This book is the only complete and up-to-date annotated bibliography available on women's activities and contributions in the creation and performance of music through the ages. Encompassing major books, articles and recordings published over the past five decades, the book examines a broad cross-section of contemporary thought, with each entry - with over 500 devoted to resources from countries outside the US - including annotation along with a critical description of content.

A highly illustrated biography and study of Stradivari, the greatest violin maker, including colour photographs of his most famous instruments.

Music and Performance Culture in Nineteenth-Century Britain: Essays in Honour of Nicholas Temperley is the first book to focus upon aspects of performance in the broader context of nineteenth-century British musical culture. In four Parts, 'Musical Cultures', 'Societies', 'National Music' and 'Methods', this volume assesses the role music performance plays in articulating significant trends and currents of the cultural life of the period and includes articles on performance and individual instruments; orchestral and choral ensembles; church and synagogue music; music societies; cantatas; vocal albums; the middle-class salon, conducting; church music; and piano pedagogy. An introduction explores Temperley's vast contribution to musicology, highlighting his seminal importance in creating the field of nineteenth-century British music studies, and a bibliography provides an up-to-date list of his publications, including books and monographs, book chapters, journal articles, editions, reviews, critical editions, arrangements and compositions. Fittingly devoted to a significant element in Temperley's research, this book provides scholars of all nineteenth-century musical topics the opportunity to explore the richness of Britain's musical history.

This resource considers the Baroque cello's revival as part of the period instrument movement from the viewpoints of more than forty cellists from three generations and four luthiers who have worked on period cellos. What emerges is a nuanced and detailed picture of the cello in the past and present and the varied instruments now played under the label 'Baroque cello.' Period instruments played with appropriate techniques have become a major presence in classical music. For the cello, which changed substantially between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, it is challenging to describe specific traits for certain time periods. Through improvements in strings and the efforts of luthiers such as Stradivari, the cello became smaller and easier to play. Many controversies remain concerning the Baroque cello's form, including aspects of the bass bar, neck, fingerboard, and bridge. Although an uneasy consensus on technical matters has emerged for Baroque cellists today, one still encounters significant questions on important issues. Doubts compound when period performers enter the Classic and Romantic eras. By chronicling the searches of top cellists in England, Europe, and North America, the author reveals the great variety of forms that exist among what cellists call the 'Baroque cello.' This is the first study in which the revival of a single period instrument has been considered in such qualified detail. This book also offers many details concerning the history of the period performance movement in reference to famous ensembles and musicians. This volume will be welcomed by musicologists, luthiers, and anyone interested in string history.

This title contains a brief account of the history of the Cremona violins - the rise and fall of the art that dominated over two centuries - and is primarily devoted to the physics behind the violin acoustics, specifically the research of William F. 'Jack' Fry over the past four decades and more.

Offers performers, teachers, and researchers, new perspectives and practical guidance for enhancing performance and managing the stress that typically accompanies performance situations. It draws together the findings of pioneering initiatives from across the arts and sciences.

Cremona violins occupy a unique and storied place in violin history. This book contains a brief account of that history — the rise and fall of the Cremonese art of violin making that dominated over two centuries. It is primarily devoted, however, to the physics behind violin acoustics, specifically the research of William F “Jack” Fry over the past several decades. The gradual evolution of his ideas leading to a holistic approach is chronicled, in sharp contrast to the conventional “reductionist” analysis. With rare insights, he has come closer than anyone before in reproducing the tonal qualities of the great Italian masters. This historic achievement makes the book extremely valuable for violin makers and violin researchers, enabling young and aspiring violinists to own excellent sounding instruments with the acoustical marvels of the old at affordable prices.The accompanying video features Fry's demonstration of how and why minute changes in thickness graduations make predictable changes in tonal qualities of an instrument.