Composers Books

This is THE book on Bach. Boyd's Bach is okay, but Karl Geiringer's Bach is better.

Karl Geiringer wrote compelling and informative biographies that are concise yet musically mature and insightful. This book is divided into two parts. The first third of the book (106 pages) is a narrative of Bach's life. Part II has a short essay on Bach's musical heritage that describes the musical resources and forms that were in force in Bach's time.

Part III discusses the great composer's music by type rather than in chronological order. This helps us compare the various compositions in each genre and see the compositional choices Bach made and how he developed as a composer.

This is a fine book for the general reader, student, or professional musician.

This book is for the John Coltrane connoiseurs their Bible. More than 800 pages, more than two and a half kilo weight. All the known recordings are mentioned, plus the service that via internet updates with new infomation will follow. The writers of this Bible are all experts in Jazz and especialy about John Coltrane. Lewis Porter did the editing.
I am glad to have this book in my collection.

There are a handful of Coltrane scholars around the planet who are recognized as the authorities on John Coltrane. Lewis Porter (who is one of them), well-known jazz scholar and jazz artist, gathered most of the true heavyweights together for this definitive guide to Coltrane's life and work.

This book encompasses, updates, expands upon and supersedes Fujioka's "John Coltrane: A Discography And Musical Biography".

If you are simply looking for a biography of Coltrane, I would recommend Porter's "John Coltrane: His Life And Music" [U of Michigan Press].

If, on the other hand, you want every bit of information there is about every recording ever made by Coltrane, including concert recordings that circulate among music traders, this is the book of your dreams. Until (and if) this book is ever updated, it is the definitive guide to Coltrane's work. Nothing else, save the Fujioka, even comes close.

I'm enjoying reading this especially since I'm aquainted with the author of the book. This is a true story of real people.

Growing up in the golden age of radio, long before TV,CD's or even LP records, one remembers the sheer joy of that medium as a connection to a world of performing artists, singers and musicians. Gospel music in the South was exemplified by a small number of groups, often comprised of members of a family. In Charlotte, NC, the Johnson Family Singers was a byword on WBT radio for many years beginning in the early 40's. Ma and Pa were accompanied by Betty, the twin boys, and Kenneth, who authored this book. There music was mostly gospel until they stretched their wings into some more secular music at the encouragement of their talented pianist-accompanyist, Larry Walker. There is a charming story with many interesting anecdotes behind the scenes of this well scrubbed and wholesome family, who worked hard to make a living with their music. There were struggles and challenges abounding in this pursuit, which like so many other public exposures of the day, including professional sports, big bands, and singers of national prominence,were a result of compensation that in no way compares to that of today's entertainers and athletes. Kenneth writes of these challenges in a candid and straightforward manner that captures the interest of anyone who wants to remember or discover what life in those times held for struggling musicians. There were log cabins, primitive but wholesome facilities, and a rural life that entailed gardening duties and other activities to supplement and make possible the musical careers. Kenneth explains well how the busy life with gospel music, always looking for new songs to introduce, did not always leave enough time for the family's own spiritual sustenance. In later years, achieving national notoriety, and at the same time with the children following their own instincts to spread out to other locations and pursuits,the family faced the forces that tend to spread families apart. The Johnson family survived these times with stronger faith in God and a unifying force that kept the family together in spirit as Betty, Ken, and the twins went their own ways. Ken became a minister and Betty achieved fame with her music, placing several records on the charts and becoming a regular on morning and tonight show ventures such as Don McNeil and Jack Paar. Ken draws attention and interest to the individual roles of the family members as they found a cohesion and team approach to the music business. They were favorites of mine and thousands in the South during two decades. Betty now records with her two grown daughters in a rennaisance of the Johnson family's tradition, applied to more contemporary music. Once reading this book, a person, whether familiar or not with their music, will surely want to hear the accompanying CD and pursue the many others available today with samples of the old and the new songs...music of three generations that represent the very best of American talent.

I bought this book for a fmaily member and they were delighted with it. No complaints. All the best songs are included and the arrangements are true to the feeling of the songs.

The expression of Journey's music comes out very well with this piano book.

Hey, I'm looking forward to sept 23rd, the date of release of this great DVD, I went to his justified tour and it was absolutely great, besides, all of his videos on rotation on MTV are way far from the rest of the videos, and that's why he received three moonman on the last edition of the VMA's, This is definetely a Must Have thing to every single JT fan as myself. way to go Justin!

This book is amazing..its got everything for a Justin Lover and everyone-else !! Justin is the most amazing dancer, singer and soon to be heart-throb actor! He's gorge and is well know for his playful antics. Now he's dating Camaren Diaz...me jealous??...why would i be jealous?? No way....it cant last...can it ??

Everyone who takes western music history lite, aka "music appreciation," hears a sample sonata by Domenico Scarlatti--usually K 159, 1, 141--and, depending on the textbook, reads a few words about binary sonata, Spanish influence, keyboard virtuosity--and then moves on to the far better known works of two other great composers born in 1685: Bach and Handel. In comparison to their work, a single Scarlatti sonata seems lightweight.

But those who become interested enough to listen to the numerous recordings--say, Pogorelich on piano or Kipnis on harpsichord--will be impressed not only with the quality of the 16 or so sonatas per CD but also with how unlike each sonata is from the one before. It gets addictive, and by the time one reaches sonata #555, the conclusion is obvious: there is no "typical" Scarlatti sonata. So what and why and how questions lead listeners first to CD program notes--mostly useless--and to Ralph Kirkpatrick's 1953 _Domenico Scarlatti_ (seminal work, but dated) and Malcolm Boyd's 1986 _Domenico Scarlatti--Master of Music_ (quite readable, but only about 75 pages deal with keyboard sonatas). The only other substantial treatment in English is Joel Sheveloff's unpublished 1970 Ph.D. thesis.

Finally, W. Dean Sutcliffe has written the most interesting and best-informed book on Scarlatti's sonatas since Kirkpatrick. It's a scholarly book, beginning with a review of past works on Scarlatti's sonatas. This is also a lively review of how the historical perception of Scarlatti has changed. Sutcliffe provides the known biographical details of Scarlatti along with the wry admission that we will never know--perhaps by the composer's design?--anything about his personal life. Sutcliffe is an academic, but his writing is nonetheless interesting and suggests some of the passion that the sonatas express.

The heart of the book then follows, a consideration of Scarlatti's harmony, rhythm ("syntax"), form, and a review of the harpsichord/(Florentine) piano debate. All of this discussion is supported by numerous printed examples of the score, just barely large enough to play from.

What if you only play recordings? One of the strengths of this book is that it includes frequent references to recorded performances. Sutcliffe doesn't provide such refs to provide examples for those who can't read music, but rather because he regards performances as just more evidence for his points. For example, he cites the performance of Mikhail Pletnev, noting all his omissions and additions in MP's recording of K 523. Sutcliffe doesn't do this in the spirit of "Aha, I caught you playing wrong notes" but as backup to his pointing out that the arrangements of Scarlatti's music by contemporaries Charles Avison and G.F. Handel make clear how Scarlatti just did not fit the conventions of Baroque music. Everyone feels the compulsion to adjust it in some way.

In another instance, Sutcliffe offers an absolutely brilliant analysis of K 474 that explains the motivic web that unifies this disquieting (aren't they all?) sonata, and considers the decisions several performers make on whether or not to perform a critical trill in m 46. This sounds very techie, but because of Sutcliffe's lively yet exact writing, you don't need to read music to profit from his analysis.

I don't always agree with Sutcliffe--for example, he sees the opening of the second half of K 461 as contrast between the Alberti bass and the learned style right hand part as support for his thesis that Scarlatti was trying to hit on the galant/baroque contrast, while I play 4-part counterpoint here. He completely misses the similarity in melodic contour and thus the relationship between the sections in contrasting tempo in K 162 (think Brahms op 76, 5).

Regarding the physical book, I have a gripe: The font is small, 10-point or maybe even 9-point--so Cambridge UP's washed-out print is hard to read.

First, let me say how grateful I am to Robin Friedman for pointing me to this book.

I think most pianists (and other keyboard players) are aware of the first time they heard the music of Domenico Scarlatti. This music has a sound and style that is uniquely his and when you play it, your conviction about its special character is strengthened. His music is wonderful stuff and his 500 or so keyboard sonatas are an ocean that few of us chart completely. Most of us are happy playing through several dozen of them and learning a few of them well. W. Dean Sutcliffe has made Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas an object of deep academic study and this work is a treasure and a gift of us who want to deepen our understanding of the master and his music.

And most of our understanding has to come through the music since there is almost no documentary evidence of Domenico's life. Many people have supplied stories, rumors, conjecture, and surmises. But there is precious little to nothing beyond a few letters. There isn't even an autograph copy of the sonatas. There are two large collections that copied out the sonatas and several individual copies found in various places over the centuries. However, nothing in Domenico's hand.

Sutcliffe organizes the exploration of the sonatas in seven chapters. Each chapter is a fascinating exploration of the sonatas from the perspective of an explanatory theory put forward at various times. The author includes their variants and refutations as well as where the speculations seem to explain something and where they actually make our understanding even cloudier. Each of these chapters uses various sonatas to make its point. While there are many musical examples (a generous number), you will have to either have a good collection of the sonatas or be willing to travel to a very good music library (say, at a music school of repute) to check out some of the less well known. The author also discusses various recordings of some of these works. By comparing what you think of them and what the author says about them you can get a better fix on where you and the author are relative to the music.

The first chapter takes us through what little we know of Domenico the man and the speculations by many about his life. Most of the chapter is spent showing us why this or that surmise is false. What we actually know is stated clearly, but even what many are sure of (say, the gambling debts) are shown to be myths more than history.

The second chapter is called "Panorama" and takes us through a large number of common theories put forward to explain Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas over the centuries. Is it really a written down improvisatory style? Were they written to teach keyboard playing for those he served at court? What is the influence of the organ and the newly invented piano on these works? What about the influence of the many nations he travelled to and through in his service to royalty? Stucliffe elucidates all these and more in a very interesting way.

Chapter 3 is called "Heteroglossia" and looks at how Scarlatti defies common labels. Yes, you can hear the Iberian in the music, but also the Italian. Is he a Baroque, Gallant, or a composer of some other tradition? Does Scarlatti achieve his effects by mixing topics in polyglot and opposing ways? This is a fascinating chapter.

Chapter 4 examines Scarlatti's syntax. Why does he seem to repeat music so much? How does he use rhythm within his phrase structure and is it like the phrase rhythm of anyone else? What about the ways in which he starts and end his sonatas and how about his use of sequence? Do these elements tie him to anyone else?

Chapter 5 looks at Scarlatti's breaks with traditions that could have been used to explain him. His counterpoint and voice leading is handled oddly at points. What about those disturbing clustered chords? Are they mixed harmonies, sonic effects, or depicting something in a programmatic way? The author also explores how quickly the sonatas should be played, especially the walking tempo Andantes. When Sutcliffe explores ornamentation I find myself taking his certainty with a good spoonful of salt. I think the author gives too much purpose to the ornaments written in the copied sources we have, especially when the ornaments differ in parallel sections of the music.

Yes, it is interesting and worth considering, but written music in this period did not require the slavish reproduction of notes and ornaments that much art music requires in the 20th Century. It was an improvisatory style and composers understood that players would change things as it suited them much like Jazz musicians have done for a century. Even the great Romantic, Chopin said that he never played his own music the same way twice. Is it possible that we journeyman musicians will produce something less wonderful than the great artist would have created in performance? Of course! But a slavish reproduction of just so many notes in a trill or failing to add unwritten ornaments where they seem called for also seems to take away from the glory of the music, too. So, read what Sutcliffe has to say and decide for yourself how you want to ornament these pieces.

Chapter 6 is called "Una genuine música de teclá" which translates, I believe, roughly to "a genuine style of music for the keyboard" or "a true keyboard musical style". Here the author deals with the profoundly odd aspects of Scarlatti's music that exploit they keyboard. He also notes the tortuous crossed hands in the few keyboard sonatas published in Scarlatti's lifetime. Some of the great pianists of the past re-arranged them to be played by hands in normal positions. Other pianists have dressed up the thin textures of the sonatas to take advantage of late 19th century's grand piano's vast sonority. If you are a pianist who wants to play Scarlatti, this chapter is especially relevant. Sure, dig deeply into every chapter, but this one deals with what Scarlatti is doing with your hands on the keyboard and speculates about why.

Scarlatti's use of form is discussed in chapter 7. Everyone who knows any of these sonatas understands the binary nature of these forms. (For those confused by the title "sonata", it simply means an instrumental piece as opposed to the sung piece of a cantata. Yes, the word came to mean something else again in the hands of masters such as CPE Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and hundreds of others, but Scarlatti is not dealing with "sonata form".) I enjoyed Sutcliffe's examination of what he calls Scarlatti's "balanced binary" form and how various subtleties are manifested.

If you are interested in Scarlatti, I cannot imagine you being without this book.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Though not up to date anymore, this book nevertheless is certainly the wittiest Kiss bio out there, chock full of funny anecdotes, tons of historical details, and interesting pictures. The glossy pages and sleek design only add to the well-written and funny text. With this book, Kiss becomes a funny phenomenon to celebrate. I guarantee you will laugh. Interesting discography and videography too.

I have read so many books on KISS, I could tell you every thing you needed to know about 'em, but this one day I came upon a book in the Rock 'n Roll section at my library, so I took it home and read the whold thing in one night; it was amazing. Want details, action, bios, info, and so much more buy this book, chances are you will not find it in your library so get it at Amazon.com.........and beleive me, you WILL NOT regret it!

why not

I think this book is great for people beginning to become aware of Kula Shaker's presence in the music world, and for the fan that just can't get enough. The pictures add the perfect touch!

i love this book...it is a luxury...especially if one is beginning to listen to Billie Holiday's recordings from 1933-1959. it is more like an pictorial reference to accompany the books that you read on her as you follow her career. it is thick and chockful of fascinating bits...

It's as if Billie invited you to look through her scrapbook of newspaper clippings, posters, photos, letters and recording dates. One could pick nits (she sang in Charleston WV, not Charlestown, and appeared on the Amateur Hour in 1938, not 1937), but no nit should keep anyone from picking this book for their collection on Lady Day. It's her life day by day from 1937 until her tragic 1959 death. One is transported to the era of jazz and feels like a member of the road band along for the ride through Vail's exhaustive work

These kind of books are often thrown together and rushed, but the author brings a rare sensitivity and excitement to her work. A must for any Leeann fan, but also for anyone who appreciates intelligent, funny and ultimately life-affirming writing.

This book was great. Leann Rimes is my hero and this book made me love her even more