No comments about J.S. Bach's Great Eighteen Organ Chorales.

1 comments about The Harmonic Orator: The Phrasing and Rhetoric of the Melody in French Baroque Airs (Pendragon Press Musicological Series).

1. This book covers practically all aspects of how melody is structured not only in French Baroque Airs, but also in instrumental music. There are lots of quotations from writers such as Rousseau, Masson, Grimarest to name a few, both in English and the original French. Whether a performer or a musicologist, or just interested in the way music is related to language, this book offers many fascinating insights.

No comments about A Performer's Guide to Music of the Baroque Period (Performers Guide).

No comments about Monteverdi's Tonal Language.

5 comments about Domenico Scarlatti.

1. This book is an indispensable reference for those studying the great composer Domenico Scarlatti.



2. An indispensable reference for all those interested in one of the greatest keyboardists of all time. Kirkpatrick's work is one of real scholarship. Written in 1953, no one has since bested it.



3. The first 7 chapters are historical narratives without unusual merit except as an intoduction to the real book which is about music. There is a chapter on harpsichords. Kirkpatrick was not the first thinker on Scarlatti as evidenced by the extensive bibliography and appendix

   He did establish the K identification number system which has stood the test of time at least in this country.

   His real contribution is in identifying Scarlatti as a real musician writing music of extraordinary merit. His chapter on Scarlatti's harmony is very difficult reading.

   The last chapter on "Performance of the Scarlatti Sonatas" should be read again and again by every musical teacher and student (he talks about tempo, rhythm, phrasing, articulation and attitudes).

   Of course, one must have the sheet music on hand to see what it's all about, and a mind-set ready to accept Scarlatti into the company of Chopin and Liszt as well as Granados and Albéniz.

   Kirkpatrick talks a little about the influence of Iberian song and dance forms on the sonatas of Scarlatti; a few others have scattered hints on this subject. I think the world would welcome a full-blown research here as a fitting sequel to this book.




4. Ralph Kirkpatrick's 1953 work remains THE book on Domenico Scarlatti and his keyboard sonatas. There have been no substantial revisions in the biography of DS since 1953. Georgio Pestelli and many others have questioned Kirkpatrick on chronology, but when it comes to analysis of individual sonatas, Kirkpatrick is strong. Kirkpatrick was not a musicologist, so his book is actually interesting to read!



5. This book is so crucial for any one playing Scarlatti sonatas.
   There is so much detail, historical context, and yet the writing is such that even an amateur pianist like me can get a grasp on how to interpret the sonatas. There are some nice sections on how to approach them on the piano.
   
   I wish I could find similar books for every other composer!

No comments about The Baroque Flute Fingering Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Fingerings for the One-Keyed Flute Including Trills, Flattements, and Battements : Based on Original Sources from the.

1 comments about Hearing Bach's Passions.

1. This is a great book. As a bit of a Bach-o-phile I eagerly waited for the amazon delivery. I'm a musician and I loved how Melamed worked backwards from the Orchestral parts to "discover" what may have been indeed written by JSB or just an attribution. I think any one who's ever been in a high-school band or orchestra, and has had to deal with missing parts or badly copied parts will really get this book. It's very similar in scholarly style to
   Ron Rosenbaums masterful, The Shakespeare Wars. The two authors are wonderful literary/musical scholars. Thanks.

5 comments about The Baroque Guitar (Frederick Noad Guitar Anthology).

1. This guitar book by Frederick Noad is good for both instruction and performance. The book is laid out in a logical, easy to follow manner. The musical pieces progress from simple to more complex as the book goes on. At the beginning of the book, Noad explains the ornaments and notation of the Baroque style in simple language. All of the pieces are written in modern notation with helpful explanations of the origin of the composition, guidelines for playing, and composer backgrounds. I've had this book for five years, and I still am enjoying it. It's wonderful resource. If you are a guitarist wanting to get into the Baroque style, this is the book!



2. Most every classical guitarist should own at least a couple of the famous Noad books. "The Baroque Guitar" is one of my favorites, because of the composers and materials chosen for the book, particularly the Bach and Sanz pieces. As another review stated, this book is good for both instruction and performance, as the pieces in it are certainly worthy for the stage, and the duets are a nice touch, too.
   
   Any classical guitarist that goes through this book will definitely have a good knowledge of the great classical repertoire that is available, and to have it all in one book is a nice feature. Noad's books are always well organized, however I frequently do not agree with his provided fingerings, as there are other fingerings that would make more sense, but that is a minor issue. The tunes included make up for that. One of my absolute favorites to play is the beautiful Bach "Sarabande," originally written for violin, but reproduced here in accurate fashion. Other tunes to check out in the book are the Bach "Double," Sanz's "Canarios," and the featured duets for two-guitars.
   
   Overall this is a great book and is highly recommended. The only thing I would suggest to the buyer is don't be afraid to figure out and try some alternate fingerings.



3. This is a good book for classical guitar performance majors attending a music conservatory studying with a professional classical guitar teacher with at least a Master Degree in Classical Guitar. If you don't fall into that category, you're going to find this book too difficult. These are challenging pieces that require discipline and dedication to play and retain in memory. Most are college level recital material that experienced classical players utilize in performances. To the dismay of all the dedicated amateurs out there buying this book, there is no TAB to help in left hand fingerings. Noad provides virtually no right hand fingering suggestions. The CD is very helpful to reference and the performances on the CD are beautifully played by Mr. Noad. Everything here is a compilation of Baroque pieces the author personally liked, but not recognizable standard repertoire. Included are a couple of vocal duets with guitar, but you'll have to have access to a high voiced male tenor vocalist. To be fair to unknowing consumers, I feel the book should indicate the difficulty level (late intermediate) somewhere in the content's description.



4. My favorite teaching tool for he Baroque period. The recent addition of the CD is an unexpected bonus, but the arrangements are scholarly and useful for serious students (and teachers). Recommended.



5. Noad's books in this series have a very tasteful presentation of staples of the repertoire mixed with more obscure pieces, illustrations, and history. Highly recommended!

1 comments about An Introduction to Bach Studies.

1. What a waste of time. This collection is mired in typical Jacobs'School academic-speak. The language throughout is just like I remember it at IU grad school...people using big words to make themselves seem more important. Don't buy it. 1 star.

No comments about Harmony: Baroque to Contemporary, Part 1.