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| Music History & Reference |

A History of Western Music  Donald Jay Grout, Claude Palisca : Covers the History of Western Music from the Ancient Greeks through to the 21st Century. (Required reading for many university and college music courses)

The Concise Oxford History of Music (Oxford Paperback Reference) Gerald Abraham : covers the history of music from its first recorded emergence in early civilization to the death of Stravinsky...

Opera Andras Batta : OPERA is a fascinating book alphabetically ordered by composers (124 of them at that! from Adams to Zimmermann) and containing synopsis' and information on 338 operas : stage designs, photos and illustrations, extracts of music, details of performances and the actors who featured in them...so much information and all beautifully presented.
You have to see this book to believe it - even if you hate most opera you will be rivited by the stories behind the operas, and stunned by the stage designs and costumes. An essential book for music students - definately not a 'stuffy' text book, but a well written and enjoyable account of the major operas and many many more... and all at a very reasonable price too!

Fundamentals of Musical Composition  Arnold Schoenberg, Gerald Strang (Editor), Leonard Stein (Editor)
Structural Functions of Harmony  Arnold Schoenberg, Leonard Stein (Translator)
The Study of Counterpoint  J.J. Fux
The Study of Fugue  Alfred Mann
The Oxford Book of English Madrigals Philip Ledger (Editor)
Madrigals and Partsongs (Oxford Choral Classics)  Clifford Bartlett
European Sacred Music (Oxford Choral Classics) John Rutter
An Introduction to Gregorian Chant (Includes CD) Richard L. Crocker : an eloquent introduction to the history and meaning of the Gregorian chant...

The Music of Bela Bartok: A Study of Tonality and Progression in Twentieth-Century Music  Elliott Antokoletz - considering that Bartok is one of my all time favourite composers, I couldn't really have a recommended reading list without including at least one book about the great Hungarian composer! and 'oops' here's another one : The Life and Music of Bela Bartok  Halsey Stevens, Malcolm Gillies (Editor)
If you're a pianist interested in Bartok and Hungarian music, I highly recommend Bartoks Mikrokosmos series - a set of 153 pieces - (the Bulgarian rhythms at the back of book 6 are stunning, both for the performer and the audience!). Keep an eye out for his 'For Children' books too. Bartok enthusiasts, students and teachers will find the following book very interesting :
Bartok's "Mikrokosmos": Genesis, Pedagogy and Style  Benjamin Suchoff : an in-depth study which investigates Bartok's Mikrokosmos from three main viewpoints: the genesis of the pieces, their pedagogical value and their stylistic qualities. "The book is intended for piano teachers, students, and performers as well as anyone interested in Bartok's life and work as pianist, educator, and composer."
Bela Bartok: Studies in Ethnomusicology Bela Bartok, Benjamin Suchoff (Editor)

Olivier Messiaen, the Musical Mediator: A Study of the Influence of Liszt, Debussy and Bartok Madeleine Hsu

The Beethoven Compendium: A Guide to Beethoven's Life and Music Barry Cooper (Editor) : A reference book containing information about Beethoven's life and times.
Beethoven on Beethoven: Playing His Piano Music His Way  William S. Newman : A study which aims to get as close as possible to the way in which Beethoven himself would have played his piano music in both the solo and the ensemble works...
A Companion to Beethoven's Pianoforte Sonatas�D.F. Tovey
Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion Charles Rosen

Books which may be of further interest :
The Use of the Self  F. Matthias Alexander, Wilfred Barlow (Introduction) : "The world famous classic by the originator of the Alexander Technique"
Indirect Procedures: A Musician's Guide to the Alexander Technique (Clarendon Paperbacks)  Pedro de Alcantara

The Inner Game of Music  Barry Green : Many musicians face an inner battle against nervousness, self-doubt and fear of failure. To combat this, this title explains the principles of "natural learning". Features include ensemble playing, improvisation, listening skills and exercises that help intonation, artistic phrasing and technique.

Thinking in Jazz: The Infinite Art of Improvisation (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) Paul F. Berliner : aiming to illuminate the distinctive creative processes that comprise improvisation. "Chronicling leading musicians from their first encounters with jazz to the development of a unique improvisatory voice, Paul Berliner demonstrates that a lifetime of preparation lies behind the skilled improviser's every note".

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank T.E. Carhart :

"At first glance, The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is simply an autobiography covering the author's blissful years in Paris. This is actually something much rarer and more original: an extended love letter to the piano. One day, Carhart was walking through the back streets of Paris in the early morning--a place and a time he evokes beautifully, the street sweepers out cleaning the hidden alleys, and
...the smell from la boulangerie du coin. And then he noticed a small truck, unloading a piano ... It turned out to be delivering to the atelier of Monsieur Luc Desforges, a piano repairer of the old school. 'Desforges Pianos: outillage, fournitures.' On the small, red felt-covered shelf in the window are displayed the tools and instruments of piano repair: tightening wrenches, tuning pins, piano wire ... the entire facade has a sleepy, 19th-century charm about it.
One could say the same of Carhart's book. It doesn't move fast, and it doesn't depend on powerful emotions or dramatic reversals for its effect. It is a quiet and loving meditation on the piano, as it features in French life, and in Carhart's. He recalls his early days back in Virginia with equal vividness, when at the age of eight he took lessons from Miss Pemberton, playing a Chopin ballade or a Mozart sonata "in the warm Virginia evening, with the soft murmur of crickets in the surrounding woods". The whole book is suffused with just this softness, slowness and dreamy eloquence. For piano lovers, an absolute must. For others, a book of tremendous charm and pleasure." -- Christopher Hart / Amazon.co.uk Review -- This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

You may also like to browse the Music Bookshop at Hybrid Studios - where you'll also find a selection of useful books for bands. Click here to be whisked to the Hybrid Studios Music Shop.