Серия "Dover Books on Music"

This volume contains English translations of three important literary works by Austrian conductor Felix Weingartner (1863–1942). The title essay is a detailed account of specific performing difficulties and questions of interpretation in each of the nine symphonies, a comprehensive treatment that will be indispensable to music students. Additional features include «On Conducting» and «The Symphony Since Beethoven,» both of which attest to the author's belief that art is at its...

This first comprehensive history of musical instruments, this book ranges from prehistoric times to the 20th century. It traverses five continents and every stage of evolution, from primitive rattles and bull-roarers to the electric organ. Author Curt Sachs, one of the world's most distinguished musicologists, combines rich scholarship with personal insight in a remarkable fusion of music, anthropology, and the fine arts.Beginning with the earliest manifestations of rhythm, Sachs explores...

For anyone who loves to sing the great old songs, knows the melodies, but has trouble remembering some or all of the words, help is at hand in this extremely useful and unique compendium of popular song lyrics.Included are the complete lyrics for 500 well-known songs from many sources: folk songs, hymns and spirituals, nursery songs and children's play songs, patriotic and military songs, popular songs (many from Tin Pan Alley and Broadway shows), and many more.All the old favorites are...

As the «social anchor» in middle-class homes of the nineteenth century, the piano was simultaneously an elegant piece of drawing-room furniture, a sign of bourgeois prosperity, and a means of introducing the young to music. In this admirably balanced and leisurely account of the popular instrument, the late, internationally known concert pianist Arthur Loesser takes a «piano's-eye view» of the recent social history of Western Europe and the United States.Drawing on newspapers, music...

The Traité de l'harmonie of Jen-Philippe Rameau is one of the most important books in the history of Western music. Written while Rameau was still a relatively obscure organist and music master at Clermont-Ferrand, the book received but one printing during Rameau's life, in 1722, shortly before he settled in Paris. The Traité was immediately recognized as a profound advance in musical theory, however, and it established Rameau's reputation as a theorist. His book...

"Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." — Charlie Parker"What is jazz? The rhythm — the feeling." — Coleman Hawkins"The best sound usually comes the first time you do something. If it's spontaneous, it's going to be rough, not clean, but it's going to have the spirit which is the essence of jazz." — Dave BrubeckHere, in their own words, such famous jazz...

Classic study comprises two parts. The first is a comprehensive historical survey of writings on the fugue from the beginning of fugal teaching (c. 1350) to the present. Part Two explores in depth four 18th-century studies which are its classical presentations: Steps to Parnassus, J. J. Fux (1725), A Treatise on Fugue, F. W. Marpurg (1753–54), Fundamental and Practical Essay on Fugal Counterpoint, Padre Martini (1775), A Manual of the Fundamental Principles of Composition, J. A....

The greatest Renaissance creator of liturgical music, the revered sixteenth-century composer known as Palestrina wrote works that served for centuries as models of counterpoint. Until The Style of Palestrina and the Dissonance, theoreticians seldom closely analyzed the composer’s work to discover its fundamental elements, including the handling of rhythm, line, and harmony.Beginning chapters discuss the standard use of rhythm and mensuration in Palestrina’s time, the...

Fifty first-rate musical compositions document the development of musical style from the early Middle Ages to the Middle of the 18th century. Among the selections are a Gregorian hymn, an English lute piece, operatic arias, instrumental and vocal motets, a French ballad, as well as works by Vivaldi, Telemann, Pergolesi, Scarlatti, Buxtehude, and other masters. Commentary evaluates style, form and historical setting, and complete compositions or sections of compositions are supplied when...

A solid grounding in musical techniques of the 17th and 18th centuries is essential to a complete understanding of Baroque music. Arnold's legendary work is a comprehensive survey of the topic, covering every issue of significance to today's performers. The text is fully amplified with numerous musical examples, authoritative citations, scholarly interpretations and syntheses, and the author's own conclusions. This rich collection of source material for the musicologist is an...