Classical Destinations: An Armchair Guide to Classical Music
Based on the television series and PBS special of the same name, Classical Destinations: An Armchair Guide to Classical Music tours the history and geography of classical music in Europe’s great cities. With its more than 200 color photos the book explores the lives of great composers’ and how they were influenced by, and how they, in turn, influenced the cities they lived in.
Each chapter gives details such as climate, tourist attractions, composer museums/homes, and annual music events. The book includes a hotel guide for its destinations, complete with descriptions and web addresses.
Among the destinations visited are Salzburg, birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Vienna, home of Vienna Boys Choir and Franz Joseph Haydn, and where Beethoven came to terms with his deafness; Finland and the dramatic landscapes that shaped the work of Jean Sibelius; Norway and composer Edvard Grieg’s hut; St. Petersburg, where Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky lived; Lucca, Italy, former home of Giacomo Puccini; and Eisenach, Germany, where the Bachs were born; and the Czech Republic, home of the great Antonin Dvorák.
In addition to the book, a CD of accompanying classical music and a DVD version are available from EMI Music. Amadeus’ owner and distributor Hal Leonard Corporation released a multimedia DVD to the educational market via their children’s educational music division.
Classical Destinations: An Armchair guide to Classical Music, foreword by Matt Wills and Paul Burrows, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2006.
The John Adams Reader: Essential Writings on an American Composer
In The John Adams Reader leading music commentators and critics explore the works of one of America’s most frequently performed living composers in lively and colorful essays. Friends and collaborators, including director Peter Sellars, conductor Robert Spano, and pianist Emanuel Ax, as well as in-depth interviews with Adams, provide views of Adams the man and his creative influences. They also serve as a window on the development of music in our time and the cultural factors that shape it.
Essays from writers John Rockwell, Edward Rothstein, Richard Taruskin, Mark Swed, and Alan Rich explore one of Adams’ most controversial works, The Death of Klinghoffer, his 1991 opera about terrorism.
The John Adams Reader: Essential Writings on an American Composer, by Thomas May, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2006.
Shred! The Ultimate Guide to Warp-Speed Guitar
Shredding is a challenge, but Shred! breaks it down, demystifying guitar solos that sound intimidating on record. Lessons include Flex Builders to get your hands working, and Love + Loud exercises that can be heard on the CD packaged with the book.
Techniques examined in-depth include: speed picking, thrash chording and speed riffing, blues shredding, tapping, legato playing, and the whammy bar. The book’s introduction includes short biographies for the top 30 speed demons of rock guitar and throughout the book you’ll hear examples of the techniques used by them. Co-authors Richard Maloof and Pete Prown are shred masters themselves.
Shred! The Ultimate Guide to Warp-Speed Guitar, by Rich Maloof and Pete Prown, Backbeat Books, San Francisco, CA, 2006.
The Ethnomusicologists’ Cookbook
Ethnomusicologists visit the four corners of the earth to collect music and culture of native peoples. Music is an integral part of social interaction, particularly at lavish banquets and celebrations. The Ethnomusicologists’ Cookbook brings food and music together with a collection of assorted recipes from 47 diverse regions of the world such as Java, Morocco, Appalachia, and Iran. Each entry includes recipes for a complete meal for six people, an essay on the relationship between food and music within the culture, and a short list of appropriate CDs.
The Ethnomusicologists’ Cookbook, by Sean Williams, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, New York, NY, 2006.
American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today
Organized by decade, American Singing Groups is an exciting history of popular music in the US. Entries detail each group’s career, key members, and influences plus comprehensive discography of each. This one-of-a-kind reference is filled with musical facts and rare photos that will fascinate fans and collectors.
Author Jay Warner is a six-time Grammy Award-winning music publisher, record collector, and music historian with a vinyl collection of more than 100,000 recordings. Much of the information in this compendium comes from his personal knowledge of pop musicians and more than 100 artist interviews.
American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today, by Jay Warner, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2006.
Oud Method
The oud, which literally means “the wood,” dates back some 2,500 years and has a fascinating history. It is often considered the most important instrument to come from the Middle East. John Bilezikjian, America’s “oud virtuoso,” introduces the curious to the folklore and origin of the oud and also provides the basics for learning to play it. He covers topics such as how to find an oud, tuning, and playing. Even the basics of music notation and rhythm values are provided for those new to written music. There are a series of exercises for beginners, as well as an accompanying 27-track CD for demonstration and play along.
Oud Method, by John Bilezikjian, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2006.
On This Day in Black Music History
On This Day in Black Music History is a first-of-its-kind entertaining reference covering 100 years of black music—soul, gospel, R&B, hip-hop, rap, rock, and every other genre. The book gives more than 2,000 facts about hundreds of artists including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Count Basie, Queen Latifah, Dizzy Gillespie, James Brown, Snoop Dogg, and more. Each page represents a day of the year with the number one hit for that day from different years, a list of legendary performers born that day, and important performances, debuts, and other events in black music that took place on that day. Its comprehensive index of artists and songs make it a handy reference for music buffs.
On This Day in Black Music History, by Jay Warner, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2006.
The World of Jazz Trumpet
The World of Jazz Trumpet examines the political, social, and musical conditions that led to the creation of jazz music. Author and internationally acclaimed jazz trumpeter and composer Scotty Barnhart chronicles the evolution of jazz through the contributions and innovations of trumpet legends. The book merges a never before told history of the jazz world—its rivalries and camaraderie, and personalities—with practical information essential to any musician. Greats like Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, and Chuck Mangione share their insights, stories, and philosophies.
The World of Jazz Trumpet: A Comprehensive History & Practical Philosophy, by Scotty Barnhart, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2005.
Fingerstyle Guitar: 
Lessons in Technique and Creativity
Fingerstyle Guitar’s unique approach encourages readers to play using their natural instinct and voice. It covers topics, including technique, visualization, articulation, altered tunings, composition and structure, and accompaniment patterns. Lessons exploring motor memory, body awareness, and concentration help musicians maximise results. On an accompanying CD author and guitarist Brian Gore, founder of International Guitar Night concert/talks, performs many of the book’s exercises and etudes.
Fingerstyle Guitar, Lessons in Technique and Creativity, by Brian Gore,
Backbeat Books, San Francisco, CA, 2005.
Unlocking the Masters
The Unlocking the Masters series examines the work and impact of individual composers. Each book comes with at least one CD to creatively link music and text.
In The Great Instrumental Works author M. Owen Lee discusses composers in chronological order and groups them according to the various traditions in which they wrote, giving readers an overall view of how classical music has developed over the past three centuries. Lee includes little-known biographical tidbits that entertain and amaze, while readers come to understand how music expresses feelings.
In Shostakovich Symphonies and Concertos: An Owner’s Manual David Hurwitz explores Dmitri Shostakovich’s 15 symphonies and six concertos, work by work. It also explores his life (1906-1975) and the challenges he faced as a citizen and artist living in the rigid Soviet regime.
Claudio Monteverdi has been called the first great opera composer and Opera’s First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi traces his development as a composer, places his operatic works within the musical and theatrical framework of his era, and details the complex forces that led to the emergence of opera in late 16th century Florence.
Chopin: A Listener’s Guide to the Master of the Piano takes a detailed tour through the life and works of Federic Chopin, master of the keyboard.
Composer of The Nutcracker, one of the most popular works ever penned, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a composer of sublime music, whose work was rooted in personal torment. Author Daniel Felsenfeld guides readers through some of the “Little Russian’s” beloved works in Tchaikovsky: A Listener’s Guide.
Unlocking the Masters Series: The Great Instrumental Works, by M. Owen Lee; Shostakovich Symphonies and Concertos, An Owners Manual, by David Hurwitz; Opera’s First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi, by Mark Ringer; Chopin: A Listener’s Guide to the Master of the Piano, by Victor Lederer; Tchaikovsky: A Listener’s Guide, by Daniel Felsenfeld, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2006.
How Nashville Became Music City USA: 50 Years of Music Row
The history of Music Row began over half a century ago when bandleader Owen Bradley joined forces with guitarist Chet Atkins and cut records in a Quonset hut. How Nashville Became Music City USA is expertly written by Nashville insider Michael Kosser, himself a songwriter, and contains authentic voices of the professionals who created Music City.
How Nashville Became Music City USA: 50 Years of Music Row, by Michael Kosser, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2006.
Earl Scruggs and the Five-String Banjo
Earl Scruggs and the Five-String Banjo was written in 1968 for players who wanted to learn more about Scrugg’s approach to banjo picking. It is a comprehensive guide covering banjo basics such as tuning, techniques, and tips. A series of picking exercises teach the right-hand roll patterns and left-hand techniques used by Scruggs. Other chapters include Scruggs’ autobiography, a brief history of the 5-string banjo, and even how to build a banjo.
This revised edition contains some additional songs and covers new ground, including a description of the Nashville Number System. A companion CD features Scruggs playing and narrating more than 60 examples.
Earl Scruggs and the Five-String Banjo, Revised and Enhanced Edition, by Earl Scruggs, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2005.
Strange Sounds: Offbeat Instruments and Sonic Experiments in Pop
Have you heard of a theremin, Clavioline, Simeon, Doncamatic, or Marxophone? These and other strange musical devices and the stories behind them are chronicled in Strange Sounds. The book explores the role of unusual instruments in creating unforgettable hit songs and recounts how world-famous musicians and producers moved beyond guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards to create records.
As an invaluable bonus, the accompanying CD contains recordings of many of the instruments discussed in the book, and even a theme song performed by the Strange Sounds Orchestra.
Strange Sounds: Offbeat Instruments and Sonic Experiments in Pop, by Mark Brend, Backbeat Books, San Francisco, CA, 2005.
The Serious Jazz Practice Book for All Instruments
The Serious Jazz Practice Book provides a comprehensive plan for mastering the building blocks of jazz—scales, chords, intervals, and various melodic patterns—on any instrument and building a deep understanding of the fundamentals of jazz. Step-by-step exercises dissect diatonic, pentatonic, chromatic, whole-tone, and diminished scales, along with the chords and intervals inherent in each scale, into hundreds of useable patterns.
The book’s companion CD demonstrates how the exercises can be used to create great solos.
The Serious Jazz Practice Book for All Instruments, by Barry Finnerty, Sher Music Co., Petaluma, CA, 2006.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? tells the story of the prolific and respected American composer Jay Gorney. This memoir by Gorney’s wife, Sondra, spans the composer’s life from childhood in Russia to his stage and screen success and his 1962 Tony Award.
In addition to composing hundreds of songs, Gorney also produced films and was a distinguished writer and teacher. This historic account details how he was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953, after refusing to answer questions on the grounds of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, and instead serenading the Committee with his musical setting of the “First Amendment, The Bill of Rights.”
Brother, Can You spare a Dime? The Life of Composer Jay Gorney, by Sondra K. Gorney, Scarecrow Press, Inc., Lanham, MD, 2005.
The B.B. King Reader: Six Decades of Commentary
For over half a century B.B. King has been the quintessential advocate of the blues, pioneering a guitar style that altered the way blues and rock is played. The B.B. King Reader is a comprehensive collection of the greatest classic and contemporary essays dealing with King’s music and life. The essays follow King’s life through his own words, and those of esteemed scholars of American music, from life on a Mississippi farm to recent interviews.
Readers will come to know that King is as articulate about his life, technical matters, and his feelings as he is about his art. The book brings together a unique collection of articles that help us to understand King.
The B.B. King Reader: Six Decades of Commentary, edited by Richard Kostelanetz, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2005.
The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera
One of the most exciting and enduring forms of entertainment, opera has given rise to countless passions over the centuries. The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera explores the dramatic and ever-changing world of this complex art form, tracing its roots from Ancient Greece through to the present day. This volume is ideal for background reading, study, or as a reference, and is a beautiful publication for both beginning and seasoned opera fans everywhere.
The book is written by a team of experts in the field and organized chronologically by era, with each section containing biographies of major composers, librettists, and singers of the period. Detailed synopses of more than 200 operas are supported by more than 500 vivid illustrations and plot and character outlines. Recommended recording boxes suggest the best CDs and DVDs available for listening to and watching opera at home, and cross-referencing allows readers to follow a subject of interest in more detail.
The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera, edited by Stanley Sadie et al., Billboard Books, New York, NY, 2004.
Slide Guitar: Know the Players, Play the Music
The latest title in Backbeat Books’ Fretmaster series, Slide Guitar: Know the Players, Play the Music teaches both the history and technique of slide guitar masters, from Robert Johnson, Son House, and Sol Hoopii through George Harrison and Leo Kottke. Guitarist, teacher, and author Pete Madsen gives his recommendations on choosing and using different types of slides.
The book is spiral-bound to conveniently lay flat on music stands, and features a play-along CD covering all of the exercises contained in the book, plus backing tracks in blues, country, and rock styles for perfect practice sessions.
Slide Guitar: Know the Players, Play the Music, by Pete Madsen, Backbeat Books, San Francisco, CA, 2005.
All Music Guide to Classical Music: The Definitive Guide
Whether you’re exploring the haunting melodies of Gregorian chant, the mighty symphonies of Beethoven, or today’s innovative composers, the All Music Guide to Classical Music: The Definitive Guide is a complete reference to the genre and the musicians who bring it to life. The book will help classical devotees, as well as newcomers, understand the music and choose the best recordings for each composer, style, and era.
The guide contains more than 1,500 alphabetical entries for composers and performers, each with a brief biography, career profile, vital statistics, and album recommendations. There are also 4,000 descriptions of composer’s works and 360 opera and ballet synopses.
All Music Guide to Classical Music: The Definitive Guide, edited by Chris Woodstra, Gerald Brennan, and Allen Schrott, Backbeat Books, San Francisco, CA, 2005.
The Peavey Revolution: An All American Success Story
Hartley Peavey’s vision was to build top-quality musical instruments and amplifiers that ordinary musicians could afford. “I didn’t have any money and couldn’t afford to buy the things I wanted ... so I ended up building my own,” says Peavey.
The Peavey Revolution is the story of the company and its founder, as told by Peavey himself and the people who have known him, including author Ken Achard who worked with Peavey for 30 years, witnessing the company’s dramatic growth at close range.
One of the largest and most respected names in musical instruments and gear today, Peavey Electronics holds more than 130 patents and produces more than 2,000 products distributed throughout the US and to 136 countries. The colorful book features numerous historic photos of Peavey products and personalities.
The Peavey Revolution: Hartley Peavey, the Gear, the Company, and the All-American Success Story, by Ken Achard, Backbeat Books, San Francisco, CA, 2005.
Choral Music in the 20th Century
Choral Music in the Twentieth Century is a comprehensive guide to choral music, covering secular, sacred, folk, and jazz-influenced music for vocal ensembles. The book follows the history of the music from early days of the century, to the very recent past.
The book’s geographical scope is just as sweeping. Arranged by region, it includes not only European and American idioms but also less familiar ones from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Choral Music in the Twentieth Century, by Nick Strimple, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2005.
Exploring Haydn and Dvorák: Unlocking the Masters
The Amadeus Press Unlocking the Masters series gives readers in depth looks into some of classical music’s greatest composers and musicians and their works.
It has been said that no other composer has achieved the amazing artistic progression of Joseph Haydn. His creative life included ceaseless experimentation and invention. He invented the string quartet as we know it, became known as “the father of the symphony,” and was mentor to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
In Exploring Haydn: A Listener’s Guide to Music’s Boldest Innovator author David Hurwitz shows readers how to fully enjoy Haydn’s music. Readers will become acquainted with the master’s melodic creativity, use of musical form, personal style, and genius for writing in minor keys and creating comedy in music.
A special chapter of letters and quotations by the composer introduces readers to Haydn, the man. Four appendices list all of his symphonies, string quartets, piano sonatas, and piano trios.
“If one defines greatness as the ability to create a series of masterpieces over a broad range of musical media, then Dvorák was, demonstrably and without exaggeration, the greatest composer of the last half of the 19th century,” asserts Hurwitz in Dvorák: Romantic Music’s Most Versatile Genius. 
The book explores more than 90% of the great composer’s works along with an analysis of the composer’s creative personality.
Hurwitz aims to enhance understanding of all of Dvorák’s compositions. Measure by measure, Hurwitz explores the genius behind the composer’s extraordinary achievement and how he created a musical language of near-universal appeal. The book also includes a timeline noting when Dvorák’s major works were written as compared with those of his most important contemporaries.
Each of the two books come with two full-length CDs that provide beautiful music keyed to pieces described in the books.
Exploring Haydn: A Listener’s Guide to Music’s Boldest Innovator and Dvorák: Romantic Music’s Most Versatile Genius, by David Hurwitz, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2005.
The Yardbirds
Written by best-selling biographer Alan Clayson, The Yardbirds: The Band that Launched Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, is about one of the most influential bands in the history of rock music. The book, written with the cooperation of band members, colleagues, and industry insiders, is accented with more than 100 evocative color and black-and-white photographs from the era.
Offering an essential piece of the late 20th century pop jigsaw puzzle, this volume covers not just the group’s five years of considerable success in the ’60s but the subsequent careers of its individual members.
The Yardbirds: The Band that Launched Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, by Alan Clayson, Backbeat Books, San Francisco, CA, 2002.
The NPR Curious Listener’s Guides to Opera and Classical Music
Two books in National Public Radio’s Curious Listener’s Guide series give readers broad overviews of opera and classical music.
The Curious Listener’s Guide to Opera covers the genre from Puccini to Porgy and Bess. This comprehensive companion to opera guides you through the lush history of the art, including an exploration of stylistic variations. The book is accessible to the novice and enlightening for the operaphile, featuring a survey of classic operas, mini biographies of major composers and singers, and a glossary of terms.
The Guide to Opera also includes a list of 30 of the most important opera CDs that should be in every opera collection, as well as a forward by Placido Domingo. The book’s author, William Berger, has written libretti for operas in both Italian and English, is a frequent contributor to NPR, and lectures extensively on opera.
Whether it’s the work of Mozart, Bach, or Beethoven, whether it’s a fugue, a symphony, or a concerto, the most significant aspect of classical music is what composers do to engage the ear, the mind, and the heart. 
The Curious Listener’s Guide to Classical Music explores this topic.
“With this guide, NPR fans will have the chance to discover refreshing new perspectives about Western civilization’s most abstract and emotionally affecting art: classical music,” says Michael Tilson Thomas, music director for the San Francisco Symphony, in the foreword of the book.
The guide also includes a concise history, as well as major composers and performers of classical music. In the back of the book are a glossary of terms and a list of 50 essential classical music CDs.
The NPR Curios Listener’s Guide to Opera, by William Berger and The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Classical Music, by Tim Smith, The Berkley Publishing Group, New York, NY, 2002.
Parallel Lives
The Amadeus Press Parallel Lives series aims to enhance appreciation and knowledge of classical music and opera. The first in the series tells the life story and compares the works of composers Charles Ives with Aaron Copland, while the second focuses on the lives and works of Benjamin Britten and Samuel Barber. Author and composer Daniel Felsenfeld uses clear and concise language to tell the stories of each artist.
In Ives and Copland: A Listener’s Guide Felsenfeld explores how the two composers, although vastly different in disposition, shared a pivotal role in defining the American sound in classical music, contributing to the musical consciousness of an era. Written in the style of a listener’s guide the book comes with a full-length BMG Classics CD, sampling the composers’ well-known works, such as “Appalachian Spring” and “The Unanswered Questions,” along with lesser-known pieces.
Felsenfeld explains why listeners still admire the work of these two men and how their personalities, along with the era in which they lived, affected their music. Broken into three parts, Ives and Copland offers biographies, analysis of selected works, and includes essays about the identity of each man.
In Britten and Barber: Their Lives and Their Music Felsenfeld discusses the two distinct performers, their times, personalities, and works. Both Britten and Barber composed their first music by the age of 10. Britten went on to become one of the most significant British composers of the second half of the 20th century. 
On the other side of the Atlantic, Barber, a Pulitzer prize-winning American composer, influenced generations of composers. Felsenfeld also explores the mutual influence of the two composers in this second book in the Parallel Lives series.
In this volume Felsenfeld offers biographical sketches of Britten and Barber and eight listening chapters to help readers “navigate the aural landscape of the music.” An accompanying full-length CD features some of their most popular works; for example, Britten’s “The Turn of the Screw” and Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” are heard, along with lesser-known pieces.
Parallel lives Series, No. I—Charles Ives and Aaron Copland: A Listener’s Guide and No. 2—Benjamin Britten and Samuel Barber: Their Lives and Their Music, by Daniel Felsenfeld, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2004 and 2005.
The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal
Acknowledging that rock and metal have shared roots, author Essi Berelain has selected an impressively eclectic group of artists for inclusion in this A to Z style book. Here is a history of metal in all its flavors and guises, as told through its makers. The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal is the definitive guide to heavy metal performers with career biographies of more than 300 bands and artists.
The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal, by Essi Berelain, Rough Guides Ltd, New York, NY, 2005.
Dvorák to Duke Ellington
America’s unique mix of culture and people has brought it to the forefront of musical innovation. Thus, it’s not surprising it could produce two minds as different as Antonin Dvorák and Duke Ellington. But are their stories somehow intertwinedr
Maurice Peress, a prominent US conductor, argues that indeed the histories of these two men are inseparable.
In Dvorák’s three-year residency as director at the National Conservatory of Music he taught individuals, like Marion Cook and Rubin Goldmark, who would in turn teach Ellington, and therefore helped usher in an era of big band jazz that no one in Dvorák's time could have foreseen.
Peress personalizes his book by including his own narrative into this fascinating story—working with Ellington and Leonard Bernstein, the “offspring” of Dvorák’s work. Peress concludes with an astounding look at Ellington and his music.
Dvorák to Duke Ellington: A Conductor Explores America’s Music and Its African American Roots, by Maurice Peress, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2004.
Getting the Most Out of Mozart
Mozart is easily one of the most prolific musical geniuses ever. With more than 600 works in various musical genres, the task of trying to approach Mozart’s musical legacy in a balanced way can be a daunting one. That’s why David Hurwitz has stepped in with a two-volume survey of Mozart’s music entitled Getting the Most Out of Mozart.
Hurwitz is founder and executive editor of Classicstoday.com, an online guide to classical music, and is the chairman and founder of the Classical Internet Awards. He gives us insight into the music and life of Mozart in an easy-to-read format and helps us to understand why his fantastic music has stood the test of time.
In the first volume, The Instrumental Works, Hurwitz guides readers and listeners through the master’s chamber and orchestral music, a body of work unique in style, expressive range, emotional depth, formal perfection, and sheer beauty.
Mozart is also the one of the finest vocal composers ever, having written time-honored operas, including The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute, as well as sacred masterpieces such as the exquisitely beautiful choral motet Ave Verum Corpus, the Mass in C Minor, and the brilliant Requiem.
In The Vocal Works readers explore Mozart’s seven major operas, aria by aria, Hurwitz shows how Mozart used arresting melodies, vocal style, and orchestration to intensify the power of the texts and to create moving characters. Hurwitz also provides valuable insights into Mozart’s sacred music, as well as lesser-known vocal works.
The books explore the diversity and sheer brilliance of Mozart as an innovator of the classical period. They are a must-have for any classical music enthusiast.
To further illustrate the depth of the composer’s range, the author has included a CD of full-length works as an accompaniment to each book.
Getting the Most Out of Mozart: The Instrumental Works, by David Hurwitz, Amadeus Press, Milwaukee, WI, 2005.
The Songwriter Goes to War
One of America’s favorite composers, Irving Berlin was in charge of an all-servicemen company that performed Yip! Yip! Yaphank during the First World War.
The show’s popular song, “Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning,” and the idea of an all-servicemen show resurfaced in the wake of World War II. Less than six months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the cast of This Is the Army began rehearsing. After a brief engagement on Broadway, the company moved on to a world tour of Army bases. Berlin’s show lasted until the war ended and raised the spirits of soldiers on the battlefield and millions of dollars for the Army Emergency Relief Fund.
This lost tale of frontline show business looks at World War II from a new angle. Its author Alan Anderson, the production stage manager and first sergeant of the This Is the Army Detachment, recalls his experiences while working with Berlin in this memoir. From this unique vantage point Anderson enjoyed a unique perspective of all the unique elements and personalities that went into the show.
The Songwriter Goes to War: The Story of Irving Berlin’s World War II All-Army Production of This is the Army, by Alan Anderson, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2004.
The Joy of Music and Young People’s Concerts
If The Joy of Music was Leonard Bernstein’s first book. It illuminates the importance of the American symphony, the greatness of Beethoven, and the art of composing, in a readable format.
Written as conversations on music, Bernstein easily grabs and holds the reader’s attention. This reprint includes a new forward from Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and Washington Post music critic Tim Page.
Page writes that Bernstein was one of the most influential music teachers in history. The composer, pianist, and conductor not only taught other musicians directly, he also educated music appreciators, such as Page, through his television series and books. Composer and music critic Virgil Thomson once described Bernstein as “the ideal explainer of music, both past and present.” The book also includes a photo section, dozens of musical examples, and a section of transcripts from Bernstein’s televised Omnibus music series.
Amadeus Press has also published a revised edition of Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts, a collection of transcripts from Bernstein’s Emmy and Peabody award-winning 53 concerts for children. So successful were the performances that they ran on television for more than a decade, were dubbed into a dozen languages, and syndicated in 40 countries. The concerts were also released on DVD earlier this year. The forward in this edition is written by Grammy award winning Michael Tilson Thomas, music director of the San Francisco Symphony.
“All of [Bernstein’s] programs are really lessons in listening. Informed, active listeners are what he wants us to be—and his guidance is inspiring. He wants us to understand that the rich tradition of music is easily available to us and that the spontaneous joy we take in street cries, folk songs, show tunes, and rock and roll is equally in the music that, for lack of a better word, is called ‘classical’ … [Bernstein] tackles all the ‘scary sounding’ terms like sonata and cadenza and makes them understandable and fun,” notes Thomas.
In these two books Bernstein, a unique and gifted musician and teacher, explains beautifully and clearly the joy of music in a way that grasps the attention of all. Each aspect of the music is so cleverly presented that everyone, regardless of age, culture, or educational background will enjoy and understand.
The Joy of Music, by Leonard Bernstein, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2004.
Jazz Improvisation for Guitar: A Melodic Approach
Melodies based on triads and melodic extensions sound more natural and musical than ones developed exclusively from scales. Triads—the fundamental building blocks of harmony—are a simple and effective way to avoid scale-based improvising.
In Jazz Improvisation for Guitar: A Melodic Approach, world-renowned jazz guitarist Garrison Fewell offers an organized approach to creating expressive jazz solos and accompaniments. Triad and melodic extension examples and exercises help guitarists to achieve the most expressive jazz feel and rhythm.
The included play-along CD features outstanding musical examples and rhythm-section tracks performed by a trio of Garrison Fewell on guitar, Steve LaSpina on bass, and John Riley on drums. A special bonus track explores the techniques learned throughout the book.
Jazz Improvisation for Guitar: A Melodic Approach, by Garrison Fewell, Berklee Press, Boston, MA, 2005.
Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer
Digital synthesizers are so common in the world of popular music today that their presence is often taken for granted. This well-researched, entertaining book traces the history of the Moog synthesizer from its initial conception to its ascension to stardom. The authors, Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco, give pioneer Robert Moog historical prominence, while including the achievements of other luminaries of the era, such as rival inventors Donald Buchla and Alan Perlman, composers Wendy Carlos and Pauline Oliveras, and musicians Stevie Wonder and Rick Wakeman.
Analog Days conveys the excitement, uncertainties, and unexpected consequences of new technology that would provide the soundtrack for a critical chapter of our cultural history. The book includes interviews with innovators who determined what the synthesizer would be and how it would be used—from inventors to musicians like Brian Eno, Pete Townshend, and Keith Emerson, as well as historic photos.
Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer, by Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco, Harvard University Press, London, England, 2002.
Playback: From the Victrola to MP3, 100 Years of Music, Machines, and Money
In Playback Mark Coleman traces more than 100 years of sound reproduction, from Edison’s 1877 demonstration of the cylinder phonograph to Scientific America to Apple’s launch of its iTunes music services in 2003. The book includes appearances by everyone from Thomas Edison to Enrico Caruso to Dick Clark to Grandmaster Flash to Napster CEO Shawn Fanning, placing this important history within its larger social, economic, and cultural context.
Mark Coleman is a seasoned journalist who has written for Rolling Stone, Details, New York Newsday, Village Voice, and Mojo, among other publications. He shows us in this fascinating chronicle how technology shapes music, music changes technology, and technology drives the business.
Playback: From the Victrola to MP3, 100 Years of Music, Machines, and Money, by Mark Coleman, The Perseus Books Group, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142.
