The New Penguin Dictionary of Music is the essential A-Z of some 1,000 years of Western music. It explores in detail the lives and achievements of a huge range of composers and examines such key topics as music history (from medieval plainchant to contemporary minimalism), performers, theory, and jargon. Written by an award-winning music critic and blending scholarship with personal insight and opinion, this dictionary is a pleasurable read and an invaluable and authoritative reference book for all music lovers, whether amateur or professional.
Paul Griffiths, former chief music critic of the New Yorker and a regular contributor to the New York Times, has been writing about music professionally for over thirty years and is a recipient of the Commonwealth Writers Prize.
How today's leading violinists practice and work with other musicians, their performance secrets and anxieties, what moves and inspires them - all this and more comes to life in this series of revealing one-on-one conversations.
• A collection of in-depth interviews
• Discussion of today's leading violinists in making music
• A rare glimpse into the fascinating life of classical violin soloists
• Professionals and dedicated amateurs share their passion for music
From the intrepid Bion Tsang to the dynamic Kenneth Slowik and the charming Yo-Yo Ma, these artists and many others discuss their professional and personal lives.
• A collection of interviews with this century's most gifted cellists
• Musicians reveal the facets and textures of their professional and personal lives.
• A discussion on what it's like to be a soloist, member of an ensemble, composer, mentor, musical activist, and recording artist.