Genres Books

FAKING IT comes from two music critics who here examine a range of genres, from blues to rock, in the quest to answer issues of authenticity and cultural reality in music. Popular music's impact is wide-ranging and its ability to effect cultural and social changes has been documented - but is music's authenticity another pop image, born of marketing - or does it reflect real change and underground sentiment? FAKING IT offers a blend of history and cultural criticism and is a pick for any collection strong in popular music history and culture.

The book is very insightful, some chapters more so than others. As a participant in the folk revolution in the first half of the 1960s, the chapter on "Mississippi" John Hurt particularly resonated with me. However, I can readily see how other chapters would affect readers who came of age in other musical periods.

My only problem is definitional; the authors were too Manichean about authenticity versus the lack thereof. As I see it, while a second edition of Moby Dick may lack the authenticity of the first, it is nevertheless a desirable artifact. In other words, such other factors as age and popularity (i.e., staying power) may compensate for missing authenticity. Accordingly, while the authors would classify as "inauthentic folk music" such songs as Early Morning Rain and City of New Orleans, I would be a less restrictive; they are destined to join such equally inauthentic folk songs as Camptown Races and This Land Is Your Land in the great American folk canon.

Similarly, the authors define as "authentic" a song by Kurt Cobain and an album by Neil Young that were each recorded in one take and display all kind of [authentic] imperfections and angst. However, I question whether that makes them more authentic than a perfect opus by Pink Floyd or Miles Davis, or for that matter, Sinatra's perfect cover of I've Got You Under My Skin, which reportedly took over 30 takes to complete. And, if it is angst that confers authenticity, then that goofy pop tune, It Never Rains In California, takes the cake ("Out of work, out of bread, out of self-respect, I'm out of my head, I'm under-loved and underfed, I want to go hoooome").

Buy the book; just pretend that its title is Random Thoughts On Post-60s Music; you'll enjoy it and it will make you think.

Most books about music are narrative and follow the thread of a band or music movements arc. Either that or you follow a critics taste. That is fine, however those method doesn't end up telling you much but opinions and facts. They can be entertaining but they don't enlighten. This is a rare book about music that does. It helps you see your own taste differently. It helps show you how your opinions that you have about acts or subjects weren't created in a vacuum. It changes the way you feel about the way you feel about music, which is an amazing accomplishment.
My only hope is that they make good on the idea of an exploration of authenticity in hip hop.

This is a very interesting book for anyone who has grown up paying even a little attention to the disputes about "authenticity" in popular music over generations. I am a classical musician and while the issues are hardly the same in that world, I can understand the notions of what these folks are struggling over and arguing about.

The authors begin with Kurt Cobain singing a Leadbelly song on MTV unplugged. His manner of singing the song, his complaints about being "real" and even his suicide act as a springboard for the whole book. We learn more about Leadbelly and his promoter, John Lomax, and where they actually fit into the music world of their time versus what white people believed about their heritage. John Hurt, who was a legend as an old man among the sixties folk singers. Yet, in his youth he was not nearly as popular nor as "authentic" as the sixties idolizers would have had the public believe.

It turns out that the Black public preferred Jazz and its sophistications to the blues and rural music that Leadbelly, Hurt and others performed. Nor was it as rooted in the slave past as the traditions believed. There was a lot of cross between rural White music and the rural Black music. We also see this in Jazz. It was only later that the schism between what is authentically "Black" or "White" became a fundamental issue, and its conclusions are largely wrong.

We get to compare the truly personal music of Jimmie Rodgers and his "T.B. Blues" against other music of its time and the tradition of autobiographical music. It is not as deep, rich, or lengthy tradition as one might expect. There is a lot of "character" biography, but not deeply personal stuff such as Rodgers singing about the tuberculosis that was killing him.

The authors later show us Elvis and how he created his persona and what traditions that flowed out of along with what Elvis actually invented. The problem is that what he created has become so much a part of what followed that it seems part of the genre now, but it was radical when Elvis created it. Or so the authors state.

We then get a wonderful chapter comparing The Beatles and The Monkees. It isn't quite as cut and dry issue of what is "authentic" versus "fake" as you might first think before you read the book. There is no question that The Beatles changed everything, but there is a lot of artifice that went into their music, too.

There is also woven into this the pop music of the Don Kirshner types and his role in The Monkees and what he did afterwards in creating The Archies and the lasting pop hit "Sugar Sugar".

Then comes a look at Neil Young and his travels through various stages of the search for Authenticity (the capital "A" is needed to describe what he was after). The Disco world and Donna Summer is next, the Punk Rock world, the faux reality of Ry Cooder's "Buena Vista Social Club" and world music. The book ties up with a look at Moby and then Nick Cave's "Mercy Seat" and the even more "real" cover by Johnny Cash.

One of the things that I find odd about the idea of "authenticity" in the making of a song is that these artists go around the world performing these pieces for decades. It is not possible that every performance of the work is equally "authentic" or even retains anything "real" about it after the thousandth time they perform it. The authors do mention Keith Jarrett who actually does make up new music on the spot for that night's performance. Now THAT is authentic. Of course, I find that a lot of his ruminations are just as boring as most of real life. Sure, there are moments of great brilliance, but art is working that up into a work and sharing that rather than all the scutwork that goes into the hard work of composing or writing or painting or sculpture.

I liked this book a lot and agree with the authors that listeners need to play more with the realities and the ideas of authenticity. We need to keep our ears and minds open to actually perceive what is going on rather than quickly accepting or dismissing musical works and musicians because of who we think they are (there is a lot of artifice in the creation of these persona's, too).

Of course, in the classical world, there is some of this, too. What is "real" classical, and what is out of bounds. And that discussion is not appropriate to this review. However, the idea that the piece is a role for the artist to perform rather than something "autobiographical" is rather well established.

One of the things beginning listeners to classical music get trapped in is hearing autobiography in the works of the masters. It is not that it is never there, but that it is rarely there as much as they suppose it is. The key is, does it move us? Is it great music? Does it speak to us about our lives and the human condition? It can also be for simple delectation. Not everything has to be dripping in angst and death. Real life has enough of that. Art should have something more, don't you think?

Who would have guessed that such a simple, straightfoward musical would be the longest running show in New York history? Read this copy of the libretto, and you'll know why. The show is very simple and very honest. It has drama and lighthearted comedy in just the right amounts to create what is, in many ways, the perfect musical. This volume also contains lots of extra information about the show, including the lyrics to a new song written for the show in its later years, and a number of photos. The music is missing, of course, but even without the OCR to the show, you get a great sense here of what makes The Fantasticks so, well, fantastic.

It never fails to amaze me that Jones & Schmidt were capable of such powerful poetry while still studying for their masters degrees. This thesis show is a powerhouse of simplicity and a panorama of minimalism. Sound oxymoronic? It is. The show is so disceptively simple, but the stories it tells are universal, and they are guaranteed to ring true for even the most tarnished audience member. One read, and it won't be hard to "try to remember" this show for a long time!

This is one of the most wonderful musicals ever. It has a wonderful story and plot but the best part about it is the music. The music is absolutely FANTASTICK! The musical contains a wide variety of songs, each with its own mood and purpose. There are funny and amuzing songs, ominous songs, loving songs, wishful songs... there's something for everybody. I first saw the Fantasticks in New York and fell in love with the music. I have almost all the songs completely memorized and I am working on putting a few of the song into my audition repertoire. This is music that every true musical fan should have. Its brilliant.

It has been two years since I was first introduced to The Fantasticks. Ever since I saw the show I have been captivated by its remarkable story, lyrics, and music. It was only recently that I read this 30th anniversary edition and truly found out how amazing this show is.

Tom Jones' personal account of The Fantasticks shows the reader what exactly goes in to a show before it actually debuts. The first section "Try to Remember" is well set as the first chapter of the book. The reader will benefit more from reading this chapter before the show.

The third section (the second was the libretto) is a look at the actors really shows you the life of the longest running Off-Broadway show.

I know my words cannot do justice to this amazing book. I would recommend this book to any die-hard Fantasticks fan, or to anyone interested in getting to know the best musical ever written.

I became aware of this book through an article Hemingway wrote about books he would like to read twice. Well I can say that this book is best read in the winter, for it will melt the snow in puddles around your shoe, and warm your heart and soul at the same time. So make haste and buy it now, while the cold winds still blow.

The Argentine pampas was a land of freedom and excitement: one literary figurehead W.H. Hudson describes in his memoir FAR AWAY & LONG AGO: A CHILDHOOD IN ARGENTINA. Descriptions of natural history and wildlife abound - and also of politics and interpersonal relationships of the times. You'd think FAR AWAY & LONG AGO would give insights into Hudson's childhood and life - and it does - but more importantly it recreates the history, culture and geography of Argentina in a way few travel books accomplish.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

As we continue to pave over the beauties of our world and turn them into concrete wastelands, it is good to think back what life was like 150 years ago before we began the process of destruction in earnest.

W. H. Hudson, the naturalist, is revered in Argentina, where they refer to him as Guillermo Enrique Hudson and name streets and towns after him. In simple and stately prose, he writes about his boyhood as one of several sons in an English family that ran an estancia on the Pampas. Despite several failed attempts to school him, he managed to pick up one of the best educations available: by using his eyes and ears to study nature. His skill in language, which is considerable, came from reading his father's books on his own.

Whether writing about ombu trees, plovers, snakes, lightning storms, rheas (Argentinian ostriches), or his neighboring ranchers, Hudson brought a whole world to life with this book.

Hudson published FAR AWAY AND LONG AGO in 1917 while he was living in England -- around the same time that a Frenchman named Marcel Proust was following where that elusive taste of madeleines led him in REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST, and around the same time that World War I was destroying a whole way of life. As he writes in the book:

"It is difficult, impossible I am told, for any one to recall his boyhood exactly as it was. It could not have been what it seems to the adult mind, since we cannot escape from what we are, however great our detachment may be; and in going back we must take our present selves with us: the mind has taken a different colour, and this is thrown back upon our past. The poet has reversed the order of things when he tells us that we come trailing clouds of glory, which melt away and are lost as we proceed on our journey. The truth is that unless we belong to the order of those who crystallize or lose their souls on their passage, the clouds gather about us as we proceed, and as cloud-compellers we travel on to the very end."

FAR AWAY AND LONG AGO is perhaps one of the greatest autobiographies ever written. Although I finished reading it several days ago, I am still feeling its afterglow and get this itch to re-read passages from it. This is, indeed, a book that will withstand several readings.

I could never make it through Hudson's fantasy __Green Mansions__, but __Far Away and Long Ago__ is another book altogether. Written when Hudson was approaching eighty, more than forty years after he had left Argentina for good, it's filled with the kind of longing you might expect. And even though he's a witness to the mid-nineteenth civil wars in Argentina or, more incredibly still, listens to travelers reciting poems by the eighteenth-century Spaniard Menéndez Valdés, Hudson seems modern; he makes other times, other places, far away and long ago, as he calls them, seem incredibly near.

Hudson's excellent short story "El Ombú" is also well worth seeking out. And, finally, while it's true Hudson left Argentina for England, the US also has some claim to him; it was from New England, after all, that, shortly before his birth, his American family left for Argentina. Just thought I'd make that clear, since people are always calling him "Anglo-Argentine".

I have a half dozen books on the Fender company and this is by far the best. The typical vintage guitar book serves two functions. It gives information on the history of the instrument - guides to production dates, etc. In addition there are usually lots of pictures for lovers of vintage instruments to salivate over ("guitar porn" as I've seen it described before). This book delivers in that regard, but does not stop there.

It goes on to serve as an excellent study of a small business struggling to survive and then coping with its own success. I found it hard to put down. Even though I knew the outcome, I found myself carried along with the story. Enough "insider detail" is provided to reveal character and move the "plot," but not enough to bog the book down. The book also serves as the best biography of Leo Fender that I have read. He is revealed as an inspired man with significant flaws. Importantly, "revealed" is the operative word here. Smith generally does not preach or make pronouncements. He describes actions and quotes interviews. The reader is left to his own conclusions.

The best book I've come across on Fender and possibly the best available. Lots of information and great period photos. A book you can keep coming back to.

This is by far the best Fender book I have. It is very well written, and it makes for some good reading. He doesn't only describe the great things about Fender but the bad things and mistakes as well.

This is a very un-biased book and it's very nice to read. The pictures in this book are awesome, and this is only one of the books I have that I trust the facts on. Kudos to Mr. Smith!

Smith does a great job of telling us who Leo Fender really was: a simple man with a complex mind. The pages of this book are loaded with lots of interesting stories and facts about the man who developed the solid-body electric guitar. Not always complimentary, yet never vicious. An honest presentation of the man who provided the tools that helped create rock-and-roll. Obviously well-researched with many great photos of Fender and his "offspring".

I find that it would be inpossible to play an instrument and have children, but not own this book. I used this book while I was learning to play piano growing up and just recently found it in an old box of books. This is an excellent compilation of Folk Songs!

I love this book. I have had it forever. It sat on my grandparents piano when I went to visit my grandmother's house in the early 1970s. It sat on my parents piano when I was growing up. I managed to obtain a copy of the revised edition with guitar chords and it has not left my side. When I moved west and had to give up some of my music, I brought it and a binder of other music. At one point I ended up with both my parents tattered copy and my newer edition so I gave my tattered, well-loved copy to my sister.

I got this book from my mother when I was 16, that's more than 40 years ago, and it has been with me and my children ever since. I played the songs on the piano, on the guitar, and with the accordion, and I know them all by heart, including the lively and colorful illustrations !
The arrangements are really good and easy to play.
Every year with Christmas I play the songs, and I wouldn't miss this book for the world. If you like singing and playing, order this book, you and your kids will love it !!

I have had this book forever! I know almost every song in the book. I love the old pictures! The songs vary from old ballads like Barbra Allen to the American national anthem. I strongly recomend this book. It will always be part of my childhood memories.

I initially purchased this volume for one particular song, but soon discovered a number of melodic, lyrical pieces for both myself and my students. It is certainly not an academic collection, in terms of complete songs from cycles, but gives a melange of different national songs genres.

I bought this book for voice lessons when I was a beginner and it really helped me a lot. Several great piece for tenors, in a good tenor range.

I have all of Joan Frey Boytim's books in this series:The First Book of: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor and Bass, The First Book of: Sop., Mezzo, Tenor and Bass, Part II, The Second Book as well as the Second Book, Part II and The First Book of Sop., Mezzo, Tenor and Bass, Part III. They are wonderfully helpful to any voice student. It is possible to get the cd accompaniment to all of the books, too. I encourage anyone who has not used them to get on the 'band wagon' and invest in them.

As a student of Joan Boytim's for almost 4 years now, she has imparted to me an almost unabsorbable amount of practical insight in to singing well. This book--and her others for the other vocal ranges--are mere extensions of her teaching expertise. For the serious vocal student as much as for the amateur, or just the person interested in classical literature, these books are wonderful. And cheap--compared to the price of sheet music.
Used all over the world, these books have sold thousands of copies...and for a very good reason. They are the best compilations for the best price. Practical, challenging to the beginner, enlightening, and just great.

If you play flute, you *need* this book. Hours of entertainment, trust me on this.

It was indeed a pleasant surprise to discover that this book existed. As my son is an aspiring flute player, it was an additional surprise to find a copy of this book in his possession. And, also, as a fiercely dedicated Tull/IA fan for 30-plus years, as well as a classically trained musician, it was with eager anticipation that I set about analyzing its content.

OK, here goes:

Ian, I love you more than you will ever know. And Jeff, I applaud your efforts. Really. You went to a LOT of trouble, and many of the transcriptions are very well-done. But you didn't pay enough attention to many of the details. First of all, why did you title the book "Flute Solos Created by Ian Anderson" when much of the book is dedicated to transcribing not just the flute solos, but the melodies of the sung lyrics? And you didn't even bother to tell us which sections were the solos and which were the sung lyrics; I had to figure those out for myself. As a long-time fan, that wasn't that big a problem for me, but a more casual fan would be quite lost rather quickly. Also; a few of the songs transcribed here featured no flute whatsoever in the original recordings, specifically "The Chequered Flag" and "Look Into The Sun"; what was your point?

Granted, the point is valid that the improvisational nature of Ian's flute playing warrants sufficient liberty to be taken in reading any transcription, but that doesn't excuse your interpretation of "The Whistler." This piece is most definitely NOT in 12/8 time, especially the solo whistle sections. Try it again in a very brisk 3/4, and be a lot more generous with your 16th notes. It's not only more accurate, but much more consistent.

Details, dude, details. You failed to include a lot of Ian's flute counter-melodies, not only at the end of "Living In The Past", "Witch's Promise", and "Cross-Eyed Mary", but the vital counter-melody in "Bouree". They're not only fascinating studies in improvisation, but counterpoint as well.

It is not my intention to belittle your ambition. But one of the most amazing things about the analysis of Ian Anderson's music is the depth of his talent. Any transcription of his music warrants sufficient attention to detail, and I think, despite your very noble efforts, you fell just a bit short. Should any aspiring flautist or Tull/IA fan buy this book? Certainly. But they must also be made aware of these small (and perhaps anal) shortcomings. And perhaps in a later edition you will note them.

Thank you for allowing me to speak my piece. Rock on.

I bought this book when it first came out (which was about 1978) which was also about the time I started playing the flute in an efort to emulate my musical hero, Ian Anderson. The fact that it is still available is testimony to it's value.

This book contains some brief instructions on how to do some of the special techniques Ian uses. It also decodes how those special techniques are indicated in the sheet music. Since this came out in 1978, there are no pieces in it that were produced later than that date. This means the most recent material in it comes from Songs From the Woods. This includes the easy Fire at Midnight, the somewhat more difficult Cup of Wonder and the more difficult Whistler (which is actually easier to play on a tin whistle, except you can't switch from the D whistle to the G whistle fast enough to play it live, so Ian doesn't). That touches on the real value of this book. Even a beginner can get through modest renditions of Living in the Past and Fire at Midnight and perhaps even Look into the Sun, while the extract from A Passion Play is extremely difficult. There is material here for all levels of players, along with motivation to get better so that things like My God can be attempted.
Contents:
Baker St. Muse (Nice Little Tune/Crash Barrier Waltzer), Big Dipper, Bouree (of course), Bungle in the Jungle, The Chequered Flag, Cross=eyed Mary, Cup of Wonder, Fire at Midnight, For Later, Living in the Past, Look into the Sun, My God, Nothing is Easy (including playing this solo the way it is written), Passion play edit., Thick as a Brick edit. (instrumental from "I've come down from the upper class..." section), The Third Hoorah, The Whistler, The Witch's Promise.

Now if only somebody would put out sheet music for Divinities!

Congratulations to the author and editors of this book for attempting to capture Ian Anderson's most wild solo passages! Granted, with some determination and lots of listening, Ians solos could be figured out... the hard part is finding out all of the other odd things he does... The author of this book has done a wonderful job of accurately notating this book, (including noting Ian's frequent use of harmonics, dark tones, and singing/playing simultaneously.)

I found a few notes/rhythms that are different from the actual sound recordings, but since most of Ian's work in this area is improv, it can be interpreted many different ways.

All of these solos are from the late 60's/early 70's... I would like to eventually see a book of some newer songs as well. Overall, this is a very entertaining book, with some very challenging passages... just make sure you have your favorite Tull CD's handy so that you can play along!

Having just finished reading Mr. Kadish's novel, it's fresh in my mind.
I found this book very pleasant indeed. Intermingling of fly fishing, family, history, Einstein's threories, war & acheiving peace within your own self... Although these topics may seem unrelated, Kadish intertwines them with ease & talent.

The memoirs of Ian Mac Bride described in this book are familiar to all those who have suffered through some sort of tragedy during their life. Kadish's story is one of recovery, faith, and love with some twists along the way. If I were to compare this book to a meal I would say it resembles a nice hot vegetable stew on a cold winter's day. It's comforting and with every bite/page you taste something new. I enjoyed going back in time to experience life in New York City during the early 1900's. As a fisherman I enjoyed the history lesson on the origin of dry fly fishing in this country. I also enjoyed the technical descriptions of fly casting techniques. As a an artist I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the Beaverkill River scenery and characters met during his life of fly casting and fly fishing. There's also a bit of bamboo rod making, the physics of Einstein's theories, references to great books, history lessons of the Civil War, WWI and WWII. My favorite subject of all, however, was the lesson of faith and spirituality.

Anyone with a taste for flycasting and flyfishing history will revel in Kadish's book. The author's very perceptible passion for his subject is evident on every page, and his story is filled with interesting and entertaining twists. I read the book the first time in a single sitting, and only a few days later went back and enjoyed it at a more leisurely pace. Highly recommended.The Fly Caster Who Tried to Make Peace with the World

Randy Kadish is a very talented writer. I haven't read fiction in years because I was tired of being disappointed. There are no disappointments in this book. The main character is fully developed and of great complexity. He is a masterpiece. There is a good amount of time and space spent on details of fly-fishing technique but their inclusion worked even for a non-fishing reader; the art of flyfishing became a rich and flexible metaphor for life. This is the kind of book where the reader forms personal relationships with the characters and becomes emotionally invested in them. When the book ended I inwardly wished that it would go on longer. This author deserves fame and fortune and I don't see any reason why he shouldn't achieve them.

I really liked this arrangement-very fun and upbeat. It is difficult, but has no insane rhythms/stretches, etc. A medium to advanced player will have a good time, but it is not for a beginner. Trust me, don't ruin your favorite music/love of piano by starting out on these harder books.

Great music, great writing, great everything! I actually am working on the production of Footloose (the play comes out in 2 months) and I play Chuck Cranston. just to say so.
great musical altogether! i'm loving it

This by far one of the best musicals ever.I had the pleasure of preforming in it over the summer, and let me tell you...it has great, clasic songs that you'll keep huming for days and a timless teenage story!

This is great for piano, especially when playing accompiament

Music has always been my main interest. Not just listening to classical or ballads (which i enjoyed the most), but participating in the amateur world of music in my town. What would we music lovers do for the "love of music." We would devote out entire lives and devotion to music. It is the language of love. Opera is a genre of music only the affenadios cultivate. It is not my cup of tea, nor is ballet -- though Katrina is now a pro in Cincinnati. Music has t he power to soothe the restless beast.

My inner self is totally music. A radio listener since childhood, I grew up in a world of music. My dad's family were musically inclined in diverse ways and I came along at just the right time to develop my talent on my own with no help except my trusty radio. I could sing the pop songs just as they sounded on the radio, and had a short career as a high school student, with a little help from my true friends. I will forever be grateful that they indulged a small, mother-less girl who wanted to grow up to be a singer! Imagine that -- a poor girl becoming a famous singer. Music in all of its forms is the basis of life. Dancing was denied be due to religious beliefs, but as an older woman, i showed my stuff at a free Al Curtis dance, and even a UT student asked me where I had learned to dance. I told her that I never did, it was just the music in me coming out. I could not dance with a man, as I always tended to "lead," which they did not like.

Young students should be required to take a music course or two, even Girls' Glee Club was helpful, though it ended my career. Some people are musically talented in many ways. My friend, Juanita, had a lovely voice and we tried a duet on t.v. which bombed. Needless to say, i was a loner when it came to music.

The radio has always been a must in my life. I have discovered a "high school" station which is fantastic. After listening to it for a month or so, I heard them say that Falcon Radio was from Fulton. I called and talked with the teacher and said that I could not possibly believe that high school kids would play that kind of music, what I had listened to twenty years ago. It is always rewarding to find some new network or local station which makes you feel good and young again. Westwood One did the trick in 1999; then came mYL in 2000, EZ88 played Michael Feinstein for me, and now 91.1 FM is the best. You can't call it relaxing music as it brings back too many memories of the good times and makes you want to sing and dance like you did as a young girl.

For the Love of Music is a wonderfully accessible look at the world of classical music: the composers, the performers, the music, and the emotions all three manage to produce in listeners. The authors are music professionals, yet their pleasure in music, and their engagement with music, is as clear in these essays as their knowledge of their subjects. The volume contains essays on the greats--Bach, Mozart, Mahler--but also covers some modern and contemporary composers whose work is less known, and less appreciated, by non-specialist listeners. There are also some unexpected notes; in his essay on film music, author Larry Rothe suggests that Beethoven might have been a great film composer, and reminds us that Dino de Laurentiis approached Stravinsky about scoring his epic The Bible! A fascinating book for both the musically literate and those who would like to know more about the music they love.

For those of us in the world who have not yielded entirely to the mass apppeal of pop music in whatever form it takes this book is a gift. I speak for those who listen to classical music without the benefit of an education in the history or theory of music. Rothe and Steinberg bring us a window into the passions and thoughts of composers whose work has endured over decades and centuries. They do so with a robust appreciation for their subjects and amusing insights into their encounters with the work they describe. I cherish the crisp,candid style and knowlegeable background information that fills the pages. It will stay on my shelf as a reference book as well as a re-read for those times when only music will do.

Once you've sampled one of the warm and witty essays in this book, you'll want to devour the rest at a single sitting. Rothe and Steinberg provide vivid and evocative accounts of their falling in love--or not--with various musical works. At the same time, they offer fascinating details about the all-too-human composers of those pieces. The passion that the authors bring to their descriptions of music and its creators will make readers eager to encounter the works themselves. Just as Steinberg mentions that he has learned that "music repays repeated listening," I believe this book will amply repay repeated reading.