Music reviews and criticism

Eduard Hanslick's On the Musically Beautiful (Vom Musikalisch-Schnen, 1854), written and published before the author turned 30, is a watershed document in the history of aesthetics, and of thought about music generally.

Of all the things we can know about J.

Alex Ross's sweeping history of twentieth-century classical music, winner of the Guardian First Book Award, is a gripping account of a musical revolution.

An updated new edition of Ted Gioia's universally acclaimed history of jazz, with a wealth of new insight on this music's past, present, and future.

Leonard Bernstein was arguably the most highly esteemed, influential, and charismatic American classical music personality of the twentieth century.

In June of 1964, three young, white blues fans set out from New York City in a Volkswagen, heading for the Mississippi Delta in search of a musical legend.

Eduard Hanslick's On the Musically Beautiful (Vom Musikalisch-Schnen, 1854), written and published before the author turned 30, is a watershed document in the history of aesthetics, and of thought about music generally.

The love song is timeless.

Innovations in postbop jazz compositions of the 1960s occurred in several dimensions, including harmony, form, and melody.

The birth of rock 'n roll ignited a firestorm of controversy--one critic called it "e;musical riots put to a switchblade beat"e;--but if it generated much sound and fury, what, if anything, did it signify?

Small-town dance halls once overflowed with people flocking to see their favorite country bands and to dance.

The power of music, the way it works on the mind and heart, remains an enticing mystery.

Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy came from Kansas City to find nationwide fame in the later 1930s.

Michael Steinberg's highly successful listener's guides--The Symphony and The Concerto--have been universally praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and delightful humor.

Few musical works loom as large in Western culture as Richard Wagner's four-part Ring of the Nibelung.

Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy came from Kansas City to find nationwide fame in the later 1930s.

Few musical works loom as large in Western culture as Richard Wagner's four-part Ring of the Nibelung.

Michael Steinberg's highly successful listener's guides--The Symphony and The Concerto--have been universally praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and delightful humor.

Have you ever been carried away by a piece of classical music?

The former Van Halen front man recounts his life, from his childhood to his wild days in rock 'n' roll, in this one-of-a-kind memoir.

In 1915, Thomas Edison proclaimed that he could record a live performance and reproduce it perfectly, shocking audiences who found themselves unable to tell whether what they were hearing was an Edison Diamond Disc or a flesh-and-blood musician.

I Know This Much - by Gary Kemp, Spandau Ballet's prime mover - is simply the freshest, most exciting and best-written memoir to arrive for years.

Django Reinhardt was arguably the greatest guitarist who ever lived, an important influence on Les Paul, Charlie Christian, B.

Django Reinhardt was arguably the greatest guitarist who ever lived, an important influence on Les Paul, Charlie Christian, B.

Giacomo Puccini e a maçonaria: que ligação há entre um dos maiores compositores italianos de todos os tempos e essa controversa associação?

The hugely popular Gareth Malone recounts the heart-warming stories and transformations behind the award-winning BBC2 series The ChoirFor the first time, Gareth reveals everything he has learned from working with so many groups of memorable people, including the record-breaking Military Wives and latest series of The Choir being shown this Autumn.

Neoliberalism co-opts noisy riots like feminism and hardcore music--can melancholic siren songs fight back?

A behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the making of one of the greatest sonic masterpieces and most commercially successful albums of all time.

Swing is back in style, and with it a renewed interest in the Big Band Era.

'The BeatTips Manual' (Amir Said) is the definitive study of the art of beatmaking (hip hop production).