1 comments about Kreutzer - 42 Studies or Caprices: Violin Method.

1. Can't say much more than this is a must have for any violin student-beautiful studies well worth your time.

5 comments about The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD).

1. Hurwitz breaks down Mahler's nine symphonies plus his song cycle "The Song of the Earth" into their parts as these contribute to the whole; and the parts too are broken down for their development, tone, and instruments. Analyses and commentary mingle with frequent metaphoric, near-poetic, evocations of musical passages. In the Fifth Movement of Symphony No. 5, "Horn and woodwinds unfold a series of perky little tunes...." In the Second Movement, "As this climax dies away trailing clouds of strings and horns, the woodwinds slither back in with sinister whirring scales." Hurwitz also gives attention to the spiritual ideas and the emotions embodied in Mahler's music. The author of "Beethoven or Bust: A Practical Guide to Learning About and Listening to Great Music," Hurwitz writes about music in a style that is suitable for readers of all ages from young adults and up.



2. ... and hopefully Mr. Hurwitz's words strenghen the fact that Mahler is one of the greatest composers of all time (and he is my top favorite composer) - not just through vastness and complexity, but also through "representing the world", being universal, escorting humanity through music like Beethoven.
   
   Just reading certain passages which seems to coincide what I exactly thing about Mahler's remarkable musical messages (especially in the triumphant Symphony No. 2 and the apocalyptic Symphony No. 9) put me to tears.
   
   Whether you're obsessed with Mahler, or want to understand his musical words, buy it!!!



3. David Hurwitz has written a marvelous guide for the classical music listener who wants to get more out of Mahler's symphonies but: a) lacks the ability to follow the music him/herself, or make sense of it; and b) finds that CD and program notes do not provide sufficiently detailed description, or are too technical to be understandable. The author provides lengthy but non-technical descriptions of the music as it progresses, keeping the listener on track and ready for what comes next. Major melodies or tunes are identified by ad hoc names (the "kletzmer," the "Alma," etc.). Major rhythms are identified for the reader-listener in the most basic terms (i.e. "dum dum dadum dum"), but it works! Hurwitz eschews biographical background in favor of discussion of the form and content of the music itself. Even if the author fails to convert you to a Mahlerian (and he certainly seems to be one himself), his book will deepen your appreciation for this formerly "much abused" composer.
   
   My complaints are few. In his enthusiasm the author has a tendency to confuse the words "literal" and "figurative" such that, at one point in the book he describes the orchestra as "literally falling over a cliff" or words to that effect; which, for the sake of the musicians' health and casualty insurance premiums I hope did not happen. I wish that discussions of form and interpretations of meaning had been reserved for the front of each chapter, directly following the introduction, so the chronological description of the music had not been interrupted. Strangely, the author, who is not bashful about expressing his opinions, seems surprisingly hesitant to divulge his extra-musical interpretations of the music. Finally, Hurwitz is a most uncritical critic, defending Mahler from every criticism, even those that, to my ears, are justifiable.
   
   In addition to the book the purchaser receives a CD with one-movement excerpts from four Mahler symphonies (#'s 1, 2, 5 and 7). The guides to these four movements contain exact time references to these CD performances for greater ease in following along.
   
   Buyer beware: you'll find you'll want to acquire CD's of Mahler symphonies you don't presently own (I bought #'s 6 and 7), or purchase other versions if yours don't reveal all the twitters, birdcalls, or cowbells itemized in the book.
   
   Highly recommended.



4. Good book, only gripe is that the author goes into too much detail describing the music itself (for example telling what instruments are doing what) I think what I am looking for is more of an analysis of the symphonies. Hope this helps



5. David Hurwitz's THE MAHLER SYMPHONIES is aptly subtitled "An Owner's Manual." The book is intended for people who already know they like Mahler's music, and want to know more about it.
   
   Have you ever met a birder--one of those unusual people so devoted to the study of birds that they can look up into the trees and spot several different birds, where you and I would be lucky to see even one? Well, that's what Hurwitz is for Mahler devotees. He looks beyond a simple introduction to each symphony, and tells us what is going on--from the instruments involved, to the ideas or feelings being painted in sound.
   
   At first I thought it might be "kinda hokey" that the book comes with a CD inside the back cover. But bless his soul, Hurwitz was right to do it this way. Using the CD tracks, he points to things like "a sinister little tremolo (18:36)" that might have been overlooked without the CD accompaniment to illustrate the written word.
   
   What really delighted me were the tables at the end of the book's discussion of Mahler's symphonies. In these tables, Hurwitz categorizes the symphonies according to their content of:
   
   "Marches and Dances,"
   "Screams, Crashes, and Thuds,"
   "Appearances of the 'Aspiration' or 'Redemption' Theme
   "Mahlerian Humor"
   "Large-scale Structure"
   
   If you are an admirer of Mahler's music, these tables will indicate to you that David Hurwitz "gets it"--he understands that Mahler's music is much more than sounds, or a simple concert performance by an orchestra. Mahler left behind the form-fitting rules of "Classical Music" because he had something bigger to say about life. David Hurwitz will help you appreciate Mahler even more than you already do!

2 comments about A Modern Approach to Classical Guitar: Book 1 - Book Only (Hl00699204).

1. this book has been a very helpful guide in my beginning efforts to learn to play the guitar. i didn't get the CD's that go along with the book, but the book is laid out so well and the instructions are quite clear and easy to follow.



2. I know Charles Duncan personally and he is an incredible classical guitarist and over-all musician. I teach classical guitar using, "A Modern Approach to Classical Guitar Book 1" as the first book for all of my beginning students whether they are adults or children. It is not specifically written for children, but a smart 7 year old can do as well as a 50 year old with this book. The larger print music notation helps in learning to read music, and the songs selected are very good at helping the beginning guitar student to use her/his fingers properly. It includes a very easy to understand "basics" of musical notation, and also has quizzes to find areas that might need reviewing. This book progresses smoothly at a moderate rate, unlike many other beginning method books which move the beginning student too quickly to more advanced material before they are ready. After successfully learning all the material in this book, you will be ready to move on either to his book 2, or another more advanced method book.
   
   Also, if you use this book in conjunction with a qualified teacher, you WILL learn to play classical guitar!

5 comments about Six Enhanced Multimedia Compact Discs to Accompany The Study of Orchestration, Third Edition.

1. This is the first textbook I've ever had that I couldn't put down. If you love writing classical music, get this book. I have found a few errors, but nothing detrimental to your orchestration education. It cites a lot of very useful examples and contains layers of information.



2. All I can say is these six CDs make all the difference when taking this orchestration course, no matter if it's in a class or on your own. In fact, this whole set, including the book and workbook, was a dream come true for me. Orchestration is greatly demystified with the accompanying CDs.



3. Samuel Adler's book covers all important instruments in the modern symphonic orchestra: how they look, how they are played, where they come from, how they sound, how they blend with other instruments, their practial range (both for professional and non-professional players) and the correct notation within various contexts. It also tells the orchestrator about limitations and build-in problems for each instrument and how to deal with it. This alone is worth the price tag.
   
   This book focusses on the orchestral "tone colors" and how they are mixed. Of course the widely accepted notation is widely covered as well in many examples.
   
   I would have loved to have an accompanying CD (which of course would be expensive to produce - but it would immensely add to the value of this work), and I also would have loved to learn more about how to build great sounding voicings and how exactly the various sections dovetail into each other (melodic and harmonic concepts and layers). From this book I know what I can do and what might sound odd. But I gained little insight on how to tackle an orchestration, how to start: the down to earth nuts and bolts.
   
   There are some examples on how great composers broke the rules. But (as I expected) we have no clue about the ideas behind it and if it actually worked. I would love to have for once a book who doesn't make gods out of famous composers (they are, no doubt, but that's old news - true teaching should equal motivation) but let us in on their secrets, at least as much as possible. Also: we know that rules are meant to be broken, but there are even rules on how to break rules. It's just the next level. I would love to have books on that.
   
   Otherwise: very highly recommended! Not to be left out in any orchestrator's library!



4. This is a wonderful addition to the already comprehensive book "The Study of Orchestration". People who may have a little trouble hearing what they read on the page--as is my case--will find very clear and well-recorded examples of everything discussed in the books.
   
   In addition to the useful audio recordings of several short score excerpts seen in the book, there are also very helpful video recordings of musicians playing various instruments using every different known technique.
   
   For those who cannot get a hold of a live orchestra to demonstrate the limitations and qualities of each instrument, these CDs and the book they accompany are an effective substitute, and worth every penny.



5. In order to get the most benefit from Adler's text, I would urge the user to purchase the accompanying enhanced multimedia CD set. Given the magnitude of subject matter being covered, noone can reasonably expect each and every one of the hundreds of sound clips to be perfectly illustrative of what the author discusses. But I would say that most examples are quite useful. Reading through some of the text can be a little dry and overwhelming; if nothing else, listening to the music bits along the way breathes a good deal of life (and some fun) into the material.

5 comments about The Vintage Guide to Classical Music.

1. Music has been an important part of my life from the beginning. Somewhere in a dust-covered box lies a 45-RPM vinyl record of me as a 2 year-old belting out "Jesus Loves Me" at a church fair in Newburyport, Massachusetts! Beginning in the third grade, I studied violin and piano, and added organ in my junior high years. Singing has continued to be part of my life - solo work, choruses, church choirs and on stage - since my auspicious beginnings as a tuneful toddler! I took some basic courses in music appreciation as part of my liberal arts undergraduate education.
   
   So, my knowledge of classical music is probably deeper than that of most individuals who are not professional musicians. Consequently, I was amazed and delighted with how much new information I learned as I worked my way through Jan Swafford's "The Vintage Guide to Classical Music: An Indispensable Guide for Understanding and Enjoying Classical Music." Mr. Swafford is an award-winning composer and musicologist who currently lectures in English as a faculty member at Tufts University here in the Boston area.
   
   Swafford sets the tone for the book in the opening paragraph of his introduction:
   
   "Enduring works of music not only refelct their composers and their times, but have the capacity to reflect many peoples and many times. While every kind of music is intended to be heard, some is meant to be reheard and re-created in new performances, to grow in meaning, to become part of our lives and our culture, to represent the best we've done. In societies both Western and Eastern, these qualities define a body of music that is called 'classical.'"
   
   This very helpful tome is actually comprised of several books in one. At one level it is a chronological history of classical music. At another level, it is a compendium of mini-biographies of close to one hundred significant composers. Each biography ends with suggestions regarding which compositions by this composer would serve as the best introduction to his work. The book also contains a comprehensive glossary of musical terms, and offers a practical guide to building a classical music library. This volume is a portable treasure chest of fascinating and useful information for any lover of music - or for anyone who wants to learn more about, and better appreciate, good music. It has already made a difference in the way that I listen to music - my own CD's and WCRB, Boston's local classical FM station (102.5 on your FM dial!)
   
   Before reading this book, I had little exposure to, or appreciation of, American composer Charles Ives. Swafford has managed the whet my appetite for Ives' music, and I plan to add some of Ives' compositions to my personal collection. I also found fascinating the relationships and interconnections among many of the 19th century European composers. For example, the complex relationships among Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Schumann's wife, Clara, are the stuff of soap opera.
   
   For Swafford, this book was clearly a labor of love. He does a masterful job of harmonizing his passion for music with his erudition and broad knowledge of the full spectrum of classical music - from the Renaissance up to recent times.
   
   I can't think of a single music lover I know who would not find something of value and delight in this book.
   
   Enjoy!
   
   Al



2. I've been around Western art music for most of my life, as a listener who loves it and an amateur pianist who enjoys playing it. While over the course of that life I've picked up a huge amount of facts and information, it was always in bits and pieces. So I recently found myself interested in finding a good basic book on the Western art music tradition to consolidate what I knew (or THOUGHT I knew) - the history, composers, concepts, etc. The Essential Canon of Classical Music and The Rough Guide to Classical Music 3 (Rough Guide Music Guides) are both informative and entertaining, but seem to have holes in their presentation that make them seem less comprehensive than I was looking for. Conversely, A History of Western Music is a joyous wealth of knowledge, but more dense and academic than I had the time or attention for at that point.
   
   Then I happened across Swafford's "Vintage Guide," and it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. His overview of the history and development of Western art music is deceptively accessible, being really easy to read and absorb while at the same time containing a wealth of information, much of which was surprising and new to me. His composer biographies are also entertaining, somewhat gossippy but never losing sight of the music these people produced. The sidebars introducing key musical concepts like polyphony and melody surprised me with their depth and thoroughness.
   
   So while maybe one won't qualify for an MFA after reading this book, I can't imagine a more complete or enjoyable introduction to the subject, and I can't imagine someone NOT wanting to dig deeper and find out more after reading it.
   
   (Perhaps the most telling recommendation is this: I recently set out to compile a simple overview of the Western art music tradition for my wife, who is just beginning her study of the subject. After starting to use Swafford's book as a reference, I realized that what I was aiming to create already existed in the form of this book, so I just handed it to her.)



3. This book contains essays on the life and works of nearly one hundred classical composers, arranged by historical periods. Has a section on suggestions for building a classical music library, a glossary of musical terms, and a list suggesting further reading. Appropriate as an academic research source, but written in a reader-friendly style, Also contains an index. Informative without being difficult. A good read as well as a good source of information. Highly recommended.



4. I learned to appreciate classical music from my fiancee Jian, and now I only listen to classical radio KDFC 102.1 in SF bay area. I bought this book to be able to learn a little bit about classical music artists, but this book is overwhelmly condensed. For me, I am not able to read more than one page and I put it away. I just wanted to know in an organized descriptive way when the artist lived, where he lived, how many composition he wrote, and what is the most famous music he composed, and give the name of a music for each composer that I could easily search on the web to buy or listen. I also wanted to know if the contemporary musicians like evgeny kissin or sarah chang, do they play only chopin or rakamaninoff, because fits theyr style or because they prefer to only play those music. By the way, I know I made a mistake, I don't even know if sarah chang or evgeny kissin have played chopin or rakamaninoff music. Unfortunately this book is not like this way. And all the reviews here were 4.5 stars, and when I bought this book, "search inside" was not available, so I gave the benefit of doubt to buy this book based on the good reviews. So now I am giving my honest 1 star review. Thanks. If anyone, knows a book the way I wanted, please let me know.



5. Simply put, this is an outstanding book. Had I read such a straightforward, yet educationally enriching book of the sort during my undergrad, I may have actually been interested in the history of music!
   
   Swafford covers so much here, and yet it is effortless on the part of the reader. He strikes a pefect balance between placing the composers in a historical context, yet gives a great overview of essential works by these composers. And there are also essays on topics such as tonality/atonality, counterpoint, sonata form, etc. Of course, with a limited amount of space, there will be ommisions here and there that may seem heretic to some fans of certain composers, but hey , that's life.
   
   This is a book that inspires you to listen to these composers in a new light. This has happened to me with Brahms, Wagner, Schubert, and Mendelsohn, as well as others.
   
   Bravo to Mr. Swafford for an exceptional accomplishment. Also, don't miss his "Charles Ives: A Life with Music" - one of the best biographies I have ever read.

No comments about Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology Tenor Vol.5 SMTA (Tenor).

5 comments about The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit.

1. While I've had the pleasure of hearing Don Campbell speak, his information is, sadly, quite flawed. As others have rightly noted, the "science" in this book is simply horrible and there are many with his comments concerning classical music. The fact that he also copyrighted the term "Mozart Effect" is also deplorable. Finally, this type of book is responsible for placing music and sound on the backburner at many research institutions as it falsely implies that the use of music and sound belongs to "new age" nonsense. As a rule, I cringe when I see that someone else has used this book as a reference to back up other poor research.



2. I find the mozart effect an interesting concept and have purchased a few cds for my newborn. I love classical music, and I do find that when we listen to good music, we feel energized and uplifted.
   
   I'm not sure I buy into all of the claims here, but one thing is for sure: classical music does have a calming effect and for that, I give this book 4 stars.



3. As other reviewers have mentioned, this book is full of scientific and musical inaccuracies. Campbell's research methods are shoddy, and he has spent much of his career publishing irreplicable results.
   
   Don Campbell is not a board-certified music therapist, nor does he even remotely have the equivalent training. While listening to music indeed has benefits, this has nothing to do with music therapy.
   
   Music therapy involves a highly trained therapist working in person with a client, using music (usually live, often improvised, and usually created by client and therapist together) to work on client-specific goals. These goals do not ever involve "making a child smarter," and this does not ever involve using a CD that was "prescribed" without having met with and assessed the client.
   
   The actual field of music therapy has published reserach showing that listening to a variety of music is good for intellectual and emotional development. This does not require any specific music selected by any experts. This just involves going to performances and/or getting CDs from the library.
   
   Participating in interactive social music-making, such as community drumming circles, or parent-child play with instruments or improvised instruments has also been shown to be good for child development. Structured music lessons are also good for child development in different ways. All of this has been demonstrated over and over again by research.
   
   Instead of buying this book, I suggest reading a music therapy textbook or speaking with a music therapist in order to learn about music therapy, and listening to recordings and participating in music-making in order to reap the benefits of music.



4. I wish to give this book no stars.
   
   After I read about 15 pages of this book, and flipped through the remainder, I realized that it was completely useless. If you are interested in Music Therapy, I believe you should check out the American Music Therapy Association website. I am a Music Therapist, and I am disheartened by the fact that this concept ("The Mozart Effect") is believed to be a research based idea--if you check out the research you will realize that it cannot be replicated (i.e. does not work), and is completely anecdotal at best. Take the information with a grain of salt, and realize that you'll have to do some research yourself after you read this to be able to make a proper decision about the information.



5. This is the best book I've read about the power of music. Anyone who thinks music has little or no effect on people should read it.

5 comments about The Best of Ludovico Einaudi: Piano Solo.

1. This piano book by Ludovico Einaudi is full of soothing, relatively easy-to-play classical pieces. I found they could be played fluently without much practice. My friends and family certainly weren't complaining even when I was still playing into the late hours the same day it arrived!
   
   A fantastic buy, or gift. In no way am I dissappointed!



2. Ludovico Einaudi is not (yet) well known in the United States, but he ought to be. He is my favorite composer, whose work falls in that nebulous genre variously called "neoclassical" or "new age." The music has a minimalistic flair (cf. Philip Glass), although Einaudi's work is much more melodic than Glass's. If you are not familiar with Einaudi's music, order his "Echoes" (greatest hits) CD as an excellent introduction. The sheet music to most, if not all, of the pieces on Echoes is included in this collection, as well as many other pieces.
   
   One of the strengths of this book is that Einaudi himself clearly played a heavy role in writing or editing these transcriptions. They are true, note-for-note renditions of the pieces. They are also heavily annotated in terms of dynamics.
   
   Another very appealing aspect of the book is that Einaudi's music varies quite a bit in terms of difficulty, so there will be something here for players of all ability levels. Some of the easier pieces (e.g., Limbo and Exit) could probably be played by somebody with as little as a few months or a year of piano experience. Some of them are technically very challenging and beyond my current levels (I would call myself an intermediate player).
   
   I would say that roughly half of everything I play is by Einaudi. I will never tire of it.



3. What a great book as well as a great value. One could easily pay much much more by buying sheet music books for 3 different albums to get all the music in this one book. This book contains pieces from Le Onde, Eden Roc as well as I Giorni in it. There are 36 individual pieces of music in this book so even at the standard list price this is a bargain. It will be a long time before I can play most of this music since I'm a beginner but there are some easy pieces as well.
   
   I bought this book and expect to get a lifetime of enjoyment out of playing the songs within.



4. hello....i recently discovered this artist...and it was love at first listen. i would like to know the listing of songs in this book.



5. This book by Einaudi is an absolute gem for my piano students. It is an absolute must for the intermediate-advanced students interested in the soothing sounds of new age piano. They absolutely love to play out of this book!The Best of Ludovico Einaudi: Piano Solo

1 comments about Ludwig Van Beethoven (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers).

1. Mike Venezia's Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers series tends to focus on biographies rather than music appreciation because unlike his companion series on the World's Greatest Artists you cannot include a sonata the way you can a reproduction of a painting. However, for Ludwig Van Beethoven the author/illustrator makes an exception. This volume begins with an appreciation for how Beethoven changed the sound of music (no more party music). Within that context Venezia provides the expected biography, complete with historic ethics and paintings as well as those funny cartoons; just think Beethoven as the Liberace (if you are over 50) or Elton John (if you are under 50) of his day. There is also a photograph of his eyeglasses and metal ear trumpets. However, Venezia only mentions a handful of specific works by Beethoven, touching on how the 3rd symphony represented Napoleon, the four-note theme of the 5th Symphony, and going into some depth on the 6th Pastoral Symphony (but no mention of the glorious 9th Symphony or his other masterworks). Still, I appreciate the attempt to get more into Beethoven's music than he has done in other volumes of this series, which covers not only the great classic composers like Handel and Mozart, but also contemporary composers from Aaron Copland and George Gerswhin to Duke Ellington and the Beatles. As always, the recommendation is for young readers to have listened to some of Beethoven's masterpieces before, during and after reading this engaging juvenile biography and mini-music appreciation lesson.

5 comments about Mel Bay J. S. Bach for Bass.

1. These arrangements are simply beautiful. Challenging, but very rewarding. Great for personal enjoyment or private study. As a teacher, this is one of the materials I use with my students in their private lessons.



2. Any bassist, or any musician for that matter should take the time to study J.S. Bach. These studies help improve left hand dexterity and open your eyes to a whole world of runs you might have not thought about before. A must for a beginner, great challange for intermediate, great maintenance for experts.



3. Pretty Sweet book. If you are looking to breathe some fresh air into your repertoire, or perhaps step outside styles. This may be the book for you. I found it gave a different perspective on an instrument I've played for twenty+ years. Classical style music may not be your cup of tea, but given a chance, Bach's compositions transcend styles and time. Simply good music, that is both fun and challenging.
   Comes with both Standard notation and tab. As with all tab, you'll have had to have heard the piece beforehand to make sense of it. Highly recommended



4. This stuff is challenging, but not impossible, and Bach was such a genius and his music flows so naturally (don't know how else to explain it) that it's fun to improvise after getting the patterns down. The tab, along with standard notation, is handy for fingering.



5. Really great book! I used to play all of these songs when I played cello. It's nice to play these songs again on bass. I would reccomend any serious bass player to get this book. They might not be show music, but it is real relaxing playing through these timless songs.