Genres Books

I routinely taped his radio program "Rock and Roll Alternative" in the late 70s to early 80s. He was always introducing new songs and educating me about the new music going on. If one of the new bands happened to be in town he almost always had them in the studio for an interview. This book is a great retrospective on that period of my life.

Anyone interested in the history of Rock should get this book. It's written in chronological order, and I found myself spending hours following the intricate relationships between the various bands.

This book is riveting. I label it dangerous, because after you'ver read it, you will be compelled to go out and spend all kinds of money seeking out records from all the bands that are spoken of in the book. Nothing is missing. Concerts that I attended are there with dates, times and copies of ticket stubbs. You thought you knew who played for who...........then you read this. Fascinating.

Getting this book is like striking gold for anyone who loves punk rock. It's a treasure-trove of information, in meticulous order. This is the kind of book you can open randomly at any page and just start reading. The author really did his homework. If you want to learn more about punk, you can definitely get the information reading this book.

Unlike any other book on the market about the Punk Rock revolution. It can be read cover to cover (as I did!) or you can pick and choose the entries searching for information on your favorite bands. If you are a music enthusiast, this book is definitely for you. It has all the stories on ALL of the bands whether they were comercially successful or not. Perhaps the best thing about the book is the excellent CD that comes with it. I can't wait to read the follow up!

Can anyone actually imagine playing this difficult piece for 33 minutes? If you look inside, you can see the many complexities that are within the score. Time signatures change almost constantly, brass play twenty random notes in one measure, tubas play much higher notes than usual, strings do a lot of plucking, and the woodwinds go all over the place in many scenes )including the Introduction to the "Adoration of the Earth" sequence). This just shows you how much of a genius Stavinsky really was. Fantastic!

Oh, and I never performed this piece, so that's why I was asking in the first place...............

If you are enthralled with the Rite's rhythm, harmony, or whatever... this is the perfect opportunity to see the orchestration and metric usage. As someone who loves the Rite, and analyzing music, this was a no brainer. Cheap and easy to read. Absolutely fantastic.

"The Rite of Spring In Full Score" contains the complete unabridged score of composer Igor Stravinsky's timeless classic "The Rite Of Spring". Besides presenting the full musical notation for the entire piece, this book also contains a brief but detailed history on the work. Looking at the score is an astounding revelation into Stravinsky's creative genius. What often sounds like pure noise on recordings and in performance is in reality carefully notated and fully realized. In other words, Stravinsky knew exactly what he was after when he composed "The Rite of Spring" and the score proves it in all its glory. Even if you can't read music, if you're a fan of Igor Stravinsky and "The Rite Of Spring", this score is an essential guide and study tool to this revolutionary work. It also offers an insight into the composer's fascinating creative mind.

From Jordan in Minnesota
In 1998 I bought the original score of Le Sacre du Printemps from Kalmus for 65.00 dollars!! Although the Kalmus version in cited from numerous musicians and stravinsky himself, this version of dovers is well worth the 10 dollars!! It is pretty much the same as Kalmus' but it has no chief editor, and since its a reprint it will have the same concept as the Kalmus score, only it is 55.00 dollars cheaper. If anyone wants the 4 extra pages of the kalmus version that compares the scores, I would be happy to copy it and send them, as long as people realize that the Kalmus version as of January 16 2006 is almost 100.00. So stick with this dover version it will definately save you the money!!
cojo0502@stcloudstate.edu

It's no secret that "Vjesná Svjashchjénnaja" ("Spring Consecrated", a literal translation of the original Russian title) is an exceedingly difficult piece to understand on first hearing (and it can take many hearings for it to clear up). This is doubly so if all one can do is hear a recording. A score is essential for it to be fully understood - and what better way to handle this challenge than via this reprint from a Soviet edition (outstandingly accurate yet inexpensive)?

[Knowing how usually often Dover editions are very good if not excellent (notably their Richard Strauss, Chaykóvskiy, Brahms, Debussy and many others!) is all the more reason not to waste money on another edition (unless one absolutely MUST have the most current redraft he made in an attempt to get more money over the piece's copyright-lifetime). Excellently sized yet beautifully bound, easy to read - and accurate!! This is a steal!!!]

Another bonus: you also get to sample some of the thinking and ideology that Communism was forcing on its people in all regards and all walks of life - outstanding reminder of what political correctness can do to us all(this warning especially meant for those who believe in it in any way whatsoever...)!! Buy this without delay!!!

The River
Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Trafford Publishing 2005
6E - 2333 Government Street
Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 4P4
http://www.trafford.com/
toll-free 1-888-232-4444
phone 250-383-6864 fax 250-383-6804
www.cherylktardif.com
ISBN # 1-4120-6229-2
Reviewed by Christina Francine
CFrancine@mail2world.com

Cheryl Kaye Tardif skillfully balances scientific intrigue, and the human desire to retain a youthful body, with tantalizing sexual tension, and vivid characterizations in this engrossing romantic thriller.

The plot steps beyond reality, but by how much? Science grows in its knowledge more every day. One thing is for sure, and history shows it to be true, greed and absolute power taint fabulous discoveries and inventions.

Tough and tender Professor Delia Hawthorne aches for her father, and she wouldn't admit it, but also a decent relationship. Is her father really alive or is something unethical going on? She remembered what the disturbing man at the doorway of her classroom said. The elderly man wore a grimy suede jacket, needed a haircut and a shampoo, and his clothes were torn and worn, but his eyes seemed vaguely familiar.

"They're going to kill him Delly. Find the river and stop the Director before he destroys humanity. It's all in the book," the old man said.

Del examined the leather-bound book later, along with a strange symbol, the notes inside, and what appeared to be a code.

For seven years she'd believed her father dead. There was even a funeral. He'd gone on an excursion down the Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories, and came up missing. If he lived, she'd find him, but first, Del decided to visit the company her father had worked for, Bio-Tec Canada.

Award-winning Cheryl Kaye Tordif is a Canadian mystery author who's appeared on television and radio. She's been told that she has the highest, most consistent sales during a book signing in Edmonton.

Other books include:
- `Divine Intervention'
- `Whale Song'

Exciting and vivid. Tardif's latest novel sweeps readers along into uncharted, wild Canadian territory. A thrilling adventure where science sniffs harder, desperate to find the fountain-of-youth.

Mix some Michael Crichton with a touch of Dean Koontz, add a generous dash of sci-fi and then distill the resulting mixture until all you have left is the good stuff. That, in a nutshell, is "The River".

The Nahanni River holds many secrets, but the headless bodies that occasionally appear on the shores and the people who vanish without a trace certainly weren't telling any tales. Del Hawthorne's father is part of a group that mysteriously goes missing, but when one of his supposedly departed friends returns with the news that her father is still alive, Del sets off on the adventure of her life, against all odds, to discover the truth. Her companions are an intriguingly mixed bunch of brains, brawn and raw animal magnetism, and it's not only the river that provides the challenges up ahead.

Thanks to a notebook with coded messages and a cryptic map, they find the secret of the river, but only at great personal cost. What transpires next is a swift and horrific descent into the lowest depths of humanity, the result of pure unadulterated greed and selfishness, combined with a peek into the fascinating world of science and discovery.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif manages to make her stories exciting and thought-provoking without including pages and pages of filler material, making her books ideal traveling and beach companions. Her book Whale Song is also a definite must-read.



Amanda Richards, August 20, 2007

When Dr. Lawrence Hawthorne and three of his companions disappear during a trip along the Nahanni River in the Canadian wilderness, everyone presumes that he is dead. Then, seven years after his disappearence one of the party shows up at the campus where Hawthorne's daughter, Delia is a researcher. The man is barely recognizeable and he is-incredibly-aging visibly as she watches him. More astonishingly, he has news: Delia's father is alive!
Delia gathers a rescue party that heads out in search of her dad. But along the Nahanni River, she discovers a secret with hellish and utopian implications.

The River is a thriller. It's also pleasantly sexy and a fast-paced read. What sets it apart is the skill with which Tardif mines the rich mythological lode that connects us to the history of humankind's attempts to alter its fundamental nature. The reader is in contact with Prometheus and Proust, Nietzsche and the architects of Babel. The horror is fundamental because the impulse that she explores is so frighteningly universal.

Before deciding to purchase The River, I read the author's blog. At first I thought this book was a true story because she wrote the blog synopsis in first person, but at the end she admitted this really didn't happen to her; it was simply a clever lure to garner more interest.

And it worked for me! Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif hooked me from the first sentence. I couldn't wait to read it. Having already read and raved over her later release, Whale Song: A Novel, I knew I would like The River, but didn't think anything could come up to Whale.

How wrong I was! This book is outstanding, too, and I'm learning that all of this author's works are brilliant.

The superb writing in The River flowed along smoothly, as naturally as the Mississippi River; then as the story progressed it picked up speed and energy like the turbulent white-water of the Colorado. All of that with some of the exotic features brought to mind by the mighty, mysterious Amazon River. Wow--what a book!

The story opens seven years after Professor of Anthropology Del Hawthorne learns of her father's disappearance and presumed death. Del is stunned when one of the men who went with him on a mysterious mission near Canada's legendary Nahanni River, stumbles into her University office. He's half-dead, but before passing out he manages to give her a coded journal and inform her that her father is still alive.

Even though Del is in remission from multiple sclerosis, she is determined to venture into the rugged territories surrounding the dangerous Nahanni River to find the truth and bring her father and any other survivors home. Along with a sturdy, hand-selected group of brainy men and women, they set off on the adventure of their lives--an adventure which some won't survive.

There are thrills aplenty in this novel: headless corpses on the banks of the Nahanni, hi-tech machinery, underground labs, secret caves, and time-travel into the near future. How does all that affect our brave adventurers? And who is trying to sabotage their rescue efforts? Could there be a spy in their midst? What happens to Del when someone steals her MS medication? What does the "fountain of youth" have to do with her father and his research? Will she find him alive? And how does the year 2031 fit into the scheme of things?

And YES, dear reader, there's a big romance! But is Jake to be trusted? Will they find true love, or is he working with the evil "Director," using Del for his own selfish purposes?

In order to give nothing of the plot away, I always advise you to RFY (and by now you should know that means Read For Yourself). I promise it will be an outstanding reading adventure.

Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a true wordsmith, writing fluently while making it seem easy. Her plot is well-paced, with characters so believable the reader cares what happens to them, and above all, her imagination soars. This is a true high-concept story.

I invite you to plunge into this intriguing story ... head-first or feet-first, it doesn't matter. You're in for an absorbing adventure--with more twists and turns than the Nahanni River itself--and a surprising, yet satisfying ending that leaves you gasping for more.

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, 2008
Millennium Babe: The Prophecy

In her novel "The River", Cheryl Kaye Tardif immediately establishes suspense and maintains it throughout. The characters are well developed and connected in interesting ways. The story moves along quickly and kept me intrigued from start to finish. I learned a great deal about native Indian legends and lore, white water rafting techniques and the challenges of survival in the Canadian wilderness. Very enjoyable. Highly recommended.

I bought this for my 20 yr old nephew who is in a band. He said the book "rocks". It had a wide variety of oldie bands and current bands. Wilson needs to write Vol. 2.

I bought this for my teenaged stepson and he loves it. It's one way of getting him to read something from a book.

I was fortunate enough to obtain a signed edition of the book. Such graciousness only hints at the wealth of information Wilson provides to music lovers of all stripes. From genre expert to casual listener, from rock aficionado to generalist, this book provides for hours of reading and an equal amount of chat with friends. After testing your own knowledge, Rock Formations provides a launching pad for a good night of trivia.

The great strength of this book is that it is a casual read; as Wilson notes in the somewhat dauntingly titled "Warning/Disclaimer": "the purpose of this book is to inform and entertain." On both counts it succeeds. It covers such a range of bands, and does so in such an engaging way, that readers are rewarded on first and subsequent readings. And the writing style is succinct without being dry. Sprinkled throughout are revelations that mix reflection with a smile.

Wilson clearly labored for close to a decade on this work. And his interest is our reward. Affordably priced and nicely presented, one hopes that Wilson's book inspires a follow-up. I will leave the `moniker' and focus of that text to the author. He seems full well capable of dealing with both exigencies.

This book "Rock Formations" is an excellent example of something that should be out there in the literal world and is put together with the fan in mind to boot. There is information on "The Beatles" formation and what other famous band influenced them to create their name. You can find out which one of the "The Beach Boys" helped give a certain duo their name. If there is ever an example of an item to put on a Christmas list of "Things the Music Fan Might Enjoy" this is it! This book is a great insight to the way the creative minds of these artists think. It made me think.
If you ever wondered where a band like "Led Zeppelin" got their name from and what member of "THE WHO" helped to define it, well it's all here, from "Air Supply" to "Frank Zappa" This is one of those books you'll find yourself referencing for years to come. Where did "2PAC" get that name from? You'll have to read this book to find out. There are new artists appearing all the time. I hope there are many revisions to come. In three words "It Totally Rocks!" and is a "Must Have"!

I bought this book for my brother who is a music buff and an amateur musician. He was thrilled with the gift and proceeded to read the book in its entirety in a matter of days. Of course I was pleased he enjoyed the book and thought enough of it to put it on his coffee table for guests to peruse.

Since we live close to one another I would start thumbing through the book whenever I would come over to watch sports or to babysit his kids. What I liked most about it is that it is organized in such a way that makes it a fun and easy read. Other books of this kind read more like a dictionary with a slew of entries one after another that don't share anything in common. For example, in Rock Formations there is a chapter called "Early Impressions" that covers bands that took their names from incidents in their childhood pasts like Lynyrd Skynyrd (I always thought it had something to with flying, which made the name cruelly ironic). I actually started reading in one of the middle chapters and jumped around to different chapters until I had read the entire book.

As a non-musician and an average music fan, I liked the fact that the entries were worded like stories and didn't use a lot of musical jargon. I'm a big fan of 80's music so there were a lot of entries that I really enjoyed such as Foreigner, The Police, Talking Heads, Tears For Fears, etc. I believe the author is British, which explains the coverage of British groups that were popular in the 80's. My brother has more eclectic taste in music so he appreciated the "non-Rock" entries (i.e. Reggae, Rap, R&B).

I would definitely recommend this book for any music fan. It's a fun book to read and you'll probably yourself jumping around chapters as I did. I've also won a few friendly wagers with some friends that have heard myths and rumors about band names, although I'm not recommending this book as an instrument for gambling!

I've read many a' Rough Guide to a variety of musical forms, and Kurt Wolff's book on country absolutely takes the cake. From the music's hillbilly beginnings to the alt-country offshoots of the '90s, this well-researched book is written with wit and a tender affection for the genre's highlights AND lowlights. I can't imagine a better gift for someone interested in country music. My only gripe: Now that the book is four years old, some of the artist information could use an update. Second edition, Kurt? Please?

An essential addition to your music library - whether you're a country novice or expert. The author has meticulously researched and written about country music in a well-organized chronological format that allows the reader to fully grasp the roots and progression of this music genre. The book includes biographies of country artists (those who are well-known, as well as some forgotten gems), discographies, reviews, and essays which fit the music into a broader social and historical perspective.

Great purchase - one of the best music reference books I own. Also check out the companion guide - 100 Essential CD's. Some interesting picks.

This is a truly fine one-volume encyclopedia of country music. Organized both historically and generically, the book is divided into 14 chapters, each discussing a type of music (hillbilly, cowboy, western swing, honky tonk, etc.) and tracing it from the time of its introduction to the present, with an overview followed by entries spotlighting the artists in alphabetical order. The chapter on rockabilly, for instance, includes both Elvis and the Stray Cats. Each entry concludes with brief reviews of recommended recordings. In addition, there are over 250 photographs of performers and album covers and numerous sidebars with short essays on a variety of topics.

The book comes in at almost 600 pages, covering the length and breadth of the subject and making a pretty fair attempt at measuring the depth, as well. To give an idea of the book's scope, the "classic" stars Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline don't appear until the middle. For anyone who may think country music starts and ends with Nashville, it will come as a surprise that so much of this music originated elsewhere.

You can read this book any old way you like, flipping through the pages, letting the pictures catch your eye as you discover favorite performers. If you grew up with country, there's many a trip down memory lane. If you're just discovering country, it is an excellent reference book just filled with information charting the careers of artists and their place in country music history. Well written, handsomely designed, easy to read and enjoy, it's a terrific book that will enhance any fan's love of this great musical tradition.

I bought this book at the advice of a friend and was not disappointed. Wolff is a thoughtful and articulate writer, and this book has plenty of recording artists that I was not aware of. It is arranged in chronological historical chapters, which show the progression of country music to the present. Interesting write-ups on all the major artists, and plenty of information on musicians you probably won't have heard of.

Love this book, just stumbled on it a few weeks ago, and can't put it down. I've been listening to country and loving it since I was a little girl, and this thing keeps turning me on to more music I want to go out and buy. Cool bio's on the artists and a great section on the seventies outlaw artists.

"The intriguing novel 7 Days by Sammie Ward delivers a page turning read about murder and suspense exposing political life and the shadiness that can be found."

"There are only seven days until Lieutenant Colonel Victor Sexton's retirement from the Army Criminal Investigation Division becomes official. His dreams about living a simple life are about o become a reality. He's looking forward to beginning the second phase of his life. Unfortunately a series of events changes his plans. "

"First of all a previous acquaintance re-enters his life and several murders occur which draws him into an investigation that uncovers information that forces Victor to question the motives of those whom he thought he could trust."

"Sammie Ward does a remarkable job pulling readers into this dynamic story full of dirty deals, infidelity, and hidden agendas. Ward's ability to capture the reader with her well developed characters will keep your eyes glued to the pages of this compelling story."

Lieutenant Colonel Victor Sexton is not a complicated man. He likes things simple; so simple, in fact, that after his retirement from the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), he's looking forward to settling into a low-key life of co-managing the Cadence Supper Club, a local nightclub owned by his brother, Gerald. Other prospects, such as a career in politics, tempt Victor, but he's resolved to getting some much-needed rest after a long life of service and sacrifice. All he has to do is wait seven days, and his dreams of a new life finally become a reality.

Suddenly, a series of events erupt in quick succession that threaten the cherished stability and simplicity that Victor craves. First, he unexpectedly re-enters the life of the lovely Captain Dominique Frazier, officer in the Army Nurses Corp, with whom he had a brief but torrid affair over three years ago. Next, a series of suspicious murders involving Victor's friends and close associates disturbs the peaceful, ordered life to which he's become accustomed. Finally, as he investigates the murders further, the hidden truths that he reveals cast shadows of doubt on those he has grown to trust, and he becomes an increasingly dangerous threat - most especially to his own life.

7 Days is a fast-paced and enjoyable read. The dialogue is crisp, the action quite satisfying, and Ward does an excellent job of crafting a compelling storyline, capturing the realities of back-room deals and the many other unsavory truths of political life. With each new plot twist, she leaves you with just enough questions to keep your interest at such a high level that it often feels as though you can't turn the pages fast enough.

Moreover, 7 Days differs from many of its relatives in the suspense/thriller genre because of its true heart: by displaying the concomitant agony that Victor endures as each of the tough decisions that he has to make places further strain on his personal and professional relationships, Ward gives us the true embodiment of a hero: physically and spiritually conflicted, yet resolved to do what's right for a cause greater than his own. His determination to persevere until true justice is served wins Victor your constant admiration and respect and keeps you silently cheering for him to overcome increasingly tougher obstacles.

Look out for more great works by Sammie Ward. Her versatility in interweaving such divergent themes as political intrigue, infidelity, and ghosts from the past makes her a superb writer to watch.

Sammie Ward masterfully draws the reader in a fast-pace, page turner that spins a web of intrigue, murder, and suspense. This lethal combination with romance will leave you wanting more than Seven Days!

SEVEN DAYS by Sammie Ward is a mystery involving military personnel and murder in the Officer's Quarters. Lt. Col. Victor Sexton had a week left in the military before retiring when the murder of a female Lieutenant occurred in her quarters on base. There was no one around at the time of the crime except her married lover's wife, who had followed them. Sexton wasn't interested in her story about seeing another man on the scene. Sexton saw it as a way to take the pressure off. Meanwhile, a former commander's wife set him up with a blind date. He wasn't very interested, but because of his relationship with the commander who now a senator, he agreed to go. The blind date, Dominique, wasn't interested in him either, that is until she saw him. He was the same man she had a two week affair with two years ago which abruptly ended when he left Germany and didn't tell her as much as good-bye. She also had a vested interest in solving the mystery of the murdered woman because she was a nurse under her command. Soon another nurse died in a very similar way and Sexton knew he must solve this case before the killer got Dominique. The pressure was on.

Sammie Ward created a mystery with a lot of tension, hot romantic scenes and hidden agendas. The characters were well developed and the plot kept the suspense going until the end. There was even suspense in the rekindled affair between Victor and Dominique. Would they succeed this time or was Dominique still too angry at his abrupt departure two years ago? It was a real page turner that I couldn't put down until the last word. It was an excellent read for those who love mystery entwined with romance. You got plenty of both in this excellent book.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Seven Days by Ms. Sammie Ward, tells us the story of Colonel Victor Sexton. He has served sixteen years in the United States Army and is due to retire in just seven days. As Victor prepares for life as a civilian, a nurse is found dead in her room. As Victor's last assignment in the Criminal Investigation Division, he is determined to find her killer before his retirement.

Along with investigating the murder of Lieutenant Tamara Hill, Victor tries to win back the affection of Captain Dominique Frazier. A woman that he spent two wonderful weeks with in Europe a few years back, before he was unexpectedly called away on duty. After Dominique gets transferred near Victor, he is convinced that fate brought them back together. Dominique, hurt from his sudden departure, refuses to accept that she still has feelings for Victor and continues to push him away.

Seven Days is a good book to curl up to on a rainy day or any day. This is a fast-paced mystery that will have you wondering whodunit all the way to the end.

Reviewed by Shaquitta Leday
APOOO BookClub

As with the majority of other reviewers of this book - the exception having apparently only a remote acquaintance with English, which would, indeed, make the book rough going - I found Mr. Phinney's work to be not just interesting, but delightful.

It is a rare feat to be able to touch the scholarly and analytical bases, as well as to entertain. I cannot imagine a university course on the cultural influences of African-American music - or on American popular culture or music - which would be complete without reference to this book.

I read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It really is a richly detailed book. The interviews were fascinating. This is a superior book to others I have read on the subject. I liked the photographs, too. Author Kevin Phinney lets the artists do the talking and keeps the mundane sociology to a minimum. His writing style is informative without being preachy. He explains so much of rock and roll in exact terms that make sense. I wish the publisher would go and give the book more publicity. I only found out about it while searching the name of a former black blues player who's in the book. Anyway, a good book, well worth your time. And, you get a lot for your money. This is a solid bit of musical research. Enjoyable and entertaining reading.

I read Souled American in a few sittings - it's that good. Here, for what I think must be the first time in a highly readable and very entertaining book, are the truths that some music historians have tried hard to keep in the dark. Writer Kevn Phinney has a pleasant writing style and this enhances the overriding theme of this fact-crammed journey through Black Blues and White Rock And Roll - that much of what we know or experience as the roots of "white rock" was really the result of the hard work and vast talent of earlier African-American musical artists and, in some cases, musical geniuses. The interviews with such greats as Ray Charles, David Byrne, Sly Stone, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, and others are worth the price of the book alone. Mr. Phinney really knows how to ask questions and draw out information.

The author's understanding of how musical worlds, tastes, styles, and talents blended or were at odds with each other enhances his thesis. He appreciates the historical roots of blues and rock. When did any writer of a book head for Kansas City to really dig into the subject of KC Blues and then make a sane link to specific styles of rock and roll. Sheer brilliance. And enthrallingly written. The author brings in refences to myriad bands, such as The Rolling Stones or Chaka Khan. The musical richness of this volume is superb.

Mr. Phinney details politics, sociology, and culture as it influences music from the horrid days of Jim Crow to the White Rap escapades of Eminem. The author knows full well that white culture has been mightily transformed by black music. There is no escaping this fact. Souled American is a great book that has long been needed. Mr. Phinney makes stunning links between slave chants and specific musical riffs being heard today. This entire project seems a staggering undertaking. But the book is not daunting at all. It works on every level. It informs, enlightens, entertains, and succeeds on every level and I'm glad I read it. The author has a keen awareness of culture, counter-culture, and cultural shifts. Not only should the book be read by every musician, it should be read by anyone who loves the blues or rap or hip hop or good old rock and roll.

By far the best comprehensive read on music made in the United States that I've read. Phinney weaves a story line that takes us all the way back to the era of the African slave trade where an Englishman named Richard Jobson becomes the first European in recorded history to write about his observance of witnessing Africans involved in the making of music. He brings us through history right to today's doorstep where music makers as diverse as Eminem to Wynton Marsalis continue to tell the story not only of their music, but who we are as people living and contributing to an constantly evolving culture. The research is extensive and exhaustive. It reminds me of Ken Burn's Jazz series on steroids as it encompasses all genres of music through many centuries including slave work songs, minstrelsy, gospel, ragtime, blues, jazz, rock and roll, R & B, rock and todays hip-hop. There isn't enough attention made to the Latin tinge in American music but that ommission just as it was with the Burns series doesn't take away from all of the great research that defines this book. For music lovers and people who are interested in the underpinnings of American culture in general, it is a must read! It is a definitive statement of the addage that music is a mirror that reflects the people and times it was created in. Highly recommended!!

Bobby Jackson
Cleveland, OH

If you are a music fan, a history fan, a pop-culture fan, or just someone who loves intelligent storytelling then you will love this book. I really was not exposed to the Blues or early Jazz prior to reading Souled American and now I find myself listening to music with different ears.

Everything is explained thoroughly and well illustrated. Its definitely a good book to have if you're starting ballet or getting back to dancing (like me).
A must have for every parent, student and teacher.

I really enjoyed reading about the different levels and what they encompassed. I had been through these levels but couldn't recall what each offered. As an instructor, it was a great review.

This is great for the first time dance teacher to break down things by age. Super if you are having a time trying to remember what the basics were! Great book with pictures :)

Since I come from a family that moves around a lot, sometimes it's hard to find a serious quality dance studio. This book was a tremendous help in keeping me toned and in gear. It gives me the help I need to reach the height of my aptitude.

Good illustrations and text especially for the beginner. It was too basic for my daughter who has had 5 years of ballet classes. I recommend it for the 1-2 year ballet student.

Robert Reilly's "Surprised by Beauty - A Listener's Guide to the Recovery of Modern Music" has been with me since it's publication. It is one of the most heavily book-marked, annotated books I have - and much cherished.

This book is perhaps not perfect and it is probably not first-order-brilliant either, but it is beautiful! I treasure it as much as I treasure much of the music that I have since enjoyed because of this book.

Surprised by Beauty is highly spiritual. Stephen Hough, the wonderful pianist who records for hyperion (interviewed in the book), says on the jacket cover:

"Robert Reilly has the unusual and delightful ability to infect the reader with insatiable curiosity about the composers he champions. Names that often were unknown, and sometimes unpronounceable, suddenly seem totally fascinating and worthy of discovery at the earliest opportunity. Yet beyond this level of exploration is his personal vision of music as something profoundly spiritual, expressive of what is best and most enriching in human life and having the possibility of leading us to encounter God Himself."

That is a good introduction to Surprised by Beauty. The opening quote of the book is from Max Picard: "[In] sound intself, there is a readiness to be ordered by the spirit, and this is seen at its most sublime in music."

The love for music never ceases to impress - and as knowledgeable a man as Mr. Reilly is always a pleasure to have along for instruction.

Before I delve at some length into examples I (dis)agree with in this book, let me summarize:
If you want loving introductions to the music of

John Adams, ("The Search for a Larger Harmony")
George Antheil ("Bad Boy Made Good"),
Malcolm Arnold, ("English Enigma")
Gerald Finzi, ("Inmitations of Immortality")
Stephen Gerber, ("Keeping America Real")
Morton Gould ("Maestro of Americana"),
Roy Harris, ("Singing to America")
Vagn Holmboe, ("The Music of Metaphysics")
László Lajtha, ("Music from a Secret Room")
Gian Francesco Malipiero, ("Beyond Italian Opera")
Frank Martin, ("Guide to the Liturgical Year")
William Mathias, ("Musical Incantations")
Carl Nielsen ("Music is Life"),
Einojuhani Rautavaara, ("New Northern Light")
Albert Roussel, ("The Freedom of Personal Vision")
Edmund Rubbra, ("On the Road to Emmaus")
Harald Saeverud, ("A Norwegian Original")
Aulis Sallinen ("Scandinavian Consolation"),
Peter Schickele, ("Schickele Unmixed")
Franz Schmidt, ("Setting the Apocalypse")
Alexander Tcherepnin ("From Russia With Love"),
Eduard Tubin, ("In From the Cold")
Geirr Tveitt, ("The Music in the Waterfall")
Mieczyslaw Vainberg, ("Light in the Dark")
Peteris Vasks ("Another New Northern Light")

as well as Duruflé, Elgar, Janáèek, Martinù, Poulenc, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Vaughn-Williams and Villa-Lobos - you have picked up the right book.

These are the composers dealt with in little chapters, ordered alphabetically and cobbled together from reviews and pieces written in different magazines. Nonetheless, there is a coherent line through the work - cumulating in a few interviews with composers such as Robert Craft, David Diamond, Gian Carlo Menotti, Einojuhani Rautavaara, George Rochberg and Carl Rütti.

Just for John Cage, Mr. Reilly has no kind words ("Apostle of Noise"). And the specter haunting some chapters, not to be rescued until Robert Craft takes up his cause, is Arnold Schoenberg. In fact, Schoenberg so rubs Mr. Reilly the wrong way that he elicits the books strongest (and perhaps most contentious) statement from Robert Reilly: Ugliness is the aesthetic analogue to evil.

To say it right away: A lover of modern music - and with a much higher tolerance for the unnecessarily absurd (Concerto for two cheese-graders, jet engine, electric toothbrush and chromatic garbage disposal? Bring it on!) - I have grid (grinded) my teeth many a time. A more conservative reader than me would find himself nodding along throughout the book. Either way, it is a veritable treasure-trove.

After every chapter, there is a little section discussing the merit of important works of that composer in different editions. This is immensely helpful in choosing where to start the musical discovery-tour.

Telling of the nonchalance with which he treats the breadth of his appreciation of modern music is the following quote: "Anyone who enjoys Britten's music of this kind should likewise appreciate Mathias's". I imagine the greater part of his initial readership to wince even at the very idea of Britten, assuming that they know him or his work.

His passion for Janáèek's String Quartets is so palpable that not having them (I had them when I read it) must seem half a crime. His championing of Saeverrud (my initial reaction, too, was: Who???) is passionate and sophisticated.

A book, in short, that will get much and repeated bedside reading and the occasional study - a charming companion through 20th century classical music with amiably strong - if not always agreeable - opinions. Highly recommended.

Being a neophyte in modern classical music I'm very much in need of a guiding hand and Reilly's book has been the most helpful yet to boost up my appreciation of music and Beauty for that matter. His writings not only assure the validity of my fears or `sense of barbarian for not understanding the meaning of the sounds' I have been listening to, but endow a refreshing and profound understanding of how modern music can be free from its praise of entanglement. It has been a delightful and moving experience to read Reilly's so unique and exquisite way of illustrating modern composer's journeys into their pledge for Beauty. He brings you close enough and candidly to their emotions and struggles in a timely historic ambiance as to appreciate even more their daring willingness to come up with beautiful music! No doubt his has been `a labor of love for music'- one can actually hear the resonance of the Spirit of Music without having started on his recommendations!"Surprised by Beauty" was definitely a wonderful Christmas present and I highly recommend his reading!

Being a neophyte in modern classical music I'm very much in need of a guiding hand and Reilly's book has been the most helpful yet in boosting my appreciation of music and Beauty, for that matter. His writings not only assure the validity of my fears or 'sense of barbarian for not understanding the meaning of the sounds' I have been listening to, but endow a refreshing and profound understanding of how modern music can be free from its praise of entanglement. It has been a delightful and moving experience to read Reilly's unique and exquisite way of illustrating modern composer's journeys into their pledge for Beauty. He brings you close to their emotions and struggles in a timely historic ambiance so as to appreciate even more their daring willingness to come up with beautiful music! No doubt his has been 'a labor of love for music'- one can actually hear the resonance of the Spirit of Music without having started on his recommendations!"Surprised by Beauty" was definitely a wonderful Christmas present and I highly recommend his reading!

Those of us who have the fortune of living in our current musical climate have the benefit of hindsight concerning a great many things. If we look at the last 75-80 years we see the advent and reign of the reactionary (rather than evolutionary) dodecaphonic school in all its pedantic and intolerant glory- traits often ostentatiously shunned by self-styled progressives. Then we see the collapse of its dominance, followed by reactions to the reaction: the adoption of simplistic methods such as aleatoric processes and minimalism. Robert Reilly treats this course in history not as a glorious long line of musical evolution, but as an interruption to true musical progress. I don't know that I would completely adopt his line of thinking here, but there is truth in what he says. We seem to be right back where we started at the beginning of the 20th century. Composers write Romantic music now even as they did then...and the 12 tone system never seemed to have caught on with more than a devout minority of enthusiasts, some of whom will even readily admit the system's appeal as largely cerebral.
More valuable in Reilly's book than the larger argument is his advocation of a group of composers who have at some point or another fallen on hard times in terms of legitimacy and recognition in the eyes of the musical scene at large. Reilly's succinct and informative snapshots of these composers, as well as his down-to-earth style, is crucial for the rehabilitation of these men, many of whose music I personally respect, love, and find vastly underrated. (For example, I recently discovered the music of Geirr Tveitt...WONDERFUL stuff, but who knows it?) It is true that Reilly's list is limited- there could be scores more names added....but his treatment of the names he does include should promote some interest in these men and help to generate the respect they deserve.

Now if about 20 more Reilly's would write books like these perhaps we may recover a good deal of great music that has fallen victim to circumstance and neglect due in large part to the tonality wars that have distracted musical activity for almost a century.

I should say right off that I am deliberately taking my time to read this book & haven't read every chapter yet. I know of nothing quite like it, though. A feature I want, at this point, particularly to commend is the way the author has (1) of conveying his delight in, and the meaningfulness of, the music as he has experienced it, while (2) somehow saying enough that this reader, at least, can distinguish between the sure bets and the iffy ones from the reader's own point of view. Thus I credit Reilly (and the wonderful Samuel Palmer cover art) for putting me on to the Chandos recordings of the symphonies of Edmund Rubbra -- once I bought and listened to a CD of his symphonies 4, 10, & 11, I knew I would want more. One of Reilly's fine columns in Crisis Magazine put me on to Joly Braga Santos -- sure enough, I enjoyed the work (Symphony #4) praised there, as well. The Naxos CD of Douglas Lilburn's symphonies is another example. On the other hand, while Reilly likes Martinu and Nielsen, what he says about these composers conveys important things about their work such that someone like me who is not enchanted would have sufficient warning that this is someone to hear first before buying. I hope that in a few years there can be a sequel to this book. In the meantime, I'm glad to have a copy of Surprised by Beauty and to be able to read Mr. Reilly's columns in Crisis.

I learnt this song when I was a child and when I could share this with my kids - it was a joy. The illustrations are sweet & give the child something to search for on each page. The music is great & helps you learn the song yourself - so you can sing the song as a family.

It's wonderful! You need to know the song to sing this song to your children or grandchildren.

Jerry and David have an amazing ability to create sensitive and intricate music and sing the most endearing words making a song lovely for all ages to enjoy. The children I care for love Teddy Bear picnic, as well as, the whole compilation of songs on "Not for Kids Only." The book/ tape combo is a wonderful gift for baby showers. Moms love the music too because its easy on the ears. Hats off to Jerry and David! They are masters at what they do!

Uncle Jerry & Uncle David unpack their guitar & banjo, sit down in front of the fire & make music. Your rug rats are in for a fine treat as these fine musicians accompany Uncle Bruce's picture story. Long, long ago when this editor was little the radio was her speaker to the world. There were programs for women & children dotted throughout the day on the BBC station & one in particular for the very young, in which could be heard such charming duets as Run Rabbit Run & The Teddy Bears' Picnic. I loved the mellow fellows who sang this charming song. I had not heard this melody in all those years when the book & attached audiotape caught my eye amid a chorus of bear calls & growls, demanding I listen. I never argue with Teddy Bears, especially when they're singing!...

I bought this book for our 3 year old and she LOVES it. The illustrations are adorable! (Her favorite is the Jerry Bear!) The music set to the book is a perfect addition to our collection! A wonderful gift for a family of deadheads! A must buy for all ages!