“Year of Wonder is an absolute treat—the most enlightening way to be guided through the year.” — Eddie Redmayne A unique celebration of classical music that showcases one inspirational piece each day of the year, written by an award-winning violinist and BBC Radio personality Classical music has a reputation for being stuffy, boring, and largely inaccessible, but Burton-Hill is here to change that. An award-winning writer, broadcaster and musician, with a deep love of the art form she wants everyone to feel welcome at the classical party, and her desire to share her passion for its diverse wonders inspired this unique, enlightening, and expertly curated treasury. As she says, “The only requirements for enjoying classical music are open ears and an open mind.” Year of Wonder introduces readers to one piece of music each day of the year, artfully selected from across genres, time periods, and composers. Burton-Hill offers short introductions to contextualize each piece, and makes the music come alive in modern and playful ways. From Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Puccini to George Gershwin, Clara Schumann, Philip Glass, Duke Ellington, and many remarkable yet often-overlooked voices, Burton-Hill takes us on a dazzling journey through our most treasured musical landscape. Thoughtfully curated and masterfully researched, Year of Wonder is a book of classical music for everyone. Whether you’re a newcomer or an aficionado, Burton-Hill’s celebration will inspire, nourish, and enrich your life in unexpected ways.

For students learning the principles of music theory, it can often seem as though the tradition of tonal harmony is governed by immutable rules that define which chords, tones, and intervals can be used where. Yet even within the classical canon, there are innumerable examples of composers diverging from these foundational "rules." Drawing on examples from composers including J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Brahms, and more, Bending the Rules of Music Theory seeks to take readers beyond the basics of music theory and help them to understand the inherent flexibility in the system of tonal music. Chapters explore the use of different rule-breaking elements in practice and why they work, introducing students to a more nuanced understanding of music theory.

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This volume contains two of Beethoven's most loved and widely performed piano concertos, printed in the traditional format for two pianos: Piano I is the solo part; Piano II, a piano reduction of the orchestral score. Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58, composed in 1805 06, is one of the great masterpieces of the form, perfectly designed, profoundly poetic. From its striking opening for the solo instrument a true innovation for the concerto concept through the slow movement's literal "conversation" between solo and orchestra, the work broke new ground as it reshaped the form. The powerful Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73, called the "Emperor" for its grandeur, was Beethoven's last piano concerto. Composed in 1809, when the composer was 39, it is counted among the most popular concertos in the repertoire. "Grove" considers it one of the strongest works conceived by Beethoven, and by far the most "symphonic," from the "thunderous cadential celebration" of the very first bars to the brilliant rondo-finale. Both works are presented here in authoritative two-piano playing editions edited by Franz Kullak, one of the nineteenth century's leading piano editors and teachers of pianists. His classic format for two keyboards is the universal standard, for students and professionals alike, for learning and rehearsing all piano concertos. It gives the pianist the most accessible form and practical means to prepare a work for performance. To this practicality, Dover adds the convenience and economy of joining two major concertos within a single volume. "

Robert Schumann was a unique personality in 19th century music: a celebrated music critic and champion of new composers as well as a talented performer and composer himself, he did much to modernize the literature and performance style for the piano. This book covers the key period of c. 1815-55, exploring how the generation that came after Beethoven was central in reshaping and refining the conception of the concerto style, and particularly the piano concerto. It relates Schumann's own compositional development to his musical environment, recreating the exciting milieu in which Schumann and his contemporaries lived and worked. Written in scholarly, but non-technical language, Robert Schumann and theDevelopment of the Piano Concerto will appeal to college and conservatory teachers and students, as well as music connoisseurs. Also includes 60 musical examples.

Since the posthumous publication in 1979 of alleged memoirs by Shostakovich, the controversy about the composer and his music has escalated. This book presents the case for the dissident view, arguing that the meaning of the composer's music cannot be appreciated without a knowledge of the terrible times he lived through under Soviet Communism.