This first comprehensive history of musical instruments, this book ranges from prehistoric times to the 20th century. It traverses five continents and every stage of evolution, from primitive rattles and bull-roarers to the electric organ. Author Curt Sachs, one of the world's most distinguished musicologists, combines rich scholarship with personal insight in a remarkable fusion of music, anthropology, and the fine arts. Beginning with the earliest...

The distinguished physicist describes the scientific principles of musical sound in a precise, non-technical way that will engage both amateur and serious musicians. Topics include development of human hearing, general properties of sound curves, transmission and reproduction of sound curves, methods of producing sound, and harmony and discord. Includes 75 illustrations.

With Rubinstein considered Liszt's only possible rival on the concert stage, and Carreño as the foremost woman pianist of the late nineteenth century, it is an unexpected gift that both have left behind insights into that supremely important - but grossly neglected - aspect of performance called "the soul of the piano": the art of piano pedaling. Their treatment of pedaling is of the utmost importance, not only from a historical standpoint, but for...

Written during Tchaikovsky's years as professor at the renowned Moscow Conservatory, this volume presents a clear and thorough introduction to the study of harmony. The great Russian composer expounded upon his views of music while he was in the full flower of his creative powers, offering students a chance to learn the discipline's fundamentals from one of its great masters. Out of print for decades and exceedingly rare in its original edition, Tchaikovsky's...

Virtuoso pianist Franz Liszt was a key figure in the evolution of modern music. Most of his 700 compositions, which range from romantic impressionism to daring experimental pieces, were written for the piano. This survey by a well-known British composer and musicologist constitutes the most authoritative English-language study of Liszt's works. "Mr. Searle is himself a composer of progressive outlook and he thus speaks with authority. His book was...

An accomplished composer, pianist, writer, and teacher presents an easy and entertaining guide for players at all levels of expertise. Ernst Bacon offers valuable tips on working, listening, and playing habits in five sections that cover "The Performer," "The Learner," "The Player and Writer," "The Observer," and "Technically Speaking." This edition features an informative Introduction by virtuoso pianist and professor Sara Davis Buechner.

Part biography, part criticism, and part analysis, this fascinating study of one of music's greatest geniuses is above all an authoritative commentary on the entire corpus of Debussy's work for solo piano. Written with special insights for the performer. Includes 21 illustrations.

Hailed in his lifetime as Beethoven's successor and a powerful symbol of musical classicism, Johannes Brahms was nonetheless a controversial figure in a world infatuated with the bold new directions taken by Wagner and Liszt. Today Brahms' stature is unassailable, and his works remain staples of the repertoire in each of the many genres in which he composed. This engaging survey of Brahms' music covers his major orchestral, choral, and piano music,...