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A definitive text dealing with the theory and practice of Western music in the 20th Century. (Summary by Jennifer Stearns)

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Music

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“Now that story is a symbol, and tells the truth. We see some one thing in this world, and suddenly it becomes particular and sacramental; a woman and a child, a man at evening, a troop of soldiers; we hear notes of music, we smell the smell that went with a passed time, or we discover after the long night a shaft of light upon the tops of the hills at morning: there is a resurrection, and we are refreshed and renewed.” - Hilaire Belloc...

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Essay/Short nonfiction

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An imagined day in the life of each composer gives the anonymous author scope to describe each one's work and life, sketchily, of course, but interestingly. (Summary by David Wales)...

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Biography, Music

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Originally published in 1906, this book is essentially a how to guide on music appreciation. Includes sections on the pianoforte, orchestral, and vocal music. Good for anyone who wishes for a greater appreciation of the wonders of music. (Summary by prwells32)...

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Instruction, Music

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A biography of the Polish composer and virtuoso pianist Frédéric Chopin and a critical analysis of his work by American music writer and critic James Huneker. (Summary by Julie VW)...

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Music, Biography

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Work on the translation began in 1853 by a London businessman called Ferrar Fenton (1832–1920). The complete Bible was first published in 1903, though parts were published as separate volumes during the preceding 11 years. The translation is noted for a rearranging of the books of the Bible into what the author believed was the correct chronological order. In the Old Testament, this order follows that of the Hebrew Bible. The name of God was translated throughout the Old Testament as The Ever-Living. The Bible is described as translated into English direct from the original Hebrew, Chaldee, and Greek languages. For his translation of the Book of Job which appeared in 1898, Fenton was assisted by Henrik Borgström. This was rendered into the same metre as the original Hebrew, word by word and line by line. His translation of the New Testament is based on the Greek text of Westcott and Hort. The ordering novelty in the New Testament is that it places the Gospel of John and the First Epistle of John at the beginning before the Gospel of Matthew, thus placing the Acts of the Apostles immediately after the Gospel of Luke. Notable as well,...

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Religion

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The Song of Songs (Hebrew title שיר השירים, Shir ha-Shirim), is a book of the Hebrew Bible—Tanakh or Old Testament—one of the five megillot (scrolls). It is also known as the Song of Solomon or as Canticles, the latter from the shortened and anglicized Vulgate title Canticum Canticorum, Song of Songs in Latin. It is known as Aisma in the Septuagint, which is short for Αισμα ᾀσμτων, Aisma aismatôn, Song of Songs in Greek. (From Wikipedia)...

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Religion

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The Book of Lamentations (Hebrew: אֵיכָה‎, Eikha, ʾēḫā(h)) is a book of the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. It is traditionally read by the Jewish people on Tisha B'Av, the fast day that commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It is called in the Hebrew canon 'Eikhah, meaning How, being the formula for the commencement of a song of wailing. It is the first word of the book (see 2 Sam. 1:19-27). The Septuagint adopted the name rendered Lamentations (Greek threnoi = Hebrew qinoth) now in common use, to denote the character of the book, in which the prophet mourns over the desolations brought on Jerusalem and the Holy Land by the Chaldeans. In the Hebrew Bible it is placed among the Ketuvim, the Writings. (Summary by Wikipedia)...

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Religion

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Shakespeare's plays are full of music: love songs, comic ditties, serious ballads, and songs for witches and spirits. Over the centuries musicians and composers have also created musical adaptations based on Shakespeare's plays. Composer Christopher Wilson's Shakespeare and Music (1922) documents the musical history of each play across various genres, including opera and incidental music. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)...

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Music

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The Song of Songs is the twenty-second book of The Bible and was authored by Solomon. In some translations, this book is entitled The Song of Solomon . It is also known as The Best Song . Replete with metaphor, this book is a love song that describes the wooing and wedding of a lowly but very comely shepherdess to the great king Solomon. It speaks of the joys of love as well as its heartaches. Although this reading was performed by a single male voice, the book has three main speakers: the Shulamite shepherdess, King Solomon and a chorus by the daughters of Jerusalem. Biblical scholars also note the allegorical depictions of God as King and the bride as Israel. In New Testament doctrine, the bride is thought of as the Church and Christ as King. The Song of Songs is one of the Wisdom Books. This reading comes from the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Holy Bible. (Summary by http://climber53.com Robert Garrison )...

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Religion

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This book talks about teaching, learning and performing on the piano in a delightful style, alternating between conversation and instruction. As he was the father of Clara Schumann and Robert Schumann's teacher, need I say more?...

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Music

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As a Man Thinketh is a literary essay of James Allen, published in 1902. The title is influenced by a verse in the Bible from the Book of Proverbs chapter 23 verse 7, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” The main concepts of this book as as follows: * Men do not attract what they want, but what they are. * A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts. * Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment, of these, if you but remain true to them your world will at last be built. * The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its unchastened desires - and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own. * Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound. * Every action and f...

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Essay/Short nonfiction

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A very personal and opinionated wander through the Sussex of around 1900, illustrated with anecdotes, literary and poetic quotations, gravestone epitaphs and a gentle sense of humour. The author colours the countryside with his nostalgia for times past and regret for the encroaching future, his resentment of churches with locked doors, and his love of deer parks, ruined castles and the silent hills. (I must add my apologies for my attempts at the Sussex dialect in the chapter on that subject.) [This book is of Reading Grade of 9.55 (i.e. equivalent to 9½ years of U.S. education. Reading Ease score of 63.72 (on a scale from 100 to 0 .. where 65 is easy, 30 a little hard, 0 difficult). These are Flesch-Kincaid readability scores.]...

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Travel

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The Additions to Daniel comprise three chapters not found in the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel. The text of these chapters is found in the Greek Septuagint and in the earlier Old Greek translation. They are accepted as canonical and translated as such in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Bibles. They are listed in Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England[1]. However, most Protestant versions exclude these passages as apocryphal, retaining only the text available today in the Hebrew/Aramaic manuscripts. The additions are: The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children : Daniel 3:24-90 inserted between verses 23 and 24 (v. 24 becomes v. 91) in the Protestant cannon. It incorporates the Fiery Furnace episode. Susanna and the Elders : before Daniel 1:1, a prologue in early Greek manuscripts; chapter 13 in the Vulgate. Bel and the Dragon : after Daniel 12:13 in Greek, an epilogue; chapter 14 in the Vulgate....

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Religion

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Also known as Song of Songs , Solomon's Song of Songs , or as Canticles . The protagonists of the Song of Songs are a woman (identified in one verse as the Shulamite) and a man, and the poem suggests movement from courtship to consummation. Additionally, the Song includes a chorus, the daughters of Jerusalem. In spite of the lack of explicitly religious content, the Song is often interpreted as an allegorical representation of the relationship of God and Israel, or for Christians, God and the Church or Christ and the human soul, as husband and wife. Readers: Beloved: /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=123 Ezwa Lover: /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=4705 Algy Pug Friends: /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=3157 TriciaG...

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Religion, Ancient Texts

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This book is not written for professional musicians, but for untaught lovers of the art. It gives broad instruction on composers, styles, instruments, venues - and when to believe the critics. (Summary by Sarah Jennings)...

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Music, Instruction

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A selection of Beethoven's letters from the compilation by Dr. Ludwig Nohl and translated by Lady Grace Wallace. (Summary by Scott D. Farquhar)

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Memoirs, Music

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volunteers get into the festive spirit to bring you this year's selection of carols and Christmas music - both sacred and secular.

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Religion, Holiday, Music

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The community wants to bring you a special treat for the 2006 Holiday Season. Here is a collection of traditional Christmas carols recorded by our wonderful voluteers. Enjoy! (Summary by Linda)...

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Music, Holiday

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The community wants to bring you a special treat for the 2009 Holiday Season. Here is a collection of 30 traditional Christmas carols performed in a variety of styles by our wonderful volunteers. Enjoy!...

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Holiday, Music

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Practically nothing is known about Habakkuk's personal history, except for what can be inferred from the text of his book, which consists of five oracles about the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and a song of praise to God. Since the Chaldean rise to power is dated c. 612 BC, it is assumed he was active about that time, making him an early contemporary of Jeremiah and Zephaniah. Jewish sources, however, do not group him with those two prophets, who are often placed together, so it is possible that he was slightly earlier than they. Because the final chapter of his book is a song, it is sometimes assumed in Jewish tradition that he was a member of the tribe of Levi, which served as musicians in Solomon's Temple. According to the Zohar (Volume 1, page 8b) Habakkuk is the boy born to the Shunamite woman through Elisha's blessing. Habakkuk is unique among the prophets in that he openly questions the wisdom of God.[citation needed] In the first part of the first chapter, the Prophet sees the injustice among his people and asks why God does not take action: 1:2 Yahweh, how long will I cry, and you will not hear? I cry out to you 'Violence!' and ...

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Religion

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Charles Spurgeon was a popular Baptist minister in London in mid-Victorian times; his ministry was highly influential and had a significant effect on many families in London and further afield. It was difficult to find a hall large enough to accommodate the crowd who wished to hear him. At times the Royal Surrey Gardens' Music Hall was hired to accomodate the Sunday congregation; this could seat 10,000 but large numbers were unable to gain admittance. His world-wide heritage is very much with us today through the many chuches built, missionary work begun, children's charity founded and theological colleges established as a result of his ministry. The sermons in this collection were preached buring May 1898 and published immediately at one penny (1d.) each. These were widely circulated and remain one of the all-time best-selling series of writings. (Summary by Alan Chant)...

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Religion

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The name Acadia, which we now associate with a great tragedy of history and song, was first used by the French to distinguish the eastern or maritime part of New France from the western part, which began with the St Lawrence valley and was called Canada. Just where Acadia ended and Canada began, the French never clearly defined. In course of time, as will be seen, this question became a cause of war with the English--but we shall not be much at fault if we take a line from the mouth of the river Penobscot, due north to the St Lawrence, to mark the western frontier of the Acadia of the French. This volume covers the period of hostility between the Acadians and the British Crown....

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History

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Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, philosopher, visual artist, playwright, composer, and novelist whose work reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He became Asia’s first Nobel laureate when he won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature. Sadhana is a collection of essays, most of which he gave before the Harvard University, describing Indian beliefs, philosophy and culture from different viewpoints, often making comparison with Western thought and culture. (Summary by Peter Yearsley/Wikipedia)...

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Philosophy

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The Additions to Daniel comprise three chapters not found in the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel. The text of these chapters is found in the Greek Septuagint and in the earlier Old Greek translation. They are accepted as canonical and translated as such in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Bibles. They are listed in Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. However, most Protestant versions exclude these passages as apocryphal, retaining only the text available today in the Hebrew/Aramaic manuscripts. The additions are: * The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children : after Daniel 3:23, incorporates the Fiery Furnace episode. * Susanna and the Elders : before Daniel 1:1, a prologue in early Greek manuscripts; chapter 13 in the Vulgate. * Bel and the Dragon : after Daniel 12:13 in Greek, an epilogue; chapter 14 in the Vulgate. Bel and the Dragon is the supposed story of Daniel and his struggle with Cyrus King of Persia and his idolatrous people. It is considered a deuterocanonical book by some Christians and Apocryphal by others. The story covers two events, the reckoning of the ...

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Religion

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This work from 1901 predicts what technological developments will manifest in the twentieth century. The author, a technical journalist, presents ideas for inventions and new developments in the areas of power, transportation, agriculture, mining, domestic applications, electronic devices, warfare, music, art, and news. Many have come to pass. All of them provide an interesting look into how the next century was imagined and what challenges were anticipated for the progress of society. -(Summary by A. Gramour)...

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Science

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The Book of Psalms, commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible. Taken together, its 150 poems express virtually the full range of Israel's religious faith. They each have a poetic character with frequent use of parallelism. In addition to the title of the collection, which translates as song or hymns from both Hebrew and Greek, superscriptions (or headings) in many of the Psalms provide musical references and some direction, in some cases even references to melodies that would have been well known by early congregations. Songs that can be identified as such in the Psalms include songs of thanksgiving (e.g., Ps 30), hymns of praise (e.g., Ps 117) and royal psalms, which may have been used in coronations and weddings. Identification of some psalms as prayers is also seen within the text, for example in the conclusion to Psalm 72, The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended. The largest category of Psalms, though not grouped as such in the text, is that of lament (expressions of complaint and pleas for help from God). There appears to also have been an instructional function of the psal...

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Poetry, Religion

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This is a collection of essays, verbal sketches, and stories by Washington Irving. Irving lived at the Alhambra Palace while writing some of the material for his book. In 1828, Washington Irving traveled from Madrid, where he had been staying, to Granada, Spain. At first sight, he described it as a most picturesque and beautiful city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever seen. He immediately asked the then-governor of the historic Alhambra Palace as well as the archbishop of Granada for access to the palace, which was granted because of Irving's celebrity status. Aided by a 35-year old guide named Mateo Ximenes, Irving was inspired by his experience to write Tales of the Alhambra. Throughout his trip, he filled his notebooks and journals with descriptions and observations though he did not believe his writing would ever do it justice. He wrote, How unworthy is my scribbling of the place. A commemorative plaque in Spanish at the Alhambra reads, Washington Irving wrote his Tales of Alhambra in these rooms in 1829. The book was instrumental in reintroducing the Alhambra to Western audiences. (Summary by Wikipedi...

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Travel, Art, History, Essay/Short nonfiction

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Lilli Lehmann, born Elisabeth Maria Lehmann, was a German operatic soprano of phenomenal versatility. She was also a voice teacher. She wrote: Every serious artist has a sincere desire to help others reach the goal—the goal toward which all singers are striving: to sing well and beautifully. This is the 1915 second (expanded) edition of her book, and the accompanying http://www.archive.org/details/howtosingmeinege00lehmuoft online book scan includes many illustrations and diagrams, both physiological and musical, which the listener will find useful. Much of Lilli Lehmann's advice is complex and demanding - the standards which she set for herself were beyond the highest aspirations of most professional singers. However, there is still much in this book that is enlightening to all those who are interested in using their voice to best advantage, both in song and the spoken word. (Summary by Ruth Golding and Wikipedia)...

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Advice, Instruction, Music

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The Story of the Pony Express offers an in depth account behind the need for a mail route to connect the eastern U.S. with the rapidly populating west coast following the gold rush of California, the springing up of lumber camps, and all incidental needs arising from the settling of the western frontier. Here we learn of the inception of the Pony Express, its formation, successes, failures, facts, statistics, combined with many anecdotes and names of the people who were an integral part of this incredible entity which lasted but less than two years, yet was instrumental in the successful settlement of two thirds of the land mass comprising the expanding country. (Introduction by Roger Melin)...

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History, Westerns

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History is brought to life in the second volume of American History Stories by Mara L. Pratt. It is a wonderful introduction for children to American history, this volume beginning with the causes of the American Revolution. Although each chapter is short, it is full of fascinating information, and so well-written that adults will enjoy it as much as children. (Summary by Laura Caldwell) Reader's Note : This edition contains patriotic songs of the time period. Where these songs have occurred, the lyrics have been read. The music for these songs may be found in the text....

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Children, History

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“Pvt Ryan”, “Platoon”, “A Soldier’s Home”, Kitchener’s Mob”. These aren’t happy stories, they are about the experience of War. War at different times, and although modern warfare may be more sanitized, the adventure, the horror, the emotions don’t change. James Norman Hall has been there. He “Saw the Elephant”, and his portrayal of his WWI experience is a tribute to those ordinary people who do such extraordinary things. Those who have served will identify with at least some part if not all of this book, be it the rigors of training, the camaraderie, or possibly those memories that try as you may, you can never make go away. Those who haven’t may gain insight and possibly more respect for those who have. Tommy Atkins is a universal soldier, be he the cook that serves up a hot meal, the sniper that keeps score on the stock of his rifle, or the machine gunner who hates his job. As I narrated this book, I had to stop and compose myself more than once. I could almost feel Hall’s presence as we told Tommy’s story. Mike Vendetti, Narrator 2 Lt Inf Vietnam 1965...

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Adventure, History, War stories

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This little book, whose design is to lead the devout Bible student into the Green Pastures of the Good Shepherd, thence to the Banqueting House of the King, and thence to the service of the Vineyard, is one of the abiding legacies of Mr. Hudson Taylor to the Church. In the power of an evident unction from the Holy One, he has been enabled herein to unfold in simplest language the deep truth of the believer's personal union with the Lord, which under symbol and imagery is the subject of The Song of Songs. (From the Foreword by J Stuart Holden)....

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Religion, Psychology, Philosophy

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The Souls of Black Folk is a well-known work of African-American literature by activist W.E.B. Du Bois. The book, published in 1903, contains several essays on race, some of which had been previously published in Atlantic Monthly magazine. Du Bois drew from his own experiences to develop this groundbreaking work on being African-American in American society. Outside of its notable place in African-American history, The Souls of Black Folk also holds an important place in social science as one of the first works to deal with sociology. (Summary from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Souls_of_Black_Folk Wikipedia.org )...

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Essay/Short nonfiction, History, Music