Music-History & Criticism

The story of how Toronto became a music mecca. From Yonge Street to Yorkville to Queen West to College, the neighbourhoods that housed Toronto's music scenes. Featuring Syrinx, Rough Trade, Martha and the Muffins, Fifth Column, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Rheostatics, Ghetto...

A history of the Mariposa Folk Festival, from its humble roots in Orillia in 1961 to international acclaim and legendary status as a premier folk music gathering. Mariposa began in the heyday of the early 60s "folk boom." In its more than fifty-five years,...

""George Washington As A Friend And Patron Of Music"" is a book written by Oscar George Theodore Sonneck. It explores the musical interests and activities of George Washington, the first President of the United States. The book provides a detailed account of Washington's involvement...

Choctaw Music is a book written by Frances Densmore that provides a comprehensive study of the music of the Choctaw people, a Native American tribe primarily located in the southeastern United States. The book begins with an overview of Choctaw music and its cultural...

The first comprehensive selection of Szymanowski's writings to be published in English, containing all the most important of the composer's essays and interviews. Karol Szymanowski [1882-1937] is now widely acknowledged to be the most important Polish composer since Chopin. He was also a considerable...

This first volume of a projected two volume study of the music of John Jenkins concentrates exclusively on his consorts for viols. John Jenkins (1592-1678) was both the most prolific and most esteemed of English composers between the death of Byrd and the rise...

A revealing look at French composer and virtuoso Camille Saint-Sa ns Camille Saint-Sa ns--perhaps the foremost French musical figure of the late nineteenth century and a composer who wrote in nearly every musical genre, from opera and the symphony to film music--is now being...

Aspects of beauty in the music of Mozart It is a common article of faith that Mozart composed the most beautiful music we can know. But few of us ask why. Why does the beautiful in Mozart stand apart, as though untouched by human...

The journal Source: Music of the Avant-garde was and remains a seminal source for materials on the heyday of experimental music and arts. Conceived in 1966 and published to 1973, it included some of the most important composers and artists of the time: John...

Richard Freedman's Music in the Renaissance shows how music and other forms of expression were adapted to changing tastes and ideals in Renaissance courts and churches. Giving due weight to sacred, secular, and instrumental genres, Freedman invites readers to consider who made music, who...

For this authoritative post-cold-war biography of Shostakovich's illustrious but turbulent career under Soviet rule, Laurel E. Fay has gone back to primary documents: Shostakovich's many letters, concert programs and reviews, newspaper articles, and diaries of his contemporaries. An indefatigable worker, he wrote his arresting...

The Grateful Dead were one of the most successful live acts of the rock era. Performing more than 2,300 shows between 1965 and 1995, the Grateful Dead's reputation as a "live band" was--and continues to be--sustained by thousands of live concert recordings from every...

Author: David HepworthISBN-13: 9798895150061Publisher: Diversion BooksLanguage: EnglishPublished: 03/04/2025Pages: 312Format: Paperback

When Miranda Sawyer interviewed Liam Gallagher in 1994, his gag wishing Damon Albarn would die of AIDS became front-page news all over the world. This fascinating pop history, exploring the moment British music suddenly meant everything, explains why. Picking out twenty key songs, delving...

A collection of essays and short object lessons on the composer Hector Berlioz, published in collaboration with the Bard Music Festival. Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) has long been a difficult figure to place and interpret. Famously, in Richard Wagner's estimation, he hovered as a "transient,...

The piano features prominently in Schubert's musical output throughout his career, not only as an instrument for solo piano pieces (for two and four hands), but also in Lieder and chamber music as an equal partner to the voice or other instruments. His preference...

"I'm a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie world," the ubiquitous refrain that dominated the airwaves in summer 1997. Aqua's single from their debut album Aquarium spread like wildfire, topping charts across the globe. With their erotically charged lyrics and dance beats, Aqua moved beyond...

The essays in The Resistible Demise Of Michael Jackson consummately demonstrate that writing on popular culture can be both thoughtful and heartfelt. The contributors, who include accomplished music critics as well as renowned theorists, are some of the most astute and eloquent writers on...

This volume is the second of the thirteen in preparation that will offer the first complete scholarly edition of the poetry and music of Guillaume de Machaut, the foremost practitioner of these related arts at the end of the Middle Ages in France. It...

No band has ever been able to demonstrate the enduring power of rock and roll quite like The Rolling Stones, who continue to enthrall, provoke, and invigorate their legions of fans more than fifty years since they began. In Counting Down the Rolling Stones:...

Nicholas Tarling's Orientalism and the Operatic World places opera in the context of its steady globalization over the last two centuries, offering key insights into such notable operas as George Frederic Handel's Berenice, Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, Giacomo Puccini's MadamaButterfly, Pietro Mascagni's Iris, and others....

Medieval and Renaissance Music Manuscripts, January and February, 1953 is a book written by A. Beverly Barksdale. The book is a comprehensive study of the music manuscripts from the medieval and renaissance periods, particularly those from the months of January and February. The author...

""Gregorian Chant Accompaniment: A New And Simple Approach According To The Theory Of The Basic Modal Intervals"" by Eugene Lapierre is a comprehensive guide to accompanying Gregorian chant using the theory of basic modal intervals. The book is designed to provide a new and...

Carols, Hymns, and Songs is a collection of religious music compiled by John Henry Hopkins and first published in 1872. The book contains a wide variety of music, including traditional Christmas carols, hymns for worship, and songs for special occasions such as Easter and...

The Life and Times of Beethoven by Edouard Herriot is a comprehensive biography of the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The book explores Beethoven's life from his birth in Bonn in 1770 to his death in Vienna in 1827, tracing his musical development and...

Song-Craft is a comprehensive guide to songwriting, written by W. H. Harrison in 1906. The book contains practical advice and techniques for creating popular songs, covering topics such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and lyrics. It also provides historical context for the evolution of popular...

Ragging It takes the reader on a lively, historical journey back to the days of vaudeville, fancy women, amusement parks, lynch mobs, saloons, and cabarets--a time when the upbeat music of ragtime was a craze that permeated our culture. Author H. Loring White, a...

In this second volume of nineteenth-century music analyses, Ian Bent provides a further selection of newly translated writings of nineteenth-century music critics and theorists, including composers such as Wagner, Schumann and Berlioz, and critics such as A. B. Marx and E. T. A. Hoffmann....

Viewed traditionally, the history of sixteenth-century Mantuan music is almost a catalogue of some of the most distinguished composers of the age, from Tromboncino and Cara, via Jacquet of Mantua, to Wert, Palestrina, Marenzio, Pallavicino, Gastoldi, Rossi and Monteverdi. The remarkable achievements of composers...

First published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.Author: Nicolas SlonimskyISBN-10: 0415968674ISBN-13: 9780415968676Publisher: RoutledgeLanguage: EnglishPublished: 11/22/2004Pages: 366Format: HardcoverWeight: 1.39lbsSize: 9.30h x 6.10w x 1.00d

This invaluable primer will introduce the uninitiated to the mysteries of opera and help more experienced buffs to expand their understanding and deepen their appreciation of the art form. An Invitation to the Opera provides an accessible and completely comprehensive look at opera's rich...

The Mendelssohn Companion represents a collection of advanced scholarly research in Mendelssohn studies that examines the composer's life and music. In recent decades, studies of his music manuscripts have discovered much previously overlooked work, and a reconsideration of his biography has permitted a more...

Author: Richard NeerISBN-10: 0812992652ISBN-13: 9780812992656Publisher: Random House Publishing GroupLanguage: EnglishPublished: 09/25/2001Pages: 386Format: PaperbackWeight: 1.28lbsSize: 8.58h x 6.48w x 0.98d

This handy reference work provides phonetic pronunciations and brief definitions of hundreds of musical terms. Including a wide range of genres and styles, from classical to popular music, this book is an essential resource for music lovers of all stripes.This work has been selected...

Rudolph, Frosty, and Captain Kangaroo is a memoir by Judy Gail Krasnow about her father, Hecky Krasnow, the producer of such classic children's records and holiday tunes as "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," "I'm Gettin' Nuttin' for Christmas," "Peter Cottontail," "Suzy Snowflake,"...

Rabaka explores funk as a distinct multiform of music, aesthetics, politics, social vision, and cultural rebellion that has been remixed and continues to influence contemporary Black popular music and Black popular culture, especially rap music and the Hip Hop Movement.The Funk Movement was a...

A superbly engaging guide to music around the world, from prehistory to the present Music excites and moves us perhaps more than any other art form. From a Neanderthal's bone flute to the festivals of Glastonbury and Coachella, human beings have always made and...

An in-depth exploration of the style and influence of Pat Metheny, a truly distinctive musical voice of our time. Guitarist and composer Pat Metheny, among the most acclaimed, visionary musicians of our time, has for five decades toured with his many creative musical projects,...

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most iconic figures in classical music and this memoir provides readers with a unique look into his life and work. Elliott Graeme shares personal insights into the composer's life, illuminating his struggles with deafness and his financial...

Rhythm & blues emerged from the African American community in the late 1940s to become the driving force in American popular music over the next half-century. Although sometimes called "doo-wop," "soul," "funk," "urban contemporary," or "hip-hop," R&B is actually an umbrella category that includes...

Arban's Famous Method For Slide And Valve Trombone And Baritone is a comprehensive instructional book written by Charles L. Randall. The book is designed to teach players how to play the trombone and baritone using Arban's famous method. It covers all aspects of playing...

The world of international politics has recently been rocked by a seemingly endless series of scandals involving auditory surveillance: the NSA's warrantless wiretapping is merely the most sensational example of what appears to be a universal practice today. What is the source of this...

Memphis means music. That relationship was solidified in 1909 when W. C. Handy wrote the song "Mr. Crump" and later published it as the "Memphis Blues." As Handy's songs were sung and played in streets and music halls, a spotlight began to shine on...

English translation and revised edition of the most comprehensive and reliable biography of Claude Debussy. François Lesure's "critical biography" of Claude Debussy (Fayard, 2003) is widely recognized by scholars as the most comprehensive and reliable account of that composer's life and career as well...

Author: Mark LeadonISBN-10: 1805416154ISBN-13: 9781805416159Publisher: Mark LeadonLanguage: EnglishPublished: 10/09/2024Pages: 628Format: PaperbackWeight: 1.73lbsSize: 8.50h x 5.50w x 1.39d

Author: V. Kofi AgawuISBN-10: 0691273642ISBN-13: 9780691273648Publisher: Princeton University PressLanguage: EnglishPublished: 03/25/2025Pages: 166Format: Hardcover

Author: V. Kofi AgawuISBN-10: 0691273634ISBN-13: 9780691273631Publisher: Princeton University PressLanguage: EnglishPublished: 03/25/2025Pages: 166Format: Paperback

In this exploration of Cocteau Twins' quintessential album, Chris Tapley traces lines in all directions from Blue Bell Knoll to paint a revealing portrait of the enigmatic trio and their career-long struggles with self-doubt, stubborn principles, and pure experimentation. Throughout their career, Cocteau Twins...

Few politicians produced the musical reaction that Ronald Reagan did. His California-branded conservatism inspired countless young people to pick up guitars and thrash out their political angst. Punk bands across the United States took aim at the man, his presidency, and the idea of...

The Music of the Spheres in the Western Imagination describes various systematic musical ecologies of the cosmos by examining attempts over time to define Western theoretical musical systems, whether practical, human, nonhuman, or celestial. This book focuses on the theoretical, theological, philosophical, physical, and...