The A Z of String Players surveys the lives, careers and recordings of over 300 string players from the past and present. Many great string players who have made recordings are included, from Accardo to Zukerman. The text covers artists from the earliest recording processes to contemporary, cutting-edge technology. In this clear and straight-forward publication, the artists are listed alphabetically, with a summary of their career, notable recordings, biography and critical appraisal of their recorded legacy. In addition, four compact discs present a selection of recordings from 69 artists. This package will appeal to enthusiast and scholar alike as a readable, informed and fascinating work of reference.

From the great scores that have made history, from the statements of the composers about their work, from old treatises, scholarly textbooks, and contemporary literature, the author has gathered an engrossing array of evidence on the trends of interpretation. Here the art of the performer is studied in all its aspects, spiritual, technical, historical: the old Italian methods of singing, the royal virginalists, Frescobaldi's organ playing, dance types from galliard to waltz, phrasing and dynamics, acoustical conditions, the story of the metronome, Beethoven's piano playing and Chopin's rubato, the rise of virtuosity with Paganini and Liszt, the dream orchestra of Berlioz, and the theoretical commentaries of Wagner. Of special interest in these days of individualized expression by performers is the discussion of revisions and "corrections" of famous musical scores. The book closes with a consideration of musical performance on records and in radio, moving pictures, and television.