Treatise on Instrumentation

Book Description

The most influential work of its kind ever written, appraising the musical qualities and potential of over 60 commonly used stringed, wind and percussion instruments. Includes 150 full-score musical examples from works by Berlioz, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner and others. Complete with Berlioz' chapters on the orchestra and on conducting. Foreword by Richard Strauss. Glossary.

Customer Reviews:

A true classic.......2007-05-17

The revision by R. Strauss added a lot of technical in-depth, that today remains current.

Strauss's additions are worth the price alone.......2004-06-21

Two of the best orchestrators of all time contributed to this book regarding orchestration and the mechanics of various instruments. With examples from many scores included in alsmost every section (especially Wagner, who Strauss admired highly), this tome is invaluable. Throughout the book limitations, advantages, and effects achievable by a broad range of instruments are discussed in detail with good examples included for each section.

I highly recommend the Treatise on Instrumentation. It is worth the price just to get to hear the personal opinions and thoughts of two master composers.

The Book. By the man who "wrote the book.".......2003-12-17

Two hundred years ago this week, Louis-Hector Berlioz was born. This, then, is a time for me to comment on a few of his works, some of them "favorites by acclamation" and others simply those in which I find special merit.

When Berlioz died, in April, 1869, an obituary in the Musical Times read, in part, "...there can be little doubt that he will be remembered by his able and acute contributions to musical criticism than by any of the compositions with which he hoped to revolutionize the world."

These words by the Musical Times were addressed to Berlioz's feuilletons (musical criticisms in a largely satirical style). Berlioz captured many of his best feuilletons in his anthology Soirées de l'Orchestre ("Evenings in the Orchestra"), and his trenchant wit is also evident in his Memoirs.

But Berlioz did leave behind one work for which musical education for generations of composers to come had been the purpose: his "Treatise on Instrumentation," or, if one likes, "the art of writing for musical instruments of the orchestra to achieve maximum effect." The Treatise was the very first serious effort to fully describe these matters of instrumentation and orchestration, instrument-by-instrument and orchestral-choir-by-orchestral-choir. Paraphrasing a portion of a recent Berlioz Bicentennial article by none less than Norman Lebrecht, the Treatise was closely studied by Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss (who themselves were masterly orchestrators), Modest Mussorgsky had died with a copy of the Treatise on his bed, and, as a result of wildly successful concerts led by Berlioz in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov was motivated to write his own equivalent, "Principles of Orchestration," which would serve as a model for his Russian school of composers.

In point of fact, the revolutionary uses to which Berlioz put orchestral instruments in his compositions cannot be gainsayed, and his compositions, as well has the Treatise, served to redefine orchestral possibilities - and serve as a learning tool for subsequent composers - for the remainder of the 19th century and well into the 20th century. He was an inveterate "tinkerer," in terms of constantly assessing and writing for newly-invented instruments of his era, and, as well, he "borrowed" instruments freely from military bands of his time, to create orchestral "sound worlds" that were new and novel.

As the Treatise demonstrates, Berlioz was no mere dilletante, experimenting in willy-nilly ways, but was in fact thoroughly "grounded" in his understanding of such basic principles as acoustics and the creation of sound. In its original French form (virtually all of which, in translation, survives in this revised edition), the Treatise clearly set out all of these principles, applied to the instruments of his time by means of examples drawn from a wide range of musical compositions, and the French-language original seemed not to have been a problem for all the German, Russian, Italian, English and what-have-you composers who learned from it.

A half-century later, in 1904, Richard Strauss was requested to review and "revise and update" the Treatise by the publisher. It is in this form, with emendations by Strauss and translated ably into English, that the Treatise currently exists. Needless to say, familiarity with musical notation is important if one is to fully appreciate the value of the Treatise. But the narrative, including descriptions-in-words of musical examples of individual instruments and instruments used in various combinations, is clear enough that even those not knowledgeable in musical notation can bypass the notated examples and simply read the narrative with benefit. Berlioz was an exceedingly gifted writer, blessed with clarity in all that he wrote.

Strauss's emendations are rather clearly set out separately from Berlioz's original effort, so that the two do not get confused. By and large, Strauss doesn't trample too much on Berlioz's efforts, but deals with instruments not available to Berlioz, with many of his own examples drawn from the works of Richard Wagner. But Strauss's comparative measures of - and prejudices regarding - Berlioz and Wagner as composers are quite well established in his own separate Foreword.

The most recent instrument invention included in Strauss's emendations is the heckelphone (baritone oboe), which invention Strauss commissioned Wilhelm Heckel for Strauss's use in his "Symphonia Domestica." Obviously, then, the Treatise is not the reference to which to turn for descriptions and applications of instruments that are of 20th century invention, nor, for that matter, instruments in use elsewhere than in Europe that subsequently found application in 20th century "Western" music (such as the Indonesian gamelan).

A side benefit of the Treatise is in its historical value as a repository of capabilities, sonorities, techniques and usages of instruments long deemed obsolete, but in current use during Berlioz's careers as composer and conductor. Where else can one find such a wealth of detail on instrumental esoterica and arcana like the ophicleide, bombardon and serpent (all forerunners of the tuba), as well as various instruments invented by the highly-creative Adophe Sax, inventor of the saxophone but also the various saxhorns, saxtrombas and saxtubas now obsolete? In fact, I could find only one oversight on Berlioz's part, that of the sarrusophone, invented by Auguste Sarrus, a contemporary "competitor" to Adophe Sax.

It's a small oversight. Unless, of course, one takes a personal interest in the sarrusophone and its musical possibilities. I happen to, but that's just me.

Anyone interested in the course of musical instrument usage and history should have this inexpensive Treatise in his or her library. If you can't read the musical notation and examples, you'll nonetheless come away with an excellent understanding of Berlioz's contributions to the field.

Bon anniversaire, M. Berlioz!

Bob Zeidler

Quite possibly the best book on music ever written!.......2000-04-02

Every time I open up this book I find something completly new and exciting. I have never seen an author(s) so enthusiastic about every instrument. Every instrument of the day (keep in mind that it was written in the 1840's and later revised in c. 1900) gets special attention with music examples from great composers like the authors and Wagner. Each musical selection is shown in its full score so that the reader/listener can get a better image of what their reading about or hearing (the only way one can understand some of these examples is to go out and listen to these examples otherwise their just notes on a page). Quite possibly my favorite section is the one where Berlioz describes his "perfect" orchestra. It is one so massive that it sends chills down my spine! A must have for any music library.

Tone Poems in Full Score, Series 2: Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche, also Sprach Zarathustra and Ein Heldenleben

Average customer rating:

Perfect dover edition
Three Great Tone Poems
Just as great as Tone Poems Series I
Excellent again

Tone Poems in Full Score, Series 2: Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche, also Sprach Zarathustra and Ein Heldenleben
Richard Strauss
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486237559

Book Description

Three important orchestral works, including very popular Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, reproduced in full score from original editions. This volume and its companion volume make available for the first time in convenient, inexpensive editions all the important Strauss tone poems. Study score.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect dover edition.......2003-11-14

I should firstly state that i am merely a 20 year old autodidact "musician", or better said "music-logyst", since i don't master any instrument. my wisdom is only intuitive.

- REGARDING THE EDITION: dover edition is perfect, flawless.
- ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA: I believe it the best in the lot, although i do not enjoy it all. Straus intention was an homenage to Nietzshe's genius, an homenage he achieved only in: "of the backworldsmen", which i believe is the culmination, the highest piece of that kind of harmony wagner introduced in his "tristan und isolde" prelude.It starts with the "crescendo" of the cellos and violins creating a melodic armony, an aparent armony; and as the crescendo goes on and on the melodic-armony begins to be in danger by it, and so is evident to the spectator that if the crescendo continues, at some point, necessarily, the armony will blow up, vanish. The maximum of the string crescendo is power-full.
Reading clearly the symbols of music gives you the aptitude of recreating it, and this dover editions should become classics of shining representation.

Three Great Tone Poems.......2003-08-12

Richard Strauss was in many ways the epitome of the late romatic composer, and perhaps the only true musical descendant of Richard Wagner. His tone poems, like any great piece of music, are like a whole seperate world.

The tone poems in this volume are three of his most popular. The escapades of Til Eulenspiegel, the familiar opening of Also Sprach Zarathustra (and the less familiar final bars that can't make up their mind what key to close in), and the 'heroic' Ein Heldenleben reveal Strauss at his most complex, lyrical, bombastic and egotistical. True masterworks worth repeated hearings.

The complexity of these scores is astounding. But with a little patience and experience, following along with the score can reveal many inner beauties of this music that is well worth the effort.

No complaints with Dover's edition. Large format, clearly printed, and economical. How does Dover do it? Recommended!

Just as great as Tone Poems Series I.......2001-12-08

Another superb score from Dover. It's large (9 3/8 x 12 1/4), lays easily on a stand or table, very readable, durable, and generally free of errors (notation-wise, it's perfect).

Excellent again.......2000-06-17

Richard Strauss' tone poems for orchestra are among the finest pieces of the music History, and we have to thank Dover Pubs. for reprinting and putting together all the music in this inexpensive edition. All the tone poems are impressive demostrations of orchestral force and virtuosism (specially Zarathustra), and with this book you can fully appreciate the genius of the author. The layout is very clear and easy readable, which is excellent to follow the music and enjoy it completely. At this price, it is a must for anyone willing to study the pieces or just to have a good time with Strauss' music. Definitely recommended, as well as the other volume (Series I).

Book of 101 Books, The: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century

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Fantastic
The photographer's photography book
Good reference, but not comprehensive
Books as art.
A Perfect Book

Book of 101 Books, The: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century
Vince Aletti , Richard Benson , May Castleberry , Jeffrey Fraenkel , and Daido Moriyama
Manufacturer: Roth Horowitz, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0967077443
Release Date: 2001-08-02

Book Description

The history of the photographic book goes back well more than a century; the medium of photography and the book format were understood very early on to relate to each other on both technical and aesthetic levels. The examples of truly great combinations of photographic image and text, great design and typography bound together as books are numerous, and make up an impressive artistic, social, and documentary statement of the 20th century. Writer and rare book expert Andrew Roth has selected for this volume a group of 101 of the best photography books ever published: books that bring all of the elements of great bookmaking together to create, ultimately, a thing of beauty, a work of art. Mostly made up of publications in which the photographs were meant to be seen in book form, as opposed to the book being merely a repository of images, this list includes many artists and titles that will be familiar to the collector, but also not a few surprises. Chronologically, the first book is Volume One of Edward Curtis's seminal 1907 The North American Indian, the last is David LaChapelle's LaChapelle Land from 1996, and in between are books by Walker Evans and Berenice Abbott, Atget and Brassai, Robert Frank and Garry Winogrand, and many other seminal photographers from all over the world. Each book in the catalogue receives a double page spread including publication information, several image spreads, and a short text about it. The Book of 101 Books, however, is far more than simply an annotated and illustrated catalogue. Six important new essays on a variety of related topics from respected scholars, critics, and artists are included as well: here you will find Richard Benson on the history of printing techniques, Shelley Rice on the societal significance of photography books, May Castleberry on reprints, exhibitions, and keeping books alive for the public; Daido Moriyama on his personal memories of making his classic Bye Bye Photography, Dear, Neville Wakefield on the particular attributes of one of the most recent books in this group: Richard Princeis 1995 Adult Comedy Action Drama, and Jeffrey Fraenkel on the myriad perils of publishing photography books. The catalogue entries themselves are written by the well known critics Vince Aletti and David Levi Strauss. Taken together, the depth and beauty of these essays and images makes The Book of 101 Books both an essential reference and an aesthetically compelling object. In order to insure safe delivery for this item we can only ship Federal Express 3rd Day. An additional charge of $25.00 will be added to your purchase.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-03-10

There many good books about the history of photography, there some excellent books about the history of photography and there are a few fantastic books about the history of photography--this is one of the fantastic books. Well written, expertly designed and beautifully printed. This book is a classic.

The photographer's photography book.......2002-10-03

Now this is something special! As a publication designer I can appreciate the care and thought that went into this stunning and unique book. Andrew Roth, in the introduction, explains his brilliant idea, 'The basis for my selection was simple. Foremost, a book had to be a thoroughly considered production; the content, the mise-en-page, choice of paper stock, reproduction quality, text, typeface, binding, jacket design, scale - all of the elements had to blend together to fit naturally within the whole'. I would agree with all of that (I have eight of the 101) and also his selection of the photographic books which mostly exemplify what he was searching for.

Not all of these criteria apply to each book though. The author has wisely included all the covers to his selection and I don't think there is a single book jacket shown that I would class as excellence in design, that is, the title and image working together as one to sum up the contents for a potential purchaser. Mostly they are the usual publishers' marketing department output, a single photo or image with some (bland) typography added. Strangely the cover to 'The Book Of 101 Books' is rather dull and typographically conservative.

Another area where, I think, many of the books fall short of the author's criteria is the lack of captioning. Many of the reproduced spreads clearly just have the photos on the page with no information for the reader. Why do publishers (and possibly even the photographers) think that beautiful, imaginative and stimulating photos don't need some textual explanation on the same page? I recently bought 'Dream Street' by Eugene Smith, an excellent collection of photos taken in 1955 of life in Pittsburgh, virtually all of the photos make me ask "What's going on here" and I have to constantly turn to the back of the book to read a caption, even more annoying because there is plenty of space on each page for them. This lack of a caption on the same page as the photo seems a common fault with many photographic books.

The author says his goal was not to compile a selection of rare or precious books, just great ones and the 101 chosen reflect that vision, starting in 1907, with the twenty volume 'The North American Indian' and ending in 1996 with David LaChapelle's 'LaChapelle Land', these two books are a world apart but nevertheless have elements in common that the author was searching for. The other ninety-nine books show the amazing diversity that a photographer's eye, light and chemicals can do to the world. As well as the spreads from the books there are six essays dealing with photographic book publishing, all of them interesting and thought provoking, Richard Benson (no relation) writes a very succinct explanation of book printing techniques over the last hundred years.

Handling this sumptuous book, turning over the pages of the beautiful paper it is printed on, looking at the images (printed with a screen well over two hundred dots to the inch) it is a good example of why books will not vanish in this expanding digital age.

BTW, another reviewer has commented that 'The Book Of 101 Books' is one of the best designed books of recent years, beautiful as it is I don't think I would go that far and I'll not be adding it to my Listmania 'Ten of my favorite well-designed books'. Editorially I think there are a couple of errors, firstly, in the bibliographic details there is no mention of a books pagination, and secondly, all the text about a book is in one paragraph, clearly a mistake when some of the pieces are several hundred words long. I also think the layouts have an annoying fault, each of the 101 books starts on a spread and the left-hand page displays the books cover within a text wrap of two columns, this second column frequently looks a line short because the writer's initials are ranged right on the last line instead of occupying a new line or even hanging them in the margin, in bold face, for instance.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Good reference, but not comprehensive.......2002-05-25

This book is undoubtedly a good reference, but you should not consider it a comprehensive one.

With a decidedly American slant, the book ignores the rich photography cultures of Japan, Russian constructivists and even of Europeans after 1945. Even on the topics which the book does cover, there are a few glaring ommissions. But I'm still glad to see this book come out and the author certainly makes no claims that the books list is a comprehensive one, just a seminal one.

Books as art........2002-01-24

The amount of impact a single photo can have is well known. What hasn't been as clearly shown before is how much power collections of photographs can (and have) had. The gathering together of photographs related by theme or time or geography or other subject makes an artistic statement of its own. You have to love books as much as photographs, and be open to the idea that the making of books is an art form, to love this book.

A Perfect Book.......2002-01-12

This is an extraordinary book, both for its content and design. The book provides a wonderful view of 20th-century photography and photographic books, reproducing several double-page spreads (at reduced size) from a well-chosen list of 101 great photographic books. There is so much to see and think about here.

The catalog entries, luminously written by Vince Aletti and David Levi Strauss, provide a fairly detailed description, history, and analysis of each of the photographic books. And there are several essays on the history and techniques of photographic publishing; these essays are informative, smart, learned.

This is one of the best-designed books in recent years. The typography, layout, and printing quality are just perfect, at the very highest level of excellence. Andrew Roth and Jerry Kelly did the book design; Sue Medlicott supervised the printing which was done superbly at the Stamperia Valdonega.

Book Description

Inexpensive edition reprinted directly from original Fürstner (1911) edition of vocal score. Verbal text, vocal line and piano "reduction."

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding in all regards for all Rosenkavalier lovers and musicians generally!.......2007-03-07

Not only is this edition a cheap one: it also has the stamp of authenticity associated with it by being the definitive one issued around the time of its première by Strauss's main publisher, Adolf Fürstner of Berlin, and approved personally by the composer himself. [That original edition is a rare, limited and numbered one - the reprinted copy bears the number 36 in fact.] Barring a very few potential little things, there's every reason to believe it as the authentic edition, so how can one go wrong with it?

This is particularly so given the reproduction size, which allows one not only to easily follow it in one's lap while listening in an armchair (not to mention at a table!); it's easy to conduct therefrom (unless one's visually impaired). Others have written already about its virtues; I can only underscore what's already posted here. A score most certainly deserving to be in every musician's library (and every Rosenkavalier-fan, even if he's not the most fluent in reading music)!

Der Rosenkavalier Vocal Score.......2007-02-19

Just what I wanted. The Dover scores are excellent and at a very good price.

A Boon for Strauss Singers.......2000-07-17

At last, a Rosenkavelier piano/vocal score that's not only affordable, but a real bargain. This score is a reprint of the Furstner piano reduction that costs three to four times less than the original. Like the full score, this piano/vocal reduction was first edited by Strauss' friend and publisher, Adolf Furstner, in the early 20th century. The score has no English translation, but that's no real problem. The volume is well made, as always, and is easy to read. No Opera singer's library is complete without a copy of the piano/vocal score to Der Rosenkavelier. Now, this is the one to buy.

Strauss' most Popular.......2000-07-17

Der Rosenkavelier represented a new type of music drama for Richard Strauss. Prior to this time, his operas were quite hard edged: Salome, the story of a young woman whose erotic dancing skills cost John the Baptist his head, and Elektra, the story of a young woman who avenges her father's murder on her mother and her mother's lover. Der Rosenkavelier is, by contrast, rather tranquil. It tells the story of an older woman who, despite her love for a young man (played by a young woman), assists that young man in winning the love of a young woman. It's drama is small, Chekhovian even, and comparisons have often been made to Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. Dover reprinted a numbered copy, number 36 to be precise, of a limited first printing edited and published in 1910 by Strauss' publisher and friend, Adolf Furstner. This volume is, perhaps, the best buy among all Dover's opera scores, especially for Strauss lovers. This volume contains an English translation of all frontismatter and a glossary of German musical terms. The score is large and legible enough to conduct from, and the rehearsal markers correspond with those of the parts. And, as always, the price is a baseline bargain. If you love this opera, buy this score.

Excellent full size score of this popular opera.......2000-05-13

This publisher offers full orchestral scores of several of Strauss' operas in full size for moderate prices, because they are copies from old editions.
The printing of this score of Der Rosenkavalier, certainly his most popular opera, is excellent, the edition is reliable.
Meanwhile there may be one or two other cheap editions of this score, but not at this size.

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All About Almodovar
Everything You Wanted to Know about Almodovar
The Greatest Book To Get to Know Almodóvar!

Almodovar on Almodovar
Frederic Strauss
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0571231926
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Book Description

Pedro Almodóvar’s films—such as Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, All About My Mother, and Talk to Her, to name a few—are colorful and deeply felt celebrations of life and love. The influence of these works, which have been feted around the world, has been immense, and Almodóvar on Almodóvar tells the personal story of the man and his wonderfully vivid and outrageous vision.

Almodóvar came of age during an austere time in rural Spain: the 1950s, the age of the Cold War, of mambo, of Balenciaga, of the Korean War, of the Hungarian Revolution, of the death of Stalin. But none of these events bore any impact on his village. In response, Almodóvar proceeded to carve for himself a unique niche in contemporary cinema with films bursting with vibrant energy and vivid, primary colors—each frame saturated with passions, releasing a pure, visual, visceral emotion. In these frank and passionate conversations, Almodóvar discusses his astonishing life and career with a humor that is distinctly his own.

Customer Reviews:

All About Almodovar.......2000-11-20

Known throughout the world for his unique directorial style and his often absurd characters, Spanish director Pedro Almodovar talks about his films, plots, actors, and other interesting facts that many of his fans knew little about. The book, which is part of series that spotlights many of the world's talented film directors, features Almodovar speaking about many of his films up from "Pepi, Luci, and Bom" to "The Flower of My Secret."

Providing interesting views, facts, and insight on many of his films and actors, there is no one who knows more about Almodovar than the man himself. His discussions are usually very open, especially when discussing several incidents that were high publicized in the European press, mainly his falling out with his most famous actress, Carmen Maura, after the completion of his masterpiece "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." Their professional divorce left Almodovar without a dependable leading lady (feature lead actresses Victoria Abril and Marisa Paredes never could capture Maura's persona) and it marked Maura's somewhat decline in Spanish film (she later went on to do several unsuccessful Spanish films and some television work before moving to France to break into French cinema.).

The book which is out of print is one of the best one-to-one interviews I've ever read. Almodovar's contributions to world cinema are so numerous that they can be all listed here, and his work has opened the door for many other Spanish and Latin American film directors such as Carlos Arau and Bruno Bareto in showing the world that foreign language films can be as professional and productive as any big budget film churned out by Hollywood.

"Almodovar on Almodovar," is a must have for any Almodovar fan and film studies student. An excellent book on one of the world's most gifted directors.

Everything You Wanted to Know about Almodovar.......2000-10-14

Almodovar became the enfant terrible during the '80s for his outrageous actions on and off the film set. Frederic Strauss's collection of interviews helps to dispel many of the myths surrounding the Almodovar mystique. Almodovar burst on to the scene with "Pepi, Luci, Bom," a film renowned for a woman in it being urinated upon, and Almodovar's films have been doused in controversy ever since. Almodovar points out that he creates characters who live on the fringes of society and rebel against laws and regulations. Yet he does not pick up on the fact that as a homosexual director in the male world of Spanish cinema he works outside of the norms to create his films. Almodovar's comments on film making illuminate the artificial world he creates. Almodovar has refused to acknowledge the remnants of Franco's Spain and builds his narratives without societal contexts. "Law of Desire" takes place in a dizzying world of discos, beaches, and theatres while "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" breaks down the fourth wall by setting some of the action on the set of "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." No other director has consistently played with film narrative and conventions as Almodovar does and I wonder if we really need to know the backstage gossip. The truth dispels the myths and I am not sure I want to relinquish the myths. Nonetheless, Almodovar's observations and revelations are fascinating, especially in regards to his actors. He comments that he treats Antonio Banderas like a child in order to get a workable performance out of him. He lectures Victoria Abril on how to say simple phrases like "I love you" and "Have a good day." He became so professionally entangled with Carmen Maura on the making of "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" that their occupational divorce made headlines all over Europe. I wonder who this collection of interviews is intended for. As a connoisseur of his films, I relished his delineation of the creative process that goes into the making of his films even when they told many of his secrets. Yet I am in the minority, as many Americans do not even know Almodovar or his films. If they do, it's as a footnote in Antonio Banderas's film bibliography. Potential film directors will salivate over interviews that place a microscope upon the workings of a director. Actors will be fascinated by Almodovar's comments on acting such as when he criticizes Robert DeNiro for showing technique instead of building a character. He prefers the French method of acting where the actor IS the character. He believes that the performances of Antonio Banderas and Carmen Maura in "Law of Desire" are his greatest achievements as a director. Yet, he has been hailed as resurrecting the floundering Spanish film industry with such worldwide hits as "Matador," "Labyrinth of Passion," and "High

Heels." Almodovar has always maintained a love/hate relationship with the Spanish film industry. Almodovar was denied funding for "Matador" due to his critique of the machismo inherent in the world of bullfighting. He linked the violence of bullfighting with the practice of necrophillia infuriating much of the Spanish public although the film was a smashing success. He was again denied funding when the board rejected the homosexual themes that make up "Law of Desire." AIDS activists accused of failing to deal with the disease because he failed to mention it altogether. Almodovar points out that his movies do not exist in a real place and in his world, AIDS does not exist. As with his collection of stories, "Patti Diphusa and Other Stories," Almodovar's interviews have a care-free attitude that is infectious. He discusses all of his eleven films including last year's "The Flower of My Secret" which many critics compared favorably to the women's films of the early '40s. This collection of essays is a gentle kiss harking back to such a magical women.

The Greatest Book To Get to Know Almodóvar!.......1998-09-23

Frédéric Strauss brings us this amazing piece of work from the hand of Pedro Almodóvar, in which he describes the life: the beggining and the actual work, of the spanish director. He describes what he wants to inspire in his movies and if you have seen them you might get to understand them a little better. If you like this director's movies, you might want to get this book.

International Law and World Order: A Problem-oriented Coursebook

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International Law and World Order: A Problem-oriented Coursebook
Burns H. Weston , Richard A. Falk , Hilary Charlesworth , and Andrew L. Strauss
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0314251391

Book Description

Poses four clusters of world order problems that require students to identify and frame legal issues in factual context. Enables students to determine the relevance of information, organize relevant law and policy, test their analytical skills, and develop a critical understanding of the possibilities of international law. Focuses on the current work of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Comprises a series of hypothetical problems involving fictional countries in "real world" decision-making settings, organized around themes that conveniently cluster the principal challenges to the current world order.

Eine Alpensinfonie and Symphonia Domestica in Full Score

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Dover scores again!

Eine Alpensinfonie and Symphonia Domestica in Full Score
Richard Strauss
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0486277259

Book Description

Two large-scale symphonic masterworks — one powerfully portraying a day in the mountains, the other Strauss's day-to-day life at home with his wife Pauline. Eine Alpensinfonie is a magnificent showcase for Strauss's sumptuous orchestration while The Symphonia Domestica has more of the intimate chamber work feel.

Customer Reviews:

Dover scores again!.......2002-06-19

Dover scores another fantastic bargain with this coupling of two of Richard Strauss's orchestral works, Eine Alpensinfonie and Symphonia Domestica. Why these works are paired is a mystery--Symphonia Domestica's natural companion piece is Ein Heldenleben, but Dover already published that with Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche and Also Sprach Zarathustra. The draw for this collection, though, is surely the Alpine Symphony, and that anything else at all is included is a pure bonus. Another bonus for the language-challenged among us is the English translations for the titles of sections and the musical terms. Dover's implementation of these translations is somewhat awkward, though, as the section titles are listed at the beginning of each piece, but the musical terms are all bunched together at the end of the volume, forcing you to flip repeatedly through it at least once.

These two works date from a time and place now past when a respected composer could literally write for any orchestral forces he desired. Eine Alpensinfonie is scored for a huge orchestra (150 instruments, by one count--although not 150 different instrumental parts) and includes hecklephone, windmachine, thundermachine, tenor tubas, and 20(!) French horns--12 are offstage and play only in 21 measures of the piece, for less than one minute. Symphonia Domestica is not quite as gargantuan (as the name indicates) but is still scored for a quite large ensemble, with oboe d'amore and 4 saxophones--soprano, alto, baritone, and the very rare bass saxophone added to the large wind section. These scores are bibles of orchestration--Strauss is a master of handling huge forces, surpassed only by Gustav Mahler, and that arguably. Students of orchestration can learn much about writing for large, professional orchestras from careful study of these pieces; but they are also full of important details that will be helpful for those using smaller ensembles.

Beyond the orchestration, however, lies deep and powerful music. Strauss has been criticized for being overly programmatic and literal, writing trivial music and being derivative of Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler. But whatever truth these criticisms hold, the fact remains that Wagner, Mahler and Strauss revolutionized music. Aside from their already well-known harmonic innovations and orchestral mastery, they freed melody from its primarily vocal conception, which had limited it from its origin. Where most composers before them would follow a large leap with motion in the opposite direction, thereby restricting the melodic line in musical space, these three composed great soaring lines in which a large leap might well be followed by another leap or stepwise motion in the same direction. The resulting themes often surpass the range of a single instrument; a given melody might, for example, begin in the tuba doubled with bassoon, celli and contrabasses, move to French horns and finally end in the upper registers of flutes, oboes, and violins. Orchestration becomes not simply an assigning of instruments to particular lines, but an inseparable part of the composition of a piece. Whatever flaws Strauss's music might have (and I have to admit that the Storm Scene in the Alpine Symphony, with its wind and thunder machines and the portrayal of raindrops in the pizzicato strings is too cliched for my taste), its glories far surpass them.

Book Description

Richard Strauss's tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra is one of his most controversial works, but it is also one of the staples of the virtuoso orchestra. Its greatest popularity has been achieved in recent years with its association with Kubrick's film 2001--A Space Odyssey. This guide examines the intellectual background of the work and considers the ways in which it has been received by composers and writers. It also discusses the musical background of Liszt and Wagner which gave rise to the genre "tone poem," and provides an analysis of several aspects of Strauss's musical language.

Customer Reviews:

Cambridge Music Handbooks - for the serious student of music.......2007-01-25

All of the books in this Cambridge series are for the professional musician or the serious student of the art. How serious is that? Here's a good rule of thumb: serious enough to have a score in hand as you read the book. If that is too big an investment to make for your purposes in getting acquainted with the music, the Cambridge series is not for you. You will be more interested in any number of more popular introductions to the repertoire that exist on the Internet, in liner notes, and in other publications.

The Cambridge Music Handbooks are a valuable resource, though, for those of us for whom music is a life's work. Each of these Cambridge guides provides a comprehensive guide to the origin and publication history of the title work, the different versions and editions that exist, the performance history, and the structure of the music. The scholarship in this series is consistently high and the citations and references are solid. If you are preparing for a performance of a piece Cambridge has included in this series, you will definitely want to pick up the relevent guide as part of your study.

Overly abstruse academic nonsense........2006-07-23

I was looking for a book that took one of the tone poems by Strauss and gave a good musical analysis with historical background. I am a trained amateur musician and I have read several biographies on Strauss, so I thought reading this book would be no problem. Boy, was I wrong.
The book feels like a PhD thesis and is quite difficult to read. (I'm not sure if it is a thesis or not.) Actually, it feels more like a parody of a PhD thesis. 90 percent of the book seems completely irrelevant to understanding the piece. The author spends a lot of time on 19th century discussions of program music vs. pure music, and a lot of time on how the music relates to the Nietzsche's work. At times I was totally lost in the abstruse philosophical discussions. There is no comprehensive explanation of how the piece is put together, but rather many separate discussions of different parts of the piece. There are many references to bar numbers, so unless you have the score in front of you, these are useless. There is also some of musical analysis, but with relatively few musical illustrations, most of this is just not understandable.
The only good thing about this book is that (including footnotes at the end of the book and the index) it's only 126 pages.

The Life of Richard Strauss (Musical Lives)

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Wonderful read!

The Life of Richard Strauss (Musical Lives)
Bryan Gilliam
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521578957

Book Description

Richard Strauss' successful conducting and composing career spanned one of the most fascinating stretches of modern German history, from oil lamps to atomic energy, from a young empire to a divided Germany. This biography covers Strauss' early musical development, his emergence as a tone poet in the late nineteenth century, his turn to the stage at the beginning of the twentieth century, the successes and misfires of the post-World War I era, the turbulent 1930s, and the period of the Second World War and its aftermath.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful read!.......2003-07-20

I had to purchase this book for an independant study in modern operas for my senior year as an undergrad. My professor is a friend of Gilliam, and I must say his writing and research is very well done. I knew nothing of Strauss, and after I was done reading the few Chapters that I had to read, I was pretty much satisfied. It was easy to follow and just a delight to read!

Tone Poems in Full Score, Series 1: Don Juan, Tod Und Verklarung, & Don Quixote

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The Tone Poems Of Richard Strauss
I love this score
Superb is the word!

Tone Poems in Full Score, Series 1: Don Juan, Tod Und Verklarung, & Don Quixote
Richard Strauss
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Strauss, Richard | Composers | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Late Romantic | Historical Period | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

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ASIN: 0486237540

Book Description

Three of the most often performed and recorded works in entire orchestral repertoire, reproduced in full score from original editions. Study score.

Customer Reviews:

The Tone Poems Of Richard Strauss.......2003-08-12

No music truly exists in a book. The composer puts his directions on paper, and the musician tries his best to do what the composer has directed to do. Play this note high, this note low, this note long, this note short, etc. Music is an art that really doesn't exist until it comes to life through the time it takes to perform it. Like a seed, the score of an orchestral work lies dormant until the musician(s) plant it, nurture it through performance.

For the few that can read a score like the rest of us read a newspaper, the music can come alive in the imagination of their inner ear. For the rest of us mortals, following the score while the music plays can help us 'see' the tree come to life with our ears and revel in all of the life and vitality it contains.

The tone poems of Richard Strauss are like vast, sprawling trees. There is no need to follow a score to admire the beauty of the trees. If that were so, symphony orchestras would pass out copies of the score to the audience and keep the lights on. But following the score is like climbing right up into the tree. You can see the diversity, the details, and even look down at the ground and realize where you are.

So to be able to appreciate these masterpieces on a different level, following the score can be a revelation. Dover's edition of these tone poems is inexpensive, of good quality, and I especially like the large format. If you try to follow a miniature score of these works, you best have really great eyes or a magnifying glass. These are vast, romantic works, and Strauss uses a very large orchestra. So the large format is much easier to read and follow.

So if you ever have the urge to get closer to these masterpieces, then by all means let the Dover edition of the scores be your guide. Your efforts to climb the tree will be well rewarded!

I love this score.......2001-12-08

A great score, with no errors and very large, readable print. Great companion for listeners, music students, and conductors alike.

The score is very large (9 3/8 x 12 1/4) and lays flat on a stand or table. Highly reccommended!

Superb is the word!.......2000-07-07

Richard Strauss knew how to make symphonic music with great drama as well as humour. The three grand symphonic masterpieces of this edition just has it all. Dare I say that some of the music in Tod Und Verklarung is some of the most beautiful and heartbreaking music ever written? And how about the great humor revealed in Don Quixote? Richard Strauss truly is a master of the orchestra. If you don't believe me, have a look yourself. It just hardly get any better than this. Thank you Dover for this excellent book!

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