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African superstar, composer, singer, and musician, as well as mystic and political activist, Nigerian Fela Kuti, born in 1938, was controversy personified. He was swept to international celebrity on a wave of scandal and flamboyance, and when he died of AIDS in 1997, more than a million people attended his funeral. But what was he really like, this man who could as easily arouse violent hostility as he could unswerving loyalty? Carlos Moore's unique biography, based on hours of conversation and...

Through two highly successful editions, The Study of Orchestration has set the standard for orchestration texts, providing the most comprehensive treatment of both orchestration and instrumentation. The Third Edition retains the elements that have made the book a classic while embracing new technology and responding to the needs of today's students and teachers.

The volume includes arrangements of celebrated chamber and orchestral works alongside original duets, in a survey of prominent composers and styles from the USA. It reflects the indigenous influences of jazz, ragtime, and folk music, and of European styles and genres. Authoritative and expertly edited, the collection is designed for intermediate pianists (Grades 5-7) and includes an historical and technical commentary on every piece.

Mathias's only piano trio was composed in 1965 for the Tunnell Trio, which commissioned the work and gave its premiere on 9 July in the Town Hall at that year's Cheltenham Festival. The piece comes almost directly between the two major early orchestral works, the Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 27 (for the RLPO) and the Symphony No. 1, Op.31 (for the CBSO). Mathias's writing is exuberant but always tautly controlled. His control of structure - articulated in terms of a personal brand of sonata form...

for oboe, viola, and cello A powerful, dramatic, and colourful concert piece, which is also suitable for more advanced young players.

Michael Berkeley wrote Mosaic for Father Popieluszko for Jean-Jacques Kantorow and Anthea Gifford, who gave the first performance in 1985. The emotional impetus for this piece was the murder, in Poland the previous year, of the pro-Solidarity priest Father Jerzy Popieluszko. For Berkeley, the combination of grief and rage is potent, as can be heard in this angry, passionate piece in which there is much contrast between aggressive, violent sounds and soft, wounded ones. It is a memorial to som...

Concise but thorough profiles of symphony orchestras outside the US make this and its companion volume (Symphony Orchestras of the United States) indispensable for music libraries and many general public libraries as well. . . . Using the widely scattered literature on the subject, orchestral archives, and his own questionnaire, Craven profides information on each organization's history, seasonal activities, administrative structure, cultural impact, recordings, music directors, books and articl...

Abstract Mirror is a single movement work for string quintet The composer writes: 'After listening to the Schubert Quintet, it occurred to me that one of the many virtues of that score is the way the second cello is absorbed effortlessly into the texture. I became fascinated with the reverse, highlighting the added sonority of the bass texture.' The title refers not only to the reverse image that a mirror provides but also to the idea of fragmentation, refraction, and distortion.

A definitive study of bands. It provides histories of their European and American origins, as well as discussing contemporary bands, their technical problems and repertoire. It also makes practical suggestions for improving band performance.

for piano and two percussion The title of the work, Wu Ji, comes from ancient Chinese philosophy: "Wu" means "nothing" or "the lack of." "Ji" means "polarity" or "infinity," that which is beyond time and space; its presence precedes that of anything in the universe. (The percussion instruments required are: marimba, tam-tam, high blocks, Chinese opera gongs, wing gong, crotales, mark-tree, bow chime, vibraphone, blocks.)

One of the best-known pianists in contemporary jazz, Marian McPartland built her career in America after the Second World War. In this collection of articles about her experiences as a white woman in the world of American jazz, she draws memorable portraits of the musicians she admires and with whom she has played: jazz greats such as Benny Goodman, Mary Lou Williams, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, and Alec Wilder. Readership: jazz enthusiasts.

Scotch Tape was written in memory of Jack Smith- phantasmagorical film-maker. It is typical of Finnissy in that it is very demanding for the performer. The upper part can be played on either clarinet or violin.

Written in commemoration of the bicentenary of the birth of Spanish composer Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga, Rondo uses materials from his three string quartets, symbolically represented here by each of the three string instruments.