EG Books

OH i LOVE THIS BOOK IT RUES, MUCH BETTER THEN THE 'mODAL' ONE. THAT ONE WAS A RIPPY RIPTOFF. Tommy B. I love youre early work!!!

I just want to warn people who want this book as a self-study course. Think twice.

I especially have a hard time understanding the graphical analyzes, - it is poorly explained. Trying to work with this book, you really miss a teacher to present a clear structure which this book doesn't have. Or at least you can't see it!
But still, as a reference book it's great, there is so much in it!

One more thing, this book deals more or less only with the instrumental music of Bach - it hardly covers choral harmonisation. This is strange as it is said that Bach himself gave his students 4-voice choral harmonisation assignments in the beginning - he wrote the bass-line and sometimes even the melody line - then they filled in the other voices.

One last thing,
I do miss the general species approach which is so great for structure in self-study.
I feel that either I would have to find a teacher to take me through this book or buy another book, which is so sad, because you get the feeling that this author knows what he is talking about! - the main reason for the 4 stars.

So think twice, and if you are short on money and want to study by yourself - buy another book!!!

The Benjamin has a composers' viewpoint more than other counterpoint texts I've used. He speaks (well) to aspects such as rhythm and shape of line in each chapter, never sacrificing the other musical parameters to the all-too-common primacy of pitch. There is a useful balance of prose to musical examples.

Benjamin includes linear analyses of several examples. This provides a solid introduction to Schenkarian concepts for lower-division students, and yet they can easily be skipped by those who prefer.

This text has a satisfactory anthology of JS Bach pieces at the back. This is important at schools where textbook budgets for most students are slim.

I have yet to use the last few chapters in my one-semester course, but in a year-long sequence, they would be welcome.

This book should be the basis for all further research in the area of music therapy. I have sincerely never read a better work than this one on music therapy. Excellent theoretical background information and well-explained.

Some of the articles I was able to read quite easily, however, I had difficulty with most of the articles from British/European authors -- their theoretical background, if I'm not mistaken, seems to be in the Freudian/depth psychology area, or at least, schools of psychology with which I am not familiar -- my theoretical knowledge of psychology lies more in the various schools of psychology from the US.

i sort of laughed when the book references negroes and women (as if they are only housewives) but the author makes a point to go out of his way to basically conclude that there is no conclusion. he makes many interesting points on the individuals' biological response, conditioned response, and general inborn responses to light and color based on years of study relating to birds, bees, psychotics, and people in general. i will keep it as a tool to look back on and relate to my architecture planning but would not really recommend someone expect too much out of this book.

this book is very interesting, i am currently reading a copy im borrowing from the library. the index and layout of the book divide it into so many different chapters that you can skim to one and read about one aspect of color. faber gives us history of the meaning and symbolism of colors, the mysticism, the scientific facts about electromagnetic waves and the few waves we do see that is visible light. very cool book for anyone.

Both the Kirkus and other Amazon review are on the mark with this book. I read this book as a great admirer of the composer and conductor and welcome any further knowledge into his 'larger than life presence' as an artist. The book which is divided into chapters separated by various topics and developed as a Q &A format. Whereas other books on Boulez ("Orientations" or Lev Koblyakov's Analysis of Le Marteau) deal with pitch analysis (almost exclusively in the latter), this book REALLY gives you insight into the inner-workings of the former conductor of the New York Phil and LSO. You become privy to his sense of programming, which of the 'dead' composers work get programmed and why, why the predilection for French composers (berlioz and ravel). Following the interview chapters are a pretty comprehensive list of all of the programs Boulez had done through 1995. It is definitely geared toward those who want to know more about this amazing conductor. You don't need to have a huge music background to understand this book, albeit some of the 'name' references of particular scores may be a bit confusing for the non-musical layman (for ex. referring to the Dance of the Earth, some might not know this as the last movement of Part I of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring) These are minor points but shouldn't discourage possible readers. Thank you Camille Naish for getting it into English for the rest of us!

A man with a formidable intellect as Boulez can discuss musical topics especially the inner depths of orchestral sound like no one else, quite literally. If you happen to be conversant in French and German, as well as English, well there is no shortage of fascinating reflections on the great modernist works of this century: Debussy,Berg,Schoenberg,Varese,Webern,Berio. Boulez knows each with a ferocious intimacy. These interviews are quite old, 1986 .Mr.Vermeil visited Boulez at his state-like home outside Baden-Baden,long a refuge for Boulez from the late Fifties, although now he's a mandarin not a bohemian serialist, as he once arrived. Vermeil is good at tracing many categories, Chapter headings and parts I found fascinating were "Choosing Works", "Rehearsing", "On Gestures", "Colleagues". There's more but it seems Mr.Vermeil never gets down deep into the discourse of the subject. He stays on the surface which is all right with me. We need anything today discussed on modernist music, a dead,dying language yet institutionalized,all which makes historical sense. Well it has been Boulez who has kept it (music)alive, extending its implications, much like Habermas might find agreeable. I guess what I'm looking for is "Boulez in rehearsal" what he focuses upon, his pace, his structure of the rehearsal, what musical problems are attacked first, orchestral balance, tempi,quality of sonority. And we never get that with Vermeil firing the questions. In this English translation however it includes a reprint from a seminar in New York at Carnegie Hall in 1993 with the Cleveland Orchestra,by seasoned new music writer Paul Griffiths. Mr.Griffiths I like very much, for he brings us right through onto to stage, close to the rehearsal proceedings with apprentice conductors. And Boulez has them try out their chops(technique) on "Chronochromie" by Messiaen and "Jeux" by Debussy, two problematic scores. "Jeux" you have a nuanced line o! f changing timbres. Also Boulez never discusses the real live composers who he admires, Ligeti,Berio,Birtwistle, I thought he might discuss their work and bring us up-to-date on the state of aesthetic strategy. I thought the French if nothing else are incestuous on their own cultural products and ideamaker/mongers. Boulez hardly mentions the young composers who have worked with him at IRCAM in Paris, the multimillion dollar center. Composers, Dufourt,Bonnet or Manoury are quite interesting,quite evocative and powerful in their works.Yet Vermeil asks no questions on the Parisian new music scene. I thought that would be a first hit. Still Vermeil did cover soemwhat untrodden ground with Boulez. I would equally thank Amadeus Press who translated it,wrenching it out of French mothballs for eternity.

I may never scan the images in this book (too many small lines), but I'm still glad I bought it. The pictures are facinating! I can't decide wether it's more fun to look at the fantastic representations of familiar animals or the crazy combinations of those familiar animals. Also part of the fun is that the source of each woodcut is indicated on its page. Definitely worth the price in entertainment value alone!

I may never scan the images in this book (too many small lines), but it was worth the price anyway! The pictures are facinating! I can't decise wether it's more fun to look at the fantastic representation of a familiar animal or the crazy combinations of familiar animals. Also part of the fun is that the source of each woodcut is indicated on its page. Definitely worth the price in entertainment value alone!

Good account of holocaust experience without being too graphic for younger readers. We used this in an eighth grade classroom for a language arts project. The kids were a little bogged down in the section after Marian emigrates to the U.S. They could better relate to the account of his experiences as a youth. A solid account for adults, as well.

This is a well-written book, the main interest of which lies in its unemotional and almost off-handed anecdotal details. While the author, naturally, focuses on the events of his and his family's life, a succession of incredible details leave an invaluable impression of life in pre-war Warsaw, in death camps, post-war Germany, and 1950s America. The subject, Marian Filar, is a classical concert pianist and I found especially moving his description of devotedly studying under the great German pianist Walter Gieseking in the American Zone of Germany immediately after the World War Two. Anyone interested in a straight-forward, unself-conscious memoir of displacement will appreciate this book.

This is so much more than a gig-bag version of theory; it is a more useful and complete product than I've seen for the curious guitarist than any other I've seen. It covers a wide range of topics in VERY accessible language, and provides enough depth to answer most questions that anyone from complete beginner up to an advanced musician might ask. MOST importantly it doesn't ever get bogged down in any overly-technical discussion like so many others. I knocked off a star only because it's good enough to be a full size book, but is only available in this format!!!

The basics of music theory are all there.
The fundamentals of Harmony, Species and Orchestration very well presented and easy to understand.
An ideal musical companion.

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It may seem too good to be true, that sound healing is real, overtones and other forms... and that we may experience spiritual centering and increased creativity through music and the expressive tones of our own voice. But it's wise not to dismiss the possibilities without giving it a good, practical try for oneself. Sound healing is an ancient method in many traditions, both Eastern and Western, which is being rediscovered. This clearly written book is among the many available now, confirming the power of sound and showing us how.

The CD is a pretty good intro on the most popular overtone/throat singing styles. The overtone-singing lessons CD is also ok. The booklet, however, is about how overtone singing can heal, bring peace to yourself and to middle-east and that kind of crap. Well, maybe my opinion is too biased, since I'm an engineer, too skeptical for that. In short, I do not regret buying it at all, but do not expect something beyond feng-shui from the text.

...not too bad for those who want a quick overview. Nothing for those who want to enjoy. Having a print enlarged on two pages does not add to its quality. It's just that the centerfold sort of gets in the way sometimes. I bought better books for less money. Biographical details and comments on the prints are o.k., though...

I found the full size reproductions of many of the horizontal
format prints wonderful. In the hardback edition, the centerfold was not too bothersome. The added detail, and the high quality of many of the impressions, made me see anew many prints I had seen in scaled-down reproductions. Though there are some chestnuts, there are also many less well-known prints, e.g. from views of Edo series and fan prints, that come off wonderfully. Text and comments on the prints are enjoyable, too. Even if you have other Hiroshige books, this one will probably add a dimension to your appreciation of his art.

Maureen Carlson is one of my favorite polymer clay artists. This book is great.

This book's steps make it impossible to fail. Even if you have trouble with detail and faces, you can do it. Kids will appreciate the step-by-step approach and won't feel overwhelmed.-Such cute results(and a great confidence builder)!-A great way to move kids from average-intermediate ability with clay.