A collection of exercises, for Flute, arranged by Ralph R. Guenther.

A collection of exercises, for Flute, arranged by Ralph R. Guenther.

A collection of exercises, for Flute, arranged by Ralph R. Guenther.

"Introduces more than one hundred of the most popular and frequently performed classical works of our era; includes works by Copland, Ives, Gershwin, Bartok, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Ravel, Shostakovich, and many more"--Page 4 of cover.

"Masterworks of 20th-Century Music" introduces more than one hundred of the greatest compositions by world-renowned composer that have entered the standard orchestral repertory. The author surveyed dozens of major American orchestras to focus on those works that an average audience member is most likely to hear. Concertgoers who are intimated by the modern repertoire finally have a single resource that will help them understand and enjoy it. Like an educated guide, he walks the listener through the piece, explaining how all the elements come together to form a unified whole. This book serves the general reader interested in 20th-century music, plus students, teachers, and scholars.

Michael Steinberg's highly successful listener's guides--The Symphony and The Concerto--have been universally praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and delightful humor. Now Steinberg follows these two greatly admired volumes with Choral Masterworks, the only such guide available to this most popular of musical forms. Here are more than fifty illuminating essays on the classic choral masterworks, ranging from Handel's Messiah, Bach's Mass in B Minor, and Beethoven's Missa solemnis, to works by Haydn, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and many others. Steinberg spans the entire history of classical music, from such giants of the Romantic era as Verdi and Berlioz, to leading modern composers such as Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Vaughan Williams, and Stravinsky, to contemporary masters such as John Adams and Charles Wuorinen. For each piece, Steinberg includes a fascinating biographical account of the work's genesis, often spiced with wonderful asides. The author includes an astute musical analysis of each piece, one that casual music lovers can easily appreciate and that more serious fans will find invaluable. The book also provides basic information such as the various movements of the work, the organization of the chorus and orchestra, and brief historical notes on early performances. More than twenty million Americans perform regularly in choirs or choruses. Choral Masterworks will appeal not only to concert goers and CD collectors, but also to this vast multitude of choral performers, an especially engaged and active community. "What sets Steinberg's writing apart is its appealing mixture of impregnable authority (he knows this music) and purely personal asides (by the end of the book, we know this man). Choral Masterworks can be read by anybody, from a professional musician to any young listener newly braced by the stoic pessimism of the Brahms 'German Requiem.'" --Washington Post Book World

Based on his decades of experience conducting these works, Leonard Slatkin guides readers through eight of the most beloved orchestral pieces of the nineteenth century: · Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica” · Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Maurice Ravel) · Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique · Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 · Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” · Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 · Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade · Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique” Slatkin tackles problems conductors face before stepping onto the podium and highlights the many decisions they make during the study process, as well as in rehearsal and performance, to bring a score to life. He also shares tricks of the trade for leading efficient rehearsals and recounts engaging anecdotes from a lifetime of music making. This book will open the world of score study to conductors, other musicians, and students interested in expanding their knowledge of this essential repertoire.