The Organ As a Mirror of Its Time: North European Reflections, 1610-2000 - K.J.Snyder - 2002

Because it has always represented a rich collaboration of the music, art, architecture, handicraft and science of its day, the organ, more than any other instrument, continues to reflect the spirit of the age in which it was built. The Organ as a Mirror of its Time, the first book to consider this instrument's historical and cultural significance, reflects the efforts of twenty leading scholars of the organ.L The book chronicles the history of six organs in Scandinavia and Northern Germany, at least one specimen for every century from 1600 to the present. By considering their original contexts and their histories since they were built, as well as the extraordinary coincidences that link them together, the book offers a unique perspective on the cultural history of northern Europe.

Text & Act. Essays on Music and Performance - R.Taruskin - 1995

Over the last dozen years, the writings of Richard Taruskin have transformed the debate about "early music" and "authenticity." Text and Act collects for the first time the most important of Taruskin's essays and reviews from this period, many of which now classics in the field. Taking a wide-ranging cultural view of the phenomenon, he shows that the movement, far from reviving ancient traditions, in fact represents the only truly modern style of performance being offered today. He goes on to contend that the movement is therefore far more valuable and even authentic than the historical verisimilitude for which it ostensibly strives could ever be. These essays cast fresh light on many aspects of contemporary music-making and music-thinking, mixing lighthearted debunking with impassioned argumentation. Taruskin ranges from theoretical speculation to practical criticism, and covers a repertory spanning from Bach to Stravinsky. Including a newly written introduction, Text and Act collects the very best of one of our most incisive musical thinkers.

King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era - E.A.Berlin - 1994

Destined to be the definitive work on the man and his music, King of Ragtime is written by Edward A. Berlin. A renowned authority on Joplin and the author of the acclaimed and widely cited Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History, Berlin redefines the Scott Joplin biography. Using the tools of a trained musicologist, he has uncovered a vast amount of new information about Joplin. His biography truly documents the story of the composer, replacing the myths and unsupported anecdotes of previous histories. Berlin paints a vivid picture of the ragtime years, placing Scott Joplin's story in its historical context. The composer emerges as a representative of the first post-Civil War generation of African Americans, of the men and women who found in the world of entertainment a way out of poverty and lowly social status. King of Ragtime recreates the excitement of these pioneers, who dreamed of greatness as they sought to expand the limits society placed upon their race.

The Craft of Piano Playing: A New Approach to Piano Technique - A.Fraser - 2003

The Craft of Piano Playing presents a new, comprehensive and highly original approach to piano technique with a fascinating series of exercises designed to help the reader put this approach into practice. Alan Fraser has combined his extensive concert and pedagogical experience, his long-standing collaboration with the virtuoso Kemal Gekich, and his professional training in Feldenkrais Method to create this innovative technique. Using numerous musical examples and sketches he shows how many common movement habits at the keyboard can be counterproductive, and provides a new way of manipulating the skeletal frame of the hand to produce astonishing sonic results from the instrument.

Famed Pianist Van Cliburn Dies

Texas pianist Van Cliburn performs to a packed audience in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in April 1958.

Фортепианная школа Е.М.Тимакина. Видеоуроки

Евгений Михайлович Тимакин (1916—2004) — российский пианист и музыкальный педагог.

Известен преимущественно многолетней педагогической деятельностью в Московской консерватории и Центральной музыкальной школе. Среди учеников Тимакина — Михаил Плетнёв, Иво Погорелич, Екатерина Новицкая, Александр Могилевский, Ольга Керн и многие другие. «Великим учителем» назвал Тимакина ещё один его ученик, Владимир Фельцман.