In 1933 choreographer George Balanchine and impresario Lincoln Kirstein embarked on an elusive quest to found a ballet company and school in the United States. Though their efforts would eventually re
Marie Sumner Lott examines the music available to musical consumers in the nineteenth century, and what that music tells us about their tastes, priorities, and activities. Her social history of chambe
Chamber music includes some of the world's greatest music. It is widely played in homes, without an audience, by players who are mostly amateurs, and much of the repertoire is playable even by tho
First organized in Brussels in 1912 by precocious young Belgian musicians, the Pro Arte String Quartet has survived two world wars and is still performing more than a century later -- a durability uni
This book is the first detailed contextual study of string quartets in Beethoven's Vienna, at a time when that genre reigned supreme among the different chamber genres. Focusing on a key transition pe
Thomas Schuttenhelm provides a detailed account of the events leading up to and throughout the compositional process associated with Michael Tippett’s Fifth String Quartet, and a comprehensive analysi
Zeitmaße is one of a group of four acknowledged masterpieces composed between 1955-57 that together established Karlheinz Stockhausen as the leading figure in the European avant-garde. Of the four wo
Experiencing the Violin Concerto explores the violin concerto from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" to Bartók and beyond, the social and personal histories of unforgettable virtuosi, the wonderful i
Christopher Fox (1955) has emerged as one of the most fascinating composers of the post-war generation. His spirit of experimentalism pervades an oeuvre in which he has blithely created his own versio
What does it mean to talk about musical coherence at the end of a century characterised by fragmentation and discontinuity? How can the diverse influences which stand behind the works of many late-twe
In 1829 Goethe famously described the string quartet as 'a conversation among four intelligent people'. Inspired by this metaphor, Edward Klorman's study draws on a wide variety of documentary and iconographic sources to explore Mozart's chamber works as 'the music of friends'. Illuminating the meanings and historical foundations of comparisons between chamber music and social interplay, Klorman infuses the analysis of sonata form and phrase rhythm with a performer's sensibility. He develops a new analytical method called multiple agency that interprets the various players within an ensemble as participants in stylized social intercourse - characters capable of surprising, seducing, outwitting, and even deceiving one another musically. This book is accompanied by online resources that include original recordings performed by the author and other musicians, as well as video analyses that invite the reader to experience the interplay in time, as if from within the ensemble.
Though many consider Beethoven one of the greatest symphonists of all time, his sixteen string quartet compositions are masterpieces in their own right, among the most extraordinary and challenging pi
Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew is one of the most iconic albums in American music, the preeminent landmark and fertile seedbed of jazz-fusion. Fans have been fortunate in the past few years to gain access
It was 1969, and Miles Davis, prince of cool, was on the edge of being left behind by a dynamic generation of young musicians, an important handful of whom had been in his band. Rock music was flying
In Chamber Music: An Extensive Guide for Listeners,Lucy Miller Murray transforms her decades of program notes for some of the world’s most distinguished artists and presenters into the go-to guide for
Selections from the famous musicologist's acclaimed Essays in Musical Analysiscomprise surveys of Bach's "Goldberg" Variations and Art of the Fugue plus works by Haydn, Mozart, Beeth
Oxford's highly successful listener's guides--The Symphony, The Concerto, andChoral Masterworks--have been widely praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and
Marie Sumner Lott examines the music available to musical consumers in the nineteenth century, and what that music tells us about their tastes, priorities, and activities. Her social history of chambe
In the course of the nineteenth century, four-hand piano playing emerged across Europe as a popular pastime of the well-heeled classes and of those looking to join them. Nary a canonic work of classic
In Dramaturgical Leaves: Essays about Musical Works for the Stage and Queries about the Stage, Its Composers and Performers, the third volume in Janita R. Hall-Swadley’s The Collected Writings of Fran
In early 2005, an engineer at the Library of Congress accidentally discovered, in an unmarked box, the recording of Thelonious Monk's and John Coltrane's performance at a 1957 benefit concert at Carne
In early 2005, an engineer at the Library of Congress accidentally discovered, in an unmarked box, the recording of Thelonious Monk's and John Coltrane's performance at a 1957 benefit concert at Carne
Roll With It is a firsthand account of the contradictory lives of New Orleans brass-band musicians. They are celebrated as cultural icons within the music scene; outside it, they are treated as facele
Roll With It is a firsthand account of the contradictory lives of New Orleans brass-band musicians. They are celebrated as cultural icons within the music scene; outside it, they are treated as facele
This is the first full-length study of British women's instrumental chamber music in the early twentieth century. Laura Seddon argues that the Cobbett competitions, instigated by Walter Willson Cobbet
This reprint of the celebrated Novello edition features the six "Haydn" Quartets, the "Hoffmeister" Quartet, and three "Prussian" Quartets. Based on corrected manuscripts published by the composer's w
Sarasate was renowned as both a violinist and a composer of works based on Spanish airs and dances. This performance edition contains three of his best and most difficult pieces for violin and piano,
This original collection features ten comic and light opera overtures arranged for string quartet, with separate parts for each instrument. Includes overtures for The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi fan tutt
The first thorough English-language exploration of the concerto as a musical form, this is an oft-quoted, authoritative survey. Examining the social, economic, and personal factors that influenced the
Internationally renowned scholars and performers present a wide range of new analytical, historical and critical perspectives on some of Mozart's most popular chamber music: his sonatas with violin, keyboard trios and quartets and the quintet with wind instruments. The chapters trace a broad chronology, from the childhood works, to the Mannheim and Paris sonatas with keyboard and violin, and the mature compositions from his Vienna years. Drawing upon the most recent research, this study serves the reader, be they a performer, listener or scholar, with a collection of writings that demonstrate the composer's innovative developments to generic archetypes and which explore and assess Mozart's creative response to the opportunities afforded by new and diverse instrumental combinations. Manners of performance of this music far removed from our own are revealed, with concluding chapters considering historically informed practice and the challenges for modern performers and audiences.
Watson provides professional and amateur musicians, and music lovers generally, with a complete survey of Beethoven's chamber music and the background to each individual work - the loyalty of patrons,
