George Szell: A Life of Music (Music in American Life)

George Szell: A Life of Music (Music in American Life) Review

 

This book is the first full biography of George Szell, one of the greatest orchestra and opera conductors of the twentieth century. From child prodigy pianist and composer to world-renowned conductor, Szell's career spanned seven decades, and he led most of the great orchestras and opera companies of the world, including the New York Philharmonic, the NBC and Chicago Symphonies, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and Opera, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. A protégé of composer-conductor Richard Strauss at the Berlin State Opera, his crowning achievement was his twenty-four-year tenure as musical director of the Cleveland Orchestra, transforming it into one of the world's greatest ensembles, touring triumphantly in the United States, Europe, the Soviet Union, South Korea, and Japan.

 

Michael Charry, a conductor who worked with Szell and interviewed him, his family, and his associates over several decades, draws on this first-hand material and correspondence, orchestra records, reviews, and other archival sources to construct a lively and balanced portrait of Szell's life and work from his birth in 1897 in Budapest to his death in 1970 in Cleveland.

 

Readers will follow Szell from his career in Europe, Great Britain, and Australia to his guest conducting at the New York Philharmonic and his distinguished tenure at the Metropolitan Opera and Cleveland Orchestra. Charry details Szell's personal and musical qualities, his recordings and broadcast concerts, his approach to the great works of the orchestral repertoire, and his famous orchestrational changes and interpretation of the symphonies of Robert Schumann. The book also lists Szell's conducting repertoire and includes a comprehensive discography.

 

In highlighting Szell's legacy as a teacher and mentor as well as his contributions to orchestral and opera history, this biography will be of lasting interest to concert-goers, music lovers, conductors, musicians inspired by Szell's many great performances, and new generations who will come to know those performances through Szell's recorded legacy.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition Review

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition Feature

• Book
• By Michael Miller
• Format Book

Write the songs that make the whole world sing.

A step-by-step guide to writing music, this book shows musicians how to compose simple chord progressions and melodies, and leads them through more advanced compositional techniques and musical forms. Designed for composers of all types of music, it includes instruction on composing stand-alone melodies, using different scales and modes, themes and variations, orchestration, and composing for film, theater, and videogames.
-Perfect complement to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Songwriting
-Includes a comprehensive glossary of musical terms, as well as an appendix of various computer-based composition tools
-Easy-to-use oversize trim

Jazz Saxophone: An In-Depth Look at the Styles of the Tenor Masters

Jazz Saxophone: An In-Depth Look at the Styles of the Tenor Masters Review

Jazz Saxophone: An In-Depth Look at the Styles of the Tenor Masters Feature

• Published by Hal Leonard 80 Pages
• Book/CD Pack by Dennis Taylor
• Author: Dennis Taylor

This book/CD pack is solely devoted to providing you with a complete overview of the techniques and styles popularized by the greatest jazz tenor saxophonists of all time. All the best are here: from the cool bebop excursions of Dexter Gordon, to the stellar musings of John Coltrane, with more than a dozen master players examined in between. Includes lessons, music, historical analysis and rare photos, plus a CD with 16 full-band tracks!

Getting the Most Out of Mozart: The Instrumental Works - Unlocking the Masters Series, No. 3

Getting the Most Out of Mozart: The Instrumental Works - Unlocking the Masters Series, No. 3 Review

In this book, Hurwitz takes the reader/listener through Mozart's chamber and orchestral music. This music doesn't sound like anyone else's - only Mozart could have written it. What makes it so special and how to enjoy it are explored. The CD contains excerpts from BMG Classics Recordings.

Selections from Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (Instrumental Solos), Vol 1: Trumpet (Book & CD)

Selections from Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (Instrumental Solos), Vol 1: Trumpet (Book & CD) Review

12 of the best songs, all chosen from Rolling Stone® magazine's ""500 Greatest Songs of All Time."" Titles include: Desperado (Eagles)
* Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell)
* Everyday People (Sly and the Family Stone)
* Gimme Some Lovin (The Spencer Davis Group)
* Honky Tonk Women (The Rolling Stones)
* A Hard Days Night (The Beatles)
* I Only Have Eyes For You (The Flamingos)
* Moondance (Van Morrison)
* (Were Gonna) Rock Around The Clock (Bill Haley and His Comets)
* Soul Man (Sam & Dave)
* When A Man Loves A Woman (Percy Sledge)
* Sunshine Of Your Love (Cream).

An instrumental series arranged for Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax,Trumpet, Horn in F, and Trombone, the arrangements are completely compatible with each other and can be played together or as solos. Each book contains a carefully edited part that is appropriate for the Level 2-3 player, and a fully orchestrated accompaniment CD. The CD includes a DEMO track of each song, which features a live instrumental performance followed by a PLAY-ALONG track.

Play Along with The Canadian Brass - Conductor Book (Brass Ensemble)

Play Along with The Canadian Brass - Conductor Book (Brass Ensemble) Review

Play Along with The Canadian Brass - Conductor Book (Brass Ensemble) Feature

• Published by Canadian Brass 40 Pages
• Conductor Book Book/CD Packs
• Artist: The Canadian Brass

The books in this collection let you play along with The Canadian Brass on intermediate-level pieces.

Studies and Melodious Etudes for Flute: Level One (Elementary) (Student Instrumental Course)

Studies and Melodious Etudes for Flute: Level One (Elementary) (Student Instrumental Course) Review

Studies and Melodious Etudes for Flute: Level One (Elementary) (Student Instrumental Course) Feature

• Book Pages: 32
• By Douglas Steensland and Fred Weber
• Format Book

The Belwin Student Instrumental Course is a course for individual instruction and class instruction of like instruments, at three levels, for all band instruments. Each book is complete in itself, but all books are correlated with each other. Although each book can be used separately, all supplementary books should be used as companion books with the method.