Anthony Burton’s 20,000-word essay surveys a millennium of British music, illustrating its distinctive features through the pieces assembled on the accompanying pair of CDs. These 47 tracks range from an anonymous motet honouring St Thomas of Canterbury (c.1300), via such composers as Boyce, Bax and Britten, to Colin Matthews’ Pluto, the Renewer, written in 2000 to complement Holst’s The Planets. 2 CDs 2hrs 37mins.

Christopher Purves, baritone; Simon Lindley, organ; Huddersfield Choral Society; Leeds Philharmonic Chorus; English Northern Philharmonia; Paul Daniel.

Felicity Lott, soprano; Martyn Hill, tenor; Craig Ogden, guitar; Graham Johnson, piano.

Madeleine Mitchell, violin; Howard Blake, piano; Jack Rothstein, violin; Kenneth Essex, viola; Peter Wilson, cello.

Raphael Wallfisch, cello; Raphael Terroni, piano.

Karina Gauvin, soprano: Matthew Larkin, organ; Choir of St. John's, Elora, Canada; Noel Edison.

Focusing on string players whose performances have been captured on disc, this guide sets acclaimed soloists of today, such as violinist Joshua Bell and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, alongside great performers of the past; each entry includes an appraisal of the player’s style and their recorded legacy. The book comes with four CDs, featuring tracks by 69 artists, which illustrate how string playing and recorded sound developed across the past century.

More than 300 of the 20th century’s greatest conductors are profiled in this alphabetical guide, with brief biographies complemented by lists of each musician’s most significant performances on disc. The accompanying CDs present more than five hours of remastered excerpts from historic recordings by 48 conductors, ranging from Arthur Nikisch’s pioneering 1913 account of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony to Guido Cantelli’s 1954 recording of Debussy’s La Mer.

This compact guide is an informative resource for everyone seeking to discover more about opera. An introduction charting the development of the genre from 1600 to the present is followed by an alphabetical guide to the characters, plots and theatrical history of hundreds of operas from Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppaea to John Adams’s Nixon in China, composer biographies and a glossary of operatic terms. This expanded second edition includes two CDs and access to 130 tracks online.

Written in 1871 for the opening of the Cairo opera house, Verdi’s majestic opera dramatizes the forbidden love between Radames, an Egyptian general, and Aida, an Ethiopian slave. Maria Dragoni and Kristjan Johannsson excel as the doomed lovers, while the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland delivers the famous triumphal march with power and panache.

Set in 19th-century Paris, La Bohème centres on the love of the poet Rodolfo and the consumptive seamstress Mimi. With Jonathan Welch and Luba Orgonasova in the lead roles, powerfully supported by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, this magnificent recording captures all the tragedy and tenderness of Puccini’s much-loved opera.

Pestover/Meyer Piano Duo.

Sir Thomas Allen, baritone; Ty Jackson, boy soprano;, John Tessier, tenor; Nashville Symphony Chorus; Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin

Ida Bieler, violin; Nina Tichman, piano.

John Corigliano: The Red Violin Caprices, Sonata for Violin and Piano.Virgil Thomson: Three Portraits, Five Ladies, Eight Portraits - . Philippe Quint, violin; William Wolfram, piano.

Orion Weiss, piano; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. JoAnn Falletta.

Music for Clarinet and Strings arranged by Frank Villard.Porgy and Bess Suite, Piano Concerto in F major (excerpt). An American In Paris (excerpt) and Three Preludes.

Martin Outram, viola; Laurence Jackson, Violin; Julian Rolton, piano.

Roberto Cappello, piano: Corale Luca Marenzio; Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma: Francesco La Vecchia

Alexander von Zemlinsky; Lyric Symphony; Alban Berg's Three Pieces from the Lyric Suite arranged for string orchestra. Roman Trekel, baritone. Twyla Robinson, soprano, Houston Symphony, Hans Graf.

CSR Symphony, Polish State Philharmonic and CSSR State Philharmonic orchestras.

Carl Herrin, guitar,

Cello Concerto and Concerto-Rhapsody. Dimitry Yablonsky, Cello, Moscow City Symphony Orchestra. Recorded by Russian State TV and Radio Company, Moscow 2007.

‘A blazingly musical city... Glasgow became a UNESCO City of Music in 2008 thanks to the countless kinds of music that coexist on these streets.’ This volume reflects the diversity of the city and its sounds in 21 richly illustrated essays on the music, history and life of 20 different venues, from the Cathedral to King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, by way of pubs, recording studios, concert halls, ballrooms, the College of Piping and the legendary Apollo.

Jerusalem, God of our fathers, Let us with a gladsome mind: many of our best-loved hymns are based on the words of famous British poets such as Cowper, Dryden, Kipling and Blake (whom Sir John Betjeman calls ‘our greatest religious poet’). This colourfully illustrated anthology presents the texts of 65 hymns and seven carols, with an appendix highlighting where these familiar versions differ from the original poems. Based on Hymns as Poetry (1980).

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. Felt-tip mark on lower trimmed edge.