Sir Harrison Birtwistle is one of Britain’s greatest contemporary composers, but has usually been reluctant to discuss his music. In 2013, as he approached the age of 80, he agreed to take part in this series of conversations, which happened mostly at his kitchen table, over a period of six months. They offer insights into his career and compositional process, his thoughts on the composers whom he most admires and his non-musical interests, such as cricket, nature and his family.

Ramzi Hussein Aburedwan was a child in a Palestinian refugee camp during the First Intifada (1987–93) and now uses music to help transform young people’s lives amid the military checkpoints of the war-torn territories. This book tells his story, describing how he first learned to play the viola, then founded a school and inspired musicians from around the world to join him in a project which Daniel Barenboim says has shown Palestinian children ‘the beauty of life’.

Spanning six decades in the life of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918–90), this selection comprises 650 letters, in which he corresponds with members of his family, fellow musicians such as Aaron Copland, John Cage, Serge Koussevitzky and Stephen Sondheim, and admirers including Jacqueline Kennedy and Bette Davis. The volume also features Bernstein’s lengthy exchange with Walter Hussey, Dean of Chichester, which documents the process of commissioning, composing and performing the Chichester Psalms.

‘I love images almost as much as music,’ said Claude Debussy, and he was fortunate to live and compose in Paris, then the art capital of the world. Published to accompany an exhibition at Smith College, Massachusetts, this illuminating book explores his passion for painting, and the visual culture of the city at the turn of the century. The superb reproductions include works by the artists who inspired him, including Turner, Whistler, Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec.

Born in New Jersey in 1915, Frank Sinatra began singing with various dance bands from the 1930s and in a six-decade career became one of the most influential musical artists of the 20th century as well as an Oscar-winning actor. Marking the centenary of his birth, this large-format celebration draws on the Sinatra family archive to present unseen photographs and ephemera from his life, and includes contributions from Tony Bennett and Sinatra’s children: Nancy, Tina and Frank Jr.

The comedy for which Mike Harding became well known in the 1970s and 1980s grew out of increasingly lengthy stories told between songs during folk-club performances, and was inextricably linked to his Lancashire background. This memoir focuses on his early life in post-war Crumpsall, his Irish Catholic upbringing and schooling, memories of Manchester in the early 1960s and his formative musical experiences playing in beat groups while studying for his A levels.

Created in 1987 to produce affordable digital recordings, the Naxos label is now the world’s leading provider of classical music. This history of the company explains how it grew despite opposition from established labels and why the catalogue expanded from its core repertoire to include early music and specialist material. As well as interviews with Naxos artists, the book also features information on the day-to-day operation of the business and the process of editing, production, distribution and promotion. Foreword by Naxos founder Klaus Heymann.

Growing up in a humble shack in America’s poorest state, Elvis Presley dreamed that success would free him from poverty. So how did he become dependent on bank loans even after achieving huge worldwide fame, and why did he despise his own movies and songs, even fearing that he would be forgotten after his death? This biography focuses on identifying the origins of the contradictions and frailties that lay behind Elvis’s charming, confident onstage persona.

Aimed at amateur string players, this guide lists 260 compositions for chamber ensembles, from trios to octets, by composers ranging from Haydn and Mozart to Sibelius and Shostakovich. It features biographical sketches of the composers, a short analytical description of each movement and an assessment of the works’ musical appeal, degree of difficulty and potential pitfalls. (Expanded and revised edition of Chamber Music: Notes for Players.)

With mesmeric symphonies, operas and film scores, Philip Glass has shaped the dominant idioms of today’s classical music. In this autobiography he identifies the family, friends, teachers and places that influenced him most, from his childhood in post-war Baltimore through studies in Chicago and New York to travels in India and Africa. Describing the thrill of artistic creation, he recalls studying with the formidable Nadia Boulanger and collaborating with such eminent figures as Ravi Shankar, Allen Ginsberg and Martin Scorsese. American-cut pages.

This informative and enthusiastic book is an ideal introduction for anyone new to opera, yet full of revelations for even the most dedicated aficionado. Within a broad historical survey of the art from Monteverdi to Britten, taking in the masterpieces of Mozart, Verdi, Wagner and Strauss, it describes much-loved operas such as The Magic Flute, Fidelio, Rigoletto and La Boheme, explains operatic terms, and entertains with anecdotes about famous singers and conductors.

Melissa J de Graaf tells the story of the Composers’ Forum, a free weekly concert series at which American composers such as Aaron Copland, Amy Beach and Henry Cowell introduced their work to a newly developing audience for modern music. She also analyses the transcripts of the question-and-answer sessions sponsored by the Forum: reflecting its inclusive, populist ideology, these conversations offer remarkable insights into New Yorkers’ diverse reactions to the music and their attitudes to modernism, politics and American identity.

Why did Liverpool become such an important centre for popular music? In these nine essays, researchers present case studies illustrating the diversity of the city’s musical culture, from the Beatles to the Zutons, and from sea shanties to house music. Drawing on interviews and oral history, the authors offer new perspectives on the experiences of individual songwriters and performers, identify historical and geographical factors which contributed to Liverpool’s musical success and consider how the city has been represented through its music and musicians.

Now in their sixth decade, the Rolling Stones remain the standard by which all rock’n’roll bands are measured. Lavishly illustrated with stunning live, studio and backstage photographs, this big, glamorous book charts the group’s history from 1962 to the 21st century. It records the creation and impact of seminal albums such as Beggars Banquet and Exile on Main Street, the changes in line-up over the years, and the punishing live schedule maintained to the present.

The musical rivalry between the ‘amiable, idealistic’ Beatles and the ‘dangerous, nihilistic’ Rolling Stones was presented as the 1960s’ great cultural divide. Bringing a historian’s eye to this battle of the bands, McMillian challenges such a simplistic opposition. He uses overlooked magazines and underground newspapers to show how the rivalry was constructed by managers and marketers; he also presents a more nuanced picture of the groups’ combination of personal rapport and emulous competition.

Described as 'the greatest viola player of all time' on his death, Lionel Tertis (1876-1975) had risen from humble beginnings in Spitalfields and was virtually self-taught on the instrument 'despised' by other string players. This biography charts his long career and celebrates his inspiration of a new generation of violists through his activities as teacher, arranger, editor and performer of music for the instrument, especially those works which his artistry inspired from composers such as Bax, Walton and Vaughan Williams.

Before his renowned work for the Hollywood studios, photographer Bob Willoughby (1927-2009) captured many images of performers on the Californian jazz scene of the 1950s, including such pivotal figures as Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee. A selection of these photographs, together with a second group showing jazz artists of the 1990s, is presented here in a lavish volume, with commentary by Willoughby himself and a foreword by Dave Brubeck. Slipcase and silk marker.

With his cycle of 'music dramas' Wagner created Western music's most ambitious work, but he remains controversial for the less pleasant aspects of his thinking, not least his anti-Semitism. In telling the story of the composer's life, Stephen Johnson sets out to show that 'what matters most about Wagner's work are the very aspects that make it greater than the man'. Part of Naxos' Life and Music series, this illustrated biography is accompanied by two audio CDs of recordings, presenting a representative selection of full movements from Wagner's works.

Lauded by Don Bradman as a literary genius, Neville Cardus (1888-1975) wrote about both music and cricket for the Manchester Guardian for more than half a century. In this memoir Robin Daniels, who compiled the acclaimed Conversations with Cardus, revisits his deep friendship with his fellow Lancastrian, quoting gems from his cricket writing and his assessments of great musicians such as Thomas Beecham and Kathleen Ferrier, as well as analysing the features that made his writing so genial and evocative.

John Tyrrell's extensive biography of Janacek marks the culmination of his life's work on the composer and benefits from his examination of thousands of unpublished documents preserved in Brno's Janacek archive. Volume I provides a chronological account of Janacek's first 60 years, interspersed with 40 contextual chapters on such topics as his illnesses and finances, his activities as teacher and music theorist, his arrangements of Moravian folk songs, his knowledge of opera and the political backdrop of Pan-Slavism.

Written to celebrate Frank Sinatra’s centenary in 2015, each of these 100 short essays focuses on a single facet of his life and legacy. There are reflections on the entertainer’s singing style, his love affairs with Hollywood co-stars and his association with presidents Kennedy and Reagan, as well as colourful anecdotes and analyses of Sinatra references in The Sopranos and the way his songs have been used in advertising. Felt-tip mark on lower trimmed edge. Large Print.

The popular image of Billie Holiday emphasizes the tragedy and notoriety of her life, her experiences of racism, drug addiction and abusive relationships, as much as the distinctive singing voice which conveyed such raw emotion. Drawing on recent academic work and a wealth of material rediscovered during the last decade, this centenary portrait ‘attempts to widen our sense of who Billie Holiday was’ by stripping away the accumulation of myths to reveal her strengths and insecurities, wit and warmth.

Complementing an Oscar-nominated documentary, this biography of Nina Simone (1933-2003) draws on previously unpublished material from her private diaries and the reflections of those who knew her best. It traces the legendary soul singer's struggles and successes, from her frustrated hopes of becoming a classical pianist to groundbreaking appearances at Carnegie Hall, her activities as a civil-rights activist and periodic visits to Africa in search of her 'secret self that is very black'.

Despite the central role of music in religion, academic theology has treated its sacred significance as a peripheral concern. In a provocative exploration of the connections between theology and music theory, Blackwell redresses this balance. Bringing together the perspectives of different Christian traditions, he uses the concept of 'sacramental potential' to show how these two interdependent 'realms of experience veiled in mystery' can work together in worship to place the essence of the divine in human minds.

Jim Marshall started photographing musicians in the 1950s, moving to New York in the 1960s,where he hung out with jazz, blues and folk artists, gaining the trust that he cites as the reason he has been able to capture such candid and revealing images over the years. This celebration of Marshall's work collects the best of his photographs, which are mostly from the 1960s and 1970s and feature such legends as Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.

From the 1950s to The xx's Crystalised in 2009, music journalist Richard Buskin has selected 68 hits and goes behind recording-studio doors to interview the artists, engineers and producers who created them. His lavishly illustrated survey reveals the stories and technical info behind such landmark recordings as the Ronettes' Be My Baby with Phil Spector's 'Wall of Sound', Every Breath You Take by The Police, and Nirvana's grunge anthem Smells Like Teen Spirit.

From the trombones and French horns of the symphony orchestra to double bell euphoniums, Wagner tubas and jazzaphon trumpets, there is a wide array of sizes, shapes and designs in the brass family. This practical manual sets out to explain why the different instruments are designed the way they are, how they work and how they should be maintained and repaired. The technical maintenance and repair section includes detailed easy-to-follow instructions with step-by-step photographs.

Before Abba launched their international career at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, all four group members were already stars in their own right in Sweden. Documenting their phenomenal subsequent career as well as their lives before and after the formation of the supergroup, and including the Mamma Mia musical, this authorized photo book contains more than 600 images of the band and contains the personal comments of Benny, Bjorn, Frida and Agnetha on many of the pictures.

The lyrics penned by Alan Jay Lerner (1918-1986) contributed to the success of some of Broadway's best-known shows, such as Brigadoon, Camelot and My Fair Lady. This collection of witty letters offers insights into his creative process and the highs and lows of a four-decade career, as he negotiates with a host of famous correspondents - composers (Leonard Bernstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber), producers (Herman Levin, Frederick Brisson) and stars of stage and screen (Katharine Hepburn, Dirk Bogarde).

Ranging from the medieval era (Hildegard von Bingen, John Dunstable) through Bach and Beethoven to the present day (Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre), this anthology comprises 129 pieces by composers working in the choral traditions of Europe and the Americas. As well as famous masterpieces, it features a variety of lesser-known scores to illustrate the full range of choral genres and styles. The music is presented in full score; an appendix supplies information about each work and English translations of texts.

John Byrne Cooke was already a musician and a film-maker when he became road manager for Janis Joplin's band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, in 1967. He remained with her and the later groups, Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie, until her death in 1970. Here he describes life and work with Joplin during the singer's brilliant and all-too-short career, from her triumph at the Monterey Pop Festival to the Landmark Hotel in LA, where she died.

Acclaimed as one of pop's most innovative producers, Tony Visconti (b.1944) has worked with such artists as David Bowie, Elaine Paige, T. Rex and The Moody Blues. From early experiences in 1960s London, through the personal and professional struggles of the 1980s to his continuing success today, Visconti's autobiography offers insights into his career, his recording and editing techniques and the relationship between producer and performer. Foreword by Morrissey.

Harry Webb has been a star since his appearance on the television show Oh Boy! in 1958 made him Britain's hottest rock 'n' roller, and every aspect of his life and career has been photographed since. This portfolio of images, spanning over 50 years, mixes publicity and on-stage shots with stills from his film career and private moments with friends, family and a host of other celebrities from Sue Barker to the Queen. Silk marker.

Famous models of electric guitar such as the Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul are not only icons of 20th century design but, for millions of musicians and music fans, powerful objects of desire. Focusing on the American manufacturers that have led the development of the instrument, this highly illustrated volume traces its evolution from the early Hawaiian prototypes of the 1930s to the classic models developed and refined from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Mark Bego's in-depth study of Aretha Franklin (b.1942) traces her life and career from singing in her father's church in the 1950s and recording her first album at the age of 14, to international respect as the 'Queen of Soul'. With a complete discography. Felt-tip mark on lower trimmed edge.

During more than 30 years of travel and research, Professor Tibbetts has interviewed a host of distinguished performers, biographers, critics and commentators who share his interest in the music of Schumann. In this book he brings together their insights concerning the composer's works, his circle of friends and his place in the history of romantic music. The accompanying CD features a discussion of Carnaval and performances by pianist Ronald Brautigam of the eight Noveletten.

With contributions from, among others, Greil Marcus and Billy Bragg, this book of essays and tributes covers the career of Joe Strummer as musician and cultural activist, from The Clash's success in the late 1970s, to the guitarist's death in 2002.

Entertaining and opinionated, Dylan Jones's survey of modern popular music comprises more than 350 entries, focusing on a personal selection of groups and solo artists and including anecdotes from many of his own experiences when interviewing the musicians. Other entries concern topics such as catwalk music, jazz-rock and rock'n'roll T shirts, reggae's greatest hits and the 75 best cover versions. American cut pages.

Philip Norman's in-depth study of the Rolling Stones' front man sifts through the myths and legends to tell the story of the Dartford grammar school boy who rose to international fame and infamy. Paying tribute to his judgement and intelligence, the biography explores how Jagger helped to invent the role of the modern rock star and how he has maintained his prestige and that of his band for 50 years.

This step-by-step course in modern technique and styles takes the budding electric guitarist from the basics to advanced solo techniques in blues, rock, metal, indie, country and funk. The practice material is presented in both tab and notation, while the examples and exercises (including scales, arpeggios and chords) are demonstrated on the accompanying 94-track CD. The book also features simple but effective pro tips and an illustrated history of the instrument.

Crime writer and Handel enthusiast Donna Leon presents a collection of twelve Handel arias that make reference to animals, from the lion (Qual leon che fere irato from Arianna in Crete) to a turtle dove (Fuor di periglio from Floridante). For each animal there is an illustration by Michael Sowa, the words of the aria in Italian and English and a short essay on its significance. The arias are performed on the accompanying audio CD, with Alan Curtis conducting Il Complesso Barocco.

This study of ethnic theatrical representation at a time when the portrayal of Jews was changing significantly provides new perspectives on the cultural milieu, compositional strategies and operatic legacy of Joseph Haydn.

In this series of interrelated studies, Hirsch traces the influence of the archetypal 'lost paradise myth' on the origins and development of the Lied. Analysing in depth both the poetic and musical components of individual Lieder by Romantic composers from Schubert to Wolf and Mahler, she sets the songs in their biographical and cultural contexts and explores how they convey nostalgia for three 'lost worlds': classical antiquity, childhood and folk song.

The 19 contributions to Britten's Century are by a range of performers, critics, biographers and colleagues of Britten. Analysing both his life and music, these stimulating essays and interviews cover subjects such as the work of the present-day Britten-Pears foundation, Dame Janet Baker's experiences performing under the composer's direction, pianist Roger Vignoles' insights into the five Canticles and Alan Bennett's reflections on his play about Britten and Auden.