New Publications,
New Music Book Publications - 16th October 2024
Welcome to our latest selection of new music publications, including a personal reflection on the music of Beethoven from author and broadcaster John Suchet, a paperback edition of a book exploring the young Mozart's time in Italy, a new edition of the Köchel catalogue of Mozart's music from Breitkopf & Härtel, a re-evaluation of the reception of Bruckner's music, a discussion of the stories behind beloved Christmas carols, an exploration of Italian opera singing at the turn of the twentieth century, and an analysis of the soundtrack from the popular film, Saturday Night Fever.
Part biography, part memoir, part travelogue, this book draws on Suchet's own life and career as a foreign correspondent and news anchor to show how Beethoven’s music has accompanied him through the best and worst of times. He traces Beethoven’s footsteps from his early years in Bonn to his dying days in Vienna, taking us on a journey both literal and symbolic, as he uses his own experience as a Beethoven aficionado to demonstrate the life-changing power of great music.
Available Format: Book
At thirteen years old, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy who had captured the hearts of northern Europe, but his father Leopold was determined to conquer Italy also. Together, they made three visits there, travelling from the theatres and salons of Milan to the church-filled streets of Rome, Naples, and Venice. Now available in paperback, this evocative book reveals how his experiences during these Italian journeys changed Mozart and his music for ever.
Available Format: Book
Ludwig Ritter von Köchel presented the first edition of a chronological catalogue of Mozart’s works in 1862. In order to present the rapidly growing knowledge of all aspects of Mozart’s oeuvre, several new editions were subsequently published, but the countless cross-references became increasingly complicated. This new edition goes back to the original numbering without maintaining the claim to chronological order.
Available Format: Book
Anton Bruckner and the Reception of His Music: A History of Dichotomies and Controversies
Miguel J. Ramirez; University of Rochester Press; Hardback
This book scrutinises stereotypes about Bruckner's personality, the controversial editorial policies behind the publication of his works, and the trends in the reception of his music that were set early on by a handful of Viennese journalists. Working to undo the platitudes and prejudices that cloud our view of Bruckner's true personality, it demonstrates that caustic reviews of his music were vastly outnumbered by those of more appreciative critics who heard what listeners cherish now: the music's coherence, grandeur, and emotional sweep.
Available Format: Book
This book, now available in paperback, reveals the fascinating musical and social history behind our favourite Christmas carols. From the Annunciation to Epiphany, the episodes of the Christmas story link the tales behind twenty-seven carols from a variety of traditions and places of origin: those that come from folk song; those we owe to Victorian moralists, and those that are, in fact, French. This rich musical treat gives us an unique insight into our Yuletide traditions and customs.
Available Format: Book
Experiencing Sound: The Sensation of Being
Lawrence Kramer; University of California Press; Hardback
From the winds of Mars to a baby's first laugh, this book reflects on the profound imperative of sound in everyday life. It presents its subject as fundamental to all experience - sensation, perception, and understanding, turning on its head the widespread notion that vision takes pride of place among the senses, and demonstrating how paying attention to sound can transform how we make meaning out of experience.
Available Format: Book
Italian Opera Singing at the Time of Verismo: The Invention of the Modern Voice
Barbara Gentili; Boydell & Brewer; Hardback
In the decades that span the turn of the twentieth century, the Italian tradition of operatic singing became 'modern'. This book identifies and explores the formative elements of this multifaceted 'modernity', and its connections with the emergence of verismo. Through a comparative analysis of early vocal recordings and late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century vocal methods, it connects discussions of vocality and operatic culture with broader aesthetic and cultural shifts in society.
Available Format: Book
The Polyphonic Mass in Early Lutheran Central Europe
Alanna Ropchock Tierno; Boydell & Brewer; Hardback
The five-movement polyphonic Mass Ordinary emerged from the practices of medieval Roman Catholicism and became the pre-eminent musical genre of early modern Europe. By the end of the sixteenth century, it had also gained widespread popularity within the Lutheran church. This book investigates the reception and performance history of the polyphonic mass in Lutheran Central Europe from ca. 1540-1600, presenting examples of polyphonic masses that contradict the conventional conception of the Mass Ordinary as a fixed five-movement cycle with unaltered Latin texts.
Available Format: Book
Saturday Night Fever is simultaneously one of the biggest-selling albums of all time and one of the most reviled. How can a record create such a polarising reaction? This book traces all the interdependent convolutions that fed into the film and its music, finding that sometimes great art can be made by a committee, and that sometimes five songs are enough to change the world.
Available Format: Book
The Guitar Repair Book: A Practical Guide to Repairing and Maintaining Acoustic and Classical Guitars
James Lister; Crowood Press; Hardback
It has been estimated that there are over 700 million guitars in the world, every one of which will need some maintenance in its lifetime, or will be discarded and left to collect dust, never to be played again. Many of the procedures covered in this book can be tackled by anyone with some aptitude for working with their hands, whilst others will require a greater level of skill and practice. Each task is assigned a level of difficulty ranging from ‘Easy’ to ‘Moderate’ to ‘Challenging.’, and is accompanied by detailed photographs and diagrams.
Available Format: Book
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