Musicians, singers, bands and groups Books

Book SynopsisFor fifty years, the music, words, story, and fans of Bob Dylan have fascinated David Gaines. As a son, a husband, a father, a teacher, and a passionate lover of the literary in all its guises, he has pursued the poetic fusion of knowledge and emotion all his life. More often than not, Dylan’s lyrics and music have expressed that fusion for him, and so he has encouraged others to acknowledge the musician or writer or painter or director or actor or athlete who matters deeply (perhaps a bit mysteriously) to them, and to deploy that enigmatic passion in service of selfknowledge and social connection. After all, one of the central reasons to be a fan is to compare notes, explore mysteries, and riff with fellow fans in a community of exploration.Gaines’s personal journey toward creating such communities of passionate knowledge encompasses his own coming of age and marriages, fatherhood, and teaching. As a devoted fan who is also a professor of American literature, questions about teaching and learning are central to his experience. When asked, “Why Dylan?” he says, “He’s the writer I care about the most. He’s been the way into the best and longest running conversations I have ever had.” Talking with students, exchanging Dylan trivia with fellow fans, or cheering on fanmusicians doing Dylan covers during the Dylan Days festival, Gaines shows that, for many people, being a fan of popular culture couples serious critical and creative engagement with heartfelt commitment. Here, largely unheralded, the ideal of liberal education is realized every day.Trade Review“A life within a life. David Gaines’s portrait of one of our great artists is at once an appreciation, an assimilation, and a stirring memoir of a very fine writer so very deeply touched by another.”—T. C. Boyle, author, The Harder They Come “For decades of his well-lived life, David Gaines has found Bob Dylan’s music an excellent companion and a bountiful inspiration for study. He’s now a reputable citizen of that motley place called Dylan Town, and he proves a fine guide for us fellow villagers and newcomers, too.”—Nina Goss, author, Dylan at Play “This engaging book is an intelligent fan’s examination of the object of his fandom—Bob Dylan—of Dylan fandom overall, and of fandom’s nature. It is also a memoir of a life of university teaching about American culture, and an important scrutiny of learning and of modern America.”—Michael Gray, author, The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia

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Book SynopsisAcross all imaginable borders, Johnny Cash fans show the appeal of a thoroughly American performer who simultaneously inspires people worldwide. A young Norwegian shows off his Johnny Cash tattoo. A Canadian vlogger sings 'I Walk the Line' to camel herders in Egypt's White Desert. A shopkeeper in Northern Ireland plays Cash as his constant soundtrack. A Dutchwoman coordinates the activities of Cash fans worldwide and is subsequently offered the privilege of sleeping in Johnny's bedroom. And on a more global scale, millions of people watch Cash's videos online, then express themselves through commentary and debate.In Johnny Cash International, Hinds and Silverman examine digital and real-world fan communities and the individuals who comprise them, profiling their relationships to Cash and each other. Studying Johnny Cash's international fans and their love for the man reveals new insights about music, fandom, and the United States.

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Book SynopsisNashville native Drew Bratcher writes musically about memory and memorably about music in uncommonly beautiful essays that announce the arrival of a major new voice. The title essay, a requiem in fragments, tells the story of a grandfather through his ear, comb, hands, El Camino, and clothes. Bratcher delivers a tough and moving tribute to a man who “went on ahead, on up the road, and then the road turned.” Elsewhere, Bratcher directs his attention to Johnny Cash’s looming presence over his childhood, the relative pain of red paper wasp stings, Dolly Parton’s generative homesickness, the humiliations and consolations of becoming a new father, the experience of hearing his name in a Taylor Swift song, and the mystifying hymns treasured by both his great grandmother and D. H. Lawrence. Seamlessly blending memoir and arts criticism and aiming at both the heart and the head, this is a book about listening closely to stories and songs, about leaving home in order to find home, and about how the melodies and memories absorbed along the way become “a living music that advances and prevails upon us at formative moments, corralling chaos into the simple, liberating stockade of verse, chorus, verse.”

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Book SynopsisWhen Mississippi John Hurt (1892-1966) was ""rediscovered"" by blues revivalists in 1963, his musicianship and recordings transformed popular notions of prewar country blues. At seventy-one he moved to Washington, D.C., from Avalon, Mississippi, and became a live-wire connection to a powerful, authentic past. His intricate and lively style made him the most sought after musician among the many talents the revival brought to light.Mississippi John Hurt provides this legendary creator's life story for the first time. Biographer Philip Ratcliffe traces Hurt's roots to the moment his mother Mary Jane McCain and his father Isom Hurt were freed from slavery. Anecdotes from Hurt's childhood and teenage years include the destiny-making moment when his mother purchased his first guitar for $1.50 when he was only nine years old. Stories from his neighbors and friends, from both of his wives, and from his extended family round out the community picture of Avalon. U.S. census records, Hurt's first marriage record in 1916, images of his first autographed LP record, and excerpts from personal letters written in his own hand provide treasures for fans. Ratcliffe details Hurt's musical influences and the origins of his style and repertoire. The author also relates numerous stories from the time of his success, drawing on published sources and many hours of interviews with people who knew Hurt well, including the late Jerry Ricks, Pat Sky, Stefan Grossman and Max Ochs, Dick Spottswood, and the late Mike Stewart. In addition, some of the last photographs taken of the legendary musician are featured for the first time in Mississippi John Hurt.

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Book SynopsisWhen George Jones recorded ""He Stopped Loving Her Today"" more than thirty years ago, he was a walking disaster. Twin addictions to drugs and alcohol had him drinking Jim Beam by the case and snorting cocaine as long as he was awake. Before it was over, Jones would be bankrupt, homeless, and an unwilling patient at an Alabama mental institution. In the midst of all this chaos, legendary producer Billy Sherrill-the man who discovered Tammy Wynette and cowrote ""Stand by Your Man""-would somehow coax the performance of a lifetime out of the mercurial Jones. The result was a country masterpiece.He Stopped Loving Her Today, the story behind the making of the song often voted the best country song ever by both critics and fans, offers an overview of country music's origins and a search for the music's elusive Holy Grail: authenticity. The schizoid bottom line-even though country music is undeniably a branch of the make believe world of show biz, to fans and scholars alike, authenticity remains the ultimate measure of the music's power.

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Book SynopsisWilbur C. Sweatman (1882-1961) is one of the most important, yet unheralded, African American musicians involved in the transition of ragtime into jazz in the early twentieth century. In That's Got 'Em!, Mark Berresford tracks this energetic pioneer over a seven-decade career. His talent transformed every genre of black music before the advent of rock and roll--""pickaninny"" bands, minstrelsy, circus sideshows, vaudeville (both black and white), night clubs, and cabarets. Sweatman was the first African American musician to be offered a long-term recording contract, and he dazzled listeners with jazz clarinet solos before the Original Dixieland Jazz Band's so-called ""first jazz records.""Sweatman toured the vaudeville circuit for over twenty years and presented African American music to white music lovers without resorting to the hitherto obligatory ""plantation"" costumes and blackface makeup. His bands were a fertile breeding ground of young jazz talent, featuring such future stars as Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, and Jimmie Lunceford. Sweatman subsequently played pioneering roles in radio and recording production. His high profile and sterling reputation in both the black and white entertainment communities made him a natural choice for administering the estate of Scott Joplin and other notable black performers and composers.That's Got 'Em! is the first full-length biography of this pivotal figure in black popular culture, providing a compelling account of his life and times.

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Book SynopsisWhen Elvis Presley first showed up at Sam Phillips's Memphis-based Sun Records studio, he was a shy teenager in search of a sound. Phillips invited a local guitarist named Scotty Moore to stand in. Scotty listened carefully to the young singer and immediately realized that Elvis had something special. Along with bass player Bill Black, the trio recorded an old blues number called ""That's All Right, Mama."" It turned out to be Elvis's first single and the defining record of his early style, with a trilling guitar hook that swirled country and blues together and minted a sound with unforgettable appeal. Its success launched a whirlwind of touring, radio appearances, and Elvis's first break into movies. Scotty was there every step of the way as both guitarist and manager, until Elvis's new manager, Colonel Tom Parker, pushed him out. Scotty and Elvis would not perform together again until the classic 1968 ""comeback"" television special. Scotty never saw Elvis after that.With both Bill Black and Elvis gone, Scotty Moore is the only one left to tell the story of how Elvis and Scotty transformed popular music and how Scotty created the sound that became a prototype for so many rock guitarists to follow. Thoroughly updated, this edition delivers guitarist Scotty Moore's story as never before

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Book SynopsisBorn in 1916 at the northern end of New Zealand’s South Island, the teenaged Robert William Lane became obsessed with the singing and expressive yodeling of country music’s Jimmie Rodgers. By the 1940s, his obsession and subsequent focus on his own guitar playing, singing, and yodeling led him to achieve musical stardom as Tex Morton, master showman and influential progenitor of Australian country music. Tex Morton: From Australian Yodeler to International Showman offers the first full-length biography of this country music phenomenon from down under.“From the time he first left the security of his home and set out to discover the world, life was a continual journey for Tex Morton,” Smith writes in chapter 1. And it was: Beginning with Morton’s early life and chronicling his burgeoning career and ultimate stardom, Smith’s study showcases Morton’s multi-faceted creative endeavors over the years, from showman and sharpshooter to hypnotist and academic. His talents took him all over the world, from Australia and New Zealand and countries throughout Asia to the United States, Canada, and England. Smith’s carefully constructed narrative captures the nuance of a versatile yet driven, flawed yet talented figure who ultimately became both an influential country artist and an entertainer of international standing over the course of an almost fifty-year career.An important contribution to music history scholarship, this volume not only establishes Morton’s significance in the history of Australian country music, but it also draws deep connections between Morton’s Australasian influence and country music in the United States, exploring Morton’s legacy in the wider context of the genre worldwide. Complete with a comprehensive discography of Tex Morton’s works, Smith’s in-depth biography claims for Morton his rightful place as a major founding figure in the history of Australian country music.

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Book SynopsisIn the 1950s, as the leader of the Upsetters, the original backing band for rock pioneer Little Richard, Grady Gaines first exposed the music world to his unique brand of “honkin',” bombastic, attitude-drenched saxophone playing.In the years that followed, the Upsetters became the backing band for Sam Cooke and crisscrossed the country as the go-to-band for revue-style tours featuring James Brown, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Supremes, Jackie Wilson, Little Willie John, and Etta James.In I've Been Out There, the Houston blues and R&B legend Grady Gaines speaks candidly about his sixty-year music career and life on the road supporting some of the biggest names in blues, soul, and R&B. This annotated autobiographical account details Gaines's professional triumphs and personal sacrifices.The book contains anecdotes about life on the road and in the studio during a period when the entertainment industry was vastly different, affording readers a glimpse into the creative makeup of a man whose distinctive sax playing powered some of the most popular songs of the era, helped define the genre, and mesmerized countless audiences.

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Book SynopsisCorazón Abierto: Mexican American Voices in Texas Music provides a wide view of the myriad contributions Mexican American artists have made to music in Texas and the United States. Based on interviews with longtime stalwarts of Mexican American music - Flaco JimÉnez, Tish Hinojosa, Ernie Durawa, Rosie Flores, and others - and also conversations with newer voices like Lesly Reynaga, Marisa Rose Mejia, Josh Baca, and many more, Kathleen Hudson allows the musicians to tell their own stories in a unique and personal way. As the artists reveal in their free-ranging discussions with Hudson, their influences go far beyond traditionally Mexican genres like conjunto, norteÑo, and Tejano to extend into rock, jazz, country-western, zydeco, and many other styles.Hudson's survey also includes essays, poetry, and other creative works by Dagoberto Gilb, Sandra Cisneros, and others, but the core of the book consists of what she describes as 'a collection of voices from different locations in Texas....Some represent voices from the edge, while others give us a view from the center'. Weaving together a tapestry that combines 'family, borders, creativity, music, food, and community', the book presents an image as varied and difficult to define as the musicians themselves. By sharing the artists' accounts of their influences, their experiences, their family stories, and their musical and cultural journeys, CorazÓn Abierto reminds us that borders can be gateways, that differences enrich, rather than isolate.

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Book SynopsisBob Dylan is an iconic American artist, whose music and performances have long reflected different musical genres and time periods. His songs tell tales of the Civil War, harken back to 1930s labor struggles, and address racial violence at the height of the civil rights movement, helping listeners to think about history, and history making, in new ways. While Dylan was warned by his early mentor, Dave Van Ronk, that, "You're just going to be a history book writer if you do those things. An anachronism," the musician has continued to traffic in history and engage with a range of source material—ancient and modern—over the course of his career.In this beautifully crafted book, Freddy Cristóbal Domínguez makes a provocative case for Dylan as a historian, offering a deep consideration of the musician's historical influences and practices. Drawing on interviews, speeches, and the close analysis of lyrics and live performances, Bob Dylan in the Attic is the first book to consider Dylan's work from the point of view of historiography.Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 What Do You Mean You Can’t Repeat the Past?: Dylan’s Historical Universe CHAPTER 2“ Conjuring Up All These Long Dead Souls”: How Dylan “Does” History CHAPTER 3 “Sing in Me, Oh Muses”: Dylan as Mythmaker CHAPTER 4 “There’s Something Happening Here . . . Mr. Jones”: Interpreting Dylan Historically CHAPTER 5 “The Blood of the Land in My Voice”: Dylan’s Authorial Persona CONCLUSION Notes Index

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Book SynopsisAfter he died in the back seat of a Cadillac at the age of twenty-nine, Hank Williams—a frail, flawed man who had become country music’s first real star–instantly morphed into its first tragic martyr. Having hit the heights with simple songs of despair, depression and tainted love, he would become in death a template for the rock generation to follow. Mark Ribowsky weaves together the first fully realised biography of Williams in a generation. Examining his music while re-creating days and nights choked in booze and desperation, he traces the rise of this legend—from the dirt roads of Alabama to the immortal stage of the Grand Ole Opry and to a lonely end on New Year’s Day, 1953. This original work uncovers the real Hank beneath the myths that have long enshrouded his legacy.Trade Review"... Mark Ribowsky... has done a commendably thorough job." -- The Times"...Hank is a timely biography…" -- The New York Times Book Review"Many biographies have been written about him but none gives such detail of his drinking, sexual abandon and many misadventures as this." -- The Irish Times

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Book SynopsisArturo Toscanini (1867–1957) was famed for his dedication, photographic memory, explosive temper and impassioned performances. At times he dominated La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the Bayreuth, Salzburg and Lucerne festivals. His reforms influenced generations of musicians, and his opposition to Nazism and Fascism made him a model for artists of conscience. With unprecedented access to the conductor’s archives, Harvey Sachs has written a new biography positioning Toscanini’s musical career and sometimes scandalous life against the currents of history. Set in Italy, across Europe, the Americas and in Palestine, with portraits of Verdi, Puccini, Caruso, Mussolini and others, Toscanini soars in its exploration of genius, music and moral courage.Trade Review"'Monumental’ is surely the mot juste to describe the book’s length... but equally the combination of thoroughness, clarity, psychological perspicacity and deep human feeling which distinguishes every page... for all its massiveness the book proves unputdownable." -- BBC Music Magazine"Harvey Sachs has written the definitive biography of this great, and colourful, character... [His] writing style is precise, fluent and gripping... As a study of the life and times of one of the greatest conductors of all time, this book will not soon be bettered." -- The Economist"It is without doubt the most engaging, the best-written and certainly the most comprehensive Toscanini biography yet to be published..." -- Gramophone"... magnificent biography... To read about him [Toscanini] at this length—and there will surely be no need for another biography—is to be simultaneously inspired and bewildered." -- The Spectator"This book of more than 900 pages, full of personal recollections and testimony... is vastly comprehensive, balanced and indispensable... Sachs’ own dedication to this force of nature has been fulfilled in a book which ranks among the best of 2017." -- Classical Music"Drawing on a wide range of new evidence, including unknown letters and the archives of many of the opera houses that Arturo Toscanini worked with, including La Scala, Harvey Sachs has written a weighty and highly enjoyable account of one of the greatest conductors, a man still renowned for his pursuit of perfection." -- Books of the Year 2017 - The Economist"Harvey Sachs has provided a compendious chronicle of Toscanini's astonishing achievement across almost a century, and it makes for compelling reading." -- Times Literary Supplement"I am currently reading two excellent books: the new Harvey Sachs biography of one of the finest conductors of all time – Arturo Toscanini..." -- Something for the Weekend - Finghin Collins' Cultural Picks - RTÉ"Extraordinary... Indeed, I cannot think of another biography of a classical musician to which it can be compared: in its breadth, scope, and encyclopedic command of factual detail it reminds me of nothing so much as Robert A. Caro’s The Power Broker... Never before has [this] history been told so well." -- Tim Page - The New York Review of Books"A very engaging and at times gripping chronicle of music and society, all of it devoted to the unending drive and conscientiousness that made Toscanini’s performances so riveting—and, to some, so repellent... What comes through in Sachs’s long chronicle is the extent of Toscanini’s role, witting and unwitting, in transforming the way that classical music was produced and consumed in the twentieth century." -- David Denby - The New Yorker"Sachs’s account is persuasive and compelling in the important ways... Today, Toscanini is receding from our consciousness, notwithstanding his many records... Creative geniuses can survive for centuries, even millenniums; interpreters inevitably go over the cultural cliff. But that doesn’t detract from the crucial—the central—role Toscanini played in our musical culture for well over 60 years. Nor from the almost universal regard he was held in as a man." -- Robert Gottlieb - The New York Times Book Review"...marvellously researched and continually fascinating...[a] superb book... " -- Stephen Walsh - The Oldie

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Book SynopsisIn 1985, Mark Bryan heard Darius Rucker singing in a dorm shower at the University of South Carolina and asked him to form a band. For the next eight years, Hootie & the Blowfish—completed by bassist Dean Feldman and drummer Soni Sonefeld—played every frat house, roadhouse, and rock club in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, becoming one of the biggest independent acts in the region.In Only Wanna Be with You, Tim Sommer, the ultimate insider who signed the band to Atlantic Records in 1993, pulls back the curtain on the band's indie days; the chart-topping success of their major-label debut, cracked rear view; the year of Hootie (1995); the lean years; Darius Rucker's history-making rise in country music; and one of the most remarkable comeback stories of the century. Featuring new and extensive interviews with the band members, some of the band's most famous fans, and stories from the recording studio, tour bus, and golf course, this book is essential reading for Hootie lovers and music buffs.

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Book SynopsisThe formative early ballets of West Side Story creators Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins explored in detail for the very first time. 2022 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Winner. Leonard Bernstein and choreographer Jerome Robbins stand as giants of the musical-theatre world, but it was ballet that launched their stage careers and established their relationship. With Fancy Free (1944), their triumphant debut collaboration produced by Ballet Theatre, Bernstein, Robbins, and set designer Oliver Smith-all in their mid-twenties- captured the spirit of wartime New York, created a defining ballet of the period still widely performed today, and became overnight sensations. The hit musical On the Town (1944) and a now largely forgotten ballet, Facsimile (1946), followed over the next two years. Drawing extensively on previously unpublished archival documents, Bernstein and Robbins: The Early Ballets provides a richly detailed and original historical account of the creation, premiere, and reception of Fancy Free and Facsimile. It reveals the vital and sometimes conflicting role of Ballet Theatre, explores how Bernstein composed the scores, sheds light on the central importance of Oliver Smith, and considers the legacy of these works for all involved. The result is a new understanding of Bernstein, Robbins, and this formative period in their lives.Trade ReviewFor choreographers interested in commissioning scores for their dance pieces, the information contained in this book is very useful. -- Mark Kappel * NEWSNOTES DANCE BLOG *This very interesting book primarily relates the early partnership of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins. I enjoyed Redfern's...discussion of the staging and choreography of the various shows. The author wisely includes a discussion of Bernstein's ability to work quickly on theatrical assignments and Robbins's legendary rehearsal requirements, and how that affected their relationship. This book offers corrections to...prior information and presents the ballet information with enough detail to better appreciate the music and choreography. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *Sophie Redfern's new book on Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins provides a rich portrait of their collaborative relationship [and] the first in-depth, published analysis of their ballets. Her book adds many insights into the working relationship between these two influential figures. A fascinating narrative arc emerges. Redfern's book is important reading for scholars...who want to think more deeply about collaborative relationships between composers and choreographers. * STUDIES IN MUSICAL THEATRE *Sophie Redfern's groundbreaking and compelling new book offers a vivid account of the often high-octane collaboration between Leonard Bernstein and the choreographer Jerome Robbins-and to a lesser extent, the theatre designer Oliver Smith. . . . [A] manifestly important book that will undoubtedly establish itself as a classic text in the fields of both Bernstein and ballet studies, and which is distinguished throughout by its expert interweaving of historical narrative, source studies, music analysis, and criticism. -- Mervyn Cooke * MUSIC & LETTERS *Rich [archival] materials and Redfern's thorough analysis of Bernstein's music constructively articulate how each artist's individual contributions defined the futures of both ballet and musical theater in the United States...Some of the most compelling highlight Bernstein's adaptation of popular and Latin music into the classical French structure of ballet. Fancy Free's inclusion of defined character motifs, stacked ostinatos, tone rows, and rhythmic complexity would give American ballet a definitive form. * SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN MUSIC BULLETIN *Table of ContentsIntroduction Setting the Scene: American Ballet and Jerome Robbins Towards a First Ballet: Fancy Free Takes Shape Creating Fancy Free: A Long-Distance Collaboration The Music of Fancy Free: The Sketches and Score Explored The Fancy Free Premiere and a Move to Broadway Towards a Second Ballet: Bye Bye Jackie and the Creation of Facsimile The Music of Facsimile: The Sketches and Score Explored The Facsimile Premiere and Legacy of the Ballets Epilogue: Bernstein and Dance Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis biography of Minna Planer, Richard Wagner's wife of 30 years, reveals her as a self-assured woman and artist who was vital to her husband's creative life. When Richard Wagner first met Minna Planer in 1834, he was an unknown conductor, she a popular actress. His hectic pursuit of her affections culminated in marriage in 1836. Minna endured poverty with him, nursed him through chronic illness, followed him across Europe as he fled from creditors and pursued his artistic goals, and sought to provide him with the stable domestic and erotic life that he craved. He played his works to her as he wrote them, up to Tannhäuser and Lohengrin, and set store by her opinions. But when he went on the run as a wanted revolutionary, Minna only reluctantly followed him into Swiss exile. Domestic peace tentatively prevailed, but was ultimately destroyed by Wagner's passion for Mathilde Wesendonck. In 1858, he and Minna separated, she returned home to Germany, and subsequent efforts at reconciliation proved ultimately impossible. They remained married, however, until Minna's death in 1866. Despite having been at Richard's side as he matured into the composer of the Ring and Tristan, Minna has been given short shrift by most Wagner commentators. In Eva Rieger's acclaimed biography, translated into English by Chris Walton, the author reveals Minna as a self-assured woman and artist who played a crucial role in the creative life of her husband.Trade ReviewFascinating, detailed, and absorbing. Chris Walton has done a superb job in creating the illusion that this volume was written in English. Detailed footnotes are included as well as a number of germane photographs. Marvelous to read and completely engrossing. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *Through Rieger's vivid and sometimes humorous presentation of Richard and Minna's daily life together, we discover an attractive and also tragic figure, courageous, highly adaptable and generous to the point of offering her last piece of bread to a hungry friend, even when she didn't know what her own next meal would be. -- Anna Stoll Knecht * The Wagner Journal *Table of ContentsIllustrations Abbreviations Notes on this translation Introduction: "He could not breathe without her" Chapter 1. "I have become her despot": From Love to Marriage Chapter 2. "Deprived of incipient motherhood": Riga, London, Paris, 1836-1842 Chapter 3. "Home for me is you alone": Dresden 1842-1847 Chapter 4. "My knucklehead of a husband": Revolution and Its Aftermath, 1848-1850 Chapter 5. "This ridiculous, amorous intrigue": The Jessie Laussot Affair, 1850-1851 Chapter 6. "That good, foolish man...": Exile in Zurich, 1852-1854 Chapter 7. "I'm a poor, stupid woman to have let you go...": Zurich and London, 1854-1856 Chapter 8. "Alas, now all our happiness is gone...": The Wesendonck Scandal, 1857-1858 Chapter 9. The Bitter End: 1858-1859 Chapter 10. "In love and fidelity, your Emma": Emma Herwegh Chapter 11. "...neither wife, housekeeper, nor friend": Dresden, Paris, Biebrich, 1860-1862 Chapter 12. "That weak, blind man...": The end of a marriage, 1863-1866 References Index

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Book SynopsisThis biography of Minna Planer, Richard Wagner's wife of 30 years, reveals her as a self-assured woman and artist who was vital to her husband's creative life. When Richard Wagner first met Minna Planer in 1834, he was an unknown conductor, she a popular actress. His hectic pursuit of her affections culminated in marriage in 1836. Minna endured poverty with him, nursed him through chronic illness, followed him across Europe as he fled from creditors and pursued his artistic goals, and sought to provide him with the stable domestic and erotic life that he craved. He played his works to her as he wrote them, up to Tannhäuser and Lohengrin, and set store by her opinions. But when he went on the run as a wanted revolutionary, Minna only reluctantly followed him into Swiss exile. Domestic peace tentatively prevailed, but was ultimately destroyed by Wagner's passion for Mathilde Wesendonck. In 1858, he and Minna separated, she returned home to Germany, and subsequent efforts at reconciliation proved ultimately impossible. They remained married, however, until Minna's death in 1866. Despite having been at Richard's side as he matured into the composer of the Ring and Tristan, Minna has been given short shrift by most Wagner commentators. In Eva Rieger's acclaimed biography, translated into English by Chris Walton, the author reveals Minna as a self-assured woman and artist who played a crucial role in the creative life of her husband.Trade ReviewFascinating, detailed, and absorbing. Chris Walton has done a superb job in creating the illusion that this volume was written in English. Detailed footnotes are included as well as a number of germane photographs. Marvelous to read and completely engrossing. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *Through Rieger's vivid and sometimes humorous presentation of Richard and Minna's daily life together, we discover an attractive and also tragic figure, courageous, highly adaptable and generous to the point of offering her last piece of bread to a hungry friend, even when she didn't know what her own next meal would be. -- Anna Stoll Knecht * The Wagner Journal *Table of ContentsIllustrations Abbreviations Notes on this translation Introduction: "He could not breathe without her" Chapter 1. "I have become her despot": From Love to Marriage Chapter 2. "Deprived of incipient motherhood": Riga, London, Paris, 1836-1842 Chapter 3. "Home for me is you alone": Dresden 1842-1847 Chapter 4. "My knucklehead of a husband": Revolution and Its Aftermath, 1848-1850 Chapter 5. "This ridiculous, amorous intrigue": The Jessie Laussot Affair, 1850-1851 Chapter 6. "That good, foolish man...": Exile in Zurich, 1852-1854 Chapter 7. "I'm a poor, stupid woman to have let you go...": Zurich and London, 1854-1856 Chapter 8. "Alas, now all our happiness is gone...": The Wesendonck Scandal, 1857-1858 Chapter 9. The Bitter End: 1858-1859 Chapter 10. "In love and fidelity, your Emma": Emma Herwegh Chapter 11. "...neither wife, housekeeper, nor friend": Dresden, Paris, Biebrich, 1860-1862 Chapter 12. "That weak, blind man...": The end of a marriage, 1863-1866 References Index

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Book SynopsisThe formative early ballets of West Side Story creators Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins explored in detail for the very first time. 2022 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Winner. Leonard Bernstein and choreographer Jerome Robbins stand as giants of the musical-theatre world, but it was ballet that launched their stage careers and established their relationship. With Fancy Free (1944), their triumphant debut collaboration produced by Ballet Theatre, Bernstein, Robbins, and set designer Oliver Smith-all in their mid-twenties- captured the spirit of wartime New York, created a defining ballet of the period still widely performed today, and became overnight sensations. The hit musical On the Town (1944) and a now largely forgotten ballet, Facsimile (1946), followed over the next two years. Drawing extensively on previously unpublished archival documents, Bernstein and Robbins: The Early Ballets provides a richly detailed and original historical account of the creation, premiere, and reception of Fancy Free and Facsimile. It reveals the vital and sometimes conflicting role of Ballet Theatre, explores how Bernstein composed the scores, sheds light on the central importance of Oliver Smith, and considers the legacy of these works for all involved. The result is a new understanding of Bernstein, Robbins, and this formative period in their lives.Trade ReviewSophie Redfern's groundbreaking and compelling new book offers a vivid account of the often high-octane collaboration between Leonard Bernstein and the choreographer Jerome Robbins-and to a lesser extent, the theatre designer Oliver Smith. . . . [A] manifestly important book that will undoubtedly establish itself as a classic text in the fields of both Bernstein and ballet studies, and which is distinguished throughout by its expert interweaving of historical narrative, source studies, music analysis, and criticism. -- Mervyn Cooke * MUSIC & LETTERS *This very interesting book primarily relates the early partnership of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins. I enjoyed Redfern's...discussion of the staging and choreography of the various shows. The author wisely includes a discussion of Bernstein's ability to work quickly on theatrical assignments and Robbins's legendary rehearsal requirements, and how that affected their relationship. This book offers corrections to...prior information and presents the ballet information with enough detail to better appreciate the music and choreography. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *For choreographers interested in commissioning scores for their dance pieces, the information contained in this book is very useful. -- Mark Kappel * NEWSNOTES DANCE BLOG *Sophie Redfern's new book on Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins provides a rich portrait of their collaborative relationship [and] the first in-depth, published analysis of their ballets. Her book adds many insights into the working relationship between these two influential figures. A fascinating narrative arc emerges. Redfern's book is important reading for scholars...who want to think more deeply about collaborative relationships between composers and choreographers. * STUDIES IN MUSICAL THEATRE *Rich [archival] materials and Redfern's thorough analysis of Bernstein's music constructively articulate how each artist's individual contributions defined the futures of both ballet and musical theater in the United States...Some of the most compelling highlight Bernstein's adaptation of popular and Latin music into the classical French structure of ballet. Fancy Free's inclusion of defined character motifs, stacked ostinatos, tone rows, and rhythmic complexity would give American ballet a definitive form. * SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN MUSIC BULLETIN *Table of ContentsIntroduction Setting the Scene: American Ballet and Jerome Robbins Towards a First Ballet: Fancy Free Takes Shape Creating Fancy Free: A Long-Distance Collaboration The Music of Fancy Free: The Sketches and Score Explored The Fancy Free Premiere and a Move to Broadway Towards a Second Ballet: Bye Bye Jackie and the Creation of Facsimile The Music of Facsimile: The Sketches and Score Explored The Facsimile Premiere and Legacy of the Ballets Epilogue: Bernstein and Dance Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA practical manual for building musical understanding and physical skills, intended for conductors at all stages of development.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisBecause Johnny Cash cut his classic singles at Sun Records in Memphis and reigned for years as country royalty from his Nashville-area mansion, people tend to associate the Man in Black with Tennessee. But some of Cash’s best songs—including classics like “Pickin’ Time,” “Big River,” and “Five Feet High and Rising”—sprang from his youth in the sweltering cotton fields of Mississippi County in northeastern Arkansas.In Country Boy, Colin Woodward combines biography, history, and music criticism to illustrate how Cash’s experiences in Arkansas shaped his life and work. The grip of the Great Depression on Arkansas’s small farmers, the comforts and tragedies of family, and a bedrock of faith all lent his music the power and authenticity that so appealed to millions. Though Cash left Arkansas as an eighteen-year-old, he often returned to his home state, playing some of his most memorable and personal concerts on his native soil, where, to use Cash’s phrase, he could touch his roots again. Drawing upon the country legend’s songs and writings, as well as the accounts of family, fellow musicians, and chroniclers, Woodward reveals how the profound sincerity and empathy so central to Cash’s music depended on his maintaining a deep connection to his native Arkansas—a place that never left his soul.Trade Review“Johnny Cash comes alive in Arkansas, and it in him. Though his fabulous career took him far afield, as Colin Woodward tells us in this important book, all roads led back to the piney woods and gumbo soil of his fateful home state.”—Michael Streissguth, Johnny Cash: The Biography“Country Boy is a welcome addition to all things Cash, focusing directly on his home state of Arkansas and the influence it had on shaping his values and nurturing his creativity. Colin Woodward peels away myths and legends, including some perpetuated by Cash himself, and replaces them with facts and absorbing scenarios of how the fictions came about.”—Ruth Hawkins, Emeritus director, Arkansas State University Heritage Sites, and founding director, Johnny Cash Boyhood Home.“Colin Woodward has scraped away any romanticism that might obscure the reality of Cash’s roots: the hardscrabble existence along with nobility, faith, and the best of the human condition. We know where Johnny Cash ended up. This inspiring book tells us how he got there.”—Mark Stielper, music historian “It would be hard to overstate the role of Johnny Cash’s Arkansas upbringing, through Depression and wartime, in shaping the artist and citizen he later became. Country Boy puts Cash in proper historical and geographic context in this vital contribution to our understanding of the Man in Black.”—Michael Stewart Foley, author of Citizen Cash: The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash“In Country Boy: The Roots of Johnny Cash, Colin Edward Woodward argues that the connection between Cash and his native Arkansas deserves far more scholarly attention than it has received in the past. He contends that Arkansas germinated the seed of Cash’s genius and served as a lifelong anchor as he navigated the twists and turns of an iconic career. … Woodward grounds Cash firmly within scholarly sources and wider historical contexts, focusing on Cash’s humanity, his failures and successes as a husband and father, his drug abuse, and his important contributions to prison reform and Native American social justice. Throughout, Woodward keeps Cash grounded as he surveys the artist’s recording career in Memphis, his move to California, and his life on the outskirts of Nashville. Woodward’s musical analysis is particularly strong throughout the book. … The book is accessible and well-researched, and a welcome addition to southern history. Woodward’s command of Cash historiography is clear, and his careful use of contemporary newspaper coverage, family remembrances, and Cash’s own words renders a compelling argument worthy of recommendation.”—Brian Dempsey, Journal of Southern History, August 2023

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Book SynopsisBroadcasting the Ozarks explores the vibrant country music scene that emerged in Springfield, Missouri, in the 1930s and thrived for half a century. Central to this history is the Ozark Jubilee (1955–60), the first regularly broadcast live country music show on network television. Dubbed the “king of the televised barn dances,” the show introduced the Ozarks region to viewers across America and put Springfield in the running with Nashville for dominance of the country music industry—with the Jubilee’s producer, Si Siman, at the helm. Siman’s life story is almost as remarkable as the show he produced. He was booking Tommy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, and Glenn Miller during the mid-1930s while still a high school student and produced nationally syndicated country music radio shows in the decades that followed. Siman was a promotional genius with an ear for talent, a persuasive gift for gab, and the energy and persistence to make things happen for many future Country Music Hall of Famers, including Chet Atkins, Porter Wagoner, the Browns, and Brenda Lee. Following the Jubilee’s five-year run, Siman had a hand in some of the greatest hits of the twentieth century as a music publisher, collaborating with such songwriters as rockabilly legend and fellow Springfieldian Ronnie Self, who wrote Brenda Lee’s signature hit, “I’m Sorry,” and Wayne Carson, who wrote Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind.” Although Siman had numerous opportunities to find success in bigger cities, he chose to do it all from his home in the Ozarks.

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Book SynopsisFrom Cleveland to Cincinnati and everywhere in between, Ohio rocks. Rebels and Underdogs: The Story of Ohio Rock and Roll takes readers behind the scenes to the birth and rise of musical legends like the Black Keys, Nine Inch Nails, Devo, the Breeders, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, and many others who started in garages and bars across Ohio. Through candid first-hand interviews, Garin Pirnia captures new, unheard stories from national legends like the Black Keys and slow-burn local bands like Wussy from Cincinnati. Discover why Greenhornes' members Patrick Keeler and Brian Olive almost killed each other on stage one night, what happened to the pink guitar Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails gave to band member Richard Patrick, why Devo loved the dissonance when they were booed by 400,000 music lovers in England, and so much more! Entertaining, inspiring, and revolutionary, Rebels and Underdogs is the untold story of the bands, the state, and rock itself.Trade Review"Jerry Casale (DEVO) probably sums it up best in this book: 'In Ohio, nobody gave a shit.' But around that inversely proud axiom, Garin Pirnia gives it a fine archaeologist's try to plop meat all over the bones of one of rock'n'roll's unsung if inarguably most important locales, just as the genre is looking like a skeleton of its former fame."—Eric Davidson, singer in New Bomb Turks and author of We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut"Ohio's rock 'n' roll has always sounded like it was made by teenagers stranded in the wasteland, obsessing about music they'd never actually heard, then trying to make it themselves, which is why the best bands—Devo, Afghan Whigs, Guided by Voices, Nine Inch Nails—are so hard to pin down. But Garin Pirnia has done just that in this exceptional book, an account satisfyingly comprehensive, but driven by the instincts and ardor of a true devotee."—David Giffels, author of 'Furnishing Eternity' and coauthor of 'Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!'Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Akron/Kent2. Cincinnati3. Cleveland4. Columbus5. Dayton

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Book SynopsisFrom Cleveland to Cincinnati and everywhere in between, Ohio rocks. Rebels and Underdogs: The Story of Ohio Rock and Roll takes readers behind the scenes to the birth and rise of musical legends like the Black Keys, Nine Inch Nails, Devo, the Breeders, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, and many others who started in garages and bars across Ohio. Through candid first-hand interviews, Garin Pirnia captures new, unheard stories from national legends like the Black Keys and slow-burn local bands like Wussy from Cincinnati. Discover why Greenhornes' members Patrick Keeler and Brian Olive almost killed each other on stage one night, what happened to the pink guitar Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails gave to band member Richard Patrick, why Devo loved the dissonance when they were booed by 400,000 music lovers in England, and so much more! Entertaining, inspiring, and revolutionary, Rebels and Underdogs is the untold story of the bands, the state, and rock itself.Trade Review"Jerry Casale (DEVO) probably sums it up best in this book: 'In Ohio, nobody gave a shit.' But around that inversely proud axiom, Garin Pirnia gives it a fine archaeologist's try to plop meat all over the bones of one of rock'n'roll's unsung if inarguably most important locales, just as the genre is looking like a skeleton of its former fame."—Eric Davidson, singer in New Bomb Turks and author of We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut"Ohio's rock 'n' roll has always sounded like it was made by teenagers stranded in the wasteland, obsessing about music they'd never actually heard, then trying to make it themselves, which is why the best bands—Devo, Afghan Whigs, Guided by Voices, Nine Inch Nails—are so hard to pin down. But Garin Pirnia has done just that in this exceptional book, an account satisfyingly comprehensive, but driven by the instincts and ardor of a true devotee."—David Giffels, author of 'Furnishing Eternity' and coauthor of 'Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!'Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Akron/Kent2. Cincinnati3. Cleveland4. Columbus5. Dayton

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Book SynopsisDespite the nearly universal fame of the Beatles, many people only know the fairytale version of the iconic group's rise to fame. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Liverpool, Francis Kenny reveals the real John Lennon who preceded the legend, showing how his childhood shaped his personality, creative process, and path to success, and how it also destroyed his mental health, leading to the downfall of one of the most confident and brilliant musicians of the past century.The Making of John Lennon is a must-read for any Beatles fan. It explains how Lennon's turbulent family background affected his relationships, why the true inspiration for "Strawberry Fields" could not be revealed, how Pete Best's college connection led to his removal from the group, and why class backgrounds were the real reason for the breakup of the legendary band. Offering a complex portrait of Lennon's early life, The Making of John Lennon tells the true story behind the rise of the legendary icon.Trade ReviewThis isn't a roller-coaster ride, skipping through John Lennon's life, but a carefully prepared examination of his early years, slowly examining the general picture that surrounded John's life, rather than focusing on one specific aspect, wrapping the surroundings of the city, the family, the friends, the music and the events which forged the young man who became a 20th century icon, into a whole. -- Bill Harry, author of The John Lennon EncyclopediaThe author focuses on the question of what might have caused the downfall of one of the most brilliant musicians of the past century. Kenny emphasizes three main influences which helped shape Lennon's creative process and stayed with him throughout his life: his strong roots in his hometown of Liverpool; his troubled mental health; and a turbulent family background. * Huffington Post *Table of ContentsMilestones in The Making of John LennonIntroduction1. 1800s: City of Outsiders2. 1900s: Toxteth Park3. 1940-45: Salvation Army Hospital4. 1946-50: Wandsworth Jail5. 1950-55: Gladstone Hall6. 1955-57: Town and Country7. 1957-60: Hope Street8. 1960-61: The Wyvern Club9. 1961-62: Great Charlotte Street10. 1961-62: The Grapes11. 1963-64: Liverpool Town Hall12. 1964: Hansel and Gretel House13. 1965: Perugia Way14. 1965-66: Candlestick Park15. 1966-67: Cavendish Avenue16. 1967-68: Foothills of the Himalayas17. 1968: Abbey Road18. 1969: Savile Row19. 1969 (Part 2): Tittenhurst20. 1970-71: Dakota BuildingEpilogueEndnote ReferencesBibliographyInterviewsUseful Websites

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Book SynopsisHarry Vanda and George Young put Friday on our minds, triggered Easyfever with the Easybeats, and harnessed the raw energy and power of Aussie pub rock to make superstars of AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, and the Angels. The day Vanda and Young met at Sydneys Villawood Migrant Hostel has been called the most significant moment in Australian music history. What followed, as members of the Easybeats, producers and mentors for Georges brothers band AC/DC, and songwriters of a diverse range of hits from Friday on My Mind, Shes So Fine, Yesterdays Hero and Love is in the Air to Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, has provided the soundtrack to the last 50 years. Featuring revelatory interviews with Vanda and Young and members AC/DC and the other chart-topping acts they worked with, this is the inspirational story of Australias top songwriters, producers and starmakers.

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Book SynopsisFrom the Foreword by musician, activist, museum curator, documentarian, and scholar, Dr Valmont Layne: "The emerging biography veers between the sublime and the sordid – from Adam warding off racism's many guises on the one hand, to having to deal with shady characters and violent gangsters, even paedophiles on the other - to the adoration Adam continues to elicit to this day from fans and creative peers."No more was this undying adoration of Zayn Adam evident than when he celebrated his "50 years in music" concert at Grandwest in 2012, performing to sold-out shows. Many of Zayn's lifelong friends were part of the act. Their names all evoke a bygone era in music: Richard Jon Smith, Sophia Foster, Terry Fortune, Loukmaan Adams, Vicky Sampson, Karin Kortje, Leslie Kleinsmith and Ronnie Joyce.In this biography, Jegels seeks to reanimate the voice of Zayn through engagement with an interview Zayn did with Jonathan Stevens, segueing to various artists and historical information about events that are all inextricably bound up with the legend that is Zayn Adam.

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Book SynopsisChristopher Fifield's remarkable study explores the personality, life and work of a conductor who influenced and inspired the leading composers, singers and instrumentalists of his day. The Austro-Hungarian Hans Richter (1843-1916) was the first career-conductor to gain international fame. His first appointment was to Budapest, and he went on to dominate music-making in Vienna, Bayreuth, London, Manchester (withthe Hallé Orchestra) and other towns and cities in Britain and Europe between 1865 and 1912. Richter gave first performances of works by Wagner, Brahms, Elgar, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Stanford and Parry and helped to further the careers of Dvorák, Sibelius, Bartók and Glazunov. Christopher Fifield's remarkable study explores the personality, life and work of a conductor who influenced and inspired the leading composers, singers and instrumentalists of his day. Originally published in 1993, this revised and expanded edition contains extensive new material in the form of Richter's conducting books. Translated and reproduced in full, they detail every one of the 4,351 public performances Richter gave in a professional life spanning 47 years. Drawing on Richter's own diaries, the book also presents his correspondence with many contemporary composers (Wagner in particular) and performers. Fifield's biography of this seminal figure provides a revealing insight into British and European music and concert life during the long nineteenth century. CHRISTOPHER FIFIELD is a conductor, music historian, lecturer and broadcaster.He is the editor and author of the Letters and Diaries of Kathleen Ferrier and Max Bruch: His Life and Works, both published in new editions by The Boydell Press. He has also written Ibbs & Tillett - The rise andfall of a Musical Empire and The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms.Trade Review[W]ritten in a very engaging style with little tidbits about seemingly everyone. . . .This is, obviously, an important book if you are interested in conducting and 19th Century performance, but it also gives a wonderful look at the whole musical culture in Germany and England at the time. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *An outstanding achievement, not merely a model biographical study, but one which will have set truly high standards for any future scholars. * BRIO *A formidable achievement...The sheer weight of archival research and supporting documentary evidence in this study is extraordinary...Even those who possess the original publication of 1993 should invest in this new edition. * THE WAGNER JOURNAL *Table of Contents1843-1865 Childhood and Years of Study 1866-1867 Tribschen 1868-1869 Munich 1870-1871 Brussels : Tribschen 1871-1874 Budapest 1874-1875 Budapest and Bayreuth 1875 Vienna 1876 Bayreuth 1877 London 1878-1879 Vienna 1879-1880 Friends and Enemies 1880-1881 London and Vienna 1881-1882 Richter and d'Albert 1882 Richter and d'Albert 1882-1883 The Master's Death 1884 More Opera in London 1885-1886 Vienna, London and Birmingham 1887-1888 Return to Bayreuth 1889-1900 Vienna 1897-1900 Richter and Mahler 1889-1890 England 1891-1895 England 1895-1900 England 1890-1899 Bayreuth 1894-1899 Richter's diary 1899-1900 Hallé Orchestra 1900-1902 England 1903-1904 England 1904-1906 England 1906-1908 England 1908-1909 England 1909-1911 England 1911-1914 Retirement 1914-1916 The Last Years Finale Hans Richter's Conducting Books Appendix 1: Works conducted by Hans Richter Appendix 2: Cities and towns where Richter conducted Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisHow have Handel's 'lives' in biographies and histories moulded our understanding of the musician, the man and the icon? To evaluate the familiar, even over-familiar, story of Handel's life could be seen as a quixotic endeavour. How can there be anything new to say? This book seeks to distinguish fact from fiction, not only to produce a new biography but also to explore the concepts of biography and dissemination by using Handel's life and lives as a case study. By examining the images of Handel to be found in biographies and music histories - the genius, the religious profound, the master of musical styles, the distiller into music of English sentiment, the glorifier of the Hanoverians, the hymner of the middle class, the independent, the prodigious, the generous, the sexless, the successful, the wealthy, the bankrupt, the pious, the crude, the heroic, the devious, the battler of ill-fortune, the moral exemplar - and by adding new factual information, David Hunter shows how events are manipulated into stories and tropes. Onesuch trope has been employed to portray numerous persons as Handel's enemies regardless of whether Handel considered them as such. Picking apart the writing of Handel's biographers and other reporters, Hunter exposes the narrative underpinnings - the lies, confusions, presumptions, and conclusions, whether direct and inferred or assumed - to show how Handel's 'lives' in biographies and histories have moulded our understanding of the musician, the man andthe icon. DAVID HUNTER is Music Librarian at the University of Texas at Austin.Trade ReviewAt the heart of his project is an attempt to explore the gap between image and individual-in this case, between 'Handel' and Handel. Handel as image, argues Hunter, is a phenomenon that has superseded Handel the person.the care and intelligence with which Hunter interrogates the facts of Handel's life, and their use by biographers, should attract the attention of all readers interested in the perils and pleasures of biography. * EARLY MUSIC *[A] unique contribution to Handel scholarship. * MUSIC & LETTERS *Handel was an early entrepreneurial composer: he owned his own opera company, he borrowed from himself and others to increase his musical output, and he was impressively resourceful for his time. This study focuses on the multiple representations of Handel that were at least partly a result of his legendary resourcefulness as well as on questions that remain about his sexuality, health (disability), nationalism, friends and acquaintances, and so on. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Audience: Three Broad Categories, Three Gross Errors The Audience: Partner and Problem Musicians and Other Occupational Hazards Patrons and Pensions Musical Genres and Compositional Practices Self and Health Self and Friends Nations and Stories Biographers' Stories Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAn international collaboration between leading scholars showcases a broad spectrum of observations on Handel and his music, covering many aspects of modern interdisciplinary and traditional philological musicology. As soon as Handel composed, rehearsed and performed his music, it was already a subject of fascination for the authors of reports, polemics and critical appraisals. The continuous yet evolving culture of Handelian studies is represented here in its current state by several generations of scholars who are inspired by the research, publications and teaching of Donald Burrows. This festschrift contains twenty essays that exemplify aspects both of traditional philological enquiry and of modern interdisciplinary musicology. Much like a baroque dramma per musica, the narrative is divided into three parts. Act I, 'Handel's Music and Creative Practices', is an exposition that sets the scene and introduces the main characters: musical case studies stretch from his first opera Almira (Hamburg, 1705) to his last English oratorio The Triumph of Time and Truth (London, 1757). Act II, is 'Sources, Documents and Attributions', develops complications to the plot: there is new information about the authenticity of chamber cantatas and instrumental pieces, and reports on manuscript, printed, and archival sources that demonstrate how primary research may be interpreted and understood. Act III, 'Context and Reception', moves us towards the lieto fine: some broad contexts of Handel in relation to his contemporaries and colleagues are considered alongside reception studies of the composer's music both within and after his lifetime. DAVID VICKERS teaches Academic Studies at Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester) and is a council member of The Handel Institute. CONTIBUTORS: Graydon Beeks, Michael Burden, John Butt, Hans Dieter Clausen, Matthew Gardner, Anthony Hicks, David Hunter, H. Diack Johnstone, Andrew V. Jones, David Kimbell, Richard G. King, Annette Landgraf, Tríona O'Hanlon, Suzana Ograjenšek, Leslie M. M. Robarts, John H. Roberts, Ruth Smith, Colin Timms, David Vickers and Silas Wollston.Trade ReviewNew Perspectives on Handel's Music presents a touching, well-deserved tribute to Burrows and his distinguished career as a preeminent Handel scholar. * Music Library Association Notes *This book approaches Handel and his music from a range of perspectives, mixing close analysis of scores, images, catalogues, and texts, with reception history, insights into Handel's business relationships, and glimpses into gender studies and the psychology of music. * Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies *This weighty festschrift is a 'must' for all serious students of Handel and his context, and for all music libraries. It is a worthy tribute to a great and much-loved Handelian scholar. * The Consort *Table of ContentsOuverture David Vickers Act I. Handel's Music and Creative Practices 1 'Almire regiere': Some Reflections on the First Aria in Handel's First Opera David Kimbell 2 Il pastor fido by Guarini (1585) and Handel (1712): From tragicommedia pastorale to dramma per musica Suzana Ograjenšek 3 Late or Soon? Cadential Timing in the Continuo Recitatives of Handel and his Contemporaries John H. Roberts 4 Handel's Bilingual Versions of Esther and Deborah, 1734-1737 David Vickers 5 Handel's Compositional Process in the Creation of the Grand Concertos, Op. 6 Silas Wollston 6 The London Revisions of Handel's First Roman Oratorio: Il trionfo del Tempo e della Verità (1737) and The Triumph of Time and Truth (1757) Matthew Gardner Act II. Sources, Documents and Attributions 7 Handel's Continuo Cantatas: Problems of Authenticity, Classification and Chronology Andrew V. Jones 8 When and Why Did Handel Replace his Conducting Scores? Hans Dieter Clausen 9 Handel, the Duke of Chandos and Investing in the Royal African Company David Hunter 10 Handel and Comus at Exton Colin Timms 11 Wordbooks for Handel's Oratorios, Especially Joseph and his Brethren and Hercules: Copyright and Production Leslie M.M. Robarts 12 New Music by Handel for Horns? †Anthony Hicks (rev. Colin Timms) Act III. Context and Reception 13 Bach and Handel: Differences within a Common Culture of Musical Invention John Butt 14 Le rivale regine: Faustina and Cuzzoni in Satirical Engravings, Literature and Opera in the 1720s and 1730s Richard G. King 15 Charles Jennens Revisited Ruth Smith 16 'O Come, Let us Sing unto the Lord': Performances of the Cannons Anthems during Handel's Lifetime Graydon Beeks 17 Charity Performances of Handel's Works in Eighteenth-Century Dublin (1736-1760) Tríona O'Hanlon 18 Early Keepers of the Flame: Vanneschi (and Handel) at the Opera Michael Burden 19 Revamped Handel: The Content and Context of his So-Called 'Miserere' H. Diack Johnstone 20 Handel's 'celebrated Largo': Remarks on the Reception History of 'Ombra mai fu' Annette Landgraf The Works of Donald Burrows Index of Handel's Works General Index Tabula Gratulatoria

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Book SynopsisThe first detailed contextual study of chamber music in Beethoven's Vienna, at a time when the string quartet reigned supreme among the different chamber genres This book is the first detailed contextual study of string quartets in Beethoven's Vienna, at a time when that genre reigned supreme among the different chamber genres. Focusing on a key transition period in the early nineteenth century, which bore witness to fundamental shifts in the 'private' sphere of music-making, it explores the 'cultivation' of string quartets by composers, critics, listeners, performers, publishers and patrons. The book highlights these parties' interactions, ideas and ideals, which were central to defining the unique cultures of chamber music arising at this time. We gain fresh insights into publishing and marketing, performance venues and practices, review culture, listening theories and practices, and composition in early nineteenth-century Vienna. Until now, the unique theatricality of chamber music, and the 'social' nature of its discourse, has been poorly appreciated. Cultivating String Quartets in Beethoven's Vienna addresses this misconception and enriches our understanding of this crucial period of change, in which concert life began and previously 'private' music was moved out onto the stage. NANCY NOVEMBER is Associate Professor in Musicology at the University of Auckland.Trade ReviewA solid, well-researched study of an important genre during a crucial period in its history. * THE NORTHERN MARINER/LE MARIN DU NORD *November's study of earlier nineteenth-century Vienna shows us above all a richly varied, often uncategorisable, musical and social culture founded to a significant degree on sheer pleasure, combining the sensual, the sociable, and the intellectual. It has much to offer musicologists, performers, and Liebhaber und Liebkenner. * BRIO *Table of ContentsIntroduction Defining Chamber Music in the Early Nineteenth Century Celebrating Haydn, Cultivating Opera Selling String Quartets in Beethoven's Vienna Locating String Quartets in Beethoven's Vienna Early Nineteenth-Century Performance and Criticism Sociability, Showmanship, and Study: 'Quartet Friends' The String Quartet and the Listener Schubert's Song, Beethoven's Theatricality Epilogue: Constructing 'Viennese Chamber Music' Bibliography

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Book SynopsisJohn Sigismond Cousser, as performer and composer, was a pioneering figure in the musical history of the European Baroque era. John Sigismond Cousser - born Johann Sigismund Kusser in Pressburg, Hungary in 1660 - was a pioneering figure in the musical history of the Baroque era. Having worked professionally as a performer and composer across Europe over the span of a fifty-year career, this well-travelled and cosmopolitan musician was subsequently acknowledged by Johann Mattheson as having played a key role in the transmission of both the French and Italian musical styles throughout the German-speaking lands. Following study in Paris, Cousser was employed at a string of German courts, training musicians in the newly fashionable French style. At the court of Duke Anton Ulrich in Wolfenbüttel, he experienced at first hand performances of opera by Italian virtuosos and subsequently introduced countless German musicians and their audiences to the Italian musical style. Yet with the onset of war in 1701, Cousser was forced to seek his fortune elsewhere, moving to London in 1704 before settling permanently in Ireland. The Well-Travelled Musician expands current knowledge of Cousser's early life and professional career significantly, examining his particular role in the dissemination of music and musical styles throughout the German-speaking lands, as well as in early eighteenth-century London and Dublin. Drawing upon a rich body of primary sources, above all the unparalleled evidence contained in Cousser's so-called commonplace book, it reveals the practicalities of early modern musical exchange at a grass-roots level, from Pressburg (now Bratislava) to Paris, Hamburg to Dublin, and beyond. SAMANTHA OWENS is Associate Professor of Musicology at Victoria University of Wellington, New ZealandTrade ReviewA substantial contribution to our knowledge of not just Cousser but also baroque musical culture. * THE CONSORT *An exciting contribution to the study of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century musical life through the unique lens of the everyday experiences of musicmaking... a valuable perspective that hopefully will encourage future studies of a similar kind, and for which Owens's monograph would serve as an excellent model. * CONTEXT: A JOURNAL OF MUSIC RESEARCH *Will be of interest not only to musicologists, but anyone with an interest on social and cultural exchange across Europe in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. * SLAVONIC AND EAST EUROPEAN REVIEW *This wonderful and much-needed monograph not only provides the essential information about Cousser's life and career, but also allows us to examine the contents of a precious little book, pocket-sized that Cousser kept and wrote in from the 1690s until his death. . . . [which] 'offers a wealth of evidence concerning activities and preoccupations of a Baroque musician, not only professionally, but also far beyond that sphere' . . . . [Genuine praise is due Samantha Owens for offering us this fascinating and excellent addition to our music libraries. * EARLY MUSIC AMERICA *Table of ContentsIntroduction: John Sigismond Cousser and his 'Commonplace Book' Hungarian Beginnings and the Adoption of French Musical Style Kapellmeister at the Wolfenbüttel Court and Braunschweig Opera House Ariadne to Porus - Cousser's Braunschweig Operas 'The Incomparable Director' in Hamburg, Nuremberg and Augsburg Heliconische Musen-Lust - Opera at the Württemberg Court 'Il Paradiso terrestre'? - Cousser in London 'Fortune Not Blind' - Music for Dublin Castle 'Our Concert' - A Musician at Home Cousser's 'Collection of Fine Musick' and the Practicalities of Musical Exchange Appendix 1: Summary of the Contents of Cousser's 'Commonplace Book' Appendix 2: Cousser's Address Book Appendix 3:Cousser's Books of Cantatas, Madrigals, Duets and Serenatas Appendix 4:Cousser's Inventory of Ouverture Incipits Appendix 5: Transcription of Cousser's Notes for his 1716 Trip to London and the Continent

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Book SynopsisJoseph Joachim (1831-1907) was arguably the greatest violinist of the nineteenth century. But Joachim was also a composer of virtuoso pieces, violin concertos, orchestral overtures and chamber music works. Uhde's book will be thestandard work on the music of Joseph Joachim for many years to come. Joseph Joachim (1831-1907), of Jewish-Hungarian descent, was arguably the greatest violinist of the nineteenth century. His performing career in Berlin transformed the aesthetics and interpretation of German music. But Joachim wasalso a composer of virtuoso pieces, violin concertos, orchestral overtures, and chamber music works, all written between 1847 and 1864 in one intense outpouring of creativity. Katharina Uhde follows Joachim's compositionalpath through a changing cultural milieu. Joachim's compositions display intimate knowledge of the works of Mendelssohn, Wagner, Liszt, Schumann, and Brahms, yet he was no mere imitator. Joachim's style, classically conceived yetseasoned with a preference for dark, melancholy soundscapes and, in the earlier years, ciphers, virtuosity, and 'psychological' programmaticism, emerges as the product of various personal and socio-cultural currents: his search for national, religious, and cultural identity and a mature compositional style. Joachim's music drew on a wealth of treasures accumulated in his process of 'enculturation', which began with Mendelssohn in Leipzig. Joachim'saesthetic evolved from a deeply subjective approach, not insignificantly inspired by his muse, Gisela von Arnim. Her circle - the von Arnim and Grimm families - became Joachim's cultural and literary haven. But unforeseen events also impacted his output, among them Schumann's death, the ascent of the young Brahms, and the 'War of the Romantics'. Joachim's music throws light onto a vibrant decade, colored by realism, naturalism, new visual technologies, andemerging academic disciplines including psychology. Uhde's book will be the standard work on the music of Joseph Joachim for many years to come. KATHARINA UHDE is Assistant Professor for Violin and Musicology at Valparaiso University, IN.Trade ReviewIn the end, it seems that the conflicting binaries of nationality, of virtuoso performer vs. 'priestly' performer and of performer-interpreter vs. composer remained unresolved within Joachim himself. This book goes a long way towards illuminating these tensions and marks an important step towards opening up the topic for discussion. * STUDIA MUSICOLOGICA *A study centred around Joachim's music and his life as a composer...uncovers relationships both external and regional, as well as personal influences...In her analysis, Uhde shows immense musical and, in particular, technical expertise by exploring the structural and harmonic depth of Joachim's compositions from a violinist's point of view. * JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF MUSICOLOGY IN IRELAND *This book is the first full-length treatment in English devoted to Joachim as a composer . . . [and a] sorely needed addition to the scholarly literature of the late Romantic period. Uhde does an exemplary job of presenting and analyzing the entirety of Joachim's oeuvre, and she does so with the rarest of sensibilities, namely that of a musicologist who is also a performing musician. She intersperses the work with numerous biographical details, and her examinations of Joachim's compositions include plenty of cultural and historical context. . . . [A]n important work about a too-long neglected musician. * CHOICE *Gives an exhaustive analysis of Joachim's works, with research into Joachim's life at that point, German politics and philosophy and comparisons with other pieces that were influential to him. * STRINGENDO, AUSTA NATIONAL JOURNAL *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Approaching the Music of Joseph Joachim Virtuosity Uncoiled: Two Fantasies Re-discovered From Leipzig to Weimar Between Uncoiled Virtuosity and Lisztian Temptations Finding his Voice: Between Vergangenheitsmusik and Zukunftsmusik Joachim Encoded, or, 'Psychological Music' 'Psychological Music' Experienced and Remembered: Joachim and the Demetrius Plot in 1854 and 1876 Resisting the Dark Butterfly Joachim and the Art of Variation Identities: The Hungarian Concerto and Hebrew Melodies Gisela von Arnim and Compositional Memories, or Ciphers in Disguise Cultural Objects in a Prussian Society Conclusion: an Assessment of Joachim's Style Appendix: Joachim Catalogue of Works Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe first study of the performance practice, repertoire and context of the modern 'brass ensemble' in the musical world. Whereas the British 'brass band' originated in the nineteenth century and rapidly developed into a nationwide working-class movement, the perceived modern 'brass ensemble' has a less clear foundation and identity. This book is the first to focus exclusively on the performance, practice, repertoire and context of the 'brass ensemble' in the musical world. Following World War II, the brass quintet and other orchestral groupings emerged in the United States and Europe, with musical customs established by professional players playing orchestral instruments. These groups initially played a combination of the music of Gabrieli and his contemporaries as well as newly commissioned works. By the late twentieth century, however, repertory spanned works by Elliott Carter, Maxwell Davies and Lutosławski, together with music that integrated jazz, commercial elements, and landmark transcriptions. At the book's heart is the story of the London-based, internationally acclaimed, Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. But this is not a story of one ensemble, as the 'brass ensemble' can be defined in several forms. The Modern Brass Ensemble in Twentieth-Century Britain offers a comprehensive account by an author and performer who was involved in many of the key developments of the modern 'brass ensemble'.Trade ReviewMiller's writing style is clear and informative, bringing an inclusive, contemporary view to a previously overlooked subject in musical history. He speaks from valuable personal experience in addition to his extensive research, which offers an enthusiastic and assuredly confident tone. -- Lucy Pankhurst * NABMSA Reviews *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Nineteenth-century brass music: the beginnings 2. Brass music-making in the early twentieth century 3. European brass music after World War II: the establishment of the brass quintet in Britain 4. The stimuli of the modern brass ensemble: the record industry, contemporary music, international activity, the player-arranger 5. Howarth's Pictures at an Exhibition, and the new reach of British brass playing 6. Continuity and change: the succession of British brass ensembles after the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble 7. Aspects of historical brass: uncovering phenomena of the past 8. Envoi Appendix 1. Selective List of Published Music Appendix 2. Selective Discography Appendix 3. London Brass: major commissions 1986-2001 Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisExplores the world of women's professional and amateur musical activity as it developed on and beyond the island of Ireland. In a story which spans several centuries, the book highlights representative composers and performers in classical music, Irish traditional music, and contemporary art music whose contributions have been marginalised in music narratives. As well as investigating the careers of public figures, this edited collection brings attention to women who engaged with and taught music in a variety of domestic settings. It also shines a spotlight on women who worked behind the scenes to build infrastructures such as festivals and educational institutions which remain at the heart of the country's musical life today. The book addresses and reconsiders ideas about the intersections of music, gender, and Irish society, including how the national emblem of the harp became recast as a symbol of Irish womanhood in the twentieth century. The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 surveys women musicians in Irish society of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Part 2 discusses women and practice in Irish traditional music. Part 3 studies gaps and gender politics in the history of twentieth-century women composers and performers. Part 4 situates discourses of women, gender, and music in the twenty-first century. The book's contributors encompass musicologists, cultural historians, composers, and performers.Table of ContentsPreface Lorraine Byrne Bodley and Harry White Introduction Laura Watson, Jennifer O'Connor-Madsen, and Ita Beausang Part I: Establishing a Place for Women Musicians in Irish Society of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries 1. Daughters of Hibernia: Seen and Not Heard? Ita Beausang 2. 'No Accomplishment So Great for a Lady': Women and Music in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Elite Irish Household Karol Mullaney-Dignam 3. The Development of the Female Musician in Nineteenth Century Dublin Jennifer O'Connor-Madsen 4. Family, Filial Ties, and Forging Careers as Female Musicians in the Nineteenth Century: The Story of the Glover Sisters Mary Louise O'Donnell Part II: Women and Practice in Irish Traditional Music 5. The Daghda, the Minstrel Boy, and Convent Schools: Reflections on Gender and the Harp in Ireland Helen Lawlor 6. 'No Longer Second Fiddle': Due Recognition for Josephine Keegan Daithí Kearney 7. Ireland's Female Harping Triumvirate: The Legacy of Sheila Larchet Cuthbert, Mercedes Garvey, and Gráinne Yeats Teresa O'Donnell Part III: Gaps and Gender Politics in the History of Twentieth-Century Women Composers and Performers 8. 'A Daughter of Music': Alicia Adélaïde Needham's Anglo-Irish Life and Music Axel Klein 9. Mary Dickenson-Auner: A Life with the Violin Margarethe Engelhardt-Krajanek 10. 'Opera Over a Cooking Stove': Gender Dynamics in the Music Career of Joan Trimble Ruth Stanley 11. Rhoda Coghill and the Gender Politics of Piano Performance Laura Watson Part IV: Situating Discourses of Women, Gender, and Music in the Twenty-First Century 12. Women and Composition: Fifty Years of Progress? Nicola LeFanu 13. Transcending Conventional Habits: Music and the Collaborative Process in Joint Works Rhona Clarke 14. Surveying the Scene: Current Thoughts on Women and Electroacoustic Music in Ireland Barbara Jillian Dignam 15. We Buried the Heteropatriarchy and Danced on its Grave: Towards a Liberation Movement for Irish Traditional Music Tes Slominski Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn the vinyl era, David W. Berner played rock 'n' roll in a neighborhood garage band. Decades later at the age of 57 he enters a national songwriting contest and quite unexpectedly is named a finalist. But there's more. He's called on to perform the song live at a storied venue for Americana music. Grabbing his old guitar and the love of his life, David hits the road, hoping to live out a musical fantasy he thought had been buried long ago. October Song is a powerful examination of the passage of time, love, the power of music, and the power of dreams. FINALIST American Book Fest's 2017 American Book AwardsTrade ReviewOctober Song is about and for all who wonder if it's too late to follow a dream. Through his easy conversational tone, David W. Berner shares his heart and soul as if we were curled up together, sipping hot chocolate in front of a fireplace. Like a favorite song, that warm fuzzy feeling lingers on well after the story is done. -- Viga Boland, author of No Tears for My Father With his gift of a no-holds-barred writing styleraw, honest, confessionalBerner succeeds, once again, as a master storyteller. Music can tell the story of our past. Lyrics evoke memories; melodies make the heart thump like it did on a first date. October Song brings the reader through a mix tape of life, as Berner tells his tale of new love while traveling through landscapes and time. Each chapter reads like a beloved song. -- Geralyn Hesslau Magrady, author of Lines October Song strikes all the right chords; the high notes and the low notes of a life's journeythe losses, the lessons, the loves. Composed with tenderness and affection, Berner's heartfelt and ultimately life-affirming joy ride teaches us that you're never too old to roll down the window, crank it up and belt it out. -- Randy Richardson, author of Cheeseland, Lost in the Ivy

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Book SynopsisThe life and songs of singer-songwriter Momus during his time at Creation records and beyond. Momus - the stage name of musician Nicholas Currie - is one of the most prolific and talented indie songwriters of the last forty years. His work is controversial, influential and highly regarded. From aspiring indie pop star of the 1980s to Japanese chart success in the 1990s through many experimental works to the present day, he has been a constant in the search for intelligent, thinking person's pop. Jarvis Cocker asked him to produce his band Pulp, the NME memorably awarded his album "Hippopotamomus" 0/10, Creation Records dropped him when he proved too dangerous for them, and his more controversial work led to astounding legal tussles. His personal life has involved scandal and heartbreak and he lost an eye following an infection, resulting in his distinctive eye-patch. His songs including "The Hairstyle of the Devil", "The Guitar Lesson" and "I Want You but I Don't Need You" are acclaimed and have been covered by artists including Amanda Palmer and Steven Wilson.

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Book SynopsisTo mark the first issue of this exciting new journal, Liverpool University Press are publishing a commemorative paperback edition of The Journal of Beatles Studies which will be available alongside the Open Access Journal edition.The Journal of Beatles Studies is the first journal to establish The Beatles as an object of academic research, and will publish original, rigorously researched essays, notes, as well as book and media reviews.The journal aims are; to provide a voice to new and emerging research locating the Beatles in new contexts, groups and communities from within and beyond academic institutions; to inaugurate, innovate, interrogate and challenge narrative, cultural historical and musicological tropes about the Beatles as both subject and object of study; to publish original and critical research from Beatles scholars around the globe and across disciplines.The Journal of Beatles Studies establishes a scholarly focal point for critique, dialogue and exchange on the nature, scope and value of The Beatles as an object of academic enquiry and seeks to examine and assess the continued economic value and cultural values generated by and around The Beatles, for policy makers, creative industries and consumers. The journal also seeks to approach The Beatles as a prism for accessing insight into wider historical, social and cultural issues.

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Book SynopsisThe Journal of Beatles Studies is the first journal to establish The Beatles as an object of academic research, and will publish original, rigorously researched essays, notes, as well as book and media reviews. The journal aims are; to provide a voice to new and emerging research locating the Beatles in new contexts, groups and communities from within and beyond academic institutions; to inaugurate, innovate, interrogate and challenge narrative, cultural historical and musicological tropes about the Beatles as both subject and object of study; to publish original and critical research from Beatles scholars around the globe and across disciplines. The Journal of Beatles Studies establishes a scholarly focal point for critique, dialogue and exchange on the nature, scope and value of The Beatles as an object of academic enquiry and seeks to examine and assess the continued economic value and cultural values generated by and around The Beatles, for policy makers, creative industries and consumers. The journal also seeks to approach The Beatles as a prism for accessing insight into wider historical, social and cultural issues.

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Book SynopsisA vivid picture of the public and private life of a professional musician in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century London. This well-documented life of Samuel Wesley gives a vivid picture of the life of a professional musician in late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century London. Wesley was born in 1766, the son of the Methodist hymn-writer CharlesWesley and nephew of the preacher John Wesley. He was the finest composer and organist of his generation, but his unconventional behaviour makes him of more than ordinary interest. He lived through a crucial stage of English musicfrom the immediately post-Handel generation to the early Romantic period, and his large output includes piano and organ music, orchestral music, church music, glees, and songs. He also taught and lectured on music, and was involved in journalism, publishing, and promoting the music of J. S. Bach. This book draws on letters, family papers, and other contemporary documents to offer a full study of Wesley, his music, and his life and times. PHILIP OLLESON is Professor of Historical Musicology at the University of Nottingham. He has edited The Letters of Samuel Wesley: Professional and Social Correspondence, 1797-1837, is the joint author (with Michael Kassler) of Samuel Wesley (1766-1837): A Source Book, and has written extensively about other aspects of music in England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.Trade ReviewMasterful. [...] Both musicologists and historians of the period will find in Olleson's book an exceptionally well-considered discussion of Wesley's life and times, and an extremely valuable addition to research of the period. * RECUSANT HISTORY *This is a major study which may be enjoyed on several levels; as a biography, or social commentary, or background to the musical life of Georgian/Regency England, or as informed discussion of the composer's output, and more besides. As a biography, it is a gripping read.... [A] splendid book. * THE ORGANIST'S REVIEW *This totally absorbing account, fluently narrated and minutely documented with the help of the prolific letter-writing Wesleys, guarantees a sympathetic hearing for the troubled Samuel. It deserves to be widely read, and not just by musicians, for its intelligent perspective on the consequences for individuals of living through a period of artistic, social and philosophical change. * THE MUSICAL TIMES *Not only a scholarly work, but a stonking good read. * CLASSICAL TIMES *Philip Olleson's astonishing biography.is a fascinating read. * THE DELIAN *Strongly recommended to anyone with a serious interest in Wesley or in the period encompassing his life. * AD PARNASSUM *Leads the reader carefully through the evolution of Samuel's career, portraying his volatile life and personality candidly and with good taste. [.] Establishes the significance of Wesley's career intelligently. * ANGLICAN AND EPISCOPAL HISTORY *

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Book SynopsisA revised and enlarged paperback edition to mark the centenary of the much-loved singer's birth. In 1953, at the age of 41, Kathleen Ferrier, England's greatest lyric contralto, lost her courageous battle with breast cancer. Her huge appeal to a wide audience - in concerts, on records, on the radio and in the opera house - has ensured her name endures to this day, despite a career which lasted barely ten years. In just half that time, this former telephone exchange operator was singing on stage at Covent Garden, before royalty at private parties, andat New York's Carnegie Hall. This collection of letters and twelve years of her personal diaries was first published by Boydell Press in 2003. Here, an enlarged paperback edition contains a new chapter revealing her growingimportance to the BBC, an additional 90 letters, together with much revised material and a selection of moving tributes. Published to mark the centenary of her birth in 1912, the book, of more than 400 letters, provides a vivid picture of a life which illuminated the war and post-war years of austerity and hardship. Kathleen Ferrier was surely fun to know. Her personality was a mix of extreme modesty and self-determined ambition, topped with a mischievously blunt sense of earthy Lancastrian humour. She is known for her glorious voice, but through the pages of these fascinating letters and diaries we get to meet the real person. DR CHRISTOPHER FIFIELD is a conductor, music historian, lecturer and broadcaster. He is the biographer of Max Bruch [Boydell Press 2005] and conductor Hans Richter, and the author of a history of the music agents Ibbs & Tillett.Trade ReviewIt is this treasury of information that makes this book such a valuable piece of scholarship. [...] a remarkable portrait of the life and times, the moods and concerns, the fun and the pain of Kathleen Ferrier. [...] Christopher Fifield [...] has written what may be regarded as an ideal model of this kind of book. [...] I strongly recommend this book. -- John France * MUSIC.WEB.INTERNATIONAL *[The] letters and diaries [...] are wonderfully colourful; they are funny and down-to-earth, informative and detailed. Her courage, to the very end, never faltered. * THE LANCASHIRE MAGAZINE *Christopher Fifield edits the domestic and professional material with informed sensitivity, discretely offering clarifications or context when necessary. There will be few better - or truer - tributes to this still much-missed singer. * CLASSICAL MUSIC [Editor's Choice] *Fifty years on, a voice that still touches the heart. * GRAMOPHONE *A vivid self-portrait of a brave, secure woman in love with life and music, whose joie de vivre was palpable and supported both by a notable lack of inflated egoism and a singular sense of humour which rarely faltered, even toward the end. Anyone interested in Kathleen Ferrier's life and art, and the milieu of the Second World War years and their aftermath by which they were embraced, will find this welcome book required reading. It is above all, and despite the final descent, a celebration of living. * JOHN TALBOT, BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY NEWSLETTER *On closing [this book] with a terrible sadness, I'm a fan too... The secret is her voice - the plain-speaking tone of a Lancashire lass who was also an aesthete, a joker and an exemplary friend. These letters...chronicle everything, from whom she knocked around with - Britten, Pears, Barbirolli, Danny Kaye, Rex Harrison - to what she sang and what she greedily ate. -- Michael Church * FINANCIAL TIMES *Delightful letters and diaries. -- Rupert Christiansen * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Editing and presentation are as fine as anyone could wish and Fifield's introductions to each chapter could not be better written. -- Best Buy5 Stars * CLASSIC FM *Table of ContentsIntroduction Letters 1940-1947 Letters 1948 Letters 1949 Letters 1950 Letters 1951 Letters 1952 Letters 1953 Kathleen Ferrier and the BBC: Letters 1941-1953 The Diaries: Introduction Diary for 1942 Diary for 1943 Diary for 1944 Diary for 1945 Diary for 1946 Diary for 1947 Diary for 1948 Diary for 1949 Diary for 1950 Diary for 1951 Diary for 1952

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Book SynopsisPublished to coincide with the 50th anniversary of his death, this book presents new articles by leading authorities on John Ireland and his music, together with transcriptions of his broadcast talks and of interviews with the composer. John Ireland [1879-1962] was one of the most distinctive and distinguished of a generation of exceptional British composers that included Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Frank Bridge and Arnold Bax. They emerged in the decade before the First World War and, in the inter-war years, produced a remarkable body of music. In Ireland's case his was not only the most popular British Piano Concerto of its time, but he also composed a splendid repertoire of songs,piano music, chamber music and orchestral and choral scores. This richly illustrated Companion will be essential for all admirers of the composer. Not only for the performer - pianist, singer, conductor - but for thewider musical public, record collectors and music historians, academics and anyone interested in British music of the earlier twentieth century. Lewis Foreman has drawn on his extensive research into Ireland's life and letters over many years, and, in association with the John Ireland Charitable Trust, has not only commissioned a wide range of chapters from leading performers and writers of today, but has brought together in one convenient format Ireland's own writings on music, the memories of his friends and students (including Britten, Moeran and Arnell) and a selection of important earlier articles. The Companion also includes a complete list of works and themost comprehensive discography of Ireland ever compiled. The accompanying CD contains historical recordings featuring the voice of John Ireland, with two of his broadcast talks, as well as otherwise unobtainable performances of Ireland's music from the composer himself and from other well-known performers of the past. LEWIS FOREMAN is author of Bax: A Composer and His Time [Boydell, 2007] and London: a Musical Gazetteer [Yale 2005]. Contributors: FELIX APRAHAMIAN, RICHARD ARNELL, BENJAMIN BRITTEN, JOCELYN BROOKE, ALAN BUSH, GEOFFREY BUSH, GEORGE DANNATT, JULIE DELLER, JEREMY DIBBLE, EDWIN EVANS, LEWIS FOREMAN, NORAH KIRBY, FREDERICK LAMOND, PHILIP LANCASTER, STEPHEN LE PROVOST, STEPHEN LLOYD, CHARLES MARKES, ROBERT MATTHEW-WALKER, E.J. MOERAN, ANGUS MORRISON, ERIC PARKIN, BRUCE PHILLIPS, C. B. REES, FIONA RICHARDS, ALAN ROWLANDS, R. MURRAY SCHAFER, MARION SCOTT, COLIN SCOTT-SUTHERLAND, HUMPHREY SEARLE, FREDA SWAIN, KENNETH THOMPSON, RODERICK WILLIAMS, KENNETH A. WRIGHTTrade Review[T]he Ireland enthusiast [...] will enjoy dipping into the contents again and again. * FANFARE *[A]n eminently readable [...] volume. * MUSICAL TIMES *This impressively large book [...] contains almost everything the reader could wish to know about the composer John Ireland. * DELIUS SOCIETY JOURNAL *[An] impressive publication, eagerly awaited and finely produced. * BMS NEWS *[A] well constructed and more than comprehensive volume. [...] beautifully produced and copiously illustrated [...] highly recommended. * ELGAR SOCIETY JOURNAL *What a cornucopia this is for admirers of Ireland's music, as the 50th anniversary of his death is marked for this year. [...] Many musical examples and some wonderful photographs enhance this splendid, thoroughly recommendable book. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *[T]his Companion (and a forthcoming collection of letters) will have to stand as the nearest thing to a true portrait of the man. * FINZI JOURNAL *Comprehensive and magisterial. * CHURCH TIMES *Any reader interested in the music of John Ireland will find this book a marvellous source of information [...] handsomely illustrated and beautifully produced. * RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS SOCIETY JOURNAL *In this substantial hardback, Ireland himself is brought to life through sympathetic explanations and pertinent recollections as well as exhaustive listings of repertoire and recordings [...] Much is revealed - a timely opportunity to stimulate or re-excite interest in a considerable composer. * GRAMOPHONE *[T]he latest monument to Lewis Foreman's heroic toil for British music. [...] A very impressive achievement. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE [5 stars] *Lewis Foreman deserves a medal for his Stakhanovite endeavours. A bouquet is in order, too, for the superb standards of production and proof-reading. ... [A] mighty achievement. John Ireland has come home. * INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW *The present volume takes a vitally important place in the relatively sparse bibliographical catalogue of John Ireland's life and music. [...] This book is essential reading for all enthusiasts of John Ireland's music in particular and British music in general. * MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL *Table of ContentsForeword by Julian Lloyd Webber John Ireland - a life in music - Colin Scott-Sutherland John Ireland: a personal discovery - Bruce Phillips Meeting John Ireland - Alan Rowlands John Ireland's personal world - Fiona Richards Interview with John Ireland - Murray Schafer Aprahamian, Bush, Markes, Morrison, Thompson remember John Ireland John Ireland and the BBC - Lewis Foreman Sea Fever: John Ireland and Deal - Julie Deller Remembering John Ireland and His World - Freda Swain Arthur Machen and John Ireland - Colin Scott-Sutherland Helen Perkin: pianist, composer and muse of John Ireland - Fiona Richards John Ireland and Charles Markes: a creative relationship - George Dannatt The John Ireland Charitable Trust - Bruce Phillips John Ireland: some musical fingerprints - Alan Rowlands John Ireland and the piano - Eric Parkin John Ireland in the Concert Hall: Orchestral and Choral-Orchestral Music - Lewis Foreman The Happy Highways: John Ireland's Chamber music - Bruce Phillips The Church Music of John Ireland - Jeremy Dibble The Organ Music - Stephen Le Provost The Songs of John Ireland - Charles Markes Songs of Innocence: the part-songs of John Ireland - Philip Lancaster John Ireland and Poetry: a singer's experience - Roderick Williams John Ireland on Record - Robert Matthew-Walker John Ireland: a personal impression - Geoffrey Bush Arnell, Britten, Bush, Moeran and Searle: Ireland's Pupils on their Teacher John Ireland: two reminiscences - Jocelyn Brooke Appreciation and biographical sketch - Norah Kirby Piano Sonata - Frederick Lamond Discovering John Ireland - Kenneth A. Wright John Ireland - E.J. Moeran John Ireland the Man - C.B. Rees Modern British Composers: John Ireland - Edwin Evans John Ireland's Writings on Music Appendices: John Ireland's Addresses and a Note on John Ireland's Handwriting Catalogue of works Discography

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Book SynopsisMäkelä's study brings together German, Nordic and Anglo-American work on Sibelius, and synthesizes these various strands of Sibelius reception into a single coherent critical narrative. This acclaimed study, available in English for the first time, looks at the music of Jean Sibelius in its biographical context. Myths have surrounded Sibelius [1865-1957] and his work, for more than 100 years, often diverting attention away from his creative output. Drawing on many unpublished sources, Mäkelä's study leads us back to Sibelius as a musician and a 'poet' of universal validity. Chapters examine the composer's creativity, inspiration, influence, aspects of genre, as well as the relationship of the artist with nature and homeland. Those who knew Sibelius at an early age tell of a youthful bohemian in the midst of European decadence. This 'age of Carmen'[Eduard Munch] marked Sibelius's formative years. The composer's most important works, dating from a time between his third symphony and Tapiola, reflect the modernistic mainstream. Sibelius's last three decades, known asthe 'Silence of Ainola', have inspired the masculine clichés that this book deconstructs. Sibelius was one of the least political artists of his time who nevertheless became heavily politicized. The first supreme musical talent in the region, he gave his nation a genuine sound. Europeans of the late nineteenth century showed increasing affinity with Nordic culture. Aino, Sibelius's wife, was instrumental in creating the image of her husband as a Nordic icon. The book closely scrutinizes this popular image. In an Anglo-American artistic context his mix of regionalism and modernity remained attractive even when these elements went out of fashion in the art movement of continental Europe. Ideas of Finland and the North vastly influenced the interpretation of meaning in Sibelius's music, a music that until this day remains enigmatic.Trade ReviewThe attempt to draw a complete picture is carried out impressively, with a critical basis that is seldom present in such portraits. * KLASSISK MUSIKKMAGASIN *[C]arefully details Sibelius's life and provides a richly painted portrait of the world around the composer. [...] will be a source for Sibelius scholars for many years to come. [...] Recommended. * CHOICE *[W]ith its exhaustive archival underpinning and determination not to short-circuit complex issues, the book is unlikely to be challenged [...] for quite some time. * MUSICAL TIMES *Tomi Mäkelä has assembled a vast amount of referential material [...] free from stridency and polemic, keen to raise questions [...] and genuinely interested in an enthralling subject. I found myself responding with increasing pleasure and respect. -- Malcolm Hayes * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *Mäkelä provides thought-provoking historical and cultural insights. His exceptionally thorough research draws on a wide range of source materials that is wider than usual, including some rarely tapped sources close to Sibelius himself. * UK SIBELIUS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER *Mäkelä is creating a notably elaborate artistic and intellectual context in which to assess Sibelius's unique - 'visionary, ecstatic, imagination based' - creative urge. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *Table of Contents1 Insights 2 The Creator in His World 3 Influence and Resistance from 1880 to 1929 4 The Large-Scale Genres 5 Artist, Nature, Homeland: From Insight to Intention 6 Epilogue 409

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Book SynopsisA novel approach to biography, drawing on interview material and other sources, all extensively annotated. This book is a major source of information about one of the most influential British composers of the mid-twentieth century and the musicians he knew. It also provides details of the musical relationship between Paris and London before, during and after World War II. Berkeley had a ring-side seat when he lived in Paris, studied with Nadia Boulanger and wrote reviews about musical life there from 1929 to 1934. His little known letters to her reveal the mesmeric power of this extraordinary woman. Berkeley was an elegant writer, and it is fascinating to read his first-hand memories of composers such as Ravel, Poulenc, Stravinsky and Britten. The book also contains interviewswith Berkeley's colleagues, friends and family. These include performers such as Julian Bream and Norman Del Mar; composers Nicholas Maw and Malcolm Williamson; the composer's eldest son Michael, the composer and broadcaster; andLady Berkeley. Lennox Berkeley knew Britten well, and there are many references to him in this eminently readable collection. Peter Dickinson, British composer and pianist, has written and edited numerous books about twentieth-century music, including Cage Talk: Dialogues with and about John Cage as well as Samuel Barber Remembered (both with University of Rochester Press) and three books published by Boydell Press: The Music of Lennox Berkeley; Copland Connotations; and Lord Berners: Composer, Writer, Painter. Peter Dickinson's music is widely performed and recorded. Dickinson knew Berkeley from 1956 until the composer's death in 1989; performed many of the songs with his sister, the mezzo Meriel Dickinson; and has written and broadcast regularly about his music.Trade ReviewThis collection [...] is a major source of information concerning one of the most influential composers of the mid-twentieth century and the musicians he knew. * DELIUS JOURNAL *This is a fascinating and always interesting read - splendid for bedtime dipping and, thanks to the index, for research. Strongly recommended. * ELGAR SOCIETY JOURNAL *One doesn't need to be an admirer of Lennox Berkeley's music to appreciate the wisdom and insights which this most welcome collection of various writings has to offer. [...] Peter Dickinson is to be commended for bringing together this illuminating material. * MUSICAL TIMES *Every page in this excellently edited, finely produced volume speaks of a composer who listened to his inner voice, turning a deaf ear to the blandishments of fame or fortune. ... [Berkeley] has been too often overlooked; Peter Dickinson's book will surely do much to remedy that. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *[Berkeley's writings reveal the same kindly, urbane and by no means undiscerning personality that is heard in his music. * INTERNATIONAL PIANO *This valuable book reminds us that by keenly analysing limitations in other composers and himself without undue cruelty, Berkeley was more than the gentle and kindly soul whom all of the interviewees recall; he was also a most perceptive thinker about opera. * OPERA *[T]his is a handsome and welcome tribute to a composer who did not necessarily make a huge statement [...] As a publication and as a chronicle of a creative life, it could not be better achieved. * GRAMOPHONE *[P]rolific composer and well-loved man, Lennox Berkeley [...] remains an enigma to most of us even if we know little of his enormous output of songs, symphonies, ballets and spiritually inclined choral music. [...] [This] new collection of writings, letters and interviews, edited by his one-time pupil Peter Dickinson, offers an easily digested introduction to the composer and his milieu. * SPECTATOR *After reading [this] new volume I feel I almost knew the man. [...] highly recommended. * CLASSICAL.NET *This book is essential reading for all enthusiasts of 20th century music, and will be of tremendous value to all scholars of British music in particular and Western music in general. -- John France * MUSIC.WEB.INTERNATIONAL *Table of ContentsIntroduction Reports from Paris, 1929-34 Letters to Nadia Boulanger, 1929-79 Selections from Berkeley's Later Writings and Talks, 1943-82 Interviews with Berkeley, 1973-8 Extracts from Berkeley's Diaries, 1966-82 Interviews with Performers, Composers, Family and Friends, 1990-91 Memorial Address by Sir John Manduell Catalogue of Works Bibliographies

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth study of the life of Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1941), pianist, composer and conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, who arguably made Manchester the most important focus for music in Britain in his day. Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1941) is best known as the conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, who arguably made Manchester the most important focus for music in Britain in his day. This book chronicles and analyses Harty's illustrious career, from his establishment as London's premiere accompanist in 1901 to his years as a conductor between 1910 and 1933, first with the LSO and then with the Hallé, to his American tours of the 1930s. Tragically, Harty died from cancer in 1941 at the age of only 61. This book also looks at Harty's life as a composer of orchestral and chamber works and songs, notably before the First World War. Although Harty's music cleaved strongly to a late nineteenth-century musical language, he was profoundly influenced during his days in Ulster and Dublin by the Irish literary revival. A great exponent of Mozart and especially Berlioz, Harty was also a keen exponent of British music and an active supporter of American composers such as Gershwin. Harty's role in the exposition of standard and new repertoire and his relationship with contemporary composers and performers are also examined, against the perspective of other important major British conductors such as Sir Thomas Beecham, Malcolm Sargent and Sir Henry Wood. Additionally, the book analyses the debates Harty provoked on the subjects of women orchestral players, jazz, modernism, and the music of Berlioz. JEREMY DIBBLE is Professor of Music at Durham University and author of John Stainer: A Life in Music(The Boydell Press, 2007) and monographs on C. Hubert H. Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford and Michele Esposito.Trade ReviewSheds a good deal of light on the life, varied career, and works of an important but neglected figure. Dibble's writing is clear, and he brings a great deal of knowledge and passion to bear on his subject. His treatment of the multifaceted Harty has something to offer those interested in the history of recording, of British orchestras, of 20th century British composers, and, of course, in Harty himself. * ARSC JOURNAL *For experienced scholars, it is a fascinating refresher. . . . Dibble's writing . . . whet[s] the appetite for further discovery. A biography that makes the reader want to discover more is surely a successful one. * NABSMA Reviews *Including an excellent bibliography, discography, and index, this is a major study of Harty. Summing Up: Recommended. * CHOICE *This is a valuable work of scholarship, meticulously researched from a wide range of sources, and an engaging read. * GRAMOPHONE *This landmark biography reveals there is a great deal more to him. . . . Engaging and fluent style . . . fascinating. I hope this book will stimulate both performances and recordings . . . Dibble provides an indispensable primer for all future research. . . . An essential volume for anyone interested in the history of British music. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *This impressive biographical study of Hamilton Harty and his achievement is a timely re-discovery of one of the most important and charismatic figures in British music. [T]he first major biography of this composer/conductor to be published. . . . [I]ndispensable reading for anyone who is interested in his compositions, the influence that Harty had on orchestral playing and administration. . . . Dibble presents strong and coherent arguments to assure Harty his place in the Valhalla of British conductors such as Thomas Beecham, Henry Wood and Malcolm Sargent. * MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL, *[Jeremy Dibble's Hamilton Harty reveals] great detail and in a manner that always maintains the reader's interest, making it imperative to turn the page to find out what happens next. The sheer number of primary sources that he has uncovered and explored is impressive . . . considerable achievement . . . recommending it wholeheartedly . . . beautifully produced book and amply illustrated with photographs and music examples. * ELGAR SOCIETY JOURNAL *Here, at last, is a full appreciation of [this] remarkable musician. Most engaging. . . . Deeply moving. [Five Stars] * BBC MUSIC, February 2014 *Table of ContentsPreface Hillsborough, Belfast and Dublin - A Musical Apprenticeship - 1879-1901 London (1) 1901-1909: A Pre-eminent 'Collaborator' and Aspiring Composer London (2) 1909-1914: Composer and Conductor The War Years and After - 1914-1920 The Hallé Years - 1920-1927 Apogee: From Hallé to the LSO - 1927-33 America and Australia: An Unforeseen Romance - 1933-1936 The Last Years: The Children of Lir - A Creative Codicil - 1933-41 Bibliography Appendix One: List of Works Appendix Two: List of Recordings

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