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A long with "careful judgement and genuine love of the subject" (Library Journal), David Dubal brings unparalleled expertise as a concert pianist, Juilliard faculty member, and former music director of a major classical music station to this second edition of his definitive guide to the piano. Here are enlightening profiles of history's greatest concert pianists from Clementi and Mozart to the major artists of the twentieth century. Here, too, in alphabetical order by composer, are the masterpieces of the literature, solo and concerto, a discussion of the place of each piece in the composer's oeuvre, and a list of recorded performances that "show the composition in its most diverse moods." Updated to include more than seventy additional pianists and hundreds of new CDs, this is a guide piano teachers, concert-goers, and other devotees of keyboard virtuosity should find "among the best read and most useful books on their personal reference shelves" (Booklist).
An “entertaining and informative” comprehensive guide to 240 classical composers and their music—from the medieval era to the modern age (Library Journal). Music, according to Aaron Copland, can thrive only if there are “gifted listeners.” But today’s listeners must choose between classical and rock, opera and rap, and the choices can seem overwhelming at times. In The Essential Canon of Classical Music, David Dubal comes to the aid of the struggling listener and provides a cultural-literacy handbook for classical music. Dubal identifies the 240 composers whose works are most important to an understanding of classical music and offers a comprehensive, chronological guide to their lives and works. He has searched beyond the traditional canon to introduce readers to little—known works by some of the most revered names in classical music—Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert—as well as to the major works of lesser-known composers. In a spirited and opinionated voice, Dubal seeks to rid us of the notion of “masterpieces” and instead to foster a new generation of master listeners. The result is an uncommon collection of the wonders classical music has to offer.
(Book). Evenings with Horowitz details a special friendship between two musicians. The book is a vivid account of their mutual passion for music and the piano. It reflects the struggles and triumphs of Vladimir Horowitz, a flaming genius who was also insecure and fearful of old age and the loss of his powers. In his conversations with the author, the Maestro reveals the agony and the ecstasy of a pianist's career and his love and awe for the great composers whose music he played. "Dubal, broadcaster, concert pianist, and faculty member at Juilliard, draws upon his knowledgeable background to produce a fascinating portrait of the brilliant and electrifying pianist Vladimir Horowitz ... Discussions ensued on repertoire, stylistic interpretations, tastes of audiences, other famous pianists, favored composers, and even such non-musical topics as care of animals, modern-day presidents, and American youth. Dubal provides a rare and intimate glimpse of Horowitz and illustrates the precariousness of accommodating the temperament of a genius." Library Journal
David Dubal's first volume of paintings and drawings reveals his feeling for color, line, composition, and originality of conception.
From the acclaimed author of A Natural History of the Piano, the captivating story of the 1958 international piano competition in Moscow, where, at the height of Cold War tensions, an American musician showed the potential of art to change the world. April of 1958--the Iron Curtain was at its heaviest, and the outcome of the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition seemed preordained. Nonetheless, as star musicians from across the globe descended on Moscow, an unlikely favorite emerged: Van Cliburn, a polite, lanky Texan whose passionate virtuosity captured the Russian spirit. This is the story of what unfolded that spring--for Cliburn and the other competitors, jurors, party officials, and citizens of the world who were touched by the outcome. It is a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most remarkable events in musical history, filled with political intrigue and personal struggle as artists strove for self-expression and governments jockeyed for prestige. And, at the core of it all: the value of artistic achievement, the supremacy of the heart, and the transcendent freedom that can be found, through music, even in the darkest moments of human history.
This book deals not only with the technical aspects of guitar technique, but also with the many psychological factors inherent to the performance of music on the classic guitar. Contains thoughts, suggestions, studies and exercises gleaned through personal experience in an effort to benefit the musician.
A thoroughly revised collection of interviews with some of today's best known pianists, such as Claudio Arrau, Emmanuel Ax, Alfred Brendel, Misha Dichter, Ruth Laredo, Murray Perahia, Peter Serkin, and Andre Watts, along with past greats like Glenn Gould and Vladimir Horowitz. Dubal interviews each pianist on matters of technique, performance, and interpretation.
Stuart Isacoff - pianist, critic and teacher - explores the history and evolution of the piano: how its sound provides the basis for emotional expression and individual style, why it has so powerfully entertained generation upon generation of listeners. A Natural History of the Piano distills a lifetime of research and passion into one brilliant narrative. We witness Mozart unveiling his monumental concertos in Vienna's coffeehouses, using a special piano with one keyboard for the hands and another for the feet; European virtuoso Henri Herz entertaining rowdy miners during the California gold rush; Beethoven at his piano, conjuring healing angels to console a grieving mother who had lost her...