New Publications,
New Music Book Publications - 1st November 2021
Welcome to our latest selection of new music books. Our picks this time round include suggestions of pieces to help heal the heart and soothe the soul; a paperback edition of a biography of Mozart; a documentation of violins that survived the concentration camps and ghettos of the Second World War and that have now been restored by an Israeli master luthier; a guide to the performing career and compositions of Clara Schumann; a collection of games, activities and creative ideas for musical play with pre-school children; an homage and introduction to the world of opera; an examination of classical music from the point of view of music critic, Paul Morley; and two books on Bruce Springsteen, one of them written in collaboration with former US President, Barack Obama.
Symphonies for the Soul: Classical music to cure any ailment
Oliver Condy; Cassell Reference; Hardback
Whether you suffer from loneliness or laziness, from bereavement or betrayal, a heartbreak or a mere hangover, here you'll find the perfect piece of classical music to heal the heart, soothe the soul and cure the maladies of the modern world. Oliver Condy takes the role of musical physician, prescribing more than 100 remedies for all manner of ailments in the form of classical music. This book is filled with stories behind the pieces and composers selected, and how they can nourish the spirit in times of need.
Available Format: Book
From acclaimed biographer Jan Swafford comes a new paperback edition of the definitive biography of one of the most lauded musical geniuses in history, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The book is both wide-ranging and intimate in its exploration of a genius in his life and his setting: a man who rose from a particular time and place, whose art would enrich the world for centuries to come, who would immeasurably shape the future of classical music, who from his age to ours has stood as the definition of a prodigy.
Available Format: Book
Violins and Hope: From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall
Franz Welser-Möst & Daniel Levin; George F. Thompson; Hardback
Amnon Weinstein, an Israeli master luthier, began a project years ago that may be one of the most magnificent approaches to education on the topic of the Holocaust. Trained by three of the most revered Italian luthiers of the twentieth century, his vision was to restore violins that survived the concentration camps and ghettos, even when their owners did not. This book presents a compelling and beautiful series of photographs documenting Weinstein's collection of violins, his workshop in Tel Aviv, and his processes for restoration.
Available Format: Book
Becoming Clara Schumann: Performance Strategies and Aesthetics in the Culture of the Musical Canon
Alexander Stefaniak; Indiana University Press; Paperback
Well before she married Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann was already an internationally renowned pianist. This book guides readers through her entire career, including performance, composition, edits to her husband's music, and teaching. It brings together the full run of her concert programmes, detailed accounts of performances and reception, and other previously unexplored source material to illuminate how she positioned herself within larger currents in concert life.
Available Format: Book
A wealth of games, activities and ideas for creative and enjoyable musical play, divided into chapters according to how parents would actually use them during the busy, sometimes stressful days with pre-school children. Every suggestion also nourishes natural musicality and confidence, preparing the way for more independent thinking and other creative pursuits later on.
Available Format: Book
Whether we're listening for the first time or revisiting the arias that first stole our hearts, Avidly Reads Opera welcomes readers and listeners to a community full of friendship, passion, critique, and beautiful music. It is a love letter to the music and those who love it, filled with stories of the history of opera and its audiences. With a singular blend of personal reflection and cultural criticism, it is an homage to the marvelous, sensational world of opera.
Available Format: Book
A Sound Mind: How I Fell in Love with Classical Music (and Decided to Rewrite its Entire History)
Paul Morley; Bloomsbury; Paperback
Music critic and writer Paul Morley weaves together memoir and history in a spiralling tale that establishes classical music as the most rebellious genre of all. A soaring polemic, this book rejects the idea that classical music is establishment. Instead, it reveals the genre to be the most exciting and varied in music. It is a multi-layered memoir of Morley's shifting musical tastes as well as a compelling history of classical music that reveals the genre's rich and often deviant past - and, hopefully, future.
Available Format: Book
Updated to include the albums Western Stars and Letter To You, and packed full of insightful stories from Bruce Springsteen's long career, this book takes a detailed look at each and every one of his tracks, as well as some of the many anecdotes and tales that are prolific in his long music history. Deeply researched and laced with insight from decades of fandom and original reporting, it is an exhaustive and unique look at the writing, recording and significance of Springsteen's singular catalogue of songs.
Available Format: Book
Two long-time friends share an intimate conversation about life, music and their enduring love of America in this stunningly-produced expansion of their ground-breaking Higher Ground podcast. Featuring more than 350 photographs, exclusive bonus content, and never-before-seen archival material, this candid, revealing, and entertaining dialogue between President Barack Obama and legendary musician Bruce Springsteen explores everything from their origin stories and career-defining moments to their country's polarised politics and the growing distance between the American Dream and the American reality.
Available Format: Book
James Longstaffe - Head of Retail
