Chopin's four ballades are widely regarded as being among the most significant extended works for solo piano of the nineteenth century. In an illuminating discussion, Jim Samson combines history and analysis to provide a comprehensive picture of these popular piano works, investigating the social and musical background to Chopin's music, evaluating the many printed editions of the ballads before considering their critical reception and the differing interpretations of well-known nineteenth- and twentieth-century pianists.

The eight books cover the requirements for ABRSM's sight-reading tests at each of Grades 1 to 8, and include: *many short, characterful pieces to sight-read, in a range of approachable musical styles *warm-up and technical exercises, to establish basic hand shapes and finger patterns within each key *simple musicianship exercises in which students can explore ideas and familiarize themselves further with the 'feel' of each key *longer solo pieces and a duet, for additional sight-reading practice or to learn quickly and play through for fun

It's never too late to play blues, rags & boogies is the latest addition to the best-selling piano tutor series, It's Never Too Late... by Pam Wedgwood. Through favourite repertoire in easy-to-play arrangements, classic tunes and great new pieces in blues, ragtime and boogie styles, this book helps pianists learn and explore all the different skills and techniques needed to play. Pam Wedgwood is one of the UK's favourite composers of popular piano music and creator of Jazzin' About, After Hours and Up-Grade. The ground-breaking It's never too late... Series gives adults the opportunity to learn the piano with a method devised especially for them. This best-selling tutor breaks the learning into manageable chunks, features online audio, and is packed with irresistible music and fascinating information - all the motivation needed to make learning fun!

This course has been designed to guide you gently into playing simple tunes from day one. Items of musical history and biography, an easy-to-follow introduction to the theory of music is covered plus a free dummy keyboard for silent practice and theory work.

The Rock 'n' Roll Piano Songbook comprises rock around the clock classic hits from Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and more. All songs are accurately transcribed from the original recordings for piano and voice with guitar chord boxes. **Contains recommended songs for Trinity Rock & Pop Exams. See songlist below.

The five volumes of Keyboards Together provide a wealth of enjoyable repertoire for keyboard players. Containing arrangements and original pieces in two, three and four parts, they are perfect for classroom use as well as for smaller groups. All pieces selected for ABRSM's Music Medals.

Beginning pianists will love playing the music of Christmas with this new volume of holiday songs in musically attractive, pedagogically sound, and fun-to-play arrangements. These expert settings explore a full and satisfying piano sound within the natural capabilities of the novice performer. Twenty holiday favorites include" Silent Night; O, Come All Ye Faithful; O Little Town of Bethlehem; Jingle Bells; Deck the Hall; O Christmas Tree;" and more.
Each of the melodies features a free MP3 download that will assist students with practice. Delightful illustrations add a festive note to this modestly priced collection, which will be welcomed by beginning pianists of all ages.

"In this book, Barbara Owen has created a rich resource of historical information coupled with strategies for interpreting that information on today's instruments." Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society

..". Barbara Owen has succeeded admirably in distilling three centuries of organ registration practice into a volume less than three hundred pages long.... Anyone with an interest in the history of the organ and its music... will not want to ignore this book." Sixteenth Century Journal

"It is rare to find a book that combines such careful scholarship with a practical focus that makes it accessible to performing musicians as well as research specialists." Notes

"An excellent volume from historical, musical style and interpretive standpoints. Highly recommended for all large academic and professional music collections." Choice

..". recommend this book to all serious organists." The American Organist Magazine

Barbara Owen has prepared the first work to present in a single book the registrational practices of organists from c.1550 to 1800. The four parts of the book move from the Renaissance through the Early, High, and Late Baroque. Each part starts with a brief description of the political and religious climate of the period and the way such factors affected the compositions and the organ-building of the time."

Leo Ornstein: Modernist Dilemmas, Personal Choices traces the meteoric rise and heretofore inexplicable disappearance of the Russian-American, futurist-anarchist, pianist-composer from his arrival in the United States in 1906 through a career that lasted nearly a century. Outliving his admirers and critics by decades Leo Ornstein passed away in 2002 at the age of 108. Frequently compared to Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg, for a time Ornstein enjoyed a kind a celebrity granted few living musicians. And then he turned his back on it all. This first, full-length biographical study draws upon interviews, journals, and letters from a wide circle of Ornstein's friends and acquaintances to track the Ornstein family as it escaped the horrors of the Russian pogroms, and it situates the Russian-Jewish-American musician as he carved out an identity amidst World War I, the flu pandemic, and the Red Scare. While telling Leo Ornstein's story, the book also illuminates the stories of thousands of immigrants with similar harrowing experiences. It also explores the immeasurable impact of his unexpected marriage in 1918 to Pauline Mallet-Prevost, a Park Avenue debutante.

Leo Ornstein: Modernist Dilemmas, Personal Choices finds Ornstein at the center of several networks that included artists John Marin, William Zorach, Leon Kroll, writers and activists Paul Rosenfeld, Waldo Frank, Edmund Wilson, and Clair Reis, the Stieglitz Circle, and a group of English composers known as the Frankfurt Five. Ornstein's story challenges directly the traditional chronology and narrative regarding musical modernism in America and its close relation to the other arts.

Up-Grade! Pop Piano Grades 3-4 is part of Pam Wedgwood's hugely successful Up-Grade! Series, allowing pianists of all ages repertoire to bridge the gap between grades. Up-Grade! Pop offer's Pam's own take on songs such as Summer Nights, A Whole New World, and ABBA's Mamma Mia, as well as her own specially composed pieces. Guaranteed to breathe new life into your piano playing, the varied pieces in this collection are demonstrated on the online audio and are designed to ease you gently on to the next grade.

The Jazz Piano Player: Stormy Weather contains 15 classic jazz standards in an ingenious new format for jazz pianists, arranged by John Kember. Each piece is presented in two formats: the first version includes melody, lyrics and basic chord structure, ideal for improvisation; the second version is a superb arrangement for piano solo, for intermediate level pianists. All the songs are helpfully included in their standard keys so pianists will be able to play with other jazz musicians, and there also a quick guide on piano jazz chords for added tutorial assistance. The free CD included features full performances of all the arrangements by pianist John Kember for an enhanced learning mobility. The Jazz Piano Player Series is designed for those wanting to make the transition into jazz or pop piano playing. An essential new resource for all jazz pianists - a great way in for players wanting to make a transition into jazz, as well as for pianists wanting to develop their own style.

This volume contains valuable practice material for candidates preparing for the ABRSM Grade 7 Piano exams. The book is written in attractive and approachable styles and representative of the technical level expected in the exam.

Up-Grade! Jazz Piano Grades 3-4 is a fun addition to Pam Wedgwood's popular Up-Grade! Series, featuring well-loved jazz hits in cool new arrangements. Featuring hip classics such as Fly Me To The Moon, My Baby Just Cares For Me and It Don't Mean A Thing, alongside jazzy numbers by the inimitable Pam Wedgwood. Guaranteed to breathe new life into your piano playing, the varied pieces in this collection are designed to ease you gently on to the next grade. There are several other spin-offs to the Up-Grade! Series for piano, including pop and Christmas.

Five superb albums of graded pieces provide a wealth of jazz repertoire. Throughout, there is a huge range of styles, from bebop blues to calypsos, boogie-woogie to ballads, jazz waltzes to free jazz. There are classic tunes by the jazz greats, including Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. And there are brand-new pieces specially commissioned from professional British jazz musicians and educators. Each album presents 15 pieces in three lists: blues, standards and contemporary jazz. The head of each piece is set out with all the characteristic voicings, phrasing and rhythmic patterns you need for a stylish performance. The improvised section gives guideline pitches and left-hand voicings as a practical starting-point. Accessible, student-centred and of the highest musical standards, these pieces will get you playing jazz confidently and creatively.

After Hours Jazz 2 is a further collection of original pieces and arrangements of your favourite jazz standards by Pam Wedgwood for the Grade 4-6 pianist. Relax with the lush harmonies and laid-back melodies of many well-known pieces, as well as some great original repertoire.

After Hours Jazz 1 is a superb collection of original pieces as well as arrangements of your favourite jazz standards by Pam Wedgwood for the Grade 3-5 pianist. Relax with the lush harmonies and laid-back melodies of many well-known pieces as well as some great original repertoire.

This Treatise on Harpsichord Tuning (1643-50) was the first French document to discuss keyboard performance practice in any detail. Jean Denis was both a harpsichord builder of renown and the organist of a prominent Parisian church, and is thus an authority worthy of careful study. The treatise addresses numerous matters of interest to both scholars and performers, including temperament, ornamentation, fugue, and the use of the organ in liturgical practice. Also included in the treatise are a keyboard prelude designed to reveal errors in tuning, and two delightful anecdotes attesting to the power of music. The forthright character of Denis's writing lends a unique and distinctly enjoyable tone to the work."