Download or read book Choral Masterworks written by Michael Steinberg and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008-03-28 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Steinberg's highly successful listener's guides--The Symphony and The Concerto--have been universally praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and delightful humor. Now Steinberg follows these two greatly admired volumes with Choral Masterworks, the only such guide available to this most popular of musical forms. Here are more than fifty illuminating essays on the classic choral masterworks, ranging from Handel's Messiah, Bach's Mass in B Minor, and Beethoven's Missa solemnis, to works by Haydn, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and many others. Steinberg spans the entire history of classical music, from such giants of the Romantic era as Verdi and Berlioz, to leading modern composers such as Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Vaughan Williams, and Stravinsky, to contemporary masters such as John Adams and Charles Wuorinen. For each piece, Steinberg includes a fascinating biographical account of the work's genesis, often spiced with wonderful asides. The author includes an astute musical analysis of each piece, one that casual music lovers can easily appreciate and that more serious fans will find invaluable. The book also provides basic information such as the various movements of the work, the organization of the chorus and orchestra, and brief historical notes on early performances. More than twenty million Americans perform regularly in choirs or choruses. Choral Masterworks will appeal not only to concert goers and CD collectors, but also to this vast multitude of choral performers, an especially engaged and active community. "What sets Steinberg's writing apart is its appealing mixture of impregnable authority (he knows this music) and purely personal asides (by the end of the book, we know this man). Choral Masterworks can be read by anybody, from a professional musician to any young listener newly braced by the stoic pessimism of the Brahms 'German Requiem.'" --Washington Post Book World

Download or read book Guide to Choral Masterpieces written by Melvin Berger and published by Anchor. This book was released on 1993 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Chamber Music written by James M. Keller and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2011 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Oxford's highly successful listener's guides--The Symphony, The Concerto, and Choral Masterworks--have been widely praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and delightful humor. Now James Keller follows these greatly admired volumes with Chamber Music. Approaching the tradition of chamber music with knowledge and passion, Keller here serves as the often-opinionated but always genial guide to 192 essential works by 56 composers, providing illuminating essays on what makes each piece distinctive and admirable. Keller spans the history of this intimate genre of music, from key works of the Baroque through the emotionally stirring "golden age" of the Classical and Romantic composers, to modern masterpieces rich in political, psychological, and sometimes comical overtones. For each piece, from Bach through to contemporary figures like George Crumb and Steve Reich, the author includes an astute musical analysis that casual music lovers can easily appreciate yet that more experienced listeners will find enriching. Keller shares the colorful, often surprising stories behind the compositions while revealing the delights of an art form once described by Goethe as the musical equivalent of "thoughtful people conversing."

Download or read book Choral Masterworks from Bach to Britten written by Robert J. Summer and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a series of discussions about sixteen choral masterworks, facilitating conductors who perform these works and wish to know them. This work examines compositions such as Bach's "Mass in B Minor", Mahler's "8th Symphony", and more, in terms of textual symbolism, musical structure, and identification of endearing traits of each work.

Download or read book Arts America Enjoying the Best Art Museums Theater Classical Music Opera Jazz Dance Film and Summer Festivals in America written by and published by Huntington Press Inc. This book was released on 2014-03-17 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Timesong is the inspirational story of a three-legged coyote named j.b. who befriends Tom, an autistic boy. Following his father's death, Tom retreats into a shell of isolation. j.b. counters Tom's despair with an uplifting explanation of immortality. For those trying to reconcile the loss of a loved one, Timesong may be the key that opens the door to acceptance and peace of mind.

Download or read book The Voice of Chorus America written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Dictionary for the Modern Singer written by Matthew Hoch and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2014-04-28 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Titles in the Dictionaries for the Modern Musician series offer both the novice and the advanced artist key information designed to convey the field of study and performance for a major instrument or instrument class, as well as the workings of musicians in areas from conducting to composing. Each dictionary covers topics from instrument parts to technique, major works to key figures—a must-have for any musician’s personal library! A Dictionary for the Modern Singer is an indispensable guide for students of singing, voice pedagogues, and lovers of the art of singing. In addition to classical singing, genres, and styles, musical theatre and popular and global styles are addressed. With an emphasis on contemporary practice, this work includes terms and figures that influenced modern singing styles. Topics include voice pedagogy, voice science, vocal health, styles, genres, performers, diction, and other relevant topics. The dictionary will help students to more fully understand the concepts articulated by their teachers. Matthew Hoch’s book fills a gap in the singer’s library as the only one-volume general reference geared toward today’s student of singing. An extensive bibliography is invaluable for students seeking to explore a particular subject in greater depth. Illustrations and charts further illuminate particular concepts, while appendixes address stage fright, tips on practicing, repertoire selection, audio technology, and contemporary commercial music styles. A Dictionary for the Modern Singer will appeal to students of singing at all levels. For professionals, it will serve as a quick and handy reference guide, useful in the high school or college library and the home teaching studio alike; students and amateurs will find it accessible and full of fascinating information about the world of the singing.

Download or read book A Manual for the Performance Library written by Russ Girsberger and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2006-10-18 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Manual for the Performance Library is a guide for organizing and operating a library of music performance materials for orchestra, band, chorus, jazz ensemble, and chamber music.

Download or read book Nineteenth century Choral Music written by Donna Marie Di Grazia and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 543 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nineteenth-Century Choral Music is a collection of essays studying choral music making as a cultural phenomenon, one that had an impact on multiple parts of society. Rather than merely offering a collection of raw descriptions of works, the contributors focus their discussions on what these pieces reveal about their composers as craftsmen/women. Major works as well as other equally rich parts of the repertoire are discussed, including smaller choral works and contributions by composers such as Fanny Mendelssohn, Amy Beach, Charles Stanford,

Download or read book Opera and the Morbidity of Music written by Joseph Kerman and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2008-04-08 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The death of classical music, the distinguished critic and musicologist Joseph Kerman declares, is “a tired, vacuous concept that will not die.” In this wide-ranging collection of essays and reviews, Kerman examines the ongoing vitality of the classical music tradition, from the days of Guillaume Dufay, John Taverner, and William Byrd to contemporary operas by Philip Glass and John Adams. Here are enlightening investigations of the lives and works of the greatest composers: Bach and his Well-Tempered Clavier, Mozart’s and Beethoven’s piano concertos, Schubert’s songs, Wagner’s and Verdi’s operas. Kerman discusses The Magic Flute as well as productions of the Monteverdi operas in Brooklyn and the Ring in San Francisco and Bayreuth. He also includes remembrances of Maria Callas and Carlos Kleiber that make clear why they were such extraordinary musicians. Kerman argues that predictions—let alone assumptions—of the death of classical music are not a new development but part of a cultural transformation that has long been with us. Always alert to the significance of historical changes, from the invention of music notation to the advent of recording, he proposes that the place to look for renewal of the classical music tradition in America today is in opera—in a flood of new works, the rediscovery of long-forgotten ones, and innovative productions by companies large and small. Written for a general audience rather than for experts, Kerman’s essays invite readers to listen afresh and to engage with his insights into how music works. “His gift is so uncommon as to make one sad,” Alex Ross has said.

Download or read book Choral Monuments written by Dennis Shrock and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-06-01 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Choral Monuments provides extensive material about eleven epoch-making choral masterworks that span the history of Western culture. Included are: Missa Pange lingua (Josquin Desprez); Missa Papae Marcelli (G. P. da Palestrina); B Minor Mass (J. S. Bach); Messiah (G. F. Handel); The Creation (Joseph Haydn); Symphony #9 (Ludwig van Beethoven); St. Paul (Felix Mendelssohn); Ein deutsches Requiem (Johannes Brahms); Messa da Requiem (Giuseppe Verdi); Mass (Igor Stravinsky); and War Requiem (Benjamin Britten). The works are presented in separate chapters, with each chapter divided into three basic sections-history, analysis, and performance practice. Discussions of history are focused on relevancies-the genesis of the designated work in reference to the composer's total choral output, the work's place within the musical environment and social climate of its time, and essential features of the work that make it noteworthy. In addition, the compositional history addresses three other factors: the work's public reception and critical response, both at the time of its composition and in ensuing years; the history of score publications, detailing the various differences between editions; and the texts of the composition. The material regarding textual treatment, which often includes the complete texts of the works being discussed, concentrates on primary concerns of the text's usage; also included in the discussion are noteworthy aspects of texts separate from the music as well as biographical details of librettists and poets, if appropriate. The analysis section of each chapter outlines and describes musical forms and other types of compositional organization, including parody technique, mirror structures, and motto repetitions, as well as salient compositional characteristics that directly relate and contribute to the work's artistic stature. Numerous charts and musical examples illustrate the discussions. The discussion of performance practices includes primary source quotations about a wide range of topics, from performing forces, tempo, and phrasing of each work to specific issues such as tactus, text underlay, musica ficta, metric accentuation, and ornamentation.

Download or read book Bach s Choral Music written by Gordon Jones and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2009 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Johann Sebastian Bach produced a remarkable body of works for chorus. He wrote hundreds of cantatas and many other pieces for choir, including motets, oratorios, passions, and liturgical works in Latin. One of these, the celebrated Mass in B Minor, is considered by many to be the crowning glory not merely of Bach's career but of all music ever written.

Download or read book The Orchestra A Very Short Introduction written by D. Kern Holoman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-08-13 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this Very Short Introduction, D. Kern Holoman considers the structure, roots, and day-to-day functioning of the modern philharmonic society. He explores topics ranging from the life of a musician in a modern orchestra, the recent wave of new hall construction from Berlin to Birmingham, threats of bankruptcies and strikes, and the eyebrow-raising salaries of conductors and general managers. At the heart of the book lies a troubling pair of questions: Can such a seemingly anachronistic organization long survive? Does the symphony matter in contemporary culture? Holoman responds to both with a resounding yes. He shows that the orchestra remains a potent political and social force, a cultural diplomat par excellence. It has adapted well to the digital revolution, and it continues to be seen as an essential element of civic pride. In a time of upheaval in how classical music is created, heard, distributed, and evaluated, the orchestra has managed to retain its historic role as a meeting place of intellectual currents, an ongoing forum for public enlightenment.

Download or read book Christmas written by Donald Heinz and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christmas: A Festival of Incarnation is a lively, engaging introduction to the history of Christmas: where it comes from, what meanings it holds, and why it is our most treasured celebration. From the origins of Christmas in the sacred texts - of early Christianity to the figure of Santa Claus to the commercial spree of today, Donald Heinz's work is a marvelous pilgrimage through lived religion as it appears in folkways, music, literature, and artùand includes a gallery of images, each capturing the spirit and significance of the nativity story. Provocative and persuasive, this insightful book shows how our "festival of incarnation" invites "wide-angled amazement" at the rich popular and theological meanings that this celebration holds. "Heinz offers a splendid overview on Christmas, blending history, theology, festival culture, and lived religious experiences. Readers will learn from it, perhaps be inspired by it. Recommended reading for both the faithful and those caught up in the spirit of the season but not quite Sure why or how."-Wade Clark Roof J.F Rowny Professor of Religion University of California at Santa Barbara

Download or read book Brahms s A German Requiem written by R. Allen Lott and published by Eastman Studies in Music. This book was released on 2020 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines in detail the contexts of Brahms's masterpiece and demonstrates that, contrary to recent consensus, it was performed and received as an inherently Christian work during the composer's life.

Download or read book The John Adams Reader written by Thomas Robert May and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2006 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of 59 essays--comprising the first full-length book in English on the music of American composer John Adams--contains mostly reprints by critics and musicologists. Also compiled are new interviews with Adams, his colleagues, collaborators, and performers of his music; program and liner notes on his works from 1978 to 2005; and secti

Download or read book Roger Sessions written by Andrea Olmstead and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-08-06 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recognized as the primary American symphonist of the 20th century, Roger Sessions (1896-1985) is one of the leading representatives of high modernism. His stature among American composers rivals Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, and Elliott Carter. Sessions was awarded two Pulitzer prizes, election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, winning the Brandeis Creative Arts Award, the Gold Medal of the American Academy, and a MacDowell Medal, in addition to 14 honorary doctorates. Roger Sessions: A Biography brings together considerable previously unpublished archival material, such as letters, lectures, interviews, and articles, to shed light on the life and music of this major American composer. Andrea Olmstead, a teaching colleague of Sessions at Juilliard and the leading scholar on his music, has written a complete biography charting five touchstone areas through Sessions’s eighty-eight years: music, religion, politics, money, and sexuality.