A sinister case of deadly poisoned chocolates from Sodbury Cross's high street shop haunts the group of friends and relatives assembled at Bellegarde, among the orchards of 'peach-fancier' Marcus Chesney. To prove a point about how the sweets could have been poisoned under the nose of the shopkeeper, Chesney stages an elaborate memory game to test whether any of his guests can see beyond their 'black spectacles'; that is, to see the truth without assumptions as witnesses. During the test - which is also being filmed - Chesney is murdered by his accomplice, dressed head to toe in an 'invisible man' disguise. The keen wits of Dr Gideon Fell are called for to crack this brazen and bizarre murder committed in full view of an audience. Also known by its US title The Problem of the Green Capsule, this classic novel is widely regarded as one of John Dickson Carr's masterpieces and remains among the greatest impossible crime mysteries of all time.

Peter Beaven's tale leads us through the pitfalls and triumphs of a career in choir directing and church music, orchestral conducting, and professional singing in choirs and stage works. His teaching experiences are just as hair-raising as his performing life. Being there at the inception of the GCSE music exam, as a teacher, he felt it wasn't an improvement on the previous exam and became disenchanted with education, in general, and music education in particular. The author maintains that he failed every exam he ever sat, adding much weight to his argument, but also admits to a modicum of success along the way. Despite earlier difficulties with a genetic neuropathy, he conquered the disabilities to regain an organ technique at the age of fifteen, which has served him well for over fifty years. His adventures with the military have been a twenty-year expedition through extraordinary happenings, personalities, and experiences. All worthwhile but in marked contrast to many other facets of his career.

The fourth volume in the Greenwood series providing a near-definitive survey on the output of sound recordings made in Europe by The Gramophone Company (1900-1929), this work covers the Dutch area and includes a good deal of Belgian material as well. Included in the contents are examples of the work from serious artists in classical music together with popular and comic songs and social comment dealing with an era that has nearly passed out of the range of living memory. Of interest to record collectors, music archivists, reference librarians, and music and social historians.

The Gramophone Company was the major producer of sound recordings from 1900 to 1929, besides having a virtual monopoly of the major talents. It was organized into ten geographical/ethnic divisions. Four of these areas have had discographies published on them; Kelly's previous Greenwood volumes cover Italy, France, and Germany. The fourth, on Scandinavia, was published by another company.

An index to the contents of 621 song books published between 1854 and 1992 and acquired by the State Library of Louisiana, Song Finder provides access to 32,000 songs, with emphasis on collections of theater songs, folk songs, children's songs, religious music, rock, country, and pop music standards. Also well represented are African-American music, movie and television theme songs, seasonal music, patriotic songs, military music, and songs of foreign lands. Three-fourths of the song books have never been indexed, and 85 percent are not included in any index currently in print. A third of the individual songs have never been indexed before. Songs can be located in Song Finder by title only. Under each title are letter symbols representing song books which include the song. Bibliographical information on the song books can be found in the first section of the book, the list of collections indexed, which also provides OCLC numbers to facilitate interlibrary loan. For each printing of a song, Song Finder notes whether the book provides music only, words only, or both words and music. The index also identifies lyrics in a foreign language and whether there is an English translation. Other indexes do not offer this kind of detail, which allows users to find the version of a song that is suitable to their needs. Also helpful to the user are cross references which link alternate titles and compensate for variant and nonstandard spellings. Users uncertain of the title of an advertising jingle, or the theme song of a film or television show, will find cross references from the name of the product or show to the correct song title.

Twentieth-Century American Music for the Dance: A Bibliography provides a guide to one of the most important areas of modern music. The close and mutually beneficial relationship that has existed between dance and music from the early days of this century and the collaboration of Fokine or Nijinsky and Stravinsky to the later years and the partnership of Cunningham and Cage has yielded a formidably large repertoire of music-much of it, like its partner-art, in the vanguard of modern creativity. Dance commissions have brought into existence music that would otherwise not have been created; dance performance has in many cases afforded an audience for music that would otherwise have gone unheard. Dance has shown itself, especially in the United States, to be a nurturing theatre for modern music, while music has in turn proved to be extraordinary stimulus to the dance. This bibliography provides for the first time data about compositions, composers, and choreographers, including information about first performances, publishers, and location of scores. Composers and choreographers, students and historians, professional musicians and dancers, and aficionados of music and art will find this reference work extremely useful. The bibliography is arranged alphabetically by composer; indexes by composition and by choreographer provide ready access to each work. Lists of composer-choreographer and choreographer-composer partnerships are included.

George Gershwin is perhaps the most popular American composer of the twentieth century, and his short and dramatic life has been the subject of much attention. His music, however, has never been scrutinized as closely as his life, and the composer known for his show tunes has had difficulty finding a niche in the world of "serious" music. This book is the first in-depth analysis of Gershwin's entire compositional oeuvre, including his concert music. Weaving biographical material with musical analysis, Steven Gilbert presents a chronological study of the highlights of Gershwin's career. He discusses the well-known Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F, An American in Paris, and Porgy and Bess, as well as such popular songs as "Swanee." "S'Wonderful," "I Got Rhythm," "Love Walked In," and "Love Is Here to Stay." But he also examines relatively neglected works that are no less deserving, such as Second Rhapsody, Cuban Overture, and Pardon My English, the last of which, says Gilbert, was a failure on Broadway but was one of George and Ira Gershwin's finest collaborations. Written in a fluid, conversational style and illustrated with numerous musical examples, some of which have never before been published, this book will be enjoyed by general readers and appreciated by professional musicians and musical scholars alike.

Frank Sinatra, an enduring mass-media personality, was not only an accomplished musician, film actor, and concert performer but also a spokesman for civil rights, a humanitarian, and a cultural trendsetter. This bibliography culls material from a variety of disparate sources and catalogues the numerous writings that encompass Sinatra's accomplishments, public persona, and cultural impact. In addition to the unique listing of liner notes, the books, book chapters, articles, and Internet websites span the 60 years that trace the beginning of Sinatra's career in 1939 through his death in 1998. This comprehensive bibliography will attract scholars and Sinatra fans alike as a useful tool for further research. The different types of literature catalogued are divided among separate chapters. An index provides for easy cross-referencing of material and an appendix lists more than 200 of the more notable essays that appeared following Sinatra's death on May 14, 1998.

"This is an excellent and authoritative book -- one that will no doubt become the standard biography of Richard Rodgers". -- Allen Forte, Yale University

Richard Rodgers, a musical genius whose Broadway career spanned six successful decades, composed more than a thousand songs for the American stage. Although he reaped wealth, success, and recognition that included two shared Pulitzer Prizes, Rodgers found happiness elusive. In this first comprehensive biography of Rodgers, William G. Hyland tells the full story of the complex man and his incomparable music.

Hyland's portrait of Rodgers (1902-79) begins with his childhood in an affluent Jewish family living in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. During college years at Columbia University and early work on the amateur circuit and Broadway, Rodgers entered into a historic collaboration with the lyricist Lorenz Hart. The team produced a dozen popular shows and such enduring songs as "The Lady Is a Tramp". Rodgers' next partnership, with Oscar Hammerstein II, led to the creation of the musical play, a new and distinctively American art form. Beginning with Oklahoma in 1943, this pair dominated Broadway for almost twenty years with a string of hits that remain beloved favorites: Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. When Hammerstein died in 1960, Rodgers began a new phase in his career, writing the lyrics to his own music, then joining lyricists Stephen Sondheim, Sheldon Harnick, and Martin Charnin. Despite periods of depression, excessive drinking, hypochondria, and devastating illness at different points in his life, Rodgers' outpouring of music seemed little affected, and he continued to compose untilhis death at age seventy-seven. An icon of the musical theater, Rodgers left a legacy of timeless songs that audiences return to hear over and again.

for SSATB unaccompanied Setting part of a Eucharistic hymn text by Thomas Aquinas, Adoro te devote is a beautiful, devotional piece suitable for liturgical or concert use. Flowing and expressive, it features homophonic sections, melismatic lines, and optional soaring soprano solos. Adoro te devote was written for Martin Baker and Westminster Cathedral Choir and is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Nepalese Earthquake in April 2015.

NELSON RIDDLE was possibly the greatest; one of the most successful arrangers in the history of American popular music. He worked with global icons such as Peggy Lee, Judy Garland and many more. And in a time of segregation and deep racial tensions in the US, he collaborated with leading black artists such as Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald, forming close, personal friendships with both. He also wrote successful TV themes and Oscar-winning film scores. A complex and often forlorn genius, he will forever be remembered for his immortal work with FRANK SINATRA, but like fine wines his later vintage was just as palatable, if somewhat of a surprise.

This is the last of three volumes designed, in the author's words, to tell 'the story of America's popular songs, the people who wrote them, and the business they created and sustained'. Volume III, covering the twentieth century, discusses vaudeville, music boxes, the relationship of Hollywood to the music business, the 'fall and rise' of the record business in the 1930s, new technology after the Second World War, the dominance of rock'n'roll and the huge increase in the music business in the 1950s and 1960s, and, finally, the changing scene from 1967 to 1984, especially regarding government regulations, music licensing, and the record business.

This lively and readable study explores popular music between the wars, the era of Noel Coward and Ivor Novello, Gracie Fields and George Formby. James J. Nott tells the story from the days of the jazz mania of the 1920s to the outbreak of the Second World War. He examines the huge popularity of dance halls such as the fabled Hammersmith Palais, and concludes with a fascinating checklist of the most popular songs.

This is the second of three volumes designed, in the author's words, to tell 'the story of America's popular songs, the people who wrote them, and the business they created and sustained'. Volume II concentrates on the 19th century, and among the topics discussed are: the effect of changing technology upon the printing of music; the growth of the American musical theatre; popular religious music; black music (including spirituals and ragtime); music during the Civil War; and 'music in the era of monopoly' (covering copyright, changing technology and distribution, the invention of the phonograph, and the establishment of Tin Pan Alley).

Without any formal training in music composition or even the ability to notate melodies on a musical staff, Irving Berlin took a knack for music and turned it into the most successful songwriting career in American history. Berlin was the first Tin Pan Alley songwriter to go "uptown" to Broadway with a complete musical score (Watch Your Step in 1914); he is the only songwriter to build a theater exclusively for his own work (The Music Box); and his name appears above the title of his Broadway shows and Hollywood films (iIrving Berlin's Holiday Inn), still a rare honor for songwriters. Berlin is also notable due the length of his 90+ year career in American Song; he sold his first song at the age of 8 in 1896, and passed away in 1989 at the age of 101 having outlived several of his own copyrights. Throughout his career, Berlin showed that a popular song which appealed to the masses need not be of a lesser quality than songs informed by the principles of "classical" music composition. Forty years after his last published song many of his songs remain popular and several have even entered folk song status ("White Christmas," "Easter Parade," and "God Bless America"), something no other 20th-century American songwriter can claim. As one of the most seminal figures of twentieth century, both in the world of music and in American culture more generally, and as one of the rare songwriters equally successful with popular songs, Broadway shows, and Hollywood scores, Irving Berlin is the subject of an enormous corpus of writing, scattered throughout countless publications and archives. A noted performer and interpreter of Berlin's works, Benjamin Sears has unprecedented familiarity with these sources and brings together in this Reader a broad range of the most insightful primary and secondary materials. Grouped together according to the chronology of Berlin's life and work, each section and article features a critical introduction to orient the reader and contextualize the materials within the framework of American musical history. Taken as a whole, they provide a new perspective on Berlin that highlights his musical genius in the context of his artistic development through a unique mix of first-hand views of Berlin as an artist, critical assessments of his work, and more general overviews of his life and work.

The story of the Ink Spots is a rags-to-riches story beloved in American mythology. The success of the Ink Spots inspired many others to attempt (some merely mimicking) their popular and musical success. They were, without question, the most influential black vocal group of the 1940s, and one of the earliest to sing "sweet ballads," which they elevated to an art form (although an increasingly formulaic one). Goldberg gets behind the streamers and glitter of the Ink Spots and the publicity machines of record labels, and provides the story of the group's creation, its music, and its monumental impact on the course of American music. More Than Words Can Say uncovers the mythos and origins of the Ink Spots, from the dramatic stories of finding the band name, to the dozens of individuals who still claim to be original members of the group. Goldberg interviews some of the singers, musicians, and arrangers associated with the original Ink Spots who provide invaluable first-hand accounts of the group. The book discusses the musical environment of the Ink Spots, including the ASCAP/BMI War, gas rationing, War of the Record Speeds, vinyl shortages, and all the lawsuits. Additionally, Goldberg has searched tirelessly through Billboard magazine and theater reviews to get a sense of the Ink Spots' contemporary reception. Also included is a bibliography of sources and a complete alphabetical listing of Ink Spots recordings released on Decca or Victor labels. A fascinating story filled with excellently researched information and exciting anecdotes, Goldberg's text brings out the "authentic" story of the Ink Spots, from their origins in the early 1930s through the tumultuous recording world of 1940s and 1950s America.

This is a welcome addition to recently published work on the popular musics which have emerged in many countries as a response to and as a result of the encounter of local musical traditions with Anglo-American pop/rock. . . . The empirical components make this an impressive book. . . . It is also quite unique. . . . The data collected is presented in a successful combination of quantitative information and 'windows' of text telling the story of different individual musicians, and tracing the influence on them of economics and politics, of local and foreign musicians. --Cambridge Journals "The book is a magnificent achievement and stands on par with the work by Wallis & Malm with which it inevitably must be compared. One looks forward to the companion volumes of the project. Of particular note is the research style that drew on 40 indigenous researchers from over 20 countries. This is a highly ambitious project in intercultural studies and stands as a landmark in intercultural cooperation." --Canadian Journal of Communication "Music at the Margins is the utopian experiment par excellence. . . . We are treated to an intriguing print montage of the current 'world music' landscape; this book's multicultural scholarship is a tour de force in cross-cultural dialogics. . . . The results of the studies help to set the agenda for further research in the field. . . . The book is an extremely ambitious project. . . . Music at the Margins . . . is a groundbreaking study of popular music in its international contexts. The book is a must for anyone interested in the subject." --Journal of Communication "Music at the Margins: Popular Music and Global Cultural Diversity fills an important scholarly gap by investigating the nature of the international recording industry and production of music by local performers working at the margins of that industry in a variety of national contexts. The authors report on cross-cultural research done by a large international team that "tests the cultural imperialism hypothesis" that a largely one-way flow of cultural texts is leading to worldwide cultural homogenization." --International Journal of Intercultural Relations "A very interesting, highly readable book about the global pop-music world, reflecting its complexity and its artistic, economic, cultural-social, and political involvement and influence. . . .Music at the Margins is a special book and will be relished by music fans, general readers, and students in music, sociology, economics and other courses." --Academic Library Book Review "One of the better books in the trend toward establishing legitimacy of popular culture studies through pseudoacademic trappings, this is a responsible attempt to collate and make sense of information and perceptions gleaned by researchers in more than 15 First-, Second-, and Third-World countries." --Choice "It inspires great respect for its authors. For someone who writes about popular music for a daily newspaper and magazines as well as academic settings, it has a lot of value and interest. The broad conceptual framework alone helps me think about what's happening with all aspects of pop culture, not just music. . . . Most important for me is the evidence the book provides of how the process of cultural production actually works at both individual and national levels." --Lynn Darroch, Mt. Hood Community College "An exhaustive academic account of the forces governing the international music industry. . . . Music at the Margins is an ambitious project encompassing many complex issues. . . . For anyone interested in the past, present and future of international popular music, it is an impressive and rewarding volume." --Tracking "An amazingly rich tour-de-force of contested territory: how meanings are negotiated between domination and diversity, cultural erosion and enrichment. Indispensable for students of mass media and popular culture, as well as of music." --George Gerbner, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania Popular music is a form of communication easily recognized and understood around the world. But as it spreads from culture to culture, is it becoming more homogenized? Or, conversely, is there a continuing and perhaps ever-increasing diversity of song styles and forms? Music at the Margins explores the debate surrounding popular music's spread, testing the more conventional "cultural imperialism" hypothesis as based on empirical findings from a study by the International Communication and Youth Culture Consortium. The primary focus is on how the process of popular music production is perceived by local musicians--people who are immersed in overlapping international, national, and local contexts of production. Discussions on theory, local case studies, and interview data are provided and integrated to show how societal influences are tempered by and interpreted through cultural and semiotic codes--as well as individual musicians' experiences and creative talents. Specific topics addressed include the rise of the international recording industry, music production in socialist or formerly socialist countries, censorship, and sociopolitical influences, to name but a few. Music at the Margins will appeal to a wide range of scholars and students in the fields of communication, popular culture, and sociology.

This study explores a wide range of Victorian and Edwardian musical life including brass bands, choral societies, music hall and popular concerts, and analyzes the way in which popular cultural practice was shaped by, and in turn, helped shape social and economic structures. The text has been fully revised in order to consider recent work in the field.