Irish-born and Irish-descended soldiers and sailors were involved in every major engagement of the American Civil War. Throughout the conflict, they shared their wartime experiences through songs and song lyrics, leaving behind a vast trove of ballads in songbooks, letters, newspaper publications, wartime diaries, and other accounts. Taken together, these songs and lyrics offer an underappreciated source of contemporary feelings and opinions about the war. Catherine V. Bateson's Irish American Civil War Songs provides the first in-depth exploration of Irish Americans' use of balladry to portray and comment on virtually every aspect of the war as witnessed by the Irish on the front line and home front. Bateson considers the lyrics, themes, and sentiments of wartime songs produced in America but often originating with those born across the Atlantic in Ireland and Britain. Her analysis gives new insight into views held by the Irish migrant diaspora about the conflict and the ways those of Irish descent identified with and fought to defend their adopted homeland. Bateson's investigation of Irish American song lyrics within the context of broader wartime experiences enhances our understanding of the Irish contribution to the American Civil War. At the same time, it demonstrates how Irish songs shaped many American balladry traditions as they laid the foundation of the Civil War's musical soundscape.

For many diehard music fans and critics, Oklahoma-born James Talley ranks among the finest of American singer-songwriters. Talley's unique style-a blend of folk, country, blues, and social commentary-draws comparisons with the likes of Woody Guthrie, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash. In this engaging, down-to-earth memoir, Talley recalls the highs and lows of his nearly fifty-year career in country music. Talley's story begins in the hardscrabble towns of eastern Oklahoma. As a young man, he witnessed poverty and despair and worked alongside ordinary Americans who struggled to make ends meet. He has never forgotten his Oklahoma roots. These experiences shaped Talley's artistic vision and inspired him to write his own songs. Eventually Talley landed in Nashville, where his first years included exciting brushes with fame but also bitter disappointments. As an early champion of social justice causes, his ideals did not fit neatly into Nashville's star-making machine. By his own admission, Talley at times made poor business decisions and trusted the wrong people. His relationship with the country music industry was-and still is-fraught, but he makes no apology for staying true to his core principles. Nashville City Blues offers hard-won wisdom for any aspiring artist motivated to work hard and handle whatever setbacks might follow. Readers will also gain valuable understanding about the country music industry and the inescapable links between commerce and artistry.

Brigid Brophy first published her passionate, profoundly original Mozart the Dramatist in 1964, revisiting it subsequently in 1988. Organised by theme, the text offers brilliant readings of Mozart's five most famous operas - Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, and Die Zauberfloete - while a 1988 preface reconsiders Idomeneo and La Clemenza di Tito. Brophy's analysis is richly informed by her readings and interests in psychoanalysis, myth, and relations between the sexes, but her stress above all is on Mozart's 'unique excellence', his 'double supremacy' both as a 'classical' and 'psychological' artist. 'An illuminating, invigorating, thought-provoking and profoundly human book, of immense value to any lover of Mozart.' Jane Glover 'No one has ever written better on Mozart.' Peter Conrad, Observer 'Immensely enjoyable.' Peter Gay, London Review of Books

"A true collector's item..." - Tim Chan, Rolling Stone "Filled to the brim with everything from Harry's colour palettes to his inspiration, this pick combines high-fashion with all the quirkiness we love about HS and it's just perfect." - Glamour UK "Have the best-dressed coffee table by adorning it with this book filled with photos of THE best-dressed man." - Seventeen Magazine "I'm incredibly lucky to have an environment where I feel comfortable being myself" - Harry Styles. Stepping bravely into the cyclone of 21st-century fashions, Harry Styles is more than weathering the storm. Whether he's breaking the internet with his $7.99 frog-eyed yellow bucket hat or a pair of black fishnets, or fronting cult magazine The Beauty Papers, as he did in March 2021, Hazza's sparkle knows no boundaries. Gucci met Styles in 2014, and there was instant chemistry. According to designer Alessandro Michele, Harry is 'a young Greek God with the attitude of James Dean and a little bit of Mick Jagger' - and that effortless superstardom certainly radiates from the photos in this collection, which document the heart of Harry's wardrobe, both on-stage and off. Part fashion history lesson, pulling references from the rock and roll greats of the past, and part innovation, Harry's style pays homage to Kurt Cobain and Marc Bolan, Prince and Little Richard, while developing into something authentic and entirely his own. This chic book fizzles with facts about Harry's styling choices, presenting the star's most revered looks alongside pictures that trace the roots of each design. With quotes from key designers, this is the perfect gift for any fan.

An illuminating study of the life and work of Gyoergy Ligeti, one of the best-loved and most original composers of our time. For 50 years Gyoergy Ligeti has pursued a boldly independent and uncompromising course, yet his music is widely loved and admired. Ever since Stanley Kubrick's (unsanctioned) use of his music on the soundtrack of 2001: A Space Odyssey, interest in Ligeti has extended far beyond the classical domain. He is the only living composer whose complete output, including juvenilia, is being systematically issued on CD. Published to coincide with the composer's eightieth birthday, Richard Steinitz's compelling new book is both an illuminating study of the music and its associative ideas - drawn from literature, theatre, the visual arts, fractal mathematics, ethnic cultures and other maverick composers - and of Ligeti the man. Ligeti has confided in Steinitz a mass of previously unknown biographical information. The result is an astonishing account of his early upbringing in Romania, of his terrifying yet surreal experiences in the war, and of his difficulties attempting to forge an identity as a young composer under repressive censorship in Communist Hungary, before his dramatic escape to the West in 1956. The story continues via Ligeti's association with the Western avant-garde and his increasingly masterful sequence of highly individual compositions, which Steinitz brings vividly to life through informative commentaries as well as through the composer's own words.

This book contains nine pieces from ABRSM's Grade 1 Piano syllabus for 2021 & 2022, three pieces chosen from each of Lists A, B and C. The pieces have been carefully selected to offer an attractive and varied range of styles, creating a collection that provides an excellent source of repertoire to suit every performer. The book also contains helpful footnotes and, for those preparing for exams, useful syllabus information.

Alfredas Essentials of Music Theory is designed for students of any age, whether listeners or performers, who want to have a better understanding of the language of music. In this all-in-one theory course, you will learn the essentials of music through concise lessons, practice your music reading and writing skills in the exercises, improve your listening skills with the available ear-training CDs (included), and test your knowledge with a review that completes each unit.
The Student Complete Book includes Books 1-3 in a spiral-bound format.
Book 1 (Lessons 1-25):
Staff, Notes and Pitches
Treble & Bass Clefs
Grad Staff & Ledger Lines
Note Values
Measure, Bar Line and Double Bar
2/4, 3/4 & 4/4 Time Signatures
Whole, Half & Quarter Notes/Rests
Dotted Half & Quarter Notes
Ties & Slurs
Repeat Sign, 1st & 2nd Endings
Eighth Notes & Rests
Dynamic Signs, Tempo Marks & Articulation
D.C., D.S., Coda & Fine
Flats, Sharps & Naturals Book 2 (Lessons 25-50):
Tetrachords & Major Scales
Key Signatures
Chromatic Scale
Intervals, Circle of Fifths
Perfect, Major & Minor Intervals
Augmented & Diminished Intervals
SolfA]ge & Transposition
Sixteenth Notes & Rests
Dotted Eighth Notes & Eighth Note Triplets
Common Time & Cut Time
3/8 & 6/8 Time Signatures
Pick-up Notes & Syncopation
Primary & Major Triads
Scale Degree Names
Dominant 7th Chord
Book 3 (Lessons 51-75):
1st & 2nd Inversions of Triads
Inversions of V7 Chords
Figured Bass
Major Chord Progressions
Minor Scales, Minor Triads
Augmented & Diminished Triads
Primary Triads in Minor Keys
Minor Chord Progressions
Modes
Harmonizing a Melody in Major and Minor Keys
Broken Chords & Arpeggiated Accompaniments
Passing and Neighboring Tones
Composing a Melody in Major and Minor Keys
12-Bar Blues Chord Progression & Blues Scale
Basic Forms of

Designed to coordinate page-by-page with the Lesson Books. Contains enjoyable games and quizzes that reinforce the principles presented in the Lesson Books. Students can increase their musical understanding while they are away from the keyboard.