How are conductors' silent gestures magicked into sound by a group of more than a hundred brilliant but belligerent musicians? The mute choreography of great conductors has fascinated and frustrated musicians and music-lovers for centuries. Orchestras can be inspired to the heights of musical and expressive possibility by their maestros, or flabbergasted that someone who doesn't even make a sound should be elevated to demigod-like status by the public. This is the first book to go inside the rehearsal rooms of some of the most inspirational orchestral partnerships in the world - how Simon Rattle works at the Berlin Philharmonic, how Mariss Jansons deals with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, and how Claudio Abbado creates the world's most luxurious pick-up band every year with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. From London to Budapest, Bamberg to Vienna, great orchestral concerts are recreated as a collection of countless human and musical stories.

Selected by piano teachers for piano teachers, EPTA Teachers' Choice Piano Collection 1 is a collection of the most popular pieces for Grade 1-4 level students, as voted for by members of the European Piano Teacher's Association (EPTA). Each piece is introduced with a comment from a teacher, providing first-hand insights, tips and technical advice.

for SSAATTBarB unaccompanied Descendi in hortum meum is an original setting of the Song of Solomon, unique in that it is arranged for seven voices while still capturing the lush and beautiful essence of a garden in bloom and longing for the return of the beloved Shulamite. This general text of love and yearning is suitable throughout the church year, but also serves well as a concert piece for a community choir.

for SATB and organ or brass quartet and timpani Eleanor Daley sets this Wesley text in an antiphonal style between the SATB choir and organ (or brass quartet, parts available separately). The sound is majestic and declamatory, just as one would expect from an Easter fanfare, with a hint of modal harmony, resulting in a strong and accessible Eastertide anthem.

for SATB and organ or orchestra A stirring hymn, important to the Mormon religion but suitable for all denominations, conveys a spirit of faith and praise despite difficult times. This text is originally written by William Clayton, but has alternate lyrics in spots for maximal ecumenism. The piece is accessible to most church choirs and includes Wilberg's signature sound and a climactic ending. Orchestral material is available on hire.

for SATB and organ or chamber orchestra This delightful setting of the French carol is perfectly suited to open a service or concert with its spirited choral parts, energetic articulations, and quick glissandi in the organ. A new English translation is written by David Warner. Orchestral material is available on rental.

for SATB and piano four-hands or orchestra A wonderful processional, Wilberg's Bring a torch, Jeannette, Isabella! is a joyful carol. A catchy, brightly articulated countermelody distinguishes this from other settings. The women sing alone, then the men, and all join together for a triumphant finish. Orchestral material is available on rental.

First published in 1998, this broad survey includes a large number of musical illustrations and provides an indispensable guide for both students and teachers. Hexachords and solmization syllables formed the foundations of musical language during the sixteenth century. Yet, owing to changes over time in music education and style, there no longer exists widespread general knowledge of hexachords. Without this awareness it is impossible to appreciate fully the music of the most important composers of the Renaissance such as Palestrina, Lasso and Monteverdi. This book is the first attempt to fill such a gap in our understanding of hexachords and how they were employed in late-Renaissance music. Lionel Pike's research covers the period from Willaert to Dowland (c. 1530-1600) and examines the ways in which the uses of hexachords developed in the hands of different composers. The book concludes with an investigation of English examples of hexachords in vocal and instrumental music.

Renowned composer Jennifer Higdon is best known for her symphonic pieces "Blue Cathedral," "Concerto for Orchestra," "City Scape," "Concerto 4-3" and "Violin Concerto" (2010 Pulitzer Prize). These compositions illustrate her breadth of style and avant-garde technique, inspired by bluegrass and folk melodies. The author examines these works-with commentary by Higdon-as well as the music of her first opera, with a focus on compositional history, musical characteristics, formal analysis and critical reception.

Few genres of the last 250 years have proved so crucial to the course of music history, or so vital to public musical experience, as the symphony. This Companion offers an accessible guide to the historical, analytical and interpretative issues surrounding this major genre of Western music, discussing an extensive variety of works from the eighteenth century to the present day. The book complements a detailed review of the symphony's history with focused analytical essays from leading scholars on the symphonic music of both mainstream composers, including Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven and lesser-known figures, including Carter, Berio and Maxwell Davies. With chapters on a comprehensive range of topics, from the symphony's origins to the politics of its reception in the twentieth century, this is an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in the history, analysis and performance of the symphonic repertoire.

A prominent conductor explores how aesthetic criteria masked the political goals of countries during the three great wars of the past century "[Mauceri's] writing is more exhilarating than any helicopter ride we have been on."-Air Mail "Fluently written and often cogent."-Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal This book offers a major reassessment of classical music in the twentieth century. John Mauceri argues that the history of music during this span was shaped by three major wars of that century: World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Probing why so few works have been added to the canon since 1930, Mauceri examines the trajectories of great composers who, following World War I, created voices that were unique and versatile, but superficially simpler. He contends that the fate of composers during World War II is inextricably linked to the political goals of their respective governments, resulting in the silencing of experimental music in Germany, Italy, and Russia; the exodus of composers to America; and the sudden return of experimental music-what he calls "the institutional avant-garde"-as the lingua franca of classical music in the West during the Cold War.

First published in 1996, this volume counters the attitude of paying more attention to the performer than to the piece. Too often, Anthony Hopkins argues, music is simply regarded as a pleasant background noise to accompany our other activities, whereas Beethoven offers much more than that. Hopkins aim to promote hearing, rather than listening. He examines Beethoven's piano concertos numbers 1 through 5, along with the violin concerto in D Major, Op. 61, and the Triple Concerto, Op. 56.

The Lute in Britain is the first comprehensive account of the lute's history and music in Britain from medieval times to the present. Writing for the music student, the serious listener, the player, maker, and lute enthusiast, Spring makes available for the first time over forty years of musical scholarship that has previously been the preserve of academic journals.

This work was once credited to Mozart but later discounted as being by him and attributed instead to the composer Jan Zach (1699-1773). Rcent Zach scholarship has largely discredited the idea of Zach being the composer. In any case, this work has remained quite popular for good reason regardless of who the actual composer may have been. This new, beautifully engraved vocal score edited by Richard Sargeant will be welcomed by choruses worldwide interested in performance or study of this delightful piece of Latin church music from Mozart's time.