New Publications,
New Music Book Publications - 16th September 2024
Welcome to our latest selection of new music publications, including Boosey & Hawkes's Music Diary for 2025, biographies of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Debussy, an exploration of the organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach, a paperback reissue of a book exploring music during the Second World War, guides for young people to musical instruments and Christmas carols, and a handbook on music theory for beginners.
The best-selling diary returns for 2025 with a user-friendly portrait format, extra space for weekend appointments, and birthdays of hundreds of famous people in the world of music. Listings of important musical events from 100, 50 and 25 years ago and forthcoming anniversaries up to 2030 are included, alongside a mini-directory of concert halls, opera houses, festivals, organisations and recording companies, plus a special article commemorating the legacy of Shostakovich fifty years after his death.
Available in black, red, or green.
Available Format: Diary
Tchaikovsky's Empire: A New Life of Russia's Greatest Composer
Simon Morrison; Yale University Press; Hardback
Often portrayed as a hopeless romantic, a suffering melancholic, or a morbid obsessive, the Tchaikovsky we think we know is a shadow of the fascinating reality. This iconoclastic biography re-examines the relationship between his music, personal life, and politics, his support of Tsars Alexander II and III, and his engagement with the cultures of the imperial margins, giving us a vivid new appreciation of Russia’s most popular composer.
Available Format: Book
This absorbing, wide-ranging and incisive biography unfolds the life and work of Sergei Prokofiev, revealing a surprisingly optimistic spirit amidst a tumultuous backdrop of geopolitical chaos and ever-shifting musical landscapes. The narrative weaves through Prokofiev's intricate existence, depicting a life coloured by pathos and intersecting with a myriad of characters.
Available Format: Book
The Cambridge Stravinsky Encyclopedia
Edward Campbell & Peter O'Hagan (editors); Cambridge University Press; Paperback
Igor Stravinsky is one of a small number of early modernist composers whose music epitomises the stylistic crisis of twentieth-century music. With entries written by more than fifty international contributors from Russian, European and American traditions, this encyclopedia (now available in paperback) presents multiple perspectives on the life, works, writings, and aesthetic relationships of this multi-faceted creative artist.
Available Format: Book
This revised edition of the most comprehensive and reliable biography of Claude Debussy draws extensively on his correspondence, a painstaking tracking of contemporary reviews and comments in the press, and an examination of other primary documents. The present English translation by Debussy authority Marie Rolf augments Lesure's original notes with several thousand new ones, providing more precise information on crucial and sometimes contentious points.
Available Format: Book
Now available in paperback, this book makes a case for the power of music as culture's memory, an art form uniquely capable of carrying meaning from the past. It shows how four towering composers - Richard Strauss, Schoenberg, Britten, and Shostakovich - lived through the era of the Second World War and the Holocaust and later transformed their experiences into deeply moving works of music that carry forward the echoes of lost time.
Available Format: Book
The Very Young Person's Guide to Christmas Carols
Tim Lihoreau & Philip Noyce; Dorling Kindersley; Hardback
Pull on your mittens and follow our heroes Arthur and Holly as they explore beautiful scenes inspired by some of the best-loved Christmas carols. Original illustrations capture the story of the carols, while ten sound clips bring the iconic pieces to life. Every spread features fascinating facts about each carol and its origins, and is guaranteed to delight and inspire.
Available Format: Book
Around the World in 80 Musical Instruments
Nancy Dickmann & Sue Downing; Welbeck Publishing Group; Paperback
Including a stunning central gatefold that opens out to reveal the family tree of musical instruments, this book is a visual celebration of the huge variety of instruments played across the world. Discover traditional instruments from various cultures, such as the gamelan and mbira, as well as the creations of modern artists and musicians, such as the Wintergatan Marble Machine and the eerie-sounding Earth harp.
Available Format: Book
Music Theory Note by Note: Your Guide to How Music Works
Michael Miller; Dorling Kindersley; Paperback
This guide to simplified music theory teaches those who play music by ear how to read musical notation by guiding them through the basics of reading and composing music. This revised edition helps with the fundamentals of tones, including pitches, clefs, and major and minor keys, the building blocks of rhythm, how to create tunes, and coverage of different musical genres and forms to help readers better understand music analysis.
Available Format: Book
James Longstaffe - Head of Retail
