis Serge Koussevitzky Oliver Strunk Roger Sessions Harold Spivacke Steinway & Sons New York Times Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge John Kirkpatrick Alexander Schneider Otto Luening Donald Boalch John Hamilton Thornton Wilder Lincoln Kirstein Arthur Mendel Edward Steuremann Frank Martin Olin Downes Albert Fuller Elliott Carter Quincy Porter Vincent Persichetti Henry Cowell Mel Powell Bengt Hambraeus Alec Hodson Paul Fromm Wolfgang Zuckermann Kenneth Gilbert Mr. and Mrs. George Young Colin Tilney Oliver Daniel Eliot Fisk Wilton Dillon William Dowd Meredith Kirkpatrick Afterword: Lessons with Kirkpatrick - Mark Kroll Appendix A: Publications by and about Ralph Kirkpatrick Appendix B: Ralph Kirkpatrick Discography Index

    Out of stock

    £76.50

  • CageTalk: Dialogues with and about John Cage

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd CageTalk: Dialogues with and about John Cage

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisRevealing unpublished interviews with John Cage and some of his closest colleagues, including Virgil Thomson, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pauline Oliveros, Merce Cunningham, and David Tudor. John Cage, one of America's most renowned composers from the 1940s until his death in 1992, was also a much-admired writer and artist, and a uniquely attractive personality able to present his ideas engagingly wherever he went. In CageTalk: Dialogues with and about John Cage, Peter Dickinson showcases a collection of vividly revealing and unpublished interviews given by Cage in the late 1980s for a BBC Radio 3 documentary. For this paperback edition, Dickinson presents a new preface noting developments in Cage criticism since the book's publication in 2006, updated comments from several of the original interviewees, and a new interview with Christian Wolff. CageTalk also features earlier BBC interviews with Cage, including ones by renowned literary critic Frank Kermode and art critic David Sylvester. In addition, there are discussions of Cage with Bonnie Bird, Earle Brown, Merce Cunningham,Minna Lederman, Otto Luening, Jackson Mac Low, Peadar Mercier, Pauline Oliveros, John Rockwell, Kurt Schwertsik, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Virgil Thomson, David Tudor, LaMonte Young, and Paul Zukovsky. Most of these interviews weregiven to Peter Dickinson but there are others in which with Rebecca Boyle, Anthony Cheevers, Michael Oliver, and Roger Smalley were the interviewers. Peter Dickinson, British composer and pianist, is Emeritus Professor,University of Keele and University of London, and has written or edited several books about twentieth-century music, including Copland Connotations [Boydell Press, 2002] and The Music of Lennox Berkeley [Boydell Press, 2003].Trade ReviewForeWord Magazine selected this title as one of its top music books from University Presses for 2006. * . *Ideal introduction to Cage. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *The first-hand accounts related by Cage's colleagues offer new insights and a palpable vibrancy. . . . A sense of intimacy and richness of anecdotal detail. . . . Merit[s] study by all with an interest in the composer. -- Charles Madsen * BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN MUSIC *We hear Cage in his own words, in conversations conducted between 1966 and 1988, and put in the context of interviews with close colleagues such as pianist David Tudor, choreographer Merce Cunningham and fellow composers including Earle Brown and Virgil Thomson. . . . Dickinson's approach to collecting these interviews is methodical and fastidious. . . . [His] introductory chapter is . . . cogent. -- Philip Clark * GRAMOPHONE *This book is no eulogy compendium. Instead, the interviewees simply give us what we would all prefer to have, which is a diverse set of instructive, good-humoured accounts of their dealings with the book's subject. . . . Informative and entertaining -- often amusing: Stockhausen's thinly-veiled tetchiness makes for a diverting subtext, while Virgil Thomson refers to Cage's former wife Xenia as 'the Eskimo.' Technically, too, this book is a success, with its comprehensive references, its proper indexing and, joy of joys, footnotes . . . on the page you're actually on. A valuable and enjoyable read which I unreservedly recommend. Five stars (out of five). -- Roger Thomas * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *A lively compilation of dialogues with and about Cage . . . [opening with Dickinson's] useful introductory overview.. . . [Cage's] influence burns brighter than ever. -- Fiona Maddocks * THE SPECTATOR *Essential reading for anyone interested in the music of our time. * WHOLENOTE *Cage's engaging manner radiates from these pages. . . . CageTalk is excellent, leaving one with feelings of affection toward its subject. -- John Robert Brown * CLASSICAL MUSIC *A real treasure house of fascinating exchanges. . . . An entertaining perspective on [Cage's] inventive and imaginative world of sound, visual imagery and movement. -- Patrick Standford * MUSIC AND VISION DAILY *Recommended to all music libraries, [and] specialists concerned with...[Cage's] enduring work. -- Brett Boutwell * JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN MUSIC *Table of ContentsIntroduction by Peter Dickinson John Cage Merce Cunningham Bonnie Bird David Tudor Jackson Mac Low Minna Lederman Virgil Thomson Otto Luening Karlheinz Stockhausen Earle Brown Kurt Schwertsik La Monte Young John Rockwell Pauline Oliveros Paul Zukofsky Cage with David Sylvester and Roger Smalley Cage with Frank Kermode Cage with Michael Oliver About Musicircus, Cage with Peter Dickinson Introducing Roaratorio, Cage, Cunningham, and Peadar Mercier with Peter Dickinson Europeras and After, Cage with Anthony Cheevers

    Out of stock

    £25.19

  • Bedrich Smetana: Myth, Music, and Propaganda

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Bedrich Smetana: Myth, Music, and Propaganda

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThis book reveals Czech composer Bedrich Smetana as a dynamic figure whose mythology has been rewritten time and again to suit shifting political perspectives. Interpretations of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana and his music have shifted as frequently as the political contexts in which they were written. This book examines not just Smetana, but also the scholar-politicians who have imagined and reimagined him and his works since the nineteenth century. During the 1870s, Smetana helped found a powerful nationalist organization called the Umelecká beseda ("Artistic Society," or UB), whose members produced the earliest scholarship on the composer as part of their calls for political action. Within the increasingly radicalized discourses of the twentieth century, individuals including future Minister of Culture and Education Zdenek Nejedlý attacked the UB for not being nationalistic enough, producing their own revisionist histories of Smetana and his works. Kelly St. Pierre investigates Smetana as both nationalist composer and national symbol, revealing the composer'slegacy as a dynamic figure whose mythology has been rewritten time and time again to suit changing political perspectives. Kelly St. Pierre is assistant professor of musicology at Wichita State University.Trade ReviewAn important book [that] investigates the creation of a collection of 'Smetana myths,' and the manner in which the composer's career and its reception were molded by a complex set of forces. Some of the most fascinating aspects of St. Pierre's book involve the sections dealing with the attempt on the part of various interlocutors to ascribe 'meaning' to specific moments of instrumental music. -- Michael Beckerman * SLAVIC REVIEW *St. Pierre brings together a wide range of published sources, such as articles and edited correspondence in translation (mostly her own). Particularly intriguing is [her] perspective on music history (and its making) as media history. The monograph's structure and appearance are impeccable, and its name index will serve as an essential companion for every future study on Smetana. * MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NOTES *St. Pierre's book will need to be consulted by anyone interested in the subject. It is lucidly constructed and well written, and has been well served by Rochester Press [sic] in its editing of her prose . . . [and] is especially valuable in the lively details it gives of the Umelecká beseda and its members. * SLAVONIC AND EAST EUROPEAN REVIEW *A sorely needed and welcome foray not only into scholarship on the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana, but also into questions of composer biography and the role of propaganda in Central European nationalist movements...a valuable resource for scholars of European history and Czech music. * EUROPEAN HISTORY QUARTERLY *Kelly St. Pierre's concentrated and highly researched new study . . . closely examines the complex and politically controversial genesis of [Czech composer Smetana's] music, and its huge eventual significance in establishing a strong and clear national identity for that small if fiercely patriotic country contained within the 19th-century Austro-Hungarian Empire. St. Pierre has done well to cut a path through the forests of obscurantism generated by these ever-changing political perspectives, leading to a clearer picture of Smetana and his actual achievements. MUSICAL TIMES * MUSICAL TIMES *A significant work of scholarship, Kelly St. Pierre's Bedrich Smetana: Myth, Music, and Propaganda fills an obvious and important gap in the literature of musical politics in Prague from the last quarter of the nineteenth century to the end of the First Republic. With an excellent and thorough consideration of both Czech and English sources, including the most recent publications, this book will be indispensable for scholars and enthusiasts of Czech music, as well as scholars, students, and devotees of late nineteenth-century European cultural and intellectual history. -- -- Derek Katz, author of Janácek beyond the BordersTable of ContentsIntroduction Smetana Advocacy and Czech Nation-Building Smetana, Czechness, and the New German School Smetana, Czechness, and Wagner Smetana as a Proven Genius Writing the Smetana Myth: Historiography and Czechness Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

    Out of stock

    £72.00

  • Venanzio Rauzzini in Britain: Castrato, Composer,

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Venanzio Rauzzini in Britain: Castrato, Composer,

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisExamines the remarkable career of leading soprano castrato Venanzio Rauzzini (1746-1810), the first castrato to make Britain his home. Venanzio Rauzzini (1746-1810), the celebrated Italian castrato, is best known for his performance in Mozart's Lucio Silla in 1772, with which Mozart was so pleased that he composed for the singer the famous motet Exsultate Jubilate. In 1774, Rauzzini moved to London where he performed three seasons of serious operas at the King's Theatre. From 1777 until his death in 1810, he was the director of the concert series in Bath, a series that matched the prestige of any that were given in London. In addition, he composed prolifically, writing music for eleven operas. This book is a study of Rauzzini's remarkable yet often overlooked career in Britain. Paul Rice chronicles Rauzzini's performances at the King's Theatre and examines his leadership of the Bath subscription concerts from 1780-1810, recovering much of the repertory. Rice shows in detail how Rauzzini responded musically to the social and political conditions of his adopted country, and analyzes the castrato's reception, as well as compositional choices, shedding new light on changing musical tastes in late eighteenth-century Britain. Paul F. Rice is Professor of Musicology at the School of Music, Memorial University of Newfoundland.Trade Review[Venanzio Rauzzini] was an intrepid survivor in a world that held Italians, and particularly Italian castrati, as highly suspect. Paul Rice has brought together a great deal of biographical detail about Rauzzini's life. He has made it possible for us easily to flesh-out the headline facts that are presented in the Grove and Oxford articles and the work of other authors. [Musical] extracts and analyses...give us an impression of Rauzzini's own evolving vocal abilities and those of his singers. The author seems to have left no stone unturned in seeking out his subject. -- Andrew Pink * BRIO *The scope of [Rauzzini's] influence enables Rice to...use Rauzzini's career as a focal point in a broader examination of social and cultural life in Brain, and specifically London and Bath. [Rice] attempts to glean information about the character of his sound, not only from contemporary descriptions but also from the music written for him by Mozart and Sacchini. Rice manages his materials admirably, and there is much here to interest scholars of eighteenth-century music, particularly those interested in concert culture and the practicalities of singers' lives. An engaging portrait of a man who left a considerable legacy across many areas of musical life. -- Chloe Valenti * AD PARNASSUM *Fascinating insights concerning Rauzzini's compositional techniques and the characteristics of the arias he wrote for himself. The musical analysis undertaken in the book, illustrated with a large number of music examples, reveals Rauzzini's accomplished compositional style for the different technical demands of domestic music-making. . . Broaden[s] the common picture of the virtuoso opera singer and demonstrate[s] his expertise in different fields and his acceptance at the heart of Britain's social and cultural life. -- Ingeborg Zechner * MUSIC & LETTERS *Rauzzini is unique among castratos for having spent more than half his life in England. Rice is the first to tackle in detail the whole of Rauzzini's professional life across the 36 years the singer spent in England. The programmes for these concerts give a fascinating picture of changing tastes. Rauzzini was a canny director, endeavouring to engage the best soloists. Rice provides a generous quantity of music examples that demonstrate Rauzzini's mastery of the galant style. A rich resource. -- Patricia Howard * MUSICAL TIMES *Table of ContentsPreface Rauzzini's European Career A Debut Season at the King's Theatre, 1774-75 Two Further Seasons at the King's Theatre, 1775-77 Concerts and Composing, 1774-81 A Continuing Relationship with the King's Theatre A Life in Bath The Bath Concerts Final Curtain Appendix A: Concert Programs, 1786-1810 Appendix B: Operatic Roles Performed by Venanzio Rauzzini Notes Bibliography Index

    Out of stock

    £103.50

  • Gay Guerrilla: Julius Eastman and His Music

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Gay Guerrilla: Julius Eastman and His Music

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisA compelling portrait of composer-performer Julius Eastman's enigmatic and intriguing life and music. Composer-performer Julius Eastman (1940-90) was an enigma, both comfortable and uncomfortable in the many worlds he inhabited: black, white, gay, straight, classical music, disco, academia, and downtown New York. His music, insistent and straightforward, resists labels and seethes with a tension that resonates with musicians, scholars, and audiences today. Eastman's provocative titles, including Gay Guerrilla, Evil Nigger, Crazy Nigger, and others, assault us with his obsessions. Eastman tested limits with his political aggressiveness, as reflected in legendary scandals like his June 1975 performance of John Cage's Song Books, which featured homoerotic interjections, and the uproar over his titles at Northwestern University. These episodes are examples of Eastman's persistence in pushing the limits of the acceptable in the highly charged arenas of sexual and civil rights. In addition to analyses of Eastman's music, the essays in Gay Guerrilla provide background on his remarkable life history and the era's social landscape. The book presents an authentic portrait of a notable American artist thatis compelling reading for the general reader as well as scholars interested in twentieth-century American music, American studies, gay rights, and civil rights. This Life of Sounds: Evenings for New Music inBuffalo received an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for excellence. Mary Jane Leach is a composer and freelance writer, currently writing music and theatre criticism for the Albany Times-Union.Trade ReviewJulius Eastman enjoyed the admiration of peers such as Morton Feldman, Meredith Monk and Pierre Boulez. Here, highly engaging essays by those who knew Eastman well recall him as a person and assess his brilliance. While there are amusing anecdotes about his more madcap moments . . . the overall message is that he was an artist deserving of significant respect. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *[Eastman's work] effectively rewrote the history of post-war American New Music, restoring to its narrative a gay black voice creating a liberating, high-energy form of organic minimalism. * THE GUARDIAN *It is eminently readable throughout. * JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC STUDIES *[The book will be] a starting point for others who want to engage with Julius Eastman as a performer, scholar, or composer. * ARSC JOURNAL *A picture of [Eastman]--charismatic performer, magnetic personality and emotional escape artist--that puts his work in a context larger and more representative. * BAY AREA REPORTER *A composer of visionary power, a singer with a cavernous bass voice, a collaborator with the diverse likes of Meredith Monk and Pierre Boulez, Eastman had long been a fixture of the New York Music scene....Part of the pleasure of Eastman's rediscovery has been the belated, deserving reinsertion of a black, gay figure into music history. * THE NEW YORK TIMES *Outspoken about his own identity as a black queer man...Eastman was ahead of his time. His music is politics by other means, in search of a form, alighting toward a future that could grant him dignity, when he could be something other than an abstraction. * THE NEW YORKER *A fascinating new collection of essays exploring the life and work of the enigmatic composer Julius Eastman...who worked fluently in jazz, improvisation and acoustical experiments. An indication of his impact is the very fact that so many people have come together [in this book] to remember him and are actively championing his music. * ALBANY TIMES-UNION *The publication of this rigorously researched, lovingly produced, multidimensional study of a singular artist will surely be met with joy by those of us who remember Julius Eastman--the inspired creator, the sly provocateur and martyred saint of the avant-garde. For those who are interested in iconoclasts of whatever stripe, this volume will be a revelation and an invitation to rethink what composition, performance, and life at the precipice of madness can be.-- -- Bill T. Jones, choreographer and dancerThis book has arrived just in time for Black Lives Matter and gets my deepest praise. This important volume of essays brought forth by two brilliant women who have long championed Eastman's music, belongs in every music conservatory library and beyond.-- -- Pauline Oliveros, composerTable of ContentsForeword by George E. Lewis Acknowledgments Introduction: Julius Eastman and His Music - Renee Levine Packer Julius Eastman, A Biography - Renee Levine Packer Unjust Malaise - David Borden The Julius Eastman Parables - R. Nemo Hill Julius Eastman and the Conception of "Organic Music" - Kyle Gann Julius Eastman Singing - John Patrick Thomas An Accidental Musicologist Passes the Torch - Mary Jane Leach A Flexible Musical Identity: Julius Eastman in New York City, 1976-90 - Ryan Dohoney Evil Nigger: A Piece for Multiple Instruments of the Same Type by Julius Eastman (1979), with Performance Instructions by Joseph Kubera - David Borden A Postminimalist Analysis of Julius Eastman's Crazy Nigger - Andrew Hanson-Dvoracek "The Piece Does Not Exist without Julius": Still Staying on Stay On It - Matthew Mendez Connecting the Dots - Mary Jane Leach Gay Guerrilla: A Minimalist Choralphantasie - Luciano Chessa Appendix: Julius Eastman Compositions - Mary Jane Leach Chronology Selected Bibliography List of Contributors Index

    15 in stock

    £41.25

  • Star Turns and Cameo Appearances: Memoirs of a

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Star Turns and Cameo Appearances: Memoirs of a

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisUp-close and personal views, by the renowned music critic and orchestra administrator, of musical luminaries from Alfred Brendel to Jessye Norman and beyond. Star Turns and Cameo Appearances is the entertaining and insightful memoir by veteran music critic Bernard Jacobson. Its pages are populated by eminent composers ranging from Hans Werner Henze to Andrzej Panufnik and by renowned performers, including Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, Sviatoslav Richter, and Jessye Norman. As a music critic and orchestra administrator, Jacobson has had the opportunity to observe these outstanding musicians andmany of their colleagues at close quarters. Assisting Riccardo Muti at the Philadelphia Orchestra for eight years, he saw sides of that maestro not visible to the music-loving public. Throughout Star Turns and Cameo Performances, Jacobson adds his own sensitive and sympathetic view to public perceptions of musical luminaries of yesterday and today, helping to explain and illuminate their artistry. Bernard Jacobson has worked in the music field for over fifty years, including stints as recording executive, music critic of the Chicago Daily News, artistic director and adviser for international orchestras in Holland, and visiting professor at Roosevelt University's Chicago Musical College. He has also performed and recorded as narrator of concert works and opera.Trade ReviewWill appeal to many different music professionals as well as a number of music-lovers. Without exception, Jacobson's remarks show knowledge and heart beautifully combined, the writing eloquent and perceptive. Star Turns and Cameo Appearances offers an intimate and rewarding look at one of the most distinguished music professionals of the 20th century and, perhaps more important, one for whom new music and the classics generally held equal value. -- Rob Haskins * ARSC JOURNAL *I have admired and continue to admire the great musical culture of Bernard Jacobson, whom I have known since my time in Philadelphia in the 1980s. His deep understanding of the world of the arts and his wit and elegant writing make Star Turns particularly interesting and charming. -- -- Riccardo Muti, conductor, music director, Chicago Symphony Orchestra[This] remarkable memoir is a musical journey from the perspective of a writer, music critic, music publisher, and a man who has been intimately involved with the classical music world. His extraordinary life's work, knowledge, and integrity have been a great inspiration to me, and this beautifully written memoir now affords others a window into his lifelong devotion to and love of music on the deepest level. -- -- Gerard Schwarz, conductor and composerAn extraordinarily vivid and intriguing glimpse of the humans inside the classical music giants, of the last fifty years -- an invaluable and rare account from a man who's heard it all. -- -- Roxanna Panufnik, composerBernard Jacobson has been one of the most illuminating writers about classical music over the past decades, a critical intelligence to reckon with -- the sort of critic (all too rare) with whom performers can engage in fruitful dialogue. His memoirs of a life in music are fascinating stuff. -- -- Ian Bostridge, tenorA fascinating tour through the classical music world from the 1960s to today. Jacobson has worked with and has stories to tell about most of the major and minor figures of music in England and America of the last fifty years. His analysis of Riccardo Muti as a man, a conductor, and a leader is worth the whole book. It's an involving book, and I feel privileged to have read it. -- -- Speight Jenkins, general director, 1983-2014, Seattle OperaTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments "Till Ready," to 1960 Inside the Record Industry, 1960-64 Freelance in London and New York, 1964-67 Chicago Years, 1967-73 Exchanging Criticizing for Supporting, 1973-76 The Pastoral Dream, 1976-79 Inside Music Publishing, 1979-84 Philadelphia, First Installment, 1984-91 Back to Holland, 1992-95 Philadelphia, Second Installment, 1996-2005 West Coast Years, 2005-14 Philadelphia, Yet Again, 2014-? Afterword Index

    Out of stock

    £36.00

  • Reflections of an American Harpsichordist:

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Reflections of an American Harpsichordist:

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisPresents previously unpublished memoirs (1933-77), lectures, and essays by the eminent harpsichordist and scholar Ralph Kirkpatrick. This collection of unpublished writings by the eminent harpsichordist and scholar Ralph Kirkpatrick contains his memoirs for the period 1933-77 as well as essays on a variety of topics, including his preparation for the first performance of Elliott Carter's Double Concerto, thoughts on editing Bach's Goldberg Variations, and reflections on recording, chamber music, performance, and harpsichords and their transport. The volume also contains five lectures from a Yale University lecture series presented between 1969 and 1971, a bibliography of publications by and about Kirkpatrick, a discography of his recordings, and a foreword by former Kirkpatrick student and renowned organist William Porter. Meredith Kirkpatrick, the niece of Ralph Kirkpatrick, is a librarian and bibliographer at Boston University and the editor of Ralph Kirkpatrick: Letters of the American Harpsichordist and Scholar (University of Rochester Press, 2014).Trade ReviewThe career of [harpsichordist] Kirkpatrick took place during a major developmental stage in the history of the harpsichord. Extremely enjoyable to read. Excellently produced and laid out on the page. * REVUE BELGE DE MUSICOLOGIE *[A]n exciting read not only for harpsichordists, but also for anyone interested in early music and the history of old keyboard instruments. * SZABÓ ERVIN LIBRARY MUSIC COLLECTION *His depth of thought, and skill in articulating his musical philosophy never disappoints, and I would buy the book if only for his outstandingly good essay, entitled 'The Performer's Pilgrimage to the Sources'...A writer who could evoke time and place with memorable clarity. * SOUNDING BOARD *Offers valuable insight into... the [early music] movement as well as considerable enjoyment along the way. * THE CONSORT *The writing style is elegant and captivating, often sprinkled with touches of humor. The pages...devoted to Scarlatti are particularly rich. * REVUE DE MUSICOLOGIE *[A] new and rich collection of writings by . . . Ralph Kirkpatrick (1911-1984). . . one of the principal shapers of the twentieth-century movement to return historical instruments to the practical uses of musical life. * AD PARNASSUM *[P]resents another pathway to understanding the stellar contributions of the most influential American harpsichordist of the mid-20th century after . Here is a book to treasure, and to share with fellow lovers of the harpsichord and its history. * DIAPASON *This special book is well made, beautiful to hold and captures this later period in the lifetime and place in history of this very eminent American musician and scholar. . . . Kirkpatrick's own Memoirs in this book have an elegant and engaging style of writing, displaying his erudite intelligence and charisma. . . . [His] Reflections . . . display the author's immense contribution and role in shaping music history. * FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE *Brilliant observations that apply to all fields of music. The fascinating writing itself is so elegant and polished. . . that the reader constantly wants to turn the pages. . . . Should be of interest to all lovers of keyboard instruments and the music written for them. * AMERICAN ORGANIST *Kirkpatrick's playing, at its best, is magnificent ... [This] entertaining and wittily written book ... [is] a beautiful complement to [Ralph Kirkpatrick: Letters of the American Harpsichordist and Scholar], which came out a few years ago. * OPUSKLASSIEK *Offers a fascinating view into the personality and worldview of Ralph Kirkpatrick. . . . The writing reveals scrupulous musical standards and a crunchy personality. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *Meredith Kirkpatrick has selected wisely and edited meticulously. We are offered many insights into the life of a concert harpsichordist at a time when such individuals were rare indeed. [Kirkpatrick's] prose style is always elegant, but he expresses himself directly and vigorously. * EARLY MUSIC PERFORMER *Opens a window onto much of 20th-century cultural history. . . . Essential reading for anyone interested in the harpsichord, scholarship, and musical style. * EARLY MUSIC AMERICA *[From] a musician who was widely admired as one of the finest harpsichordists of his day [comes] this collection of memoirs, essays and lectures, all previously unpublished and edited sensitively by Kirkpatrick's niece...[The memoirs are] pleasingly anecdotal. * GRAMOPHONE *[A welcome new book of writings by] the trailblazing American harpsichordist...Humour and waspish observations gild memoir and polemic alike. Many of the issues pondered with characteristic clarity are no less relevant fifty years on...(Four stars, and Editor's Choice) * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *Table of ContentsIntroduction Memoirs, 1933-77 On Performing On Recording On Chamber Music On Harpsichords and Their Transport Elliott Carter's Double Concerto (ca. 1973) On Editing Bach's Goldberg Variations: For Arthur Mendel (March 31, 1973) RK and Music at JE (1983) The Equipment and Education of a Musician (1971) Bach and Mozart for Violin and Harpsichord (ca. 1944) The Early Piano (Broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Music Weekly, September 23, 1973) Bach and Keyboard Instruments In Search of Scarlatti's Harpsichord Style in Performance The Performer's Pilgrimage to the Sources Private Virtue and Public Vice in the Performance of "Early Music" Appendix A: Personal Names in the Text Appendix B: Publications by and about Ralph Kirkpatrick Appendix C: Ralph Kirkpatrick Discography

    Out of stock

    £94.50

  • Brahms and the Shaping of Time

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Brahms and the Shaping of Time

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisCombines fresh approaches to the life and music of the beloved nineteenth-century composer with the latest and most significant ways of thinking about rhythm, meter, and musical time. Brahms and the Shaping of Time brings together essays by leading music scholars, each of which analyzes the music of Brahms with a particular focus on the music's temporality. The volume reveals numerous ways in which Brahms manipulates such basic elements as rhythm and phrase structure in pieces ranging from the Third Piano Sonata and the Double Concerto to a number of his most important and beloved songs. The first two essays examine aspects of rhythm and meter in Brahms's lieder, recognizing his meaningful deviations from temporal norms. The second two pick up the mantle from William Rothstein's landmark text Phrase Rhythm in Tonal Music. Rothstein's study focused on the music of other composers, but suggested how a future study might explore the music of Brahms; these essays contribute to such a study while also pivoting the book's focus from vocal to instrumental music. Each of the chapters of the third pair cross-examines and expands our understanding of the hemiola. The concluding trio of essays promotes, through further analysis of individual works, ways of hearing that encourage the reader to breach the confines of the score's metric notation. Together, the essays in this volume offer fresh approaches to the life and music of the beloved nineteenth-century composer and incorporate significant new ways of thinking about rhythm, meter, and musical time. CONTRIBUTORS: Eytan Agmon, Richard Cohn, Harald Krebs, Ryan McClelland, Jan Miyake, Scott Murphy, Samuel Ng, Heather Platt, Frank Samarotto Scott Murphy is professorof music theory at the University of Kansas.Trade ReviewWINNER of the 2019 Outstanding Multi-Author Collection Award from the Society for Music Theory * . *Table of ContentsForeword: Brahms, Analysis, and Time Expressive Declamation in the Songs of Johannes Brahms Temporal Disruptions and Shifting Levels of Discourse in Brahms's Lieder Phrase Rhythm and the Expression of Longing in Brahms's "Gestillte Sehnsucht," Op. 91, No. 1 On the Oddness of Brahms's Five-Measure Phrases Hemiola as Agent of Metric Resolution in the Music of Brahms Brahms at Twenty: Hemiolic Varietals and Metric Malleability in an Early Sonata Containment and Wave: Temporal Experiment in Brahms's Opus 2 Rhythmic Displacement in the Fugue of Brahms's Handel Variations: The Refashioning of a Traditional Device Durational Enharmonicism and the Opening of Brahms's "Double Concerto"

    Out of stock

    £89.10

  • Liszt and Virtuosity

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Liszt and Virtuosity

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisA new and wide-ranging collection of essays by leading international scholars, exploring the concept and practices of virtuosity in Franz Liszt and his contemporaries. In the annals of music history, few figures have dominated the discussion of virtuosity as much as Franz Liszt. A flamboyant performer whose hair-raising technical feats at the piano created a sense of awe-inspiring excitement andan icon whose star power radiated far beyond the realm of music, Liszt was, along with his early model, Paganini, among the first major performer-composers to define himself principally by virtuosity. Featuring new essays by an international group of preeminent scholars, Liszt and Virtuosity offers a reevaluation of the concept and practices of virtuosity as shaped and defined in Liszt's multifaceted oeuvre, as well as a reconsiderationof Liszt's relation to other major and lesser-known musical figures, including Czerny, Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, and Marie Jaëll. Set in the context of larger trends within the fields of music history, musicanalysis, intellectual history, and performance studies, these capacious explorations demonstrate that Liszt's uniqueness and significance resided in his ability to transform virtuosity into a revolutionary musical force, pushingthe piano aesthetic to the limits of sound and poetic meaning.Trade ReviewThe book brings together these insights by the world's most important Liszt's scholars and performers. [...] [This book] deepen[s] our understanding of the concept of virtuosity and of different approaches [and] re-evaluates virtuosity, specifically its given definitions and practices, through Liszt's own understanding in connection to his contemporaries -- NINETEENTH-CENTURY MUSIC REVIEWSThis splendid volume dispels any lingering prejudices against nineteenth-century piano virtuosity and especially against Franz Liszt--often suspected of practicing a musical dark art. By casting new light on Liszt's singular virtuosity in essays on his instruments, technique, and teaching through to his revolutionary compositional aesthetic, the internationally distinguished authorship aspires to a level of understanding no less transformational than the work of the spectacular figure at center stage. * John Rink, Professor of Musical Performance Studies, University of Cambridge *There is a lot to think about in this volume. It is dense and rich, well researched, and thoughtful. Perhaps it is virtuosic in its own way, with its apparent casual command of fine detail. This is the kind of collection where single lines might spark new scholarship. * MUSIC & LETTERS *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Virtuosity and Liszt - Robert Doran Part One: Liszt, Virtuosity, and Performance Après une lecture de Czerny?: Liszt's Creative Virtuosity - Kenneth Hamilton Transforming Virtuosity: Liszt and Nineteenth-Century Pianos - Olivia Sham Spirit and Mechanism: Liszt's Early Piano Technique and Teaching - Nicolas Dufetel Paths through the Lisztian Ossia - Jonathan Kregor Brahms "versus" Liszt: The Internalization of Virtuosity - David Keep Part Two: Lisztian Virtuosity: Theoretical Approaches The Practice of Pianism: Virtuosity and Oral History - Jim Samson Liszt's Symbiosis: The Question of Virtuosity and the Concerto Arrangement of Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy - Jonathan Dunsby From the Brilliant Style to the Bravura Style: Reconceptualizing Lisztian Virtuosity - Robert Doran Part Three: Virtuosity and Anti-Virtuosity in "Late Liszt" Harmony, Gesture, and Virtuosity in Liszt's Revisions: Shaping the Affective Journeys of the Cypress Pieces from Années de pèlerinage III - Dolores Pesce Anti-Virtuosity and Musical Experimentalism: Liszt, Marie Jaëll, Debussy, and Others - Ralph P. Locke Virtuosity in Liszt's Late Piano Works - Shay Loya

    Out of stock

    £108.00

  • The Karl Muck Scandal: Classical Music and

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd The Karl Muck Scandal: Classical Music and

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe demonization, internment, and deportation of celebrated Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Dr. Karl Muck, finally told, and placed in the context of World War I anti-German sentiment in the United States. BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC BOOK RELEASE OF 2019 by Classical-music.com, the official website of BBC Music Magazine. 2019 SUMMER READS ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2019 BEST BOOK AWARD FINALIST in both the History and Performing Arts categories, sponsored by American Book Fest. 2019 SUBVENTION AWARD by the American Musicological Society, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. One of the cherished narratives of American history is that of the Statue of Liberty welcoming immigrants to its shores. Accounts of the exclusion and exploitation of Chinese immigrants in the late nineteenth century and Japanese internment during World War II tell a darker story of American immigration. Less well-known, however, is the treatment of German-Americans and Germannationals in the United States during World War I. Initially accepted and even welcomed into American society at the outbreak of war, this group would face rampant intolerance and anti-German hysteria. Melissa D. Burrage's book illustrates this dramatic shift in attitude in her engrossing narrative of Dr. Karl Muck, the celebrated German conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, who was targeted and ultimately disgraced by a New York Philharmonic board member and by capitalists from that city who used his private sexual life as a basis for having him arrested, interned, and deported from the United States. While the campaign against Muck made national headlines, and is the main focus of this book, Burrage also illuminates broader national topics such as: Total War; State power; vigilante justice; internment and deportation; irresponsible journalism; sexual surveillance; attitudes toward immigration; anti-Semitism; and the development of America's musical institutions. The mistreatment of Karl Muck in the United States provides a narrative thread that connects these various wartime and postwar themes. MELISSAD. BURRAGE, a former writing consultant at Harvard University Extension School, holds a Master's Degree in History from Harvard University and a PhD in American Studies from University of East Anglia. Support for thispublication was provided by the Howard Hanson Institute for American Music at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.Trade ReviewTells the full story [of the smear campaign against a major German-born conductor] with rich and copiously documented context. Her engaging study should be required reading for those who assume that questions of racial and national identity, fake news, sexual scandals, media manipulation, and cancel culture are new to our own times. Numerous well-chosen illustrations [are] sprinkled throughout the book. * MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NOTES *A chilling read that sheds light on how vulnerable communities are scapegoated in times of crisis that, unfortunately, still has plenty of resonance a century on. * LIMELIGHT MAGAZINE *[C]ommendably even-handed in its treatment of Muck, declining to make an innocent victim of him. . . . It's a wonderful book, a very rich addition not only to the literature on American music and the war but also to Boston musical history. I learned much! -- Alex Ross * THE NEW YORKER *This incisive, powerful book is not so much a biography as a broader cultural history . . . Burrage situates Muck as a 'prism' through which to examine the shadow of prejudice, paranoia and reckless journalism that engulfed cultural relations in America during World War I. The resulting work is an exemplary piece of scholarship. It is painstakingly written, offering a compelling (and terrifyingly relevant) discussion of the power-play between culture, politics and the darker forces of humanity. -- Kate Wakeling * FIVE STARS. BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *[A] thoroughly researched and excellent book. . . . Well-illustrated and thoroughly footnoted with an excellent, comprehensive bibliography, sparing no details of one of the shabbiest farces in our cultural history. -- Don O'Connor * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *Fans of classical music like to think that music can transcend politics. After all, music is the language of beauty that crosses borders and cultures. . . . Sadly, classical music can be a creature of politics as well, as Melissa Burrage reveals in her absorbing history. . . . [A] sad story evocatively told. -- R. C. Speck * QUARTER NOTES MAGAZINE, WCPE CLASSICAL MUSIC RADIO *The Karl Muck Scandal goes behind the front page to explain one of World War I's most remarkable events. Melissa Burrage draws on intensive research and careful listening while always keeping the human element in view. An immigrant in a new land, contests over loyalty and patriotism, fear, surveillance, and incarceration, this is not only the story of a single musician, but also a crucial chapter in the story of America itself. -- -- Chris Capozzola, professor of history, Massachusetts Institute of Technology[E]ffectively confronts . . . a variety of major issues -- nationalism, anti-Semitism, sexual morality, and Nazism. . . . Drawing on impressive archival and published sources, Burrage moves smoothly between the musical world and national politics, showing how deeply public opinion became inflamed in new ways in the early decades of the twentieth century. -- -- William Weber, professor emeritus of history, California State University, Long BeachI find Burrage's book to be a provocative, well-researched and carefully argued contribution to the literature on American musical life, the impact of World War I on the American cultural scene, and issues of nationalism and identity in the early twentieth century. The Karl Muck Scandal is admirably evenhanded, presenting a complex portrait of Dr. Muck that stands as one of the book's best features. It will become a new point of departure for future scholars working on the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its conductor. -- -- S. Andrew Granade, professor of musicology, University of Missouri-KansasFor those interested in World War I-era history, the author has provided a fascinating look into life in Boston at that time. Karl Muck was a complex man in a complex time: supremely talented and admired, yet bigoted and flawed as well. If "history rhymes," as Mark Twain is reputed to have said, there are certainly lessons for us all here. -- Caren Nichter * Music Reference Services Quarterly *Burrage's study documents an important chapter, a turning point, in German-American history by means of this outstanding case study dealing with the anti-German hysteria of World War I. * GERMAN LIFE *Thoroughly researched and superbly written. Burrage's writing gives the impression of a journalist being "on the spot." [Even] the subheadings are of great interest. * STRINGENDO *Sophisticated and thought-provoking. Most interesting . . . is Burrage's analysis of how the American federal government played a crucial role in demonizing the enemy. Tells a compelling story concerning immigration, national belonging, and vigilante justice. The abundance of photographs throughout provides an added dimension to this dark episode in history. * MUSIC & LETTERS *A compelling work. The chapters on [Mrs. William] Jay almost seem more reality show than history...[This] reminds us that the larger story here revolves around cultural capital, national identity, and personal vendettas. Burrage tells all of these stories with an almost fictional tone of voice, albeit with support from a wealth of primary sources in a narrative that brings to light a very timely story from a pivotal moment in American history. * JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN MUSIC *Table of ContentsIntroduction Here on Foreign Shores: Dr. Karl Muck's Acclaim in Boston (1906-1916) Mobilization: A Changing Environment for Boston (1917) Selling the War: Demonizing the Enemy (1918) "Looking for the Trump Card:" Mrs. William Jay's Attacks on Karl Muck in Wartime America (1915-1918) "A Leaf in the Storm:" Muck, Higginson, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1918-1919) Muck's Arrest: "Finding 'One Weak Spot'" (1918-1919) "Only Too Proud to Shoulder It All:" The Sexual Climate of Wartime Boston and Muck's Fall from Grace (1918-1919) Muck's Final Years: His Association with the Wagners and Adolf Hitler (1920-1940) Coda (1919 to Present) Acknowledgments Bibliography

    Out of stock

    £25.19

  • Nadia Boulanger: Thoughts on Music

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd Nadia Boulanger: Thoughts on Music

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe first collection ever of essays and reviews by the renowned pedagogue, composer, and conductor, providing fresh perspectives on her musical influence and impact. The impact of Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) on twentieth-century music was vast: as composer, keyboard performer, conductor, impresario, and pedagogue. Her extensive musical networks included figures such as Fauré, Stravinsky, and Poulenc, and her advocacy helped establish the compositions of her sister Lili Boulanger. Few today realize, though, that Boulanger wrote numerous essays and reviews at various times in her career. These offer unparalleled insight into her thinking and illuminate aspects of musical culture in Europe and America from the rare point of view of an internationally prominent female artist. Nadia Boulanger: Thoughts on Music provides a translation and critical edition of selected writings chosen for their quality and interest. The previously published articles and essays have never been reissued since their original appearance; the remaining materials are presented to readers here for the first time. The volume renders all these materials widely available, providing an important new resource for teaching and scholarship on twentieth-century music as well as an engaging collection of musical essays for the general reader.Table of ContentsIntroduction PART 1: JOURNALISM, CRITICISM, TRIBUTES Le Monde Musical, 1919-1927 Other critical writing, 1913-1929 "La musique religieuse," La Revue musicale (1922) "L'oeuvre théâtrale d'Albert Roussel," La Revue musicale (1929) Spectateur, 1946-1947 Tributes, 1924-1978 PART 2: LECTURES, CLASSES, AND BROADCASTS Course transcripts Lectures and speeches Broadcasts Thinking at the Close "Propos impromptus: Nadia Boulanger" Le Courrier musical (1978) Bibliography of Nadia Boulanger's published writing General Bibliography

    Out of stock

    £109.25

  • The New Beethoven: Evolution, Analysis,

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd The New Beethoven: Evolution, Analysis,

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisMarking the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth, this volume presents twenty-one completely new essays on aspects of Beethoven's personal life, his composing process, his manuscripts, and his greatest works. Beethoven's music stands as a universal symbol of personal and artistic achievement. As we reach and then surpass the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth, Jeremy Yudkin has commissioned a collection of new essays from some of the most insightful writers on Beethoven's accomplishments and brought them together in this remarkable volume. Filled with careful explanations, this book gives us completely new insights into music known and loved by people around the world. Ordinary music lovers as well as scholars will find countless new discoveries about Beethoven and his music. Listeners will hear his compositions afresh, and scholars will find new results of research and analysis and new avenues for discovery. Topics include Beethoven's cultural milieu, his personal life, his friends, his publishers, his instruments, his working methods, his own handwritten scores, and, of course, his music. Many works are carefully discussed and explained in ways that reveal fascinating and previously unknown aspects of compositions that we thought we knew well. A landmark publication for all who admire some of the greatest music of our civilization.Table of ContentsPreface - Jeremy Yudkin Introduction - Jeremy Yudkin PART ONE: A Creative Life Of Deserters and Orphans: Beethoven's Early Exposure to the Opéras-comiques of Monsigny - Steven Moore Whiting "A really excellent and capable man": Beethoven and Johann Traeg - David Wyn Jones A Four-Leaf Clover: A Newly Discovered Cello, the Premiere of the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven's Circle of Friends in Bonn, and a Corrected Edition of the Song Ruf vom Berge, WoO 147 - Michael Ladenburger "Where Thought Touches the Blood": Rhythmic Disturbance as Physical Realism in Beethoven's Creative Process - Bruce Adolphe The Sanctification of Beethoven in 1828 - Christopher Reynolds PART TWO: Prometheus/"Eroica" The Prometheus Theme and Beethoven's Shift from Avoidance to Embrace of Possibilities - Alan Gosman Beethoven at Heiligenstadt in 1802: Deconstruction, Integration, and Creativity - William Kinderman 'Mit Verstärkung des Orchesters': The Orchestra Personnel at the First Public Performance of Beethoven's Eroica - Theodore Albrecht PART THREE: Masses "Aber lieber Beethoven, was haben Sie denn wieder da gemacht?": Observations on the Performing Parts for the Premiere of Beethoven's Mass in C, Op. 86? - Jeremiah McGrann Heart to Heart: Beethoven, Archduke Rudolph, and the Missa Solemnis - Mark Evan Bonds God and the Voice of Beethoven - Scott Burnham PART FOUR: Quartets 'So Here I Am, in the Middle Way': The Autograph of the "Harp" Quartet and the Expressive Domain of Beethoven's Second Maturity - M. Lucy Turner Meaningful Details: Expressive Markings in Beethoven Manuscripts, with a Focus on Opus 127 - Nicholas Kitchen The Autograph Score of the Slow Movement of Beethoven's Last Quartet, Op. 135 - Barry Cooper Early German-Language Reviews of Beethoven's Late String Quartets - Robin Wallace PART FIVE: Explorations Three Movements or Four? The Scherzo Movements in Beethoven's Early Sonatas - Erica Buurman Utopia and Dystopia Revisited: Contrasted Domains in Beethoven's Middle-Period F-Major and F-minor Works - Barbara Barry Schooling the Quintjäger - David Levy Cue-Staff Annotations in Beethoven's Piano Works: Reflections and Examples from the Autograph of the Piano Sonata, Op. 101 - Federica Rovelli 'Another Little Buck out of Its Stable' - Richard Kramer Beethoven's Cavatina, Haydn's Seasons, and the Thickness of Inscription - Elaine Sisman

    Out of stock

    £128.25

  • Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist

    Charlesbridge Publishing,U.S. Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisA playful picture-book biography of the father of space-age bachelor-pad lounge music.Gorgeously illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, this lively biography follows Juan Garcia Esquivel from Mexico to New York City. Juan grew up to the sounds of mariachi bands; he loved music and became a musical explorer. Defying convention, he created music that made people laugh and planted images in their minds. His musical dreams brought him from Mexico to America and gained him worldwide renown. Juan’s space-age lounge music—popular in the fifties and sixties—has found a new generation of listeners. This account honors Esquivel as one of the great composers of the 20th century.

    Out of stock

    £16.14

  • The Rhino Records Story: The Revenge of the Music

    Select Books Inc The Rhino Records Story: The Revenge of the Music

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisIn the 1970s in the backroom of a record store, Harold Bronson and Richard Foos were making history-and so, Rhino Records was born. Harold Bronson's The Rhino Records Story tells the tale of how a little record shop became a multimillion dollar corporation.Trade ReviewBronson's romp is more than just a story of the good ol' days, he offers plenty of interesting lessons on how to stand out in the cut-throat music industry. -- Publishers Weekly

    Out of stock

    £19.76

  • Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The

    Select Books Inc Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFrom the man who wrote the songs that outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in 1967-1968, comes the story of the first decades of his life in Hollywood and New York. Immerse yourself in Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Award nominated songwriter Bobby Hart's world as he shares the story behind his success; from humble beginnings comes a musical goliath.Psychedelic Bubble Gum is an exclusive glimpse into Hart's personal journey as he moves on the fast track to fame. This vivid narrative follows Hart's gradual rise in the music industry as half of the duo Boyce and Hart, as he and his friend and partner Tommy Boyce wrote the songs that launched the Monkees to stardom, and eventually reaching over a hundred million in sales. Along the way is all the heartbreak and drama that accompanies fame and fortune—an uprooted life, conflicted morals, and the sacrifice of his wholesome high school sweetheart Becky.With unbending sincerity, Hart details a life of extravagance, betrayal, loss, disillusionment, and an unstoppable personal struggle to find spiritual balance, peace, and love. Psychedelic Bubble Gum is a rollercoaster ride through the 1960s and 1970s during America's whirlwind era of free speech, mysticism, and psychedelic pop culture, and, of course, rock 'n' roll. Packed with intimate behind-the-scenes encounters with pop star royalty, Psychedelic Bubble Gum is tempered by humor, honesty, and a singular understanding of the industry, Trade Review"Hart, in his debut, tells of how his jagged path through the music industry led to heartbreakbut also to happiness. This snappy yet reflective memoir opens with an episode that's emblematic of its narrator. While struggling to make it in Hollywood, Hart listened to the radio and detected an unsatisfying insincerity in the DJ's voice. Hart's desire for authenticity, and his connections in entertainment, would go on to propel him on a remarkable journey through the music world. He left his hometown of Phoenix to start six months of active duty in the U.S. Army Reserve in Monterey, California, and soon found himself entangled in the glamour and grit of Hollywoodthat 'circus of extremes for the senses with its bright lights and colorful characters'while working for a company that manufactured labels for vinyl records. His own recording career, though, began one fateful Saturday, when he booked studio time for himself and became amazed at the possibilities that emerged when he combined his musical background with skillful sound engineering. What followed were years of risk and uncertainty and powerful collaborations with other musiciansas well as love, loss, and friendship. Hart candidly depicts his hyperactive, out-and-about lifestyle as a musician and songwriter who struggled to balance the work that gave his life meaning with his commitment to his family. Sometimes the strain proved too much, and his relationship with his first wife deteriorated as a result. Along the way, countless projects with his songwriting partner, Tommy Boyce, rolled by, as did the tumultuous cultural and historical events of the 1960s. Before long, the duo was writing songs for The Monkees, including '(Theme from) The Monkees ,' 'Last Train to Clarksville,' and 'Valleri.' In the memoir's most captivating pages, Hart recounts the stratospheric rise of that artificially engineered musical group. Particularly engaging are Hart's anecdotes about his own songwriting process; he recounts, for instance, that the song fragment that eventually became 'Last Train to Clarksville' was inspired by a mishearing of the Beatles' 1966 single 'Paperback Writer.' A highly detailed autobiography by a unique figure in American cultural history that will interest historians and pop-culture aficionados alike." Kirkus Reviews

    Out of stock

    £21.56

  • The Secret Magic of Music: Conversations with

    Select Books Inc The Secret Magic of Music: Conversations with

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisGreat music has the power to transform. Understanding and appreciating classical music can enlighten, uplift, and educate not only the intellect but the soul. In The Secret Magic of Music, classical music devotee and psychiatrist Ida Lichter uncovers a more accessible side of music. By providing the performers’ insights, Lichter provides a special look into how great music can bring happiness and spiritual meaning to its listeners.The Secret Magic of Music is a collection of thought pieces based on interviews with the foremost conductors and performers of chamber music. It is organized by performing artist and is intended to provide each musician’s perception of classical music’s value and social function. As the journey from the score to the listener takes place, Lichter reveals how each performer’s passion, dedication, and outstanding talent affects their lives, their performances, and their listeners. Lichter explores why classical music is often considered unpalatable to the casual listener, how it can have the power to heal, its function in therapy, among other loaded questions. Not only does The Secret Magic of Music enrich the experience of music lovers, it introduces new listeners to classical music’s pleasures, mysteries, and transformational potential. Music has the ability to cross cultural borders and span personal difference, to unite people on common ground they might otherwise never find. The importance of passing on the appreciation of our musical heritage to the next generation is real. To lose it would be inexcusable.Trade Review"Where would Western civilization be without music? A response to this question is presented in this title by psychiatrist Lichter ( Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression ). Focusing on classical musicians, Lichter interviewed 35 professionalsconductors, instrumentalists, vocalists, collaborative artists, and administratorsmany Australian, starting in 2009, and presents these interviews in her own words... Verdict: This book is for the music lover who is interested in Lichter's interpretation of these musicians' thoughts on classical music's emotional and humanistic qualities." Elizabeth Berndt-Morris , Boston P.L. - Library Journal

    Out of stock

    £14.20

  • Surf City: The Jan and Dean Story

    Select Books Inc Surf City: The Jan and Dean Story

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe Jan and Dean Story is a personal story of the iconic musician and entrepreneur Dean Torrence. As a memoir The Jan and Dean Story has elements of humor, tragedy and redemption. It tells their story from the early high school friendship struck up between Jan Berry and Dean Torrence and their ascent to the dizzying heights of stardom riding the crest of the “surf” craze. The Jan and Dean Story is as much about the culture of the 1960s as it is about music. Dean has lived an incredible life and continues to promote a lifestyle and surf culture that is now universally admired and followed throughout the world.The story also recounts Jan’s tragic car accident and his ability to recover enough to continue to perform will be inspiring to many readers even those not familiar with surf music. For pop culture addicts and music buffs alike this book is indispensable. As early teen icons, Jan and Dean left an indelible mark on the music of the 60’s and the American psyche.Dean Torrence is still touring and creating music and often appears with the Beach Boys and other groups from the heyday of surf music.Trade Review"Over the years, we have had so much fun, fun, fun and so many memorable interactions. Whether it was onstage in Hawaii at the KPOI Million Dollar Party in July 1964, or on the T.A.M.I. Show in October 1964 that Jan & Dean hosted, we [The Beach Boys] enjoyed a healthy rivalry as well as friendship...I'm certain you, the reader, will have a great time reading this story that Dean shares with us of his life experience, his Surf City Saga."--From the foreword by Mike Love, The Beach Boys "Some of the happiest times of my life have been in the company of Dean Torrence, and if there was one thing better than being onstage with him all those summer nights, it was getting to hear him tell his wonderful stories in the dressing rooms, all-night diners and back-road taverns after the shows. Now you're lucky enough to hear those stories, in a beautiful voice you've loved for years."--Bob Greene, author of When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams "Dean Torrence was there for the birth of Surf Music and played a massive role in both performing and defining it. If there was such a thing as Surf Music royalty, then Dean Torrence is it. And, of course, whenever I have the opportunity to play that cool music with Dean, I always keep some extra reverb on hand just for him...!"--Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Doobie Brothers "...and we had a good time doing it...didn't we..."--Lou Adler, Ode Records

    Out of stock

    £14.36

  • Eastern African Popular Songs

    Africa World Press Eastern African Popular Songs

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisAn illuminating study of the relationship between African songs and the literature of Eastern Africa.

    Out of stock

    £27.96

  • Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock

    Gotham Books Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe first biography of Yo La Tengo, the massively influential band who all but defined indie music. Yo La Tengo has lit up the indie scene for three decades, part of an underground revolution that defied corporate music conglomerates, eschewed pop radio, and found a third way. Going behind the scenes of one of the most remarkable eras in American music history, Big Day Coming traces the patient rise of husband-and-wife team Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, who—over three decades—helped forge a spandex-and-hairspray-free path to the global stage, selling millions of records along the way and influencing countless bands.Using the continuously vital Yo La Tengo as a springboard, Big Day Coming uncovers the history of the legendary clubs, bands, zines, labels, record stores, college radio stations, fans, and pivotal figures that built the infrastructure of the now-prevalent indie rock world. Journalist and freeform radio DJ Jesse Jarnow draws on all-access interviews and archives for mesmerizing trip through contemporary music history told through one of its most creative and singular acts.

    Out of stock

    £16.97

  • Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington

    Avery Publishing Group Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisA major new biography of Duke Ellington from the acclaimed author of Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was the greatest jazz composer of the twentieth century—and an impenetrably enigmatic personality whom no one, not even his closest friends, claimed to understand. The grandson of a slave, he dropped out of high school to become one of the world’s most famous musicians, a showman of incomparable suavity who was as comfortable in Carnegie Hall as in the nightclubs where he honed his style. He wrote some fifteen hundred compositions, many of which, like “Mood Indigo” and “Sophisticated Lady,” remain beloved standards, and he sought inspiration in an endless string of transient lovers, concealing his inner self behind a smiling mask of flowery language and ironic charm. As the biographer of Louis Armstrong, Terry Teachout is uniquely qualified to tell the story of the public and private lives of Duke Ellington. A semi-finalist for the National Book Award, Duke peels away countless layers of Ellington’s evasion and public deception to tell the unvarnished truth about the creative genius who inspired Miles Davis to say, “All the musicians should get together one certain day and get down on their knees and thank Duke.”

    Out of stock

    £17.00

  • Endless Summer: My Life with the Beach Boys

    BearManor Media Endless Summer: My Life with the Beach Boys

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £20.93

  • Vic Flick, Guitarman

    BearManor Media Vic Flick, Guitarman

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £19.57

  • Judy Canova: Singin' in the Corn!

    BearManor Media Judy Canova: Singin' in the Corn!

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £20.93

  • From Harlem to Hollywood: My Life in Music

    BearManor Media From Harlem to Hollywood: My Life in Music

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £20.09

  • They Called Him Al: The Musical Life of Al Bowlly

    15 in stock

    £24.31

  • Thinking of You - The Story of Kay Kyser

    BearManor Media Thinking of You - The Story of Kay Kyser

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £26.85

  • Drive All Night

    Bella Books Drive All Night

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    3 in stock

    £14.85

  • Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of

    University Press of Mississippi Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFrom a small mountain town in West Virginia, elder fiddler Melvin Wine has influenced musicians and music enthusiasts far beyond his homeplace. Music, community, and tradition permeate all aspects of life in this rural region. Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine shows how in Wine's playing and teaching all three have created a vital and enduring legacy. As a musician, Wine has been honored nationally for his musical skills and his leadership role in an American musical tradition. A farmer, a coal miner, a father of ten children, and a deeply religious man, he has played music influenced by the hard lessons of his own experience and shaped a musical tradition even while passing it on to others. Fiddling Way Out Yonder examines the fiddler, his music, and its context from a variety of perspectives. Many rousing fiddlers came from isolated mountain regions like Wine's home stomp. The book makes a point to address the broad historical issues related both to North American fiddling and to Wine's personal history. Wine (b.1 909) has spent almost all of his life in rural Braxton County, an area where the fiddle and dance traditions that were strong during his childhood and early adult life continue to be active today. Utilizing models from folklore studies and ethnomusicology, Fiddling Way Out Yonder discusses how community life and educational environment have affected Wine's music and his approaches to performance. Such a unique fiddler deserves close stylistic scrutiny. The book reveals Wine's particular tunings, his ways of holding the instrument, his licks, his bowing techniques and patterns, his tune categories, and his favorite keys. The book includes transcriptions and analyses of ten of Wine's tunes, some of which are linked to minstrelsy, ballad singing traditions, and gospel music. Narratives discuss the background of each tune and how it has fit into Wine's life. This biography heralds a musician who wants both to communicate the spirit of his mountains and to sway an audience into having an old-fashioned good time. Drew Beisswenger is a music librarian at Southwest Missouri State University.

    Out of stock

    £29.71

  • Great Spirits: Portraits of Life-Changing World

    University Press of Mississippi Great Spirits: Portraits of Life-Changing World

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisWhat do such artists as Bob Marley, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Nina Simone, and Sun Ra have in common? All created uniquely powerful musical art that had a profound effect on their audiences. Through their music and their lives they became forces for liberation, challenging the established order and inspiring people around the world to look at life in new ways. So great was their originality that to a large extent they created their own musical genres, and listeners claim the music leads them to a higher state of being. Great Spirits: Portraits of Life-Changing World Music Artists presents personal encounters with some of the most interesting and important musical artists of the past fifty years--Bob Marley, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Nina Simone, Sun Ra, Augustus Pablo, the Neville Brothers, Yabby You, and Nadia Gamal. Based on the author's meetings and interviews with these giants, the pieces reveal the unique essence of each musician as a person, as an artist, and as a force for social change. Spanning the realms of jazz, blues, reggae, gospel, African, and Middle Eastern music, these artists epitomize musical creation at its highest level.

    Out of stock

    £22.46

  • The World Turned Upside Down: Rosselsongs

    PM Press The World Turned Upside Down: Rosselsongs

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £44.74

  • Practical Method for Beginners, Op. 599: Piano Technique

    WWW.Snowballpublishing.com Practical Method for Beginners, Op. 599: Piano Technique

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £7.99

  • These Are My People

    Boutique of Quality Books These Are My People

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisWhat would it be like to be a part of country music history? Singer/songwriter and manager Merle Kilgore could have told you. He awed his fans with tales of his life in the music business, always with a supporting cast of impossibly famous friends. At age fourteen Merle carried the guitar for Hank Williams Sr. Four years later he wrote his first song, and Webb Pierce turned it into a million-seller. He double-dated with Elvis Presley, wrecked hotel rooms with Johnny Cash, held seances with Johnny Horton, and convinced Audrey Williams to put Hank Jr. on the road at fourteen-years-old. Merle became a prolific songwriter, entering the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He co-wrote his signature accomplishment, Ring of Fire with June Carter Cash. This work is listed by CMT as one of the top four all-time country music songs. These are just a few of the amazing stories of Merle's life, showcased in These Are My People, written by his grandson Mark Rickert.

    Out of stock

    £14.36

  • Holberg Suite, Op.40: Study score

    Serenissima Music Holberg Suite, Op.40: Study score

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £10.76

  • Ode to Death, H.144: Study score

    Serenissima Music Ode to Death, H.144: Study score

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £8.95

  • Violin Concerto No.2, MS 48: Study score

    Serenissima Music Violin Concerto No.2, MS 48: Study score

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £17.05

  • House of Cash: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny

    Insight Editions House of Cash: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisHouse of Cash is the intimate story of the Man in Black as only his son and namesake John Carter Cash could tell, full of never-before-published memorabilia from the Cash archive, including songs, photographs, and recipes.House of Cash is an unprecedented look at the life and inspirations of the Man in Black, by none other than his namesake son, John Carter Cash. Gathering together previously unpublished photographs, lyrics, art, notes, and recollections from the Cash family archives, John Carter paints a portrait of his father’s inner life, and the values he imparted to his son and family. A record of a deep and ongoing conversations between father and son about what matters in life, House of Cash explores Johnny Cash’s quest to live deliberately as he worked to determine his values, share them with those close to him, and reaffirm them on a daily basis. Topics covered include the nature of creativity, the responsibilities that come with fatherhood and friendship, the need for humility and morality, the value of reading, and the obligation we all have to sympathize with the downtrodden. An intimate exploration of the personality and legacy of Johnny Cash, this is a unique portrait of a deeply spiritual, creative, and passionate soul whose music sprang from the way he lived.

    Out of stock

    £31.35

  • Keeping Time: The Photographs of Don Hunstein

    Insight Editions Keeping Time: The Photographs of Don Hunstein

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFrom journalist and Grammy®-nominated music producer Leo Sacks, and New York Times chief popular music critic Jon Pareles, Keeping Time places Hunstein’s photos in the context of musical and social change, adding an untold chapter to the cultural historyDon Hunstein’s images of music’s most influential artists are unforgettable. As Columbia Records’ staff photographer for more than four decades, Hunstein earned the trust and confidence of the most celebrated singers, songwriters, composers, and musicians of our time, including Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, Simon & Garfunkel, Aretha Franklin, Leonard Bernstein, Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett, and Thelonious Monk, to name a few. Hunstein photographed these greats with noticeable informality, demonstrating a perpetual ease with his subjects. With his relaxed approach, he was able to glean private moments from public lives filled with fascinating, telling, and intimate details. Logging his daily assignments, Hunstein created an archive of profound images that parallel the soundtracks to our lives. To this day, his work exists as a unique record chronicling the creative efforts and energies of the world’s greatest musicians. Edited by journalist and Grammy®-nominated music producer Leo Sacks and with text by New York Times chief popular music critic Jon Pareles, Keeping Time places Hunstein’s photos in the context of musical and social change, adding an untold chapter to the cultural history of the second half of the twentieth century.

    Out of stock

    £40.00

  • House of Cash: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny

    Insight Editions House of Cash: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £11.69

  • The Jimi Hendrix Experience

    Skyhorse Publishing The Jimi Hendrix Experience

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisIt’s been over forty years since the tragic death of Jimi Hendrix, yet his popularity is undiminished and his place as the preeminent electric guitarist of the ages is still unrivaled. In The Jimi Hendrix Experience, bestselling author and rock aficionado Jerry Hopkins delves into the legendary life and career of the greatest man to ever pick up a guitar. With a consistent mix of greatness and madness, learn why the man who only released three studio albums during his life could forever transform not only music, but also a generation. While he’ll always be remembered for his incredible performance at Woodstock in 1969, Hopkins shows the true side of Hendrix: from his early childhood and the beginning of his career to his early death and the controversial battle of control over his estate that still wages on. With incredible photographs depicting Hendrix’s rise to the top, The Jimi Hendrix Experience is the ultimate biography of the “Voodoo Chile.” Hendrix’s legacy and music will live on for generations to be enjoyed by and to live on with fans of all ages. And now, thanks to Hopkins, his life can be relived through this incredible biography.

    Out of stock

    £10.99

  • King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B. B.

    Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B. B.

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis'Without a doubt the most important artist the blues has ever produced' Eric Clapton'No one did more to spread the gospel of the blues' President Barack Obama'One part of me says, "Yes, of course I can play." But the other part of me says, "Well, I wish I could just do it like B.B. King."' John LennonRiley 'Blues Boy' King (1925-2015) was born into deep poverty in Mississippi. Wrenched away from his sharecropper father, B.B. lost his mother at age ten, leaving him more or less alone. Music became his emancipation from exhausting toil in the fields. Inspired by a local minister's guitar and by the records of Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker, B.B. taught his guitar to sing in the unique solo style that, along with his relentless work ethic and humanity, became his trademark. In turn, generations of artists claimed him as inspiration, from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to Carlos Santana and the Edge.King of the Blues presents the vibrant life and times of a trailblazing giant. Witness to dark prejudice and lynching in his youth, B.B. performed incessantly (more than fifteen thousand concerts in ninety countries over nearly sixty years) - in some real way his means of escaping his past. His career roller-coasted between adulation and relegation, but he always rose back up. At the same time, his story reveals the many ways record companies took advantage of artists, especially those of colour.Daniel de Visé has interviewed almost every surviving member of B.B. King's inner circle - family, band members, retainers, managers and more - and their voices and memories enrich and enliven the life of this Mississippi blues titan, whom his contemporary Bobby 'Blue' Bland simply called 'the man.'Trade ReviewAs someone who has written about Black music history and repeatedly bumped into B.B., I understand the challenge of an accurate chronology of King's life and development as a unique guitar stylist and singular vocalist, and appreciate seeing the work done so well...There's tons of great stuff here that TMZ won't pick up but that readers who crave a great story of American culture will devour. -- Preston Lauterbach * Wall Street Journal *King of the Blues . . . tracks B.B. King's multifarious career with such efficiency and clarity that surely little of biographical significance remains to be said. . . . [T]he evaluations of King's recordings are comprehensive and almost always judicious. * Mojo *[De Visé] has an eye for a good story, tells a tale well, and likes a lively quote. . . . It's clear that he has done his investigative legwork, both in revisiting the vast range of printed and archival sources and carrying out his own interviews, in person and by correspondence. King's early days require a bit of care and caution for any writer, and it's encouraging that this one carefully unpicks seemingly contradictory accounts [and] pulls together as much documented evidence as we're likely to find at this stage. * Blues & Rhythm *Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist De Vise...amply demonstrates his masterful storytelling and research skills in this definitive look at legendary blues musician B.B. King (1925-2015). Informed by his conversations with "dozens of surviving friends and relatives, bandmates and producers," De Vise provides an intimate portrait of a cultural luminary "whose achievements transcended his genre." ...Even readers who aren't fans of the blues will be engrossed by this nuanced look at an American icon. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *As blues royalty and one of the 20th century's most influential musicians, B.B. King (1925-2015) has long deserved a well-considered biography that places his achievements in a cultural and historical context. This is it. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist de Visé deftly interweaves tales of American history, pop culture, racial relations, music theory, and much more to fully demonstrate King's significance...The thrill is here, as B.B. King finally gets his due in this first meticulous account of his historic life. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *The definitive biography of blues master Riley 'B.B.' King . . . Engaging. The book expertly interweaves King's music career into the U.S. social fabric, especially the civil rights movement. With this fast-moving, informative, evenhanded and exhaustive biography, de Vise´ vividly captures King's life. * Library Journal (starred review) *De Visé tells King's story in the context of his swirling times, intertwined with profiles of historic people and events musical and otherwise. A fine portrait of an iconic musician. * Booklist (starred review) *There's a lot to admire about this book . . . and if King of the Blues is your first B.B. book purchase, you'll be getting a fully rounded look at the life of a true American legend. * Now Dig This *B.B. King, one of the great bluesmen of all time. Can any other person hold one note on the guitar and make it say so much? Daniel de Visé's book on B.B. King is a great read. -- Joan ArmatradingB.B. King is one of, if not the best of, America's treasured heroes! Mr. de Vis­é meticulously dives deep into why, what and how young Riley, who graced this planet from a world of extreme complications, was able through his talent, relentless drive and humility, to rise to the deserved title 'King of the Blues.' Get your records out and enjoy the read. I did!!! -- Robert CrayThe name B.B. King now resonates with longevity amongst blues lovers and music enthusiasts alike. With more than six decades of noteworthy expressions of a great American art form, B.B. King's guitar playing and singing hold a strong place with an unmistakable sound of his professional and effervescent personality. Get a head start within these fine pages for an intimate trip with B.B. King's lifetime attachment to creativity. B.B. is truly King of the Blues, oh yeah! -- Billy Gibbons, guitarist and singer, ZZ TopDe Visé writes beautifully. His command of narrative is compelling. The level of detail he amassed is awesome. -- Charles Sawyer, author of THE ARRIVAL OF B.B. KINGLike hopping onboard B.B.'s tour bus for a ride straight to the heart of the blues. Told me about the B.B. I knew and a few other B.B.'s as well. I loved them all. -- Shemekia Copeland, three-time Grammy-nominated recording artistB.B. King was a marvelous man and an international ambassador for the blues. King of the Blues tells the extraordinary story of his life in great detail, and a wonderful story it is. A fitting tribute to a great artist. -- John Landis, director of THE BLUES BROTHERSB.B. King was the stone truth, the man who took down home uptown and, yes, the undisputed king of the blues. This, his first full and authoritative biography, is both right on time and long overdue. Dan de Visé has done a solid for music lovers everywhere. -- Leonard Pitts, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning national columnist and authorExtremely thoughtful, thorough and insightful. -- David Ritz, biographical collaborator with B.B. King, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin and biographer of Marvin GayeTable of ContentsIntroduction: Introduction 1: Sharecropper 2: On the Run 3: Indianola Mississippi Seeds 4: The Blues 5: Memphis 6: The Blues Boy 7: Lucille 8: On the Road 9: Big Red 10: Fallow 11: Regal 12: Revival 13: Fillmore 14: Mythology 15: Live and Well 16: Back in the Alley 17: Moscow on the Mississippi 18: Homecoming 19: Lovetown 20: Riding with the King 21: A Golden Chain Epilogue: Epilogue Lyrics Referenced: Lyrics Referenced Discography: Discography The King's Court: The King's Court Acknowledgments: Acknowledgments

    Out of stock

    £11.69

  • Anatomy of a Song: The Inside Stories Behind 45

    Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press Anatomy of a Song: The Inside Stories Behind 45

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisSongs that sell the most copies become hits, but some of those hits transcend commercial value, touching a generation of listeners and altering the direction of music. In Anatomy of a Song, writer and music historian Marc Myers tells the stories behind fifty rock, pop, R&B, country and reggae hits through intimate interviews with the artists who wrote and recorded them.Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, the Clash, Smokey Robinson, Grace Slick, Roger Waters, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Rod Stewart, Elvis Costello and many other leading artists reveal the inspirations, struggles and techniques behind their influential works.Trade ReviewA treasure trove of music trivia between hard covers... [A] splendid volume. * Guardian *[T]he anecdotes give flesh to the meaning of the lyrics. Musical influences that get passed from artist to artist are equally fascinating - and often surprising... Myers' book is big-fun forensic musicology. * Mojo *A winning look at the stories behind 45 pop, punk, folk, soul and country classics. * Washington Post *A cultural history of the elusive hit single, focused on artists' recollections and studio alchemy . . . The book's strength lies in thoughtful, wry reflections from artists including Elvis Costello, Jimmy Cliff, Stevie Wonder, Booker T. Jones, Dr. John, and Debbie Harry. An entertaining record of the soundtrack of the baby boomer era. * Kirkus Reviews *A serious contribution... Myers captures aspects of the music's history that are too frequently ignored. * Wall Street Journal on WHY JAZZ HAPPENED *Fantastic, eye opening * Creed Taylor, multi-Grammy Award–winning jazz producer on WHY JAZZ HAPPENED *

    Out of stock

    £10.44

  • David Bowie: The Last Interview

    Melville House Publishing David Bowie: The Last Interview

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £11.69

  • Prince: The Last Interview: And Other

    Melville House Publishing Prince: The Last Interview: And Other

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisA collection of the very first, the very last, and the very best interviews conducted with Prince over his nearly forty-year career.

    Out of stock

    £11.69

  • Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and

    Chicago Review Press Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £24.26

  • Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac

    Chicago Review Press Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFleetwood Mac was a triumph from the beginning—their first album was the UK’s bestselling album of 1968. After some low points—when founder Peter Green left, some fans felt that the band continuing was sacrilege—Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined, and their 1977 album, Rumours, became one of history’s immortals, a true classic that remained on the charts for years and in the public's affection forever.In the press, the ethereal Californian Stevie Nicks, the tormented rocker Lindsey Buckingham, the dignified English rose Christine McVie, the blunt-speaking John McVie, and the loquacious Mick Fleetwood have all regularly been astoundingly candid. This collection of interviews across the entirety of Fleetwood Mac’s career features articles from such celebrated publications as Crawdaddy, New Musical Express, Circus, Creem, Mojo, Goldmine, Classic Rock, Blender, and Elle, as well as interviews that have never previously appeared in print. Here is the only place you can learn the Fleetwood Mac story from the band members’ own mouths.

    Out of stock

    £23.36

  • Hendrix on Hendrix

    Chicago Review Press Hendrix on Hendrix

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisHendrix on Hendrix includes the most important interviews from the peak of Jimi Hendrix’s career, 1966 to 1970, carefully selected by one of the world’s leading Jimi Hendrix historians.In this book Hendrix recalls for reporters his heartbreaking childhood and his grueling nights on the Chitlin’ Circuit. He jokes with the judge and the jury on the witness stand, telling them that the incense in his bag was for hiding bad kitchen odors. He explains to an American TV audience that his concept of “Electric Church Music” is intended to wash their souls and give them a new direction. And in his final interview, just days before his death, he discloses that he wants to be remembered as not just another guitar player.In addition to interviews from major mainstream publications, Hendrix on Hendrix includes new transcriptions from European papers, the African-American press, and counterculture newspapers; radio and television interviews; and previously unpublished court transcripts—including one of the drug bust that nearly sent him to prison.Though many respected books have been written about Hendrix, none have completely focused on his own words. This book is as close to a Hendrix autobiography as we will ever see.Trade Review"This beautifully edited and annotated collection provides abundant insights into the heart and mind of one of the twentieth century's most influential artists. Jimi's story has been told ad nauseam, but often the hype overshadows the human, and the legend subsumes the man. Here we have Hendrix in his own words, with all of his confusion, contradiction, vulnerability, beauty, and brilliance intact." Guitar Player"Hendrix is, by turns, philosophical, psychedelic, and deeply thoughtful in many of hiscomments, as well as aware of his own image as portrayed to the world. . . . This is a valuable and informative book for Hendrix and music fansa great compendium of primary material on the musical culture of the late 1960s." Library Journal"Roby has done his homework, composing a thorough, thoughtful look at an enigmatic performer. The book excels in providing a portrait, through Hendrix's own words and the filter of other journalists, of the guitarist as a lonely musician, beset by hangerson, trying to deal with fame and success." DownBeat" Hendrix on Hendrix uncovers a wealth of material that most diehard fans didn't even suspect existed. By focusing on Jimi's own words, it gives us revealing insights not only into many corners of his artistic evolution but also into the idiosyncratic man behind the music." Richie Unterberger, author of The Unreleased Beatles and White Light/White Heat"Steven Roby's expert compilation and editing of rare archival material now provides us with an entertaining and accurate reading of this iconic megastar's life. In Hendrix on Hendrix we find Jimi at his most fanciful, candid, and vulnerable, especially when talking about himself." Paul Caruso, Hendrix's friend and music collaborator

    Out of stock

    £17.06

© 2025 Book Curl

    • American Express
    • Apple Pay
    • Diners Club
    • Discover
    • Google Pay
    • Maestro
    • Mastercard
    • PayPal
    • Shop Pay
    • Union Pay
    • Visa

    Login

    Forgot your password?

    Don't have an account yet?
    Create account