One of the most respected and referenced books of its kind this authoritative volume surveys violins and other bowed instruments ranging from ancient Greco-Roman styles to those of modern Europe. It is also an account of the principal makers English and foreign.Read the fascinating stories of famous players and violin makers through the ages from the Amati family Stradivarius and Guarnerius to the Forster family and more recent artisans.br>An essential for every violin lover and student this volume features more than 55 illustrations including rare lithographs from private collections.

This well-known study by an eminent musicologist constitutes one of the best mid-level explorations of the nature and function of the orchestra. Tracing the beginnings of modern music from the seventeenth through early twentieth centuries, the survey presents forty-four musical excerpts and thirteen sketches of instruments, plus appendices and quotations related to conducting methods. Featured composers include Purcell, Scarlatti, Bach, Handel, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Wagner, Debussy, Elgar, and many others. Author Adam Carse examines the evolution of individual musical instruments along with varying performance techniques and concepts of instrumental color. He further explores the recognition of major instrumental groups and their musical distinctions, decisions regarding volume and balance of tone, the influence of musical subject matter upon orchestration, and many similar topics. This volume represents a splendid resource for music students, enthusiasts of musical history and classical music, and music lovers of all ages. Corrected republication of the 1925 edition published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Company, Limited.

A Social and Cultural History-This ground-breaking book by David Wright explores how ABRSM became such a formative influence in the musical world and looks at some of the consequences resulting from its pre-eminent position in British musical life.The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music better known as ABRSM has influenced the musical lives and tastes of millions of people since it conducted its first exams in 1890. In this fascinating history particular emphasis is given to how free ABRSM has been to impose its musical view of things and to what extent its exams respond to the circumstances and musical preferences of its customers.The book explores how ABRSM hasnegotiated music's changing social educational and cultural landscape and casts fresh light on the challenges facing music education today.

Electric Guitars and Basses tells the story in full colour of one of the most influential forces on American culture in the 20th century - the Electric Guitar.From the earliest 'lap steels' that reshaped the sound of Hawaiian music the the 'Spanish-neck' models that created a new voice in the Jazz world and powered the early rock and rollers and on to the solid body models that shattered conventional ideas of Guitar design and Guitar music all of the classic and historically important models are displayed and discussed by Guitar experts George Gruhn and Walter Carter.This new edition features an additional 16 pages of important instruments andnewly discovered information.

Experiencing Music Expressing Culture-These captivating case studies include eyewitness accounts of performances interviews with performers and vivid illustrations. Each volume is packaged with a 70-minute CD that contains representative examples of the music discussed in the book.Ngoma is the hallmark of music in East Africa and a performance that incorporates drumming singing and dancing. Using several towns and villages as examples this case study discusses how Ngoma performances function as important means of mediating conflicts solidifying community and ethnicity and communicating traditional values and social histories.

A companion to the six-part PBS/BBC4 documentary series Broadway: The American Musical is the first comprehensive history of the musical from its roots at the turn of the 20th century through the smashing successes of the new millennium.The in-depth text is lavishly illustrated with a treasure trove of photographs sheet-music covers posters scenic renderings production stills rehearsal shots and caricatures many previously unpublished. Complementing the narrative are sidebars that highlight the stars the shows and the songs - the key ingredients that make the musical great. Each chapter also includes essays written by some of Broadway's mostfascinating luminaries past and present.This edition has been revised and updated with a brand-new foreword by Julie Andrews and new material on all the Broadway musicals through the 2009-2010 season.

Evenings at the Opera: An Exploration of the Basic Repertoire is a collection of essays based on Jeffery Langford's lectures at the Manhattan School of Music and inspired by his pre-performance talks at the MetropolitanOpera Guild. It presents a unique view of the stylistic development of nearly 200 years of opera history (from Mozart to Britten) with special attention to the question of how the genre's competing components of action music and text combine to make effective music drama. Taking a thematic (rather than a purely historical) approach to this exploration of selected works from the standard repertoire Langford engages the reader in the fundamentalquestion of how the shifting aesthetics of opera from one composer to another one country to another and one era to another have resulted in vastly different solutions to the problem of how to make a dramma per musica(drama in music) as the Italian inventors of opera first called it. Going beyond mere plot synopsis he guides the reader through analysis of specific issues of musical form style and technique to shed new light on theperennial question of “how opera (sometimes) works.”

Ibanez is the most important Japanese guitar brand and this new book tells the story of its electric guitars tracking the fortunes of this impressive brand.At first the guitars were cheap and basic and in the 1970s Ibanez was best known for its copies of leading Gibson instruments including Les Pauls SGs and Explorers. As the Japanese music industry gained maturity and increased quality Ibanez made more assured instruments with original features; and in the late '70s and early '80s it hit new peaks of achievement. The big break came in the late '80s with the arrival of Steve Vai's impressive and spectacular JEM signature models. In recent years the company has continued to provide great modern electric guitars.Ibanez guitarists featured in the book include George Benson Charlie Burchill (Simple Minds) Phil Collen (Def Leppard) Allan Holdsworth Pat Metheny Steve Miller Joni Mitchell John Petrucci (Dream Theater) Lee Ritenour Joe Satriani John Scofield Paul Stanley (Kiss) Mick Thompson (Slipknot) Steve Vai and Bob Weir (Grateful Dead).The book is in the tradition of Tony Bacon's best-selling guitar series with a carefully researched story including exclusive interviews with Vai and Satriani a gallery of full-color pictures of famous guitars and players and a reference section detailing production years and specifications of all Ibanez's electric models.

Cedric Thorpe Davie. Defines and describes the forms commonly used by Western composers in the period 1550 and 1900.

Opera is a thrilling art form that deals with lifeâ??s rawest emotions and greatest passions: love jealousy revenge forgiveness sex passion corruption fate power and death. Combining music with drama creates an exciting spectacle which can convey emotions create moods and portray the inner feelings and desires of characters more powerfully than words alone. Add in wonderful sets costumes and increasingly complex technical effects and you have a genre that embraces all the arts in one.This accessible and engaging introduction has been written for both students and newcomers to opera. Simply explained and illustrated with pictures from a wide range ofproductions it includes:A guide to what to expect when you go to the operaBehind-the-scenes insights into how an opera is put together and staged including set design costumes lighting and technical effectsAn overview of the history and development of opera through the agesAn in-depth look at 12 featured operas from different periods and stylesA playlist of video clips has been chosen to accompany the book.