Description
Book SynopsisJames Blades' famous book has been referred to as the 'percussionist's bible'. It is established as the definitive reference work on the subject. This extended edition includes two additional chapters by leading solo percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie, and by Neil Percy, Head of Timpani and Percussion at the Royal Academy of Music.
Trade Review"This extraordinary scholarly publication has been the "get to" source for many of us over the years and, for me personally, still remains as a vital tool for my exploration of percussion." - Dame Evelyn Glennie; "The book remains the seminal work on percussion instruments and their use. Now with the addition of the new chapters, it is even more the essential reference guide for musicians and music educators on all things percussion" - Andy Gleadhill, Music Teacher; "Mr Blades has managed to work in a truly encyclopedic number of allusions to this or that effect, this and that composer, work and trick....; Mr Blades, the scholar, yields partial place to Mr Blades the performer for an enormous and exemplary chapter on the percussionist's art....; The book's lavish photographs and drawings are an endless source of pleasure....; The historian and musicologists as well as the performer (including conductors) will find Mr Blades's book indispensable" - The Times Literary Supplement; "Undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive books written on the subject, it is completely absorbing, despite its formidable size." - British Journal of Music Education
Table of ContentsForeword to the first edition by Benjamin Britten, Author's Preface, Foreword to this enlarged edition by Evelyn Glennie, 1. Origins of Percussion, 2. The Drum, 3. The Primitive Xylophone, 4. Percussion Instruments of China and the Far East, 5. Japan, 6. India and Tibet, 7. Mesopotamia and Egypt, 8. Greece and Rome, 9. Arabia and Persia, 10. Mediaeval and Renaissance Europe, 11. Nakers and Kettledrums, 12. The Classical Orchestra, 13. The Romantic Orchestra - 1, 14. The Romantic Orchestra - 2, 15. Techniques of Contemporary Percussion, 16. Composers' Use of Modern Percussion, 17. The Modern Solo Percussionist by Dame Evelyn Glennie, 18. The Modern Orchestral Percussionist by Neil Percy, Appendices: 1. The Americas, 2. The Latin American Orchestra, 3. Changing Styles in Light Music, 4. Use of Percussion in Education, 5. Inventions and Patents, Recommended Technical and Recital Literature, Discography, Glossary of Principal Terms, Indices
