An invaluable guide for both casual opera fans and afficionados,this volume contains act-by-act de*ions of operatic worksranging from the early seventeenth century masterworks ofMonteverdi and Purcell to the modern classics of Menotti andBritten. Written in a lively anecdotal style, entries includecharacter de*ions, historical background, and much more.

"A cat book with class, this sumptuously produced, highlyliterate collection of felinity as represented in art, literature,and photography is sure to elicit purrs, " raved Publishers Weeklywhen this BOMC Selection was published in 1982. Long out of print,this cat-lovers dream book is now reissued in paperback. 70full-color reproductions. --Ce texte fait référence à uneédition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

From its ancient status as the jewel of an empire to itsmodern incarnation as a troubled, yet culturally vibrant Europeancapital, Rome has compelled the imagination of artists for over twothousand years. Now, in "The History of Rome in Painting", that

Situated between Western Europe and the civilizations ofByzantium and the Islamic world, Renaissance Venice was uniquelypositioned at the crossroads of East and West. In the beautifulAdriatic city, ideas and aesthetics were exchanged and developed ina remarkable age of cultural fusion. Venice’s distinctivearchitecture is already well known for integrating divergentcultural influences, but the impact of this synthesis on Venetianpainting has not been fully explored. This gorgeous book focuses onthe work of the remarkable Bellini family of painters—Jacopo andhis sons Gentile and Giovanni—who transformed Venetianpainting in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The authors examine the influence of Venetian trade with the Easton Bellini paintings; the Byzantine influence on Venetian art; theimpact of a visit to Mehmed II’s court in 1479 on Gentile Bellini,as well as his effect on Eastern-trained artists there; and muchmore. The book is abundantly illustrated with the Bellini family’

The bible of the music biz--now fully revised with newcontacts, fee info, trends, tips. Want to know how to set pricesfor a gig? Want to be ahead of the curve on new trends in music?Want to have all the latest contact information on hundreds ofindustry pros? Have we got the book for you "The Musician'sHandbook," already the industry bible for working musicians, hasbeen thoroughly revised and updated with the answers to all thesequestions and more. New interviews with music-business leaders, newpricing and legal structures for the digital age, new how-to tipsfor independent and do-it-yourself musicians--it's all in here.Fees, royalties and advances, live performance, touring,merchandising, working with managers, lawyers, and agents, spottingnew opportunities--all these topics and many, many more are coveredin depth in this indispensable guide to becoming successful inmusic and in business.

In this compelling book, Robert Coles, the celebrated Harvardprofessor and Pulitzer Prize–winning author, turns his attention topopular music legend Bruce Springsteen, and to the powerful impactSpringsteen’s work has had both on the lives of his audience and onthis country’s literary tradition. Coles places Springsteen in thepantheon of American artists—Walt Whitman, William Carlos Williams,Dorothea Lange, and Walker Percy, among others—who understood andwere inspired by their “traveling companions in time,” the ordinarypeople of their eras. With wisdom and a unique personal perspective, Coles exploresSpringsteen’s words as contemporary American poetry, and offersfirsthand accounts of how people interact with them: A truckerlistens to “Blinded by the Light” during long, lonely nights andreminisces about his mother; a schoolteacher is astonished when ausually silent student offers a comparison between “Nebraska” andConrad’s Heart of Darkness; a policeman responds to “Am

Vintage presents the paperback edition of the wild andbrilliant writings of Lester Bangs--the most outrageous and popularrock critic of the 1970s--edited and with an introduction by thereigning dean of rack critics, Greil Marcus. Advertising in RollingStone and other major publications.

二胡作为我国优秀的民族乐器，其真正科学化、规范化的发展虽然只是近一百年内斩事，但由于历代作曲家和演奏家们的不懈努力，其发展速度却是惊人的，二胡曲目的积累不止成百上千首，其演春技巧更是令世人瞩目。西方曾把小提琴称为“乐器之后”，而现在已有人把二胡称为“ChineseViolin”，二胡当之无愧。她那富有物色的优美抒情的音色和辉煌耀眼的不亚于小提琴的演奏技巧已深深撼动人们的心灵，中外二胡爱好者已越来越多。 本书包括了自刘天华年代直到近几年来创作并公开发表的、为广大二胡爱好者喜爱却又散见于各种不同版本的优秀二胡独奏曲共44首，既有广泛的代表性，又较为集中地体现了二胡演奏的最高水平，省却了人们到处寻找曲谱的烦恼。可以说是较为实用的二胡曲谱资料库。

A Tribe Called Quest - Beastie Boys - De La Soul - Eric B. andRakim - The Fugees - KRS-One - Pete Rock and CL Smooth - PublicEnemy - The Roots - Run-DMC - Wu-Tang Clan - and twenty-five morehip-hop immortals It's a sad fact: hip-hop album liners have alwaysbeen reduced to a list of producer and sample credits, a publicityphoto or two, and some hastily composed shout-outs. That's a damnshame, because few outside the game know about the true creativeforces behind influential masterpieces like PE's It Takes a Nationof Millions. . ., De La's 3 Feet High and Rising, and Wu-Tang'sEnter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). A longtime scribe for the hip-hopnation, Brian Coleman fills this void, and delivers a thrilling,knockout oral history of the albums that define this dynamic andiconoclastic art form. The format: One chapter, one artist, onealbum, blow-by-blow and track-by-track, delivered straight from theoriginal sources. Performers, producers, DJs, and b-boys-includingBig Daddy Kane, Muggs and B-Real, Biz Markie, RZA, I

From acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes Warner Bros.Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' epic sci-fi action adventurePacific Rim. When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, startedrising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of livesand consume humanity's resources for years. To combat the giantKaiju, a special weapon was devised: massive robots, calledJaegers, which are piloted by an international crew of soldiers inthe Pan Pacific Defense Corps. But even the Jaegers are provingnearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On theverge of defeat, two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot andan untested trainee—team up to pilot a legendary but seeminglyobsolete Jaeger on a mission to halt the mounting apocalypse. Pacific Rim: Man, Machines Monsters chronicles theproduction of the film with stunning concept art, captivatingphotography, and cast and crew de*ions of the shoot.

Preserved by Arabic mathematicians and canonized by Christianscholars, Aristotle’s works have shaped Western thought, science,and religion for nearly two thousand years. Richard McKeon’s TheBasic Works of Aristotle –constituted out of the definitiveOxford translation and in print as a Random House hardcover forsixty years–has long been considered the best available one-volumeAristotle. Appearing in paperback at long last, this editionincludes selections from the Organon, On the Heavens, The ShortPhysical Treatises, Rhetoric, among others, and On the Soul, OnGeneration and Corruption, Physics, Metaphysics, NicomacheanEthics, Politics, and Poetics in their entirety.

What do you getwhen you cross a snail with the Indianapolis 500? If you’reDreamWorks, then the result is Turbo, an uplifting—andgear-shifting—story about the ultimate underdog, delivered with thedigital mastery, storytelling skill, and spellbinding imagery we’vecome to expect from the studio behind the Shrek and Madagascar.

An answered prayer for Beatles fans and collectors, the first?volume of a unique work that exhaustively chronicles all known and?available Beatles recordings! Have you ever watched a Beatles film clip andwondered: ? Where was that filmed? ? Is any more of that footage available? Have you ever heard a Beatles interview andasked: ? When was that taped? ? Where’s the best place to find the completerecording? Way Beyond Compare has the answers to these andthousands of similar questions. It’s the key to unlocking thesecrets behind every known Beatles recording in circulation through1965, telling you where to find them, what makes them unique, andhow they fit within the context of the Beatles’ amazing musical andcultural journey.

Breaking up is hard to do - and when a relationship turnssour, nothing provides more comfort than the cheesy pop hits of the'70s and '80s. Just as Quirk's I Can't Fight This Feeling was ananthology of classic love poetry, You Give Love a Bad Name featurespoetic writings on breaking up - and moving on - from The Bee Gees,Michael Bolton, Pat Benatar, Hall and Oates, and many others.Packaged in an elegant hardcover volume with a deluxe ribbonmarker, it's the perfect gift for anyone seeking to mend a brokenheart. Includes these timeless classics: - Is She Really Going Out with Him? - Joe Jackson - She's Gone - Hall and Oates - Cold Hearted - Paula Abdul - Alone - Heart - Goodbye to You - Scandal

Piano Lessons is Noah Adams's delightful and movingchronicle of his fifty-second year--a year already filled withlong, fast workdays and too little spare time--as he answers atlast a lifelong call: to learn to play the piano. The twelvemonthly chapters span from January--when after decades of growingaffection for keyboard artists and artisans he finally plunges inand buys a piano--through December, when as a surprise Christmaspresent for his wife he dresses in a tuxedo and, in flickeringcandlelight, snow falling outside the windows, he attempts theirfavorite piece of music, a difficult third-year composition he'sbeen struggling with in secret to get to this very moment. Among the up-tempo triumphs and unexpected setbacks, Noah Adamsinterweaves the rich history and folklore that surround the piano.And along the way, set between the ragtime rhythms andboogie-woogie beats, there are encounters with--and insightsfrom--masters of the keyboard, from Glenn Gould and Leon Fleisher("I was a bit embarrassed," he wr

A huge gathering of the finest American and British song lyricsfrom 1910 to 1975. Robert Kimball, editor of the complete lyrics ofCole Porter, Ira Gershwin, Lorenz Hart and next year's IrvingBerlin, and Robert Gottlieb, editor of the recent Reading Jazz,have collaborated to choose the 800 or more most distinguishedlyrics of the century, from early P.G. Wodehouse and the IrvingBerlin of Alexander's Ragtime Band through the greats of Broadwayand Hollywood -- Gershwin, Hart, Porter, Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein,Yip Harbourg, Dorothy Fields, Frank Loesser, Noel Coward -- to theearly triumphs of Stephen Sondheim. Plus many writers who arebarely remembered today -- Don Raye ("Mr. Five by Five", "I'llRemember April"), Bobby Troup ("Route 66", "Daddy") -- withsurprises like Ogden Nash, Maxwell Anderson, Dorothy Parker, andTruman Capote. Over 100 lyricists in all, each one introduced witha brief biography and commentary, and presented chronologically, sothat this big volume not only presents the core of an entireliterat

These free-wheeling, often exhilarating dialogues—which grewout of the acclaimed Carnegie Hall Talks—are an exchange betweentwo of the most prominent figures in contemporary culture: DanielBarenboim, internationally renowned conductor and pianist, andEdward W. Said, eminent literary critic and impassioned commentatoron the Middle East. Barenboim is an Argentinian-Israeli and Said aPalestinian-American; they are also close friends. As they range across music, literature, and society, they openup many fields of inquiry: the importance of a sense of place;music as a defiance of silence; the legacies of artists from Mozartand Beethoven to Dickens and Adorno; Wagner’s anti-Semitism; andthe need for “artistic solutions” to the predicament of the MiddleEast—something they both witnessed when they brought young Arab andIsraeli musicians together. Erudite, intimate, thoughtful andspontaneous, Parallels and Paradoxes is a virtuosiccollaboration.

The bumpin' book for hip-hop disciples (a.k.a. fiends),songwriters, all other writers, pop culture fans, linguists, andparents who are just trying to figure out what their kids aresaying. The inventive sounds of hip-hop (which became America'snumber two music genre in 2001, outselling country) have echoed farfrom their Bronx beginnings of twenty years ago. Making its wayfrom Compton sidewalks to suburban malls, garnering commentary from"The Wall Street Journal "alongside "Vibe," hip-hop by definitiondelivers its messages in the most creative language possible.Celebrating hip-hop's boon to the realm of self-expression, "HipHoptionary"(TM)" "translates dozens of phrases like "marinating inthe rizzi with your road dawg" (relaxing in your car with yourfriend), including: - Big bodies: SUVs or luxury vehicles-Government handle: registered birth name- 411: the latest scoop orinformation- Bling-bling: diamonds, big money, flash and cash-Brick City: Newark, New Jersey- 1812: war, fight (as in War of1812) In ad

Asian Resorts is conceived to be the most comprehensivecollection on Asian resorts. Written and shot by the region'sbest known Asian architecture specialist, TanHock Beng, who has already put together five books on the designand aesthetics of tropical architecture, Asian Resorts promises toshow its readers the biggest variety of Asian resorts that no otherbook has ever shown. With its beautifully' shot images and relevantinformation, this book will certainly serve and entertain youbeyond just the coffee table. In fact, it is a must-have for everyarchitectural office and every home.