Three Essays

SKU: UT.APS-4

ISBN 9788881094677. 6.5 x 9.5 inches.

Essays by Tomasz Baranowski, Andrzej Chwalba, Stephen Downes, Peter Franklin, Stefan Keym, Ryszard D. Golianek, Agata Mierzejewska, Michael Murphy, Jadwiga Paja-Stach, Luca Sala, Renata Suchowiejko, Emma Sutton, Andrzej Tuchowski, Alistair Wightman, James L. Zychowicz

In this volume I aim to examine the figure of Mieczyslaw Karlowicz in the broader sociocultural context which fostered his work. The attempt to contextualize an immense intellectual patrimony -- despite being restricted to a tiny number of works when compared to more prolific authors, especially in the context of the xix and the xx centuries -- is always a complex and hazardous task. My primary intention in organizing the volume has been to explicate Karlowicz the man as well as Karlowicz the composer, against the complex background of the European fin-de-siecle. The various essays aim to present the reader with an exhaustive reconstruction of Karlowicz's intellectual work. Karlowicz's oeuvre offers a broad artistic portrayal of Poland at the end of the nineteenth century as a fast-evolving country, politically divided and filled with contradictions. Hence the necessity to investigate the fin-de-siecle context with its social and historical implications, showing the influence of the European cultural milieu on the composer's poetics and on his thought. We shall examine the spectrum of relationships and affinities linking Karlowicz's works to the Polish cultural world (on the wave of the rising 'autochthonous' avant-garde movements) and to the wider cultural life pulsating beyond its borders, with special reference to German Wagnerism and Symphonism. Essentially, we are striving to define the uniqueness of his oeuvre, which -- in relation to the manifold influences co-existing in Poland, an insubstantial nation from the political viewpoint and divided along three socio-cultural fronts -- could be defined as distinctively Polish, yet ultimately European. (Luca Sala).

SKU: UT.QC-4

ISBN 9788881094783. 6.5 x 9.5 inches.

Saggi di Jean-Pierre Bartoli, Alan Davison, Therese Ellsworth, Erik Entwistle, Jeremy Eskenazy, Michaela Freemanová, Stephan D. Lindeman, Rudolf Rasch, Renato Ricco, Jeanne Roudet, David Rowland, Massimiliano Sala, Laure Schnapper, Rohan H. Stewart-MacDonald, Marie Sumner Lott


The career of Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812) was notable for its peripateticism. Starting out in his native Bohemia Dussek spent periods of time in Germany and the Netherlands, settling in London for about ten years in the 1790s, progressing to Hamburg and ending his days in Paris. Although his activities centred on the piano, like so many musicians of his day Dussek branched out from performing and composing to encompass teaching, publishing and instrument retail, with varying success. A plethora of reviews and biographical accounts attest to Dussek’s renown throughout Europe as a pianist and composer, particularly when it came to sensitive and cantabile playing; and he interacted with some of the most eminent musicians, artists and political figures of his time. Dussek’s reputation declined sharply in the nineteenth century, however, and with the exception of isolated revivals of his work, for instance in London in the mid-nineteenth century, he has remained on the verge of obscurity in the minds of many musicians and music-lovers until the present day: even his well-known innovation of placing the piano sideways-on to the audience to display his striking profile is often mistakenly attributed to Franz Liszt. Although Dussek has provided the subject of a number of student dissertations over the years, in the published literature he has largely been restricted to cameo appearances or brief entries in historical surveys.
The bicentennial anniversary of Dussek’s death provides a fitting occasion for bringing together scholars from all parts of the world to produce the first multi-author, multi-lingual study of the composer. Several chapters deal with aspects of Dussek’s biography and iconography that receive only sparse treatment elsewhere; others survey the different branches of his output, including the piano sonatas, the piano concertos, the chamber music with and without harp and the three String Quartets, Op. 60, which are currently enjoying a revival via recordings and a new edition.
This book has two fundamental aims. One is to stimulate renewed interest in, and debate about, a less than celebrated – one might say unjustly neglected – figure. The other aim is to approach Dussek’s multi-facetted, geographically diverse career as an interface between ourselves and the music business at the beginning of the nineteenth century, whose complexity and vicissitudes emanated from the sociological dynamics and political events with which Dussek was, to an almost unique degree, inextricably associated. The highs and lows of Dussek’s career, the surviving contemporary accounts of Dussek the performer and composer, and the letters he exchanged with colleagues in several nations vividly portray the struggles of a worldly, ambitious, versatile and extremely perspicacious musician striving to carve out a place of eminence and material security for himself. This meant negotiating the complex progression, underway at this point in history, from the patronage system to the emergence of the artist as a socially and financially autonomous entity.

SKU: BT.PWM7707010

SKU: BR.BV-386

ISBN 9783765103865. 6.5 x 9.5 inches.

The Bach-Archiv in Leipzig was the scene of a colloquium of renowned international experts in fall 2005: musicologists, editorial directors, archivists and performing artists got together to discuss how the music of Bach was disseminated in the first half of the 19th century. Several major composers played a key role in triggering the new appreciation of Bach and his music at this time: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, his sister Fanny Hensel and Robert Schumann. These three Romantic Bachians instigated developments that continue to affect concert life and editorial practice today. Our modern-day Bach image was heavily formed by their multi-faceted, fruitful activity. The Leipzig Bach-Archiv has meticulously edited this book of 24 essays as a concrete result of the colloquium and a source of new impulses for future research and musical practice. Insgesamt ein mit vielen verbluffenden Details und treffenden Generalabhandlungen gefullter Band, den man mit gehorigem Gewinn liest. (Wolfram Goertz, Bach-Magazin) Dank dieses weiteren Horizonts wird nicht nur der Musikwissenschaftler aus diesem sehr ordentlich redigierten Band mannigfach Gewinn ziehen, sondern auch der Musikinteressierte auf seine Kosten kommen. (Reinmar Emans, FonoForum).

SKU: MB.22062M

ISBN 9781513460536. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

Built around the life and teachings of master percussionist, Michel Merhej Baklouk, this book has been designed as a biographical tribute, a teaching manual, and a resource guide for anyone wishing to develop a deeper understanding of the role that percussion plays in Near Eastern Arabic music. This book differs from most technique manuals in that it includes historical information about Arabic music as it pertains to the life and work of a single artist, Michel Merhej Baklouk.The book is composed of three parts: Introduction, Lessons, and Reference Information. Each part is written to stand on its own as well as fit with the whole so that readers can approach the book either as individual articles and lessons, or in its entirety, to be read from cover to cover. By presenting Michel's work in this way, we hope to appeal to a wider audience, percussion students at varying skill levels and from varying music disciplines and backgrounds, students of music and Middle Eastern studies, or anyone else interested in twentieth century Arab music and culture.The first part, Introduction, contains several essays about Michel's life, his teaching philosophy, pedagogical practices, musical aesthetics and performance practices. Although these sections may be read independently, they are also designed to help percussion students apply the book's lessons to their own playing and musical interpretations.The technical focus of this book is on the riqq; however, students of Arabic music (beginning through advanced) can adapt the practical exercises to gain mastery of the percussion instrument(s) of their choice.The second part, Lessons, begins with information about how to hold the percussion instrument (case in point: the riqq) and how to practice effectively. It then presents the body of exercises that Michel developed for his students. These exercises have been taken directly from Michel's notated lessons, which he developed into units corresponding to levels of proficiency, or academic years as he taught them at the Conservatory in Beirut; however, for the purposes of this book, the exercises are reorganized to correspond to subject matter and only roughly mirror Michel's conservatory sequence. Unit 1, Technique Building Exercises, is aimed at novice players or anyone who is new to reading music. Units 2 through 5 focus on specific rhythmic structures with increasing complexity. Students should master each unit of exercises before proceeding to the next unit. The third part, Reference Information, includes a notation reference, a list of rhythms, a list of further reading recommendations, and a glossary of Arabic music terms, many of which are used in the text. All Arabic words in this book appear in italics, except proper names, and with the exception of some proper Arab names, the text is essentially written in the standard system of transliteration used by the Library of Congress and most academic literature Throughout the book you will see quotations from Michel offset in the text. These prosaic tidbits may be words of wisdom, interesting anecdotes about Michel's life, or insights into his work and world of music.Each provides a glimpse into the personality of this exceptional musician. As a technical manual for students of Arabic percussion, Classical Riqq Technique provides specific exercises and explores important concepts, some of which are rarely taught, even in private lessons. At the same time, this book strives for a broader goal, to present and preserve classical percussion from the perspective of a master who not only lived in but also influenced the golden age of Arabic music. Includes access to online audio.

SKU: CA.6001100

English.

Now finally in English too: The third part of the organ method Historical Performance Practice in Organ Playing follows on from part two with contributions by Guy Bovet (on Jehan Alain), Hans-Ola Ericsson, Anders Ekenberg, Markus Rupprecht (Olivier Messiaen), Hans Fagius (Maurice Durufle), Jeremy Filsell (Marcel Dupre), Bernhard Haas (Arnold Schonberg, Ernst Krenek, John Cage, Gyorgy Ligeti, and others, plus the latest developments) and Armin Schoof (neoclassicism). As in the first two parts of the organ method, here too a representative selection of composers is discussed. Alongside mainly personal recollections (e.g. from Hans Fagius) there are analytical essays (including by Jeremy Filsell). Bernhard Haas has organised one section of his text as an introduction to the playing techniques and aesthetics of new music, beginning with pieces which are easy to play. This English edition contains new chapters by Kevin Bowyer (The Development of New Organ Music in Britain / Contemporary Organ Music in North America). Laukvik's organ method Historical Performance Practice in Organ Playing has now become established as a standard work. It is aimed at organists who want to incorporate the latest thinking on historical performance practice into their interpretations of works. The three volumes provide a practical introduction in a detailed, scholarly and comprehensible form, by giving organists as precise a picture of the interpretative traditions and aims of previous and modern/ contemporary eras as possible. The editions are aimed not only at organists, but also at organ teachers who are looking for a manual to use in their teaching.

SKU: HL.50580815

ISBN 9788875929183. 6.5x9.25x0.93 inches. Italian.

In 2008, the whole Studio di Fonolgia di Milano della Rai - including equipment and furniture - was completely reconstructed inside the XXXVI room of the Museum of Musical Instruments at the Sforza Castle in Milan. For the first time, all the productions of the Studio (including not only electronic music compositions but also original soundtracks for radio programmes) were systematically catalogued and made available in this publication.The book contains several updates to the old contributions. In addition, it presents three new essays that provide an interesting reflection on the the preservation of electroacoustic music and its instruments, as well as documentingrecent research that led to the realization of the sounds and the physical interfaces that embody the original instruments of the Studio.The second part of the book contains the catalogue of the musical production at the Studio enriched with a great deal of new data, as well as part of the video productions whose soundtracks were produced or edited at the Studio.This new edition will provide a complete and valuable tool to anyone looking for a better understanding, from both the technical and the musical viewpoint, of an extremely dynamic - if not contradictory - period of Italian and European music history: a very short moment after all, less than thirty years long.

Als 2008 das beruhmte Studio Di Fonologia des Mailander Radios RAI Milano, 1954 von Bruno Maderna und Luciano Berio gegrundet, ins Musikinstrumentemuseum des Castello Sforzesco umzog, ergriff man die Gelegenheit, nicht nur die elektronischen Instrumente und Anlagen, sondern auch die dort entstandenen Aufnahmen zu katalogisieren und einem breiteren Publikum zuganglich zu machen. Das Buch enthalt im ersten Teil eine genaue Beschreibung der elektrotechnischen Anlagen und Instrumente mit vielen Abbildungen, im zweiten Teil den Katalog der Audio- und Videoaufnahmen.Die hier vorliegende neue Ausgabe gewahrt einen moglichst vollstandigen Einblick in die technische undmusikalische Entwicklung einer hoch dynamischen, wenn auch recht kurzen, Phase der italienischen und europaischen Experimentalmusik.