Product Description
Lists and describes approximately 1,600 published and unpublished choral works by more than 100 African-American composers and arrangers, 600 more works than the first edition. Many of these works, representing all styles from simple four-part settings to avant-garde pieces, have not been performed before because of the difficulty in locating them. White's bibliography provides a useful tool for busy conductors wishing to perform music by African-American composers, and serves as an incentive to choral conductors to program little-known composers as well as unknown works by established musicians. Arrangement is by composer. Entries list number of pages; voicing and solo requirements; vocal ranges; degree of difficulty; "a cappella" or type of accompaniment; publishers; and catalog number. Also included are a title index; a listing of selected collections of Negro spirituals; biographical sketches of African-American composers and arrangers; and three appendixes: selected source readings, selected discography, and addresses of publishers and composers. ... Read more

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"Of value to music libraries and scholars and to feminist groups interested in finding out about women composers and presenting their music to the public." Reference Books Bulletin ... Read more

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Colin McPhee was a performer, writer, and pioneer among Western composers in turning to Asia for inspiration. A close friend of Aaron Copland, Carlos Chavez, Henry Cowell, and Virgil Thomson, he played a vital role in new music activities in New York in the 1920s, but his most important accomplishments came from his devotion to the music of Bali. Carol Oja's Colin McPhee: Composer in Two Worlds traces his life, his influences on fellow musicians, and the profound experience of a composer striving to comprehend an entirely new musical language.

After hearing rare recordings of the Balinese gamelan--a percussion orchestra with delicately layered textures and clangorous sounds--McPhee traveled to Bali and worked closely with such Western anthropologists as Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. The island may also have appealed to him because of its relatively open attitude toward homosexuality.

Gay by inclination, he nevertheless married anthropologist Jane Belo and built a native-style house on the island where they lived for most of the 1930s. During this time, McPhee became a devoted and meticulous chronicler of Balinese musical culture, and his Music of Bali remains a classic in ethnomusicology. Beginning in the mid-1930s, his own compositions became an imaginative hybrid of Balinese and Western music, anticipating the later work of such figures as John Cage, Lou Harrison, and Steve Reich.

Finally back in print, Carol Oja's account of McPhee's unconventional life and work evokes key issues in composition and ethnomusicology, sure to be of interest to scholars, musicians or anyone interested in 20th century American or Balinese music. ... Read more

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The presenter of Radio National's The Music Show andcomposer, Andrew Ford talks to 30 colleagues about their attitudestowards audiences, performers and the business of composing.

Why is it no longer possible to say what is modern or avant-garde inmusic?Why do some return to traditional musical languages?Whatsort of music do you compose? ... Read more

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The depth of detail in this comprehensive catalog of music composed by African American women required limiting the scope to solo and ensemble piano music, but an introductory overview on the contributions of black women in music and biographical sketches on the 54 composers profiled in the catalog contain broader information. Over 300 piano works are listed, with detailed descriptive information on close to 200 works that Walker-Hill was able to obtain and study. Appendixes list available published music, ensemble instrumentation, music for teaching, and music published before 1920. ... Read more

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An account of the composer's day-to-day life as evidenced in various kinds of biographical sources, this work reveals the astonishing succession of meetings with the glitterati of Europe and the awe-inspiring effect Mozart had on other composers--and their envious responses. It also places him at home with his wife and family, battling against heart-rending financial failure while his operas were being performed across Europe. Musically, the work situates Mozart's compositions in their chronological context. This fascinating account will be of interest to scholars, students, and Mozart enthusiasts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

re-publish a 'lost' inspiration
Apologies first! Although I have not yet read Dimond's latest work I really would like to express my appreciation for his "Music made simple", now regrettably out of print.This book was an absolute inspiration to me when I first read it a while back. In it Dimond's excitement, thorough knowledge and-dare I say it - 'passion' for the composers he discusses is all too obvious. The book was evidently a labour of love and was a joy to read.Read it and be glued, avidly, to each page.Additionally, it includes concisely explained passages on music theory.With this book in your hands you will sail through G.C.S.E music. But just read it as a beautifully written book primarily on the lives and music of the great composers from the past. I wish I had Dimond's email to thank him myself!

More errors than consistent data!
There are errors appearing in this book from page 23 on (Va del furor portata instead of Va dal furor portata). Index of persons is very weak and inaccurate. I really wonder who did the recensy of this book? (Shame...) ... Read more

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Aaron Horne provides the most comprehensive guide to brass music written by black composers. He covers composers from around the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Included in the book is biographical information; commission, duration, instrumentation, date of publication, premiere, publisher, discography for each piece; bibliographical sources; and an index which groups the music by numbers, medium, and ensemble. ... Read more

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This book contains the first complete translation in English of E. T. A. Hoffmann's major musical writings, complementing the well-known Tales. It offers, therefore, a long-awaited opportunity to assess the thought and influence of one of the most famous of all writers on music and the musical links with his fiction. Containing the first complete appearance in English of Kreisleriana, it reveals a masterpiece of imaginative writing whose title is familiar to musicians (from Robert Schumann's piano cycle) and whose profound humour and irony can now be fully appreciated. This volume offers translations aiming at the greatest fidelity to Hoffmann, as well as musical accuracy in the reviews. David Charlton's three introductory essays provide extensive information on the background to Romantic music criticism; on the origins and internal structure of Kreisleriana; and on Hoffmann and opera. A concluding essay by the late Friedrich Schnapp lists Hoffmann's planned reviews and those mistakenly attributed to him. ... Read more

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Worldwide in scope and covering the second half of the 20th century, this work provides biographies and discographies of some 500 conductors and composers in many aspects of light and popular orchestral music, including film, show, theatre, and mood music. This is the first time the lives and recordings of such artists as Kostelanetz, Faith, Gould, as well as the orchestral recordings of such great popular composers as Gershwin, Kern, Porter, Rodgers, Berlin, and Coward, have been adequately documented and consolidated in an encyclopedic fashion. Almost 5,000 records and CDs are listed. Of interest to scholars, students, disc jockeys, record and CD collectors, film music buffs, and mood and production music enthusiasts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

CORRECTION: Andre Kostelanetz' stereo recordings were superb
Professor Musiker is badly and sadly mistakenwhen he disparages Andre Kostelanetz'outstanding stereo recordings of popular music during the 1960s and '70s. (See final paragraphof entry on Maestro Kostelanetz)These superb sides sparkle even more brilliantly today whenheard via themagic of CD and Dolby digitalPro-Logic, dts, Surround-Sound.)Furthermore, to state that Kosty's stereo recordings are "unrecognizable" is total nonsense. Anyonefamiliar with theBeautiful Music boom of the'60s and '70s can verify that the Kostelanetzsound was identifiable, recognizable andunmistakable. The popular musicrecordings of Andre Kostelanetz, Percy Faith, Mantovani and Henry Mancini(in that order) formed theearthquake-proof foundation upon which wasbuilt the Beautiful Music stereo FM radio format that was the most popularradio format in the U.S. during the 1970s. Also, Prof. Musiker is incorrect when he states that Andre (the GIANT of Beautiful Music)Kostelanetz succumbed to a "commercialized syndrome" when herecorded these magnificent albums of popular music. If the Professor issuggesting that Kosty really didn't like the music that bore his name, hehas not done his homework. He should contact legendary producer Teo Maceroin New York, as I have done, and learn the facts, which I will relate in great detail on my future website now underconstruction. (Teo Maceroproduced most of The Maestro's extraordinary Columbia recordingsafter thedawn of stereophonic sound in 1958) Yes, the final paragraph of this book'sentry on Andre Kostelanetz does a tremendousdisservice to The Maestro'smighty contributions to quality pop music during the last two decades ofKosty's spectacular life. I call for nothing less than a full retractionand correction of the said final paragraph in the Musikers' otherwiseexcellent and extremely useful sourcebook. Finally, though Prof. Musikerdoes not explicitly state this, there are allegations in other circles thatMaestro Kostelanetz had little or nothing to do with the arrangements ofthese recordings. That he merely "waved his arms." Your humblereviewer intends to address this issue indepth when my website is"up and running." This should be by the end of the year -- justin time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of a great Americanconductor and patriot, TheMagnificent Maestro Andre Kostelanetz. In the meantime, I encourage all readers of this review to enjoy Kosty'sWonderland Of Soundrecordings. ... Read more

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Vagn Holmboe (1909-96), was one of the most important composers of his era, and arguably the most important Danish composer after Carl Nielsen. A composer for over 60 years, and a teacher for more than 30, he wrote over 300 compositions in nearly every musical genre, music criticism, many other articles and two other books. Here, in a volume intended for the general reader, he discusses the nature of music, from the point of view of the composer, the performer and the listener. Where do musical ideas come from? What are composers' working methods, and how much are they really aware of them? What is the role of performers, and what sort of freedom do they have in interpreting music? What do listeners do in listening to music? What, essentially, is the musical experience? Professor Paul Rapoport contributes a lengthy introduction to this book, although, as he points out, `this is not a book about Vagn Holmboe nor a book addressed solely to musicians ... Holmboe's prose, like his music, is addressed to his fellow human beings, whoever and wherever they may be'. ... Read more

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With this generous biography, Howard Pollack restores to the public eye a prolific and gifted artist whom Walter Damrosch called "the most American of our composers."

Well respected and widely performed during his lifetime, John Alden Carpenter (1876-1951) was one of the first American composers to be influenced by Debussy and Stravinsky and one of the first composers anywhere to incorporate elements of popular song and jazz into concert music. His highly original yet refined orchestral music was championed by Bruno Walter, Fritz Reiner, Otto Klemperer, Serge Koussevitzky, and other celebrated conductors, and his sensitive songs were performed by such legendary singers as Alma Gluck and Kirsten Flagstad.

Avidly interested in vernacular culture and receptive to a wide range of musical influences, Carpenter set verses by American poets including Langston Hughes and Vachel Lindsay and created a ballet score based on George Herriman's celebrated comic strip Krazy Kat. His whimsical suite Adventures in a Perambulator was on the docket for Walt Disney's planned sequel to Fantasia, and his ballet Skyscrapers, which enjoyed successful mountings in New York and Munich, was the only American work commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes.

Pollack skillfully balances Carpenter's personal and musical lives, covering his interactions with musicians of every stripe, his high profile in the Chicago Renaissance cultural scene, and his two marriages (first to the designer and art collector Rue Winterbotham and then, following a protracted affair, to the Chicago socialite Ellen Borden).

In this expansive, fair-minded biography, Pollack explains the factors that pulled Carpenter out of the spotlight and argues persuasively for Carpenter's continuing importance. ... Read more

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From the romantic agonies of Hector Berlioz to the lonely labours of Anton Bruckner, and from the cosmopolitan triumphs of George Frideric Handel to the politically fraught career of Dmitri Shostakovich in the Soviet Union, the lives of the great composers are as varied and multifaceted as the works of creative genius they produced. Writing with verve and passion, broadcaster and writer Jeremy Nicholas presents, in chronological order, elegant, informative and often affectionate biographical profiles of 50 of the greatest composers in the history of classical music. The biographies not only describe the life, artistic development and creative output of each composer, but also set the composers and their works in a broader historical and cultural context. Furthermore, shortlists ofmust-hear' masterpieces for each composer give the reader all the information they need to begin to build a brilliant classical music collection. Taken together, the 50 profiles in The Great Composers amount to a concise history of 500 years of classical music.Accessible and entertaining, but also informative and authoritative, this is the perfect introduction to the world of classical music for the general reader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Classical Composers Brief Bios & Musical Insights
This book is a pleasure to read.I read whilie listening to my iPod sample of the greatest works of these composers.I'm enjoying the process of using this book to help educate me on the great composers, where they came from, what made their musical style or works so unique/special.This book is just what I wanted to scratch the surface of each composer.Then by adding a sample of a song after reading each bio I can connect the dots a bit and begin to understand and associate the style with its composer.It has been a delightful process!

Recommendations to publisher:
1- a digital e-book would have been great in addition to this printed copy
2 - consider making this book an interactive one... by adding audio or video samples to each chapter to share samples of the composers work today

Thanks to the writer of the book - these kinds of books are so needed out there and presented in format that covers te basics for people like me who want to learn in an efficient format.This will help me read more in-depth biographies too!

A Satisfying Book on the Lives of 50 Great Classical Composers
Classical music was part of my family's DNA. My mother played classical music on the piano and required each of her six children to get some musical training. For me, it was classical piano and I must say, I did not readily take to it, quitting at the first opportunity I had - football.

My dad, however, listened to classical music LPs each night when he returned from work and, I believe, this is where my love of classical music was rooted. I turned to active listening of classical music at age 38 and have never looked back. I have a library of books (hard copy and audio) on classical music, conductors, and composers; a vast collection of classical CDs; and have been a subscriber to the San Francisco Symphony for more than 20 years.

I stumbled on Jeremy Nicholas' "The Great Composers" while in a nearby Borders book store within the past month. It appeared to be a great value at $9.99...sorry, Quercus and Mr. Nicholas! I bought the book and began reading it immediately. What a great book! While a steal at $9.99, it would be a great purchase at its cover price.

In the "Great Composers," the author provides profiles ranging from 1-3 pages of the top 50 classical composers. While concise, the profiles capture the uniqueness of these extraordinary geniuses. This will make an excellent resource for moderately sophisticated classical music lovers, like me.

The author admits that creating a list of greats followed weeks of indecision while one choice was weighed against another. In the end many great composers gave way to other great composers. While Nicholas admits this may lead to contention, most readers will find this a most worthy list and will be satisfied with their purchase.

Fun introduction to great composers
This coloring book is a fun way to introduce children 6-10 to some of the greatest composers. The captions are brief and intended only to provide some basic biographical information on a level appropriate for children. Coloring is a great way for kids to learn and these drawings are historically accurate, high-quality and fun to color.

The life without the work
This book provides short biographies of fifty major composers.If the reader wishes to know the basic outline of these composers' lives this work is fine.It focuses almost completely on biographical detail. It provides no real description and analysis of what is most important in these composers' lives- their music.
... Read more

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A perfect gift for an admirer of classical music, this indispensable volume condenses seven hundred years of classic music history and covers periods from Baroque to Contemporary, in an easy-to-use format. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent for the major composers
This is an excellent reference if you are interested in the major composers and not in the thousands of other American and European composers. The three parts: alphabetic listing of composers and their works (in chronological order), chronological lists of composers and a complete timeline are useful when a listener wants to know who composed what (major works), who is contemporary to whom and what happened in the music world around a certain period or in a certain year. As a serious listener of classical music, I never use this book all by itself but I use it in conjunction with 'Classical Music the Third Ear', 'The penguin Guide of CD/DVD', 'The Classical Music All Music Guide' and the 'Canon of Classical Music' book. However, I do use it!!!

Leaves out famous WOMEN composers
When I discovered that at one point the LA Weekly was using this as their major music reference, I was shocked! I have the 1993 revised edition, and have SEARCHED for two names I would assume to be in the most basic biographical music dictionary written after 1965: Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn. And yes, I looked for Clara Wieck and Fanny Hensel--no luck. Oddly enough, Mr. Gilder did include Amy Beach and Thea Musgrave, both of whom definitely deserve this inclusion. Although I have not done a thorough survey, these are the only two women composers I found in the book.
We can only assume, from Mr. Gilder's apologetic preface, that he considers both Clara and Fanny's contributions to the "world's musical treasury...too inconsiderable to make them worthy of special mention." Given the ommission of these two composers, I was not surprised to see neither Hildegard von Bingen nor Elisabeth Claude Jacquet de la Guerre. Mr. Gilder has, however, seen fit to include his own compositions.
I am not an ardent feminist out to make sure every woman composer who ever lived has representation in biographical dictionaries. I do think it irresponsible to NOT include two of the most famous, especially when both Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn are covered. Unlike Thea and Amy, the contributions of Clara and Fanny were always overshadowed by the music of their husband and brother, respectively. If this book garners any reputation as a reputable and reliable reference, that will continue to be the case. I see it is now out of print. I hope if another edition is published, these tremendous oversights will be remedied, amongst other issues already mentioned in other reviews.

Helpful reference but imcomplete and flawed
For a serious music listener, the knowledge of when and where a piece of music was composed is pretty useful because it helps the listener understand deeper the relationship between the music and its composer and the impact of the environment on the composer. However, there were not many works dealing with this issue. The efforts of the author did help bridge this appreciation gap. In the first part, the author listed the composers alphabetically, and under each composer his music was listed chronologically. Part two surveys the major pieces of music composed in the same year, thus giving the reader an impression of the contemporaries of the music. Timelines of the composers's lifetimes are displayed in part three to give an overview of the contemporaries of the composers.

Each part of the book is well designed and useful. However, there are some flaws in this book. As previous reviews pointed out, many composers were not fairly covered and no reason or criterion was given. Moreover, I feel the need that the author should make another listing for each composer that shows the chronological order of the compositions in the same style, for example symphonies, concertos, etc. Anyway, this book is still a valuable reference for every music lover.

Biassed and no clear criteria for coverage of composers
It is not only the exclusion of composers but the fact that there is no indication of the criteria used for including or excluding them or for the depth of coverage given. There is no way to infer why are ,for example ,Don Gillis or the author himself given more than twice the coverage givento Mauro Giuliani, just to mention something that can be found from page143 to 146. There are plenty of examples like this. There are 8 works by MrGilder, and less than a dozen works by George Philippe Teleman, none byTartini, Giusepe Torelli or Johann Pachelbel...! I really felt disappointedwith the recomendation of this book.

This is a great reference book.There is NOTHING like it.
Yes, the selections are incomplete - but how much can one include in such a book.The truly comprehensive book would cover many more volumes.The exclusion of Arvo Part is sad but I hope Mr. Gilder will listen to hisreaders and think about this.

I have used this book for 20 years sinceit's earliest edition.I have found NO OTHER BOOK like this withCross-referencing of Dates to Composers names.I know this book will onlyimprove with each edition.The first edition was barely more than 400pages.Mr. Gilder has added a lot more since.

He deserves DUE CREDITfor having amassed such a wonderful book.Thank you, Mr. Gilder,,,foryears and years of pleasure and learning.

Enrique Sanchez Miami, FL ... Read more

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From the 1500s through the 1900s there were a surprising number of women composing classical music. Many were successful, finding venues for both publishing and performing their music; others found the social barriers for women impossible to overcome. This book provides access to these composers, both well known and obscure. Arranged chronologically by era, each section is divided into countries. For each female composer within a country, a brief biographical sketch is provided, as well as a description of her body of work. This text also includes an extensive opera timeline of works by female composers. ... Read more

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Ludmila Korabelnikova recounts the life and times of Alexander Tcherepnin, a prolific and often emulated composer who produced four operas, 13 ballets, four symphonies, numerous orchestral and chamber works, and more than 200 piano pieces. He was born in Russia in 1899 to a family of musicians and artists. However, Aaron Copland referred to him as "an honorary American composer" and Toru Takemitsu called him "a father figure of Japanese music." Korabelnikova focuses not only on the biographical elements of Tcherepnin's story, but also on his music and its technical innovations. She includes extended quotations by the composer himself and selective analytical commentary, based on primary sources and contemporaneous accounts. ... Read more

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A Hystery of Music, is a satirical look at 50-odd composers.This shamelessly anecdotal book touches on the eating habits ofRossini; and the general contempt certain composers held for certain other composers.

Customer Reviews (3)

parody of the Greats
This is the funniest book about classical composers ever written. We're used to guys like Vivaldi, Brahms, etc etc treated with reverence and respect as great this or great that, but this book is a collection of little bio's on all these guys basically poking fun at them in a broad farce sort of way, and the text is accompanied by a caricature drawing of each composer. I laughed out loud. You don't even need to know anything about these composers' lives to "get" and enjoy this witty humor.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

Review of The Composers: A History of Musi
This book was funny, well written and the artwork was great. The author's knowledge of music is evident and what a wonderful sense of humour.I also enjoyed this author's last book "The Hystery of Art" and I hopethere will be another book to follow.

I enjoyed this book
If the composers read this book, they'd be rolling over in their graves (especially Arvo Part because his not dead)This is a very funny book for those who love the music or want a comic look at the history of these finecomposers.The drawings look like they came out of Mad magazine or someonewho is just mad.(Ive heard that I could do better)Pick up this book musiclovers and just have some fun. ... Read more

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In 1997, American women can look back on a century of tradition as professional composers of serious music in the United States. This tradition, which begins with Amy Bach — more specifically, with her Gaelic Symphony — now includes large numbers of women, from those born in the early years of this century to those barely in their thirties. It spans the mid-century with women of the generation emerging in the 1950s to those whose music began to come before the public in the 70s and 80s. It includes women both black and white, both academically oriented and in a class by themselves; those who cultivate electronic media and those who explore feminist or healing properties in music, those who write symphonies and those who write jazz. Finally, it now includes increasing numbers of women who have won America's top musical prizes for their efforts. ... Read more

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This invaluable reference book explores the background to 800 years of musical history - from 12th-century chanting monks to 19th-century virtuoso performers. This brand new edition has been fully revised to include today's iconoclastic composer-artists - and explains the origins and impact of the great classical masterpieces. At the heart of the book are concise biographies of more than 150 composers, accompanied by portraits and illustrations relating to their works. Lively chapter introductions summarize the historical background to the musical eras and reveal the musical mood of each one through its art. Recommended key recordings of central works by each composer, specially selected by the editors of Gramophone magazine, help the reader to build an enduring classical music collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book!
This is a great book filled with tons of information about classical music throughout history!It's very readable and understandable, and is very interesting.There are a lot of good illustrations too.I really love this book. ... Read more