This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

In these writings, available here in English for the first time, the distinguished Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu reflects on his contemporaries, including John Cage, Olivier Messiaen, and Merce Cunningham; on nature, which has profoundly influenced his composition; on film and painting; on relationships between East and West; on traditional Japanese music; and on his own compositions.

Medtner's outstanding one-movement concerto was composed from 1914 to 1917 and given its premiere at a special concert in Moscow on May 12, 1918, featuring the composer as piano soloist and Serge Koussevitzky as conductor. For the first time, this work is now available in a clear, easy-to-read and affordable score.

Composed in 1718 while Handel was residing in Cannons Park. Like the other Chandos Anthems, it was comissioned by the Earl of Carnarvon James Brydges, subsequently named First Duke of Chandos. The anthem was first performed that year under the composer's direction ay St. Lawrence's Church in Cannons Park. The text is taken from Psalms 117, 135, and 148 in Nahum Tate and Nicolas Brady's 1696 "New Versions of the Psalms."This complete vocal and pano score, edited by Max Seiffert with a piano reduction by Karl Pasler, is an unabridged reprint of the score first issued by Breitkopf & Hartel, Leipzig ca. 1900.

The lute was one of the most important instruments in use in Europe from late medieval times up to the eighteenth century. Despite its acknowledged importance, this study is the first ever comprehensive work on the instrument and its music, apart from performance studies or bibliographical and reference publications. The book focuses on the lute's history, but also contains chapters on the lute in concert, lute song accompaniment, the thearbo, and the lute in Scotland. Written for the music student, the serious listener, the player, maker, and lute enthusiast, Spring makes available for the first time over 40 years of musical scholarship previously the preserve of academic journals.

From Hitler's notorious fondness for Wagner's operas to classical music's role in fuelling German chauvinism in the era of the world wars, many observers have pointed to a distinct relationship between German culture and reactionary politics. In Classical Music in Weimar Germany, Brendan Fay challenges this paradigm by reassessing the relationship between conservative musical culture and German politics. Drawing upon a range of archival sources, concert reviews and satirical cartoons, Fay maps the complex path of classical music culture from Weimar to Nazi Germany-a trajectory that was more crooked, uneven, or broken than straight. Through an examination of topics as varied as radio and race to nationalism, this book demonstrates the diversity of competing aesthetic, philosophical and political ideals held by German music critics that were a hallmark of Weimar Germany. Rather than seeing the cultural conservatism of this period as a natural prelude for the violence and destruction later unleashed by Nazism, this fascinating book sheds new light on traditional culture and its relationship to the rise of Nazism in 20th-century Germany.

During the ongoing process of European integration in 1957, Western European societies have undergone a rapid process of secularization. The eastward expansion of the European Union and the drafting of a European constitution, however, have triggered fundamental questions concerning the role of Christianity in European identity. The most anxiety-producing issues are the potential integration of Turkey and the non-European immigrants, who in most European countries are overwhelmingly Muslim.

"On the Field from Denver, Colorado!" is one man's view of the inside world of competitive junior drum corps. Whether you've marched 50 years ago, this past year or just yearned to be standing on the field, G.M. Kuzma's personal tale will give you a new appreciation for this musical art form."Good morning Blue Knights. Welcome to DCI Finals. The lights are on, stretch is in 12 and three quarter minutes." A couple of chuckles and moans ensue as we rise to face our destiny. It was "finally" here, three months of hard work, 12-hour practices, too many performances to count and now we are at the day of Finals.

Journey along with the young men and women of the 1994 Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps. Experience the Drum Corps International Summer Music Games and the intense preparations it took to arrive there.

Become a part of the action, stand on the field and learn what this life is really like in a drum & bugle corps on tour. The sacrifices, the joys, the heartbreak, the physical agony, the lifelong friendships, the lessons learned and earned.

"This is an essential read for all drum corps enthusiasts!"--Mark Arnold, Director

"Whether you know a lot about music or nothing at all, Miles Hoffman will help you think about what you listen to and how you listen. This book is a great achievement. There's nothing else out there like it." -- Wynton Marsalis, composer, trumpeter, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in music
An irresistible tour through the lexicon of classical music, The NPR Classical Music Companionoffers an essential education certain to increase any listener's understanding and appreciation of this potentially daunting musical genre. Miles Hoffman sheds light on more than 130 words and concepts that listeners may encounter in CD booklets, on the radio, in classical concert programs, or in newspaper reviews. These wholly delightful, accessible entries touch on fascinating topics, including what makes a good or a bad conductor, what musical term is most often misused, and why opera was invented. Whether you are an experienced concertgoer or have only recently been introduced to the music of Mozart and Beethoven, Hoffman's clear explanations will both enlighten and entertain.
"A musical guide filled with wit and unique charm. There are delicious musical morsels to delight everyone, from the novice to the scholar." -- Eugenia Zukerman, author, flutist, and arts correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning
" Hoffman] takes the myth and starch out of classical music." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Carefully researched . . . informal and informative. . . a reader-friendly book." -- Washington Post
Miles Hoffman is music commentator for National Public Radio(R) 's Morning Edition(R). A graduate of Yale University and the Juilliard School, he is the violist and artistic director of the American Chamber Players.

A riotous, rambling and incomplete history of classical music, complete with leg measurements. 'Hello, I'm Stephen Fry. Now time for the first outing of a brand, spanking new feature here on The Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music...putting some unsuspecting figure in music under the spotlight.' In his Incomplete & Utter History of Classical Music, Stephen Fry presents a potted and brilliantly rambling 700-year history of classical music and the world as we know it. Along this musical journey he casually throws in references to pretty much whatever takes his fancy, from the Mongol invasion of Russia and Mr Khan (Genghis to his friends), the founding of the MCC, the Black Death (which once again became the new black in England), to the heady revolutionary atmosphere of Mozart's Don Giovanni and the deep doo-doo that Louis XVI got into (or 'du-du' as the French would say). It's all here - Ambrose and early English plainsong, Bach, Mozart (beloved of mobile phones everywhere), Beethoven, Debussy, Wagner (the old romantic), right up to the present day.; Entertaining and brilliantly written, this is a pretty reckless romp of a history through classical music and much much mo

This is a new, digitally enhanced reprint of the score originally published in 1897 by Arthur P. Schmidt. Amy Beach's only symphony is fully representative of her late Romantic style. Composed in 1896, the work makes use of several Irish folksongs as thematic material. The Gaelic symphony received favorable reviews and was subsequently performed by orchestras in both the USA and Europe in the years leading up to the World War I. Like most music of the American late-Romantic school, this lovely symphony was sadly neglected until recently. Thanks to an increased interest in the works of women composers and a general revival of interest in the American late-Romantic school, the Gaelic Symphony has seen a fair number of performances and recordings in recent years.

Beethoven And His Nine Symphonies By George Grove. Originally published in 1896. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents include: Preface- List of symphonies - Symphony No. 1 - Advertisement - Symphony No. 2 - Beethoven's 'testament'- Symphony No. 3 - Do. No. 4 - The Love-letters - Beethoven at Gneixendorf - Symphony No. 5 - Do. No. 6 - Do. No. 7 - Do. No. 8 - Do. No. 9 - Schiller's ode 'An die freude'.

12 arias as interpreted by the great Renata Tebaldi, indicating tempos, extensive use of portamento, melodic variations, breaths, fermatas, and all nuances. Also includes a biography.

"The Gifted Listener" is a book for the music lover, who hasn't any musical skills. This small volume is about classical music and it's composers. It is simple and easy to read, with just enough detail, not to be confusing to the non-musician.
The author has a special insight into classical music, difficult even for a musician to understand.
In this small work a goodly amount of territory covering composers, their music and personal experiences in creative listening is covered. It is Sardo's opinion that listening is as creative as performing, regardless of age and background.
It is Michael Sardo's hope that "The Gifted Listener" will eventually be suggested reading in high school and Junior College musical appreciation classes. The author feels that his book should be considered for reading even in specialized secondary schools, which concentrate in all areas of performing arts. There are many excellent comprehensive music reference books on the market for serious students of music to study and read. What makes "The Gifted Listener" unique is the way that it treats musical listening in everyday language. The beauty of this book is that it makes classical music come alive, and at the same time is intimate to one's daily emotions. It is hoped that this book will encourage those that have not been touched with musical capability to continue on a joyful journey in creative listening, such as the author has traveled.

My miserable hearing does not trouble me here. In the country it seems as if every tree said to me: 'Holy! holy!' Who can give complete expression to the ecstasy of the woods ! O, the sweet stillness of the woods!

While in examining the earlier works, the praise bestowed on them was often largely mixed with censure, and the admiration felt for them tempered by dissatisfaction; we shall have little else than pure praise and admiration for the works that remain to be considered, at least for the vast majority of them. One thing, however, seems to me needful before justice can be done to the composer Chopin: certain prejudices abroad concerning him have to be combated. I shall, therefore, preface my remarks on particular compositions and groups of compositions by some general observations.