John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) is an American icon. Most famous for his military marches, the composer bandmaster led a disciplined group of devoted musicians on numerous American tours and around the world, shaping a new cultural landscape. Paul Bierley has spent forty years documenting every aspect of the ''March King's'' band: its history, its ......
World famous concert pianist Grant Johannesen completed this memoir shortly before his sudden death in 2005. Born in Salt Lake City, Johannesen gives an account of his childhood and education in Utah, his early career and study in Europe and New York, his growing reputation as a pianist, and his worldwide performances. He writes also of his early ......
Since its original publication, Composing a World by Leta E. Miller and Fredric Lieberman has become the definitive work on the prolific California composer Lou Harrison, often cited as one of America's most original and influential figures. Composing a World presents a compelling and deeply human portrait of an exceptionally beloved pioneer in ......
Colin McPhee was a performer, writer, and pioneer among Western composers in turning to Asia for inspiration. A close friend of Aaron Copland, Carlos Chavez, Henry Cowell, and Virgil Thomson, he played a vital role in new music activities in New York in the 1920s, but his most important accomplishments came from his devotion to the music of Bali. ......
The Music of J. S. Bach: Analysis and Interpretation
"Bach Perspectives, Volume 4","This volume contains contributions by nine scholars on two broad themes: the analysis of Johann Sebastian Bach's orchestral works, especially his concertos, and the interpretation and performance of his music in general. The contributors are a diverse group, active in the fields of performance, organology, music ......
The third volume in Alan Walker's magisterial biography of Franz Liszt. "You can't help but keep turning the pages, wondering how it will all turn out: and Walker's accumulated readings of Liszt's music have to be taken seriously indeed."-D. Kern Holoman, New York Review of Books "A conscientious scholar passionate about his subject. Mr. Walker ......
Here is a skillful tracing of two tracks in the evolution of musical genres that have evolved from black religion. Songs of protest developed from the spiritual through social-gospel hymnody to culminate in songs of the civil-rights movement and the blues. Born in rebellion, they envision the Kingdom of God. Songs of praise, by contrast, ......
