Performing Arts > Music

Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, the two greatest operatic composers of their time, had everything and nothing in common. Their achievements were comparable, but their personalities, their approaches to music and drama, and their complex legacies made them incompatible. This book investigates their affinities and explains their mutual mistrust.

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Rediscover the astute and passionate music writings of the pioneering rock critic for the "New Yorker."

A dazzling study of the operas Verdi adapted from Shakespeare- and a spellbinding account of their creation. In "Verdi's Shakespeare, " Pulitzer Prize winner and lifelong opera devotee Garry Wills explores the writing and staging of Verdi's three triumphant Shakespearian operas: "Macbeth, Othello, " and "Falstaff." An Italian composer who couldn't read a word of English but adored Shakespeare, Verdi devoted himself to operatic productions that authentically incorporated the playwright's texts. Wills delves into the fast-paced world... read more

To celebrate 100 years of DJ-ing, Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton have expanded and updated their classic account of the history of the disc jockey. The DJ was born on Christmas Eve, 1906 when Reginald Fessenden became the first person to play a record over the radio. A century later and the DJ is the central figure in popular music. From these humble `talking jukebox` origins to today`s DJ superstars earning rock star salaries with a fanbase to match, the history of the DJ is fascinating and unpredictable. The story of these ... read more

Inflated egos, corporate insanity, slave labour, sexual excess, dazzling genius. Welcome to the world of classical recording. "Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness" is a sparkling expose of the strange truth and sheer brilliance behind the classical music recording industry. Leading music critic Norman Lebrecht charts its rise since the great Caruso's first gramophone bestseller of 1902 and predicts the industry's imminent doom in the face of schmaltzy crossover albums and new technology. From the imperious Karajan to the perfectioni... read more

'The power of music lies in is its ability to speak to all aspects of the human being-the animal, the emotional, the intellectual, and the spiritual. Music teaches us, in short, that everything is connected' Daniel Barenboim's new book vividly describes his lifelong pursuit of knowledge and understanding, not only of music and of life, but of one through the other.

This new study brings together visual images and scholarly discussion of "Le Ballet de la Nuit", a major ballet de cour organised by Louis de Hesselin and first performed in the Louvre's Salle du Petit Bourbon in 1653. "Le Ballet de la Nuit" was notable for many reasons: most prominent among them was the involvement of the young Louis XIV, who danced in five different roles, including his most famous role as the Sun King, accompanied by chosen courtiers and professional dancers, singers and acrobats. The present publication is focu... read more

The winner of seven Tonys, seven Grammys, an Oscar, and a Pulitzer Prize, Stephen Sondheim has become synonymous with the best in musical theatre. Now, in Finishing the Hat, he has not only collected his lyrics for the first time, he's giving readers a rare, personal look into his extraordinary shows and life. Along with the lyrics for all of his productions from 1954 to 1981 - including West Side Story, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, and Sweeney Todd, which have starred some of the most famous and talented actors in the w... read more

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Featuring the work of Baron Wolman, the first photographer to work for America's legendary "Rolling Stone" magazine, many of whose images from the late sixties and early seventies have become iconic shots from rock's most fertile era. Alongside scores of classic photos is Baron's first-hand account of the magazine's early years and his memorable encounters with the rock stars of the day.

"The Rivered Earth" consists of four libretti written to accompany music by Alec Roth - together with an account of the pleasures and pains of working with a composer and a musician. Entitled "Songs in Time of War", "Shared Ground", "The Traveller" and "Seven Elements", the libretti take us all over the world - from Chinese and Indian poetry to the beauty and quietness of the Salisbury house where English poet George Herbert lived and died. Spanning centuries of creativity and humanity, these poems pulse with life, energy and the i... read more

Opera portrays pieces in their historical context and highlights key events in the history of music, as well as important performances and interpretations. The most important details including everything from the characters, sequences of scenes, and premieres through to examples of the sheet music for important themes and popular songs can be researched. Arranged alphabetically by composer, this volume is a clearly organised reference work for fans of both classical and modern opera, from Verdi to Handel, and from Mozart and Britte... read more

This is the first and only global social history the world's most romantic, flamboyant, glamorous and politically influential art-form: Opera. Opera, the most complex of all the performance arts, inspires great passions. From its beginnings in the Renaissance cities of northern Italy it has spread across Europe, America and beyond, becoming a global business in the digital age. This book unfolds the story of opera in the social contexts in which it developed - through history and around the world. The charm and chaos of Mozart's Vi... read more

A delightful and informative history of modern music. Harmony is created by bringing sounds together. In music lessons, we learn how to do this in a formal way: we learn about chords and keys, and we are given rules for using them. This is the textbook way; this is legal harmony. Everything else including the sounds that constantly surround us, those of ticking clocks, dogs, traffic, birdsong and aeroplanes is illegal harmony. Illegal Harmonies charts the course of music over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, linking it to ... read more

The majestic Bach Cello Suites are among the world's best loved pieces of music - but which Barch wrote them? Australian musical sleuth Martin Jarvis explosively claims the suites were composed by Bach's beloved second wife Anna Magdelena.

The Cello Suites is an incomparable, beautifully written, true-life journey of discovery, fuelled by the transcendent power of a musical masterpiece.One autumn evening, Eric Siblin attended a recital of Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suites. There, in a spine-tingling moment, something unlikely happened: He fell deeply in love with the music, and had to hear more, know more. So began an epic quest that would unravel three centuries of mystery, intrigue, history, politics and passion. Part biography, part music history, and part lite... read more

Whether his subject is Mozart or Bob Dylan, Ross shows how music expresses the full complexity of the human condition. Witty, passionate, and brimming with insight, "Listen to This" teaches people how to listen.

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Annotates the author's lyrics with personal and theatre history, discussions of his collaborations, and dissections of his work - both the successes and the failures. This title gives us the lyrics, along with cutouts and early drafts, to the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Sunday in the Park with George", and "Into the Woods", "Assassins", and "Passion".