New Publications,
New Music Book Publications - 16th September 2019
Welcome to our latest selection of new music books. Our picks this time round include a discussion of the importance of orchestral conductors; insights into performing great piano works from renowned pianist Menahem Pressler; a comprehensive guide to the maintenance, repair, and restoration of violins; the first collection of academic essays devoted to The Rolling Stones; a history of American and Canadian folk music; an album-by-album look at the recordings of The Beatles; and an analysis of the poetry behind popular song lyrics.
A conductor is one of classical music's most recognisable but misunderstood figures, attracting so many questions: 'Surely orchestras can play perfectly well without you?' 'Do you really make any difference to the performance?' 'Are the musicians even watching you?'. Now available in paperback, this book is not a history of conducting, but is for all those who wonder what conductors actually do, and why they matter.
Available Format: Book
Menahem Pressler is a world-renowned pianist and member of the acclaimed Beaux Arts Trio. A former student brings together his teachings on thirty-seven works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Mozart, Prokofiev, and many others. With instructions on phrasing, fingering, imagery, dynamic contrasts, pianistic touches, articulation, and practice drills, pianists of all levels will benefit from Pressler's expertise.
Available Format: Book
What instruments make up an orchestra? What does the conductor do? How are orchestras different around the world? Discover all the answers in this engaging and easy-to-access book. The lively text is illustrated by lots of photographs, showing all the components of the orchestra and more.
Available Format: Book
The Royal College of Music and its Contexts: An Artistic and Social History
David C. H. Wright; Cambridge University Press
The Royal College of Music has been a central influence on British musical life ever since it was founded in 1883. This account places the College within its musical and educational environments, arguing that its significance lies not only in its famous performers and composers, but also the generations of its more anonymous former students who have done so much to improve the musical life of the localities in which they have worked.
Available Format: Book
The Cambridge Companion to the Rolling Stones
Victor Coelho & John Covach (editors); Cambridge University Press
This collection of essays provides the first dedicated academic overview of the music, career, influences, history, and cultural impact of the Rolling Stones, bringing together essays by musicologists, ethnomusicologists, players, film scholars, and filmmakers to stimulate fresh thinking about the group. Threaded throughout these essays are album- and song-oriented discussions of their landmark recordings.
Available Format: Book
Dick Weissman's book presents a provocative discussion of the history and current status of folk music in the United States and Canada, examining its many controversies and musical evolutions, as well as a detailed discussion of the quest for authenticity, and how various musicians, critics, and fans have defined that pursuit.
Available Format: Book
Editor Brian Southall has gathered a team of experts to write about each era of the band's existence, examining what they were doing for each of their original twelve UK-release albums, from the simple, bouncy Please Please Me to the heavyweight double Let It Be. Further chapters cover the US and foreign releases, which were significantly different in the early days.
Available Format: Book
Encompassing a century of recorded music, this book reveals the poetic artistry of popular songs, tracing the song lyric across genres such as early twentieth-century Delta blues, mid-century rock 'n' roll, and today's hits. At once a work of musical interpretation, cultural analysis, literary criticism, and personal storytelling, it illustrates how words and music come together to produce compelling poetry, often where we least expect it.
Available Format: Book
The 33 1/3 B-sides: New Essays by 33 1/3 Authors on Beloved and Underrated Albums
Will Stockton & D. Gilson (editors); Bloomsbury
This anthology features essays from 33 1/3 authors on albums that consume them. It explores often overlooked albums that have played a large part in their own musical cultivation, probing our taste in albums and our longing for certain tunes, creating an expansive, must-listen list for readers in search of unexplored musical territories.
Available Format: Book
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