Download or read book Alec Wilder in Spite of Himself written by Desmond Stone and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1996-04-25 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alec Wilder wrote songs and lyrics of unsurpassed beauty and originality, and his work won the respect and admiration of such important musical figures as Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Mitch Miller, Gunther Schuller, and many others. Yet Wilder seemed almost to court obscurity. Both in the music he composed and in the way he lived his life, Wilder valued the unique and eccentric over the established and easily acceptable. And though he authored the definitive American Popular Song--which critics praised as "singular" (Studs Terkel), "pioneering" (Whitney Balliett), "rewarding" (Milton Babbitt), and "a joy to anyone who really cares about American popular music" (Max Morath)--his own contribution to that music has remained, until now, too little known and far too little appreciated. Desmond Stone's engaging and lively biography brings Alec Wilder's life and music into the spotlight where it belongs. Ranging from Wilder's childhood in Rochester, New York, to his rise as a major writer of popular songs in the 1940s, to his relationships with Frank Sinatra and the cabaret singer Mabel Mercer, Stone gives us rich insight into the creative process and profound influence of this highly unorthodox composer. We see the impulses and musical concerns that led to such standards as "I'll Be Around" and "It's So Peaceful in the Country." We also get an inside view of how he wrote his monumental American Popular Song, which remains the most significant study of America's great songwriters. More important, we get a vivid sense of a haunting, incorruptible melodist whose unique personality was mirrored in his music. Man and composer dared to be different. When Wilder in the late 1930s wrote his famous Octets, the music world did not know what to make of these irreverent, highly original pieces. Yet they had a seminal influence on jazz chamber music in America. Wilder would go on to compose hundreds of instrumental numbers. Whether he was writing concert pieces for an unprecedented and highly unusual group of instruments, or mixing jazz, classical, and popular idioms in a single song, or dashing off a sonata for a friend, Wilder followed the dictates of his own creativity rather than the expectations of the musical establishment. Such independence and unpredictability earned him the hostility of many critics but the enduring respect of the musicians he wrote for. Here then is a fascinating private portrait of a man who lived a nomad's life, who loved riding trains so much he kept a timetable in his pocket at all times, a man whose only home was a small room he maintained at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan (where he often held court in the lobby), a man with a serious drinking problem as well as the kindest and most generous of friends. Essential reading for anyone interested in American popular music, Alec Wilder in Spite of Himself provides a much needed account of this complex, colorful, and highly original life.

Download or read book LULLABIES NIGHT SONGS written by Engvick W and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 1965-01-21 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New as well as traditional songs to suit the moods of children at bedtime

Download or read book Alec Wilder in Spite of Himself written by Desmond Stone and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1996 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a biography of Alec Wilder, who made an impact as a major writer of American popular songs in the 1940s and had a strong influence on the careers of Frank Sinatra and Mabel Mercer. Wilder was a great eccentric who lived a nomad's life and wrote music for unusual combinations.

Download or read book Alec Wilder written by Philip Lambert and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The music of Alec Wilder (1907-1980) blends several American musical traditions, such as jazz and the American popular song, with classical European forms and techniques. Stylish and accessible, Wilder's musical oeuvre ranged from sonatas, suites, concertos, operas, ballets, and art songs to woodwind quintets, brass quintets, jazz suites, and hundreds of popular songs. In this biography and critical investigation of Wilder's music, Philip Lambert chronicles Wilder's early work as a part-time student at the Eastman School of Music, his ascent through the ranks of the commercial recording industry in New York City in the 1930s and 1940s, his turn toward concert music from the 1950s onward, and his devotion late in his life to the study of American popular songs of the first half of the twentieth century. The book discusses some of his best-known music, such as the revolutionary octets and songs such as "I'll Be Around," "While We're Young," and "Blackberry Winter," and explains the unique blend of cultivated and vernacular traditions in his singular musical language.

Download or read book Alec Wilder Songs written by Alec Wilder and published by . This book was released on 1955 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book American Popular Song Edited and with an Introd by James T Maher written by Alec Wilder and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Alec Wilder Song Collection written by Alec Wilder and published by Tro Essex Music Group. This book was released on 2007 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Richmond Music Folios). 45 songs complete with a biography, discography, and list of books on Wilder are included in this updated collection. Includes four new songs never before in print: Blackberry Winter * I'll Be Around * It's So Peaceful in the Country * and While We're Young; as well as over 40 standards: Dear World * Everywhere I Look * Good-Bye, John * If Someday Comes Ever Again * The Lady Sings the Blues * Photographs (Me in Love with You) * Soft As Spring * Trouble Is a Man * and more. Arrangements are for piano and voice.

Download or read book Alec Wilder written by Philip Lambert and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2013-03-08 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The music of Alec Wilder (1907-1980) blends several American musical traditions, such as jazz and the American popular song, with classical European forms and techniques. Stylish and accessible, Wilder's musical oeuvre ranged from sonatas, suites, concertos, operas, ballets, and art songs to woodwind quintets, brass quintets, jazz suites, and hundreds of popular songs. In this biography and critical investigation of Wilder's music, Philip Lambert chronicles Wilder's early work as a part-time student at the Eastman School of Music, his ascent through the ranks of the commercial recording industry in New York City in the 1930s and 1940s, his turn toward concert music from the 1950s onward, and his devotion late in his life to the study of American popular songs of the first half of the twentieth century. The book discusses some of his best-known music, such as the revolutionary octets and songs such as "I'll Be Around," "While We're Young," and "Blackberry Winter," and explains the unique blend of cultivated and vernacular traditions in his singular musical language.

Download or read book Letters I Never Mailed written by Alec Wilder and published by University Rochester Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Letters I Never Mailed: Clues to a Life, by Alec Wilder, in a new, annotated edition with introduction and supplementary material by David Demsey, foreword by jazz pianist Marian McPartland, and photographs by Louis Ouzer. Letters I Never Mailed: Clues to a Life, by Alec Wilder, in a new, annotated edition with introduction and supplementary material by David Demsey, foreword by jazz pianist Marian McPartland, and photographs by Louis Ouzer. Alec Wilder is a rare example of a composer who established a reputation both as a prolific composer of concertos, sonatas, and operas, and as a popular songwriter [including the hit "I'll Be Around"]. He was fearsomely articulate and had a wide and varied circle of friends ranging from Graham Greene to Frank Sinatra and Stan Getz. Letters I Never Mailed, hailed at its first publication [in 1975, by Little, Brown], tells the story of Wilder's musical and personal life through unsent "letters" addressed to various friends. In it, he shares his insights -- and sometimes salty opinions -- on composing, musical life, and the tension between art and commercialism. Thisnew, scholarly edition leaves Wilder's original text intact but decodes the mysteries of the original through an annotated index that identifies the letters' addressees, a biographical essay by David Demsey, and photographs by renowned photographer and lifelong friend of Wilder, Louis Ouzer. David Demsey is Professor of Music and coordinator of jazz studies at William Paterson University and an active jazz and classical saxophonist. He is co-author of Alec Wilder: A Bio-Bibliography [Greenwood Press] and has contributed to The Oxford Companion to Jazz.

Download or read book Alec Wilder 1907 1980 written by Alec Wilder and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sinatra The Song Is You written by Will Friedwald and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 906 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Frank Sinatra was the greatest entertainer of his age, invigorating American popular song with innovative phrasing and a mastery of drama and emotion. Drawing upon interviews with hundreds of his collaborators as well as with "The Voice" himself, this book chronicles, critiques, and celebrates his five-decade career. Will Friedwald examines and evaluates all the classic and less familiar songs with the same astute, witty perceptions that earned him acclaim for his other books about jazz and pop singing. Now completely revised and updated, and including an authoritative discography and rare photos of recording sessions and performances, Sinatra! The Song Is You is an invaluable resource for enthusiasts and an unparalleled guide through Sinatra's vast musical legacy.

Download or read book Notable Black American Women written by Jessie Carney Smith and published by VNR AG. This book was released on 1992 with total page 842 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Arranged alphabetically from "Alice of Dunk's Ferry" to "Jean Childs Young," this volume profiles 312 Black American women who have achieved national or international prominence.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings written by Steve Sullivan and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2017-05-17 with total page 830 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volumes 3 and 4 of the The Encyclopedia of More Great Popular Song Recordings provides the stories behind approximately 1,700 more of the greatest song recordings in the history of the music industry, from 1890 to today. In this masterful survey, all genres of popular music are covered, from pop, rock, soul, and country to jazz, blues, classic vocals, hip-hop, folk, gospel, and ethnic/world music. Collectors will find detailed discographical data—recording dates, record numbers, Billboard chart data, and personnel—while music lovers will appreciate the detailed commentaries and deep research on the songs, their recording, and the artists. Readers who revel in pop cultural history will savor each chapter as it plunges deeply into key events—in music, society, and the world—from each era of the past 125 years. Following in the wake of the first two volumes of his original Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, this follow-up work covers not only more beloved classic performances in pop music history, but many lesser -known but exceptional recordings that—in the modern digital world of “long tail” listening, re-mastered recordings, and “lost but found” possibilities—Sullivan mines from modern recording history. The Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volumes 3 and 4 lets the readers discover, and, through their playlist services, from such as iTunes toand Spotify, build a truly deepcomprehensive catalog of classic performances that deserve to be a part of every passionate music lover’s life. Sullivan organizes songs in chronological order, starting in 1890 and continuing all the way throughto the present to include modern gems from June 2016. In each chapter, Sullivanhe immerses readers, era by era, in the popular music recordings of the time, noting key events that occurred at the time to painting a comprehensive picture in music history of each periodfor each song. Moreover, Sullivan includes for context bulleted lists noting key events that occurred during the song’s recording

Download or read book Scuffy the Tugboat written by Gertrude Crampton and published by Golden Books. This book was released on 2010-05-25 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meant for “bigger things,” Scuffy the Tugboat sets off to explore the world. But on his daring adventure Scuffy realizes that home is where he’d rather be, sailing in his bathtub. For over 50 years, parents and children have cherished this classic Little Golden Book.

Download or read book Can t Help Singing written by Eileen Farrell and published by UPNE. This book was released on 1999 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The long-anticipated memoir of one of the greatest and most celebrated American singers of the twentieth century

Download or read book Frank Sinatra written by Spencer Leigh and published by McNidder and Grace Limited. This book was released on 2015-09-25 with total page 693 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Frank Sinatra: An Extraordinary Lifeis a definitive account of Frank Sinatra's life and career. With unique material and exclusive interviews with fellow musicians, promoters and friends, the acclaimed author Spencer Leigh has written a compelling biography of one of the world's biggest stars. With remarkable stories about Sinatra on every page, and an exceptional cast of characters, readers will wonder how Sinatra ever found time to make records. If this book were a work of fiction, most people would think it far-fetched

Download or read book written by W. David Tibbs and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ken Kennison is not his real name. His drug-addicted parents sell him to an unscrupulous lawyer while he is still an infant. But cruel fate intervenes, and Kenny spends the next seventeen years of his life being shuffled from one foster home to the next. With every new home and family, Kenny seeks the care and love that every child needs-and that most take for granted. But instead, he receives only variations of physical and mental abuse. Teen-aged Kenny finds a journal, and as he travels in search of his past, he records his observations, mostly in poetic prose. Despite his troubled childhood, Kenny remains a good person, and at the end of his life, he is granted a special gift. Years later, Will Healy, a successful young author, learns of Kenny's gift and how it has dramatically changed his life. But the best is yet to come