Antonio Stradivari (1644—1737) was a perfectionist whosesingle-minded pursuit of excellence changed the world of music. Inthe course of his long career in the northern Italian city ofCremona, he created more than a thousand stringed instruments;approximately six hundred survive, their quality unequalled by anysubsequent violin-maker. In this fascinating book, Toby Fabertraces the rich, multilayered stories of six of these peerlesscreations–five violins and a cello–and the one towering artist whobrought them into being. Blending history, biography, meticulousdetective work, and an abiding passion for music, Faber takes usfrom the salons of Vienna to the concert halls of New York, andfrom the breakthroughs of Beethoven’s last quartets to the firstphonographic recordings. This magnificent narrative invites us toshare the life, the intrigue, and the incomparable beauty of theworld’s most marvelous stringed instruments.

Lucy Ladybug and her twins get stuck in a place with no way out. But Lucy prayed to God and He showd the ladybug family a safe way. Lucy Ladybug sang praises to God and the twins joined her with their own little ladybug dance. In Exodus 15: 19-21, children can read of Miriam's song of thanksgiving.

The intimate story of one of the great American bands of ourtime, creators of the controversial masterpiece "Yankee HotelFoxtrot" When alt-country heroes-turned-rock-iconoclasts Wilcohanded in their fourth album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," to the band'slabel, Reprise, a division of Warner Brothers, fans looked forwardto the release of another challenging, genre-bending departure fromtheir previous work. The band aimed to build on previous sales andcritical acclaim with its boldest and most ambitious album yet, butwas instead urged by skittish Reprise execs to make the record more"radio friendly." When Wilco wouldn't give, they found themselveswithout a label. Instead, they used the Internet to introduce thealbum to their fans, and eventually sold the record to Nonesuch,another division of Warner. Wilco was vindicated when the albumdebuted at No. 13 on the "Billboard" charts and posted the band'sstrongest sales to date. "Wilco: Learning How to Die" traces theband's story to its deepest origins in Southern Illino

The rigid, straight line is fundamentally alien to humanity,life and the whole of creation". Hundertwasser applied thisphilosophy not only to the famous Viennese buildings for which hewas renowned, but all the media and art-forms he has experimentedwith during his wild career. Whether it be painting, sculpture,performance art or designing a kindergarten, Hundertwasser's worksare multi-coloured, organic, and shot through with a sense of themagical or fantastic. However, Hundertwasser's art has alwayscontained a political shade. He has consistently rebelled againstrationalist or determinist ideas, promoted ecological awareness,and mantained a passionate belief in the anarchy of theimagination. In this retrospective, Pierre Restany covers all thebases of Hundertwasser's eclectic development as an artist, fromthe tenant revolt and nude lecture of the early 70s, through thehousing projects in Vienna, right up to his designs for analternative society.

The Slavonic March was published in 1880, the same year as two of Tchaikovsky's greatest and most frequently performed works — the powerful Symphony No. 4 and the delightful Capriccio Italien. This Russian warhorse more than holds its own in such attractive company, boasting numerous current recordings. Completed in 1880, the Slavonic March was composed the same year as two of Tchaikovsky's greatest and most frequently performed works--the powerful Symphony No. 4 and the delightful Capriccio Italien. This Russian warhorse more than holds its own in such attractive company, boasting numerous cur- rent recordings. Ideal for study in the classroom, at home, or in the concert hall, this affordable new miniature-score edition offers music lovers, performers, and students an opportunity to study Tchaikovsky's masterful orchestration of one of his best-known works.

Egon Schiele (1890-1918) - along with Oskar Kokoschka - is the painter who had the most long-lasting influence on the Vienna art scene after the great era of Klimt came to a close. After a short flirtation with Klimt's style, Schiele soon questioned the aesthetic orientation to the beautiful surface of the Viennese Art Nouveau with his rough and not easily accessible paintings. Many contemporaries found his expressive nudes and self-portraits, with their strange movements and morbid colours, to be ugly and even morally objectionable - criticism which culminated in criminalizing the painter as "obscene" and resulted in 1912 in an indictment and short jail sentence. However, not even his harshest critics could dispute however the artist's extraordinary drawing talent.

Inspired by a primitive way of life, Paul Gauguin came to reject the world of the Impressionists, leaving Parisian society in search of paradise. Explore the life of this 19th-century French artist through his astonishingly vibrant and exotic paintings. The DK ArtBook series presents both the life and works of each artist within the cultural, social, and political context of their time. To make the books easy to consult, they are divided into three areas -- the life and works of the artist, historical and cultural background, and analysis of major works -- which are identifiable by side bands. Each spread focuses on a specific theme, with an introductory text and several annotated illustrations. Few art history texts contain such abundance of full-color illustrations. The index section is also illustrated and gives background information on key figures and the location of the artist's works. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

In this compulsively readable, fascinating, and provocativeguide to classical music, Norman Lebrecht, one of the world's mostwidely read cultural commentators tells the story of the rise ofthe classical recording industry from Caruso's first notes to theheyday of Bernstein, Glenn Gould, Callas, and von Karajan. Lebrechtcompellingly demonstrates that classical recording has reached itsend point-but this is not simply an expos? of decline and fall. Itis, for the first time, the full story of a minor art form,analyzing the cultural revolution wrought by Schnabel, Toscanini,Callas, Rattle, the Three Tenors, and Charlotte Church. It is thestory of how stars were made and broken by the record business; howa war criminal conspired with a concentration-camp victim to createa record empire; and how advancing technology, boardroom wars,public credulity and unscrupulous exploitation shaped the musicalbackdrop to our modern lives. The book ends with a suitable shrineto classical recording: the author's critical selectio

Henri Matisse's adventures in color and light constitute a landmark in the history of modern art. From his apprenticeship in the studio of Gustave Moreau to the paper cutouts of the 1950's, the stages of his journey represent a triumph of artistic research and resolution. More than 300 reproductions grace this volume. The text provides a fascination survey of a complex life that crossed the paths of many legendary figures of the age.

"The Billboard Guide to Writing and Producing Songs that Sell"unveils the secrets to climbing the charts and reaching success intoday's ultracompetitive music industry. Eric Beall supplies hisfirsthand knowledge of today's record business, as well asinterviews with successful writers, producers, and executives fromthe worlds of pop, hip-hop, country, adult contemporary, and RandB.The result: a proven approach to constructing songs that opendoors, create careers, and communicate to listeners around theworld. Key areas explored include: -How does a song become ahit?-What makes a song a single?-Is there a formula for creating ahit? Fun and practical exercises provide opportunities to honeskills and expose specific talents, helping songwriters combinetheir unique voices to the demands of the commercial marketplace.Filled with fresh ideas that will spark beginners and veteransalike, this book will lead the way toward the industry's ultimatechallenge: the creation of that chart-topping hit song.

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The beloved poet-statesman's Pulitzer Prize-winning play whichoffers something for every reader. Based on the story of Job, thisdrama in verse tells the story of a twentieth-century Americanbanker and millionaire whom God commands be stripped of his familyand wealth, but who refuses to turn his back on God. J. B. won thePulitzer Prize for drama in 1959 and the Tony Award for best play.More important, the play sparked a national conversation about thenature of God, the meaning of hope, and the role of the artist insociety.

One name in the history of the 20th century art stands out over all others: Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). As painter, graphic artist and sculptor, he displayed an inventive enterprise and innovative bravado that always kept him one step ahead of his contemporaries. As one of them, the painter Max Ernst, ruefully put it: "No one can touch Picasso. He is genius incarnate." The works selected here cover Picasso's entire output, from the less familiar to key masterpieces such as "Guernica", from the Blue and Rose Periods early in his career through his cubist and classicist phases and the formal experiments of the Thirties to his later involvement with politics in art.

Few music lovers realize that the arrangement of notes ontoday’s pianos was once regarded as a crime against God and nature,or that such legendary thinkers as Pythagoras, Plato, da Vinci,Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, Newton and Rousseau played a role inthe controversy. Indeed, from the time of the Ancient Greeksthrough the eras of Renaissance scientists and Enlightenmentphilosophers, the relationship between the notes of the musicalscale was seen as a key to the very nature of the universe. In this engaging and accessible account, Stuart Isacoff leads usthrough the battles over that scale, placing them in the context ofquarrels in the worlds of art, philosophy, religion, politics andscience. The contentious adoption of the modern tuning system knownas equal temperament called into question beliefs that hadlasted nearly two millenia–and also made possible the music ofBeethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, and all who followed. Filledwith original insights, fascinating anecdotes, and portraits ofsome of th

Ranging from easy to intermediate level, these popular pieces display a wide variety of moods and musical ideas and are favorites with students and accomplished pianists alike. This affordable volume presents all 27 of the composer's bagatelles, including the well-loved "Für Elise," reprinted from authoritative editions.

The major composers from Bach and Bartok to Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky * Significant performers from Maurice Andre and Leornard Bernstein to Georg Solti and Yo Yo Ma * The landmark works from Appalachian Spring to Don Juan * A concise history of classical music * A deconstruction of the art form * The language of classical music * Valuable resources for the Curious Listener

"The Terracotta Dog" opens with a mysterious tete-a-tete with aMafioso, some inexplicably abandoned loot from a supermarket heist,and some dying words that lead Inspector Montalbano gives to asecret grotto in a mountain cave where two young lovers dead fiftyyears ago and still embracing are watched over by a life-sizeterracotta dog. Montalbano's passion to solve this old crime takeshim, heedless of personal danger, on a journey through the island'spast and into a family's dark heart amid the horrors of World WarII.Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Salvo Montalbano has garneredmillions of fans worldwide with his sardonic, engaging take onSicilian small-town life and his genius for deciphering the mostenigmatic of crimes. 'The novels of Andrea Camilleri breath out thesense of place, the sense of humour, and the sense of despair thatfill the air of Sicily. To read him is to be taken to thatglorious, tortured island' - Donna Leon. 'Both farcical andendearing, Montalbano is a cross between Columbo and Chandler'sPhilip

At last An A-to-Z reference guide for readers who want to learnthe cryptic language of Rock Snobs, those arcana-obsessed peoplewho speak of "Rickenbacker guitars" and "Gram Parsons." We've allbeen there--trapped in a conversation with smarty-pants musicfiends who natter on about "the MC5" or "Eno" or "the Hammond B3,"not wanting to let on that we haven't the slightest idea whatthey're talking about. Well, fret no more "The Rock Snob'sDictionary" is here to define "every single sacred totem "of rockfandom's know-it-all fraternity, from Alt.country to Zimmy. (That'swhat Rock Snobs call Bob Dylan, by the way.)

The old certainties of the Cold War have been swept away by the new tide of detente that has washed over the superpowers. But even if international superpower relations have changed, human nature has not altered very much. The new powder keg is the Middle East where this adventure story is set. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

《不朽的小提琴家》再现了历史上不朽小提琴家的魅力，简要而有趣地叙述其生活、个性与事业。作者就他们对作曲者、公众品味的影响以及演奏技巧的贡献等各个方面，讲述了这些小提琴家的特殊成就。 作者玛格丽特·坎贝尔参阅了大量的书信和私人文件，并且访问许多音乐家，很多人为《不朽的小提琴家》提供了从未发表过的回忆录和珍贵照片。 《不朽的小提琴家》是一本献给音乐会听众、唱片收藏者（有“唱片目录”）、弦乐演奏者和学生等所有爱好小提琴演奏艺术者的书。