Originally published in 1934, this is an exhaustive examination of one of Bach's greatest works, and is highly recommended for inclusion on the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in this great composer. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This book contains a vintage handbook on farm economics, with information on different farming systems, machinery, marketing produce, buying equipment, keeping records, and much more. Although old, much of the information contained within this book is timeless and will be of considerable utility to modern prospective farmers. Contents include: “The Nature and Scope of Agricultural Economics”, “Systems of Farming”, “The Farming Considered as a Business Empire”, “Some Units of Economic Measu...

First published in 2005. By far the most stimulating and complete introduction to the styles and schools of Western music, this work is certain to remain a classic. Beginning with the music of the early Christian church, the Gregorian chant, the book proceeds through minstrels and troubadours, the Flemish polyphonic schools, the Italian Renaissance, the Viennese school and the Russian school. Music lovers will appreciate the author's sound interpretations and engaging, readable style.

A fascinating look at the world of music from French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist Camille Saint-Saëns, most famous for his Carnival of the Animals and Danse Macabre.

An inspiring discourse on the power of music from one of the twentieth century's most important figures, André GideAndré Gide, one of the great intellectuals of the twentieth century and a devoted pianist, invites readers to reevaluate Frédéric Chopin as a composer "betrayed . . . deeply, intimately, totally violated" by a music community that had fundamentally misinterpreted his work. As a profound admirer of Chopin's "promenade of discoveries," Gide intersperses ...

The universally acclaimed and award-winning Oxford History of Western Music is the eminent musicologist Richard Taruskin's provocative, erudite telling of the story of Western music from its earliest days to the present. Each book in this superlative five-volume set illuminates-through a representative sampling of masterworks- the themes, styles, and currents that give shape and direction to a significant period in the history of Western music. This first volume in Richard Taruskin's majes...

As memory reaches back along the vista of the years, the increasing distance adds to the difficulty of seeing clearly and choosing between those incidents which make a deep impression and those which, though perhaps more important in themselves, leave no trace, and in no way influence one's development. Thus, one of my earliest memories of sound will seem somewhat odd. It was in the country, where my parents, like most people of their class, spent the summer with their children. I can see ...

In these enlightening essays, the Austrian composer and music theorist presents his vision of how music speaks to us and what it is capable of saying.This book is full of essays which Arnold Schoenberg wrote on style and idea. He talks about the relationship to the text, new and outmoded music, composition in twelve tones, entertaining through composing, the relationship of heart and mind in music, evaluation of music, and other essays.

First published in 1927, J. W. N. Sullivan's “Beethoven - His Spiritual Development” explores the subject of Beethoven's spirituality, which the author believes he expressed through his greatest musical compositions. Contents include: “Art and Reality”, “Music as Isolated”, “Music as Expression”, “Beethoven’s Characteristics”, “The Morality of Power”, “The Mind of Beethoven”, “The Hero”, “The End of a Period”, “Love and Money”, “The Hammerclavier Sonata”, “God the Companion”, etc. A fascin...

Opera's Second Death is a passionate exploration of opera - the genre, its masterpieces, and the nature of death. Using a dazzling array of tools, Slavoj Zizek and coauthor Mladen Dolar explore the strange compulsions that overpower characters in Mozart and Wagner, as well as our own desires to die and to go to the opera.

Renowned for his literary style as well as his musical scholarship, Nicolas Slonimsky wrote many program notes and articles for newspapers and other periodicals, in addition to his well-known books. These shorter writings, edited by Slonimsky’s daughter, Electra Yourke, are collected for the first time in this excellent introduction to the classical repertoire, from Bach to Shostakovich. Arranged chronologically by composer, the chapters begin with biographical sketches and go on to descri...

Is there a moment in history when a work receives its ideal interpretation? Or is perpetual negotiation required to preserve the past and accommodate the present? The freedom of interpretation, Charles Rosen suggests in these sparkling explorations, exists in a delicate balance with fidelity to the identity of the original work.