What are our musical sins? Are they obvious or subtle? When do we unwittingly commit such transgressions? And above all, how can we avoid them? In this sequel to his acclaimed bestselling book The Artistry of Teaching and Making Music, master teacher and conductor Richard Floyd makes a compelling case for The Seven Deadly Sins of Music Making, which he identifies and expounds upon as the following: articulation, dynamics, rhythms, tempo, line, silence, and proportion. Using dozens of excerpts from the wind band repertoire to illustrate his points, Floyd guides readers through the thorny landscape of our musical wrongdoings, offering wisdom and actionable solutions that lead to, in the words of the author, "a world of artistic, expressive music making that goes beyond the printed page." Though the book addresses the wind band medium specifically, its observations and lessons about music making are universal. Musicians and educators in all disciplines are certain to profit from the nearly six decades of experience Richard Floyd expertly brings to the page.

In this cultural history, Ruth Katz conceives of opera as a laboratory dedicated to exploration of the powers hidden in the interaction between words and music. Opera combines not only music and libretto, but the sensuality, acting out, and lyricism that characterize the popular culture of the Italians. The Powers of Music is thus a contribution to cultural studies, providing unique insight into the social meaning of opera in Italy. According to Katz, opera's origins in Renaissance Italy can be traced to numerous characteristics of life at that time. Among them are: the belief of the Humanists that the magical properties of music could be harnessed; the transition from polyphony to monody that gave musical expression to individualism; the melodramatic propensity of Italian culture reflected in its literary and theatrical arts; and the salons of Florentine aristocrats, scientists, and artists whose agenda included the challenge to rediscover how the ancient Greeks succeeded in heightening the rhetorical power of words by allying them with music. Katz discusses each of these factors in detail. In her new introduction, Katz reconsiders her original work by discussing three topics. The first has to do with the perception that there has been a major change in the academic climate for this kind of analysis. The second relates to her concern with the eighteenth-century expansion of the Florentine comparison of the attributes of the arts, from which music emerges as the purest of all, for being freest of external reference. Third, she reconsiders her initial impression that opera was on the wane. The Powers of Music is an intriguing study that will be of interest to sociologists, cultural historians, and scholars of communication and popular culture.

"In the context of an ensemble rehearsal, where does real music making begin? -- How can we also infuse our rehearsals with artistry in order to create deep connections for our students, beyond the correct rhythms, in-tune notes, and proper technique? How can we teach students to ultimately think for themselves? With more than fifty years of experience, Richard Floyd is a highly distinguished teacher and conductor in Texas and across the United States. Over the years, he kept a journal to document rehearsal strategies that not only improve technique within the ensemble but also achieve artistic, musical results. This book is a look into the precious pages of Floyd's journal. Each chapter contains inspiration for the conductor and simple, unique exercises designed to achieve artistry in every rehearsal. The Artistry of Teaching and Making Music is a book to revisit each summer before the school year begins and as a reference before each rehearsal. It will be a priceless addition to your personal library." -- Book jacket.

Historians of instruments and instrumental music have long recognised that there was a period of profound change in the seventeenth century, when the consorts or families of instruments developed during the Renaissance were replaced by the new models of the Baroque period. Yet the process is still poorly understood, in part because each instrument has traditionally been considered in isolation, and changes in design have rarely been related to changes in the way instruments were used, or what they played. The essays in this book are by distinguished international authors that include specialists in particular instruments together with those interested in such topics as the early history of the orchestra, iconography, pitch and continuo practice. The book will appeal to instrument makers and academics who have an interest in achieving a better understanding of the process of change in the seventeenth century, but the book also raises questions that any historically aware performer ought to be asking about the performance of Baroque music. What sorts of instruments should be used? At what pitch? In which temperament? In what numbers and/or combinations? For this reason, the book will be invaluable to performers, academics, instrument makers and anyone interested in the fascinating period of change from the 'Renaissance' to the 'Baroque'.

A noted historian of the Broadway musical chronicles the braided lives of two of the 20th-century's most influential artists. Mordden shows the romance of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya in a dual biography scored to music from Weil's greatest triumphs.