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.

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 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.

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 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.

Women's Bands in America is the first comprehensive exploration of women's bands across the three centuries in American history. Contributors trace women's emerging roles in society as seen through women's bands-concert and marching-spanning three centuries of American history. Authors explore town, immigrant,industry, family, school, suffrage, military, jazz, and rock bands, adopting a variety of methodologies and theoretical lenses in order to assemble and interrogate their findings within the context of women's roles in American society over time. Contributors bring together a series of disciplines in this unique work, including music education, musicology, American history, women's studies, and history of education. They also draw on numerous primary sources: diaries, film, military records, newspaper articles, oral-history interviews, personal letters, photographs, published ephemera, radio broadcasts, and recordings. Thoroughly, contributors engage in archival historical research, biography, case study, content analysis, iconographic study, oral history, and qualitative research to bring their topics to life. This ambitious collection will be of use not only to students and scholars of instrumental music education, music history and ethnomusicology, but also gender studies and American social history. Contributions by: Vilka E. Castillo Silva, Dawn Farmer, Danelle Larson, Brian Meyers, Sarah Minette, Gayle Murchison, Jeananne Nichols, David Rickels, Joanna Ross Hersey, Sarah Schmalenberger, Amy Spears, and Sondra Wieland Howe.

Louisiana's unique multicultural history has led to the development of more styles of American music than anywhere else in the country. Encyclopedia of Louisiana Musicians compiles over 1,600 native creators, performers, and recorders of the state's indigenous musical genres. The culmination of years of exhaustive research, Gene Tomko's comprehensive volume not only reviews major and influential artists but also documents for the first time hundreds of lesser-A known notable musicians. Arranged in accessible A- Z format- from Fernest ""Man"" Abshire to Zydeco Ray- Tomko's concise entries detail each musician's life and career, reflecting exciting new discoveries about many enigmatic and early artists: Country Jim, Henry Zeno, Douglas Bellard, Good Rockin' Bob, Blind Uncle Gaspard, Emma L. Jackson, and Rocket Morgan, to name just a few. A separate section features musicians from elsewhere who made an impact in Louisiana, such as MississippiA -born blues singerA -songwriter-A guitarist Eddie ""Guitar Slim"" Jones and celebrated jazz pianist Billie Pierce, a native of Florida. The final section highlights key regional record producers and studio and label owners, like J. D. Miller, Stan Lewis, and Cosimo Matassa, who have enabled future generations to enjoy music of the Bayou State. Written with both the casual fan and the scholar in mind, Encyclopedia of Louisiana Musicians is the definitive reference on Louisiana's rich musical legacy and the numerous important musicians it has produced.

Andre Kostelanetz On Records and On the Air is a comprehensive discography of the commercial recordings of the Russian/American conductor and radio personality, Andre Kostelanetz. James H. North has collected all his recordings, spanning the range from popular to classical. Organized chronologically by album, North provides the complete details of each recording: composer, song title, timing, date and site of the recording session, producer of that session, and matrix numbers, as well as every American issue of each recording. Several appendixes organize the information alphabetically by composer, song title, and album title, giving references back to the discography by date of recording. Available downloads from the Internet are included in the song title appendix. Two further appendixes deal with Compact Disc issues and with V-Discs, the records created by the United States Army and Navy for worldwide distribution to members of the Armed Forces during World War II. Initially a request from the Andre Kostelanetz Estate, who has generously supported this work, the discography grew to include a complete coverage of Kostelanetz's appearances on the radio, from the 1920s through 1980 (plus a few on television), as North discovered that Kostelanetz's radio career was as important as his records to music in America. More than 1,000 broadcasts are covered, including both his radio shows and his concert broadcasts with symphony orchestras, and the contents of each program are listed where known. An important extra in the book is a survey of Kostelanetz's career and an evaluation of his achievements, contributed by noted radio historian Dick O'Connor. A foreword by the Archivist and Historian of the New York Philharmonic, Barbara Haws, completes this reference tool, which will be invaluable to the millions of fans who welcome the opportunity to peruse the details of one of the most beloved figures in music.

The golden age of Tin Pan Alley, from about 1880 to 1950, comes alive in this first in a series of books about the very collectible sheet music that now command surprising prices. Beautifully illustrated with more than 500 photos of original sheet music covers from the period, The Gold in Your Piano Bench provides a wealth of invaluable historical reference material. Pricing guidelines based on actual auction sales provide accurate data for collection evaluation. A solid addition to a well-rounded library of music literature for collectors, educators, students, musicians, and other nostalgia seekers.

Maurice Ravel, as composer and scenario writer, collaborated with some of the greatest ballet directors, choreographers, designers and dancers of his time, including Diaghilev, Ida Rubinstein, Benois and Nijinsky. In this book, the first study dedicated to Ravel's ballets, Deborah Mawer explores these relationships and argues that ballet music should not be regarded in isolation from its associated arts. Indeed, Ravel's views on ballet and other stage works privilege a synthesized aesthetic. The first chapter establishes a historical and critical context for Ravel's scores, engaging en route with multimedia theory. Six main ballets from Daphnis et Chloe through to Bolero are considered holistically alongside themes such as childhood fantasy, waltzing and neoclassicism. Each work is examined in terms of its evolution, premiere, critical reception and reinterpretation through to the present; new findings result from primary-source research, undertaken especially in Paris. The final chapter discusses the reasons for Ravel's collaborations and the strengths and weaknesses of his interpersonal relations. Mawer emphasizes the importance of the performative dimension in realizing Ravel's achievement, and proposes that the composer's large-scale oeuvre can, in a sense, be viewed as a balletic undertaking. In so doing, this book adds significantly to current research interest in artistic production and interplay in early twentieth-century Paris.

"Dances of Shakespeare" gives a brief introduction to how to perform all of the dance styles featured in Shakespeare's plays. Designed for the practicing director, actor, or choreographer, it gives clear instruction on how to perform popular dances of Shakespeare's day, including masques, brawls, canaries, corantos, galliards, jigs, La Volta, pavans, morris dances, and roundels. Accompanied by clear illustrations, these instructions allow even the dance-challenged to quickly master enough technique to suit amateur, community, college, or semi-professional productions. Other useful features include a chronological listing of popular dances similar in spirit to those of Shakespeare's days, designed for those staging Shakespeare's work in periods other than as written, as well as an appendix list of the plays grouped by what is called for in the text: a "dance," a "masque," or a specific dance form. Dances of Shakespeare is a "must have" for all student directors and performers interested in staging Shakespeare's works.

The book compiles all charts appearing in Cash Box magazine prior to 1989 which have not appeared in the earlier volumes of this chart series. Genres and media formats covered include twelve-inch disco/dance singles, midline albums, video games, compact discs (prior to their integration into the "Top 200 Album Chart"), video clips, videotape sales, and jukebox activity. Alphabetically-arranged title and artist (where relevant) indexes have been included for each chart section, along with appropriate "see also" references. The various sections also feature concise, informative introductions to the genre or medium being covered. The chart data cites not only chart entry dates and total weeks on the chart, but a week-by-week notation of chart positions attained by each title (a feature unique to Scarecrow Cash Box series).

Mark Anthony Neal reads the story of black communities through the black tradition in popular music. His history challenges the view that hip-hop was the first black cultural movement to speak truth to power. Beginning with the role of music in 19th-century slave culture, Neal covers key black cultural movements (Harlem, jazz, blaxploitation films, Motown, hip-hop, etc.), the social forces and organizations that countered them, including the FBI and the Nixon administration, a myriad of artists (Marvin Gaye figures significantly), and the relation of black music to such forces as the black feminist movement, black liberation, and identity politics.

Beginning with the role of music in nineteenth century slave culture, Neal covers key black cultural movements (Harlem, jazz, blaxploitation films, Motown, hip-hop, etc.), the social forces and organizations that countered them, including the FBI and the Nixon administration, a myriad of artists (Marvin Gaye figures significantly), and the relation of black music to such forces as the black feminist movement, black liberation, and identity politics.

Product Note:
Garland Publishing