Books Recommendations
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New Music Book Publications - 24th May 2021
24th May 2021
A biography of Russian composer, Nikolay Myaskovsky; the memoirs of Austrian conductor, Franz Welser-Möst; an updated edition of Ted Gioia's classic history of jazz; a critical companion to motets of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries; an analysis of the shepherd's melody from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde; an examination of the historical role of the clarinet; and an intrepid tale of the booming sound of the foghorn.
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New Music Book Publications - 3rd May 2021
3rd May 2021
Books on composers including Berg, Fauré, and Gluck; a study of musical polystylism in the final decades of the Soviet Union; an exploration of choral singing in Ancient Greece; an examination of the ways in which Baroque composers notated tempos in their scores before the invention of the metronome; an account of Chinese street music and its impact on the local community; and several books celebrating the eightieth birthday of iconic musician, Bob Dylan.
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New Music Book Publications - 19th April 2021
19th Apr 2021
An examination of the appeal and power of music in times of crisis; an exploration of how the musical press in France affected the notion of a "canon" of works; a discussion of the interaction between music and its listeners in the digital age; a biography of the early life of Bob Dylan; and a collection of iconic covers from the Blue Note label.
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New Music Book Publications - 5th April 2021
5th Apr 2021
Volumes on composers such as Brahms, Charles Ives, and Arthur Sullivan; an analysis of the depictions of musical instruments found on a sumptuous piece of Elizabethan furniture; examinations of Jewish music in Germany after the Second World War and of the effect that jazz had on Europe after World War One; a history of how the human species has listened to music through the ages; and a paperback edition of Philip Clark's biography of Dave Brubeck.
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New Music Book Publications - 22nd March 2021
22nd Mar 2021
A new paperback edition of Roger Scruton's exploration of Wagner's Parsifal; an examination of methods in music research; a social history of folk song in England; an analysis of musical infrastructures; a handbook of algorithmic music; and a discussion of the ways in which French composers channeled their trauma into their music after the First World War.
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New Music Book Publications - 8th March 2021
8th Mar 2021
A psychological analysis of legendary opera singer, Maria Callas; a study of the songs of Fanny Hensel; an exploration of Lutheran themes present in the music of Bach; an examination of ten conductors' annotated scores of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony; a new edition of Nicholas Cook's classic introduction to music; and handbooks on music and philosophy, and community music.
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New Music Book Publications - 22nd February 2021
22nd Feb 2021
An introduction to Western musical notation; a new translation of Richard Wagner's essays on the art of conducting; a biography of blues singer, Bessie Smith; an encyclopedia of historical performance practice; a look behind the scenes at the Ballets Russes; a guide to piano fingering; a study of concert life in nineteenth-century America; an exploration of music in Ancient Greece; and the history of the ballad singer in Georgian and Victorian London.
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New Music Book Publications - 8th February 2021
8th Feb 2021
An examination of how Bizet's Carmen became one of the most popular operas; a companion to Schubert's Winterreise; the effect that Mahler's Eighth Symphony has had since its premiere; the history of London theatre music from Purcell to Handel; an unpacking of the myths surrounding American blues performers; and an illustrated history of musicals.
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New Music Book Publications - 25th January 2021
25th Jan 2021
An updated biography of Mozart; an exploration of Puccini's La bohème; an analysis of the ballet collaborations between Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins; a discussion of the issues facing pianists when performing historical repertoire on modern instruments; an examination of fugue in the sixteenth century; and books on music and liturgy in the Iberian Peninsula and fourteenth-century northern France.
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New Music Book Publications - 11th January 2021
11th Jan 2021
Biographies of Mozart and Chinese composer Chen Yi; essays on the organ works of Bach; a handbook illustrating the essential nature of singing through the millennia; philosophical discourse in relation to music in the Roman Empire; an analysis of the solfeggio tradition in the eighteenth century; the politics of opera from Monteverdi to Mozart; a collection of interviews with prominent oboists; and a critique of music and musicians in modern Turkey.
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New Music Book Publications - 14th December 2020
14th Dec 2020
Books on composers including Mahler, Arvo Pärt, Stravinsky, Thomas Adès, and George Frederick Bristow; a guide to the Baroque Violin & Viola; examinations of Occitanian Crusade Songs and American Hymnody in the antebellum period of the United States; an exploration of the Big Band years of Louis Armstrong's career; and an account of the revitalisation of Broadway in the mid-1970s.
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Presto Book Awards 2020
10th Dec 2020
We are very pleased to announce our inaugural Presto Music Book Awards! We have chosen five of the most outstanding publications from the past twelve months.
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New Music Book Publications - 16th November 2020
16th Nov 2020
Three introductions to music history for children; a study of how music creates emotion; a guide to twenty-first century vocal repertoire; an examination of the compositions of Johann Joseph Fux; handbooks on music in social media and the operatic canon; and a biography of dancing legend Gene Kelly.
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New Music Book Publications - 2nd November 2020
2nd Nov 2020
Books on composers such as Richard Strauss, Delius, Britten, and Fauré; tips and techniques on producing classical recordings in the Decca tradition; a biography of experimental musician Wendy Carlos; a guide to writing music for video games; and a discusson of Bolivian popular music.
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New Music Book Publications - 19th October 2020
19th Oct 2020
Biographies of Thomas Tallis and Michael Tippett; a celebration of 150 years of the Royal Albert Hall; a collection of essays in honour of early music scholar Christopher Page; books on the guitar in Georgian England and music in North-East England; the importance of music-making to people on the autism spectrum; and an analysis of performance practice issues in nineteenth-century violin repertoire.
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New Music Book Publications - 5th October 2020
5th Oct 2020
Several volumes marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth; an analysis of Brahms's violin sonatas; the history and construction of minimalist music; a guide to making your own bassoon reeds; the life and legacy of jazz saxophonist Dexter Gordon; the latest edition of the Rare Record Price Guide; and a handbook on teaching music to students with autism.
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New Music Book Publications - 21st September 2020
21st Sep 2020
Two volumes on Richard Wagner, including the latest book from best-selling author, Alex Ross; an updated biography of Bach from the Master Musicians series; the memoirs of song accompanist, Helmut Deutsch; a companion to more than 400 orchestral works; an historical survey of the Renaissance flute; a collection of essays discussing the concept of rhythm; and a guide to singing in Mandarin.
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New Music Book Publications - 7th September 2020
7th Sep 2020
An introdution to Renaissance polyphony; a memoir by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason on raising a family of musicians; an examination of the position of music in Tudor and Stuart England; a study of the songs of Johanna Kinkel; the life and music of Nat King Cole; the stories behind the songs of Jimi Hendrix; and collections of photographs of David Bowie and The Beatles.
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New Music Book Publications - 24th August 2020
24th Aug 2020
Books on the life and music of Beethoven and Chopin; the history of the flageolet in England; a guide to compositional techniques in twenty-first century music; an analysis of the power of the singing voice; an overview of percussion music in the twentieth century; the story of popular music in Japan; punk rock as a reaction to 1980s America; and a look at the economics of the music industry.
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New Music Book Publications - 10th August 2020
10th Aug 2020
A biography of Hollywood composer, Max Steiner; essays on the music of James MacMillan; a pair of books on Nadia Boulanger; an exploration of the popularity of Bizet's opera, Carmen; a guide to improvisation at the piano; an examination of the performances of gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson; and a new paperback edition of a biography of Gershwin.
