Books Recommendations
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Books of the Year - Winners 2022
9th Dec 2022
We are very pleased to announce the winning book publications for the annual Presto Music Awards! We have chosen five of the most outstanding publications from the past twelve months. Find out the winners here.
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Books of the Year - Finalists 2022
25th Nov 2022
In anticipation of our upcoming Presto Music Awards, we have compiled our shortlist of book titles all in the running as potential winners. Find our finalists here.
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New Music Book Publications - 14th November 2022
14th Nov 2022
An exploration of the relationship between music and homesickness in the works of Dvořák, Elgar, Bartók and Britten; a paperback edition of Oxford University Press's handbook of opera; a picture book introducing children to musical notation from Julie Andrews; a biography of choreographer, George Balanchine; and a collection of writings on jazz by Black journalists and critics.
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New Music Book Publications - 26th October 2022
26th Oct 2022
Essays on the music of Handel written in honour of Donald Burrows; a revised edition of a handbook of diction for singers; a paperback edition of Susan Tomes's guide to the history of the piano; essays on music by women composers in the first half of the twentieth century; activities to assist with teaching musical composition to young students; a biography of Bob Dylan; and a companion to the genre of German experimental music known as Krautrock.
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New Music Book Publications - 11th October 2022
11th Oct 2022
Two biographies of Ralph Vaughan Williams for his anniversary year; a survey of music in the Romantic age; a collection of puzzles and brainteasers from Classic FM; an introduction to Western music in the twentieth century; a history of Welsh music; books offering tips for viola and horn players; a look at the phenomenon of the execution ballad in Europe from 1500; and an account of the modern brass ensemble in twentieth-century Britain.
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New Music Book Publications - 26th September 2022
26th Sep 2022
An exploration of the impact which The Beatles and James Bond had on British culture and constructions of masculinity, the story of the 1957 musical The Music Man and its creator Meredith Willson, an analysis of more than a century's worth of recorded performances of Mozart's Don Giovanni, and a brief history of time-keeping devices in music.
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New Music Book Publications - 5th September 2022
5th Sep 2022
A collection of essays on Rachmaninoff; the story of how the young Vaughan Williams encountered the extraordinary world of folksong; an examination of Mozart's work in relation to the places in which he lived; books for children helping them to discover the music of JS Bach, the instruments of the orchestra, and life backstage at an opera house; a consideration of eighteenth-century culture in relation to the music of Haydn; and a guide to transcribing and editing early music.
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New Music Book Publications - 15th August 2022
15th Aug 2022
A paperback edition of Nicholas Kenyon's examination of the power of music to bring people together in times of crisis; essays on the Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann; writings on French music from Berlioz to Boulez by Roger Nichols; an analysis of the stage works of Philip Glass; a study of the relationship between opera and politics in the reign of Queen Anne; and a companion to Caribbean Music.
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New Music Book Publications - 25th July 2022
25th Jul 2022
The 2023 edition of Boosey & Hawkes's music diary; a biography of Minna Wagner; a reappraisal of twentieth-century music through the lens of ten figures who altered the course of music history; the story of the American national anthem; a lavishly-illustrated guide to opera; a biography of choreographer Bronislava Nijinska; and a celebration of the seventy-fifth birthday of conductor Philippe Herreweghe.
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New Music Book Publications - 4th July 2022
4th Jul 2022
An examination of Nordic music and its performers; a revised edition of the authoritative catalogue of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis; a paperback edition of conductor John Mauceri's guide to the art of listening; a volume discussing the relationship between music and time from the differing perspectives of philosophers, psychologists, and performers; and a picture book for children exploring musical instruments and how they are made.
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New Music Book Publications - 20th June 2022
20th Jun 2022
An exploration of music in the twentieth century by conductor John Mauceri; an examination of the poetry behind Liszt's piano music; a collection of letters from John Cage; an analysis of Messiaen's birdsong-inspired piano work, Catalogue d'oiseaux; graphic music analyses by Joseph N. Straus of thirty-three post-tonal works; a guide for performers on singing musical theatre; and a paperback reissue of a classic text on fourteenth-century mensuration.
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New Music Book Publications - 30th May 2022
30th May 2022
A guide to Mahler's Second Symphony; a biography of Malcolm Arnold; a look at the life and works of the late Stephen Sondheim; a discussion of the development of the symphony throughout history; a collection of mind-expanding musical ideas from broadcaster Tom Service; a memoir from pianist Jeremy Denk; and the relationship between cinema and the music of Franz Liszt.
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New Music Book Publications - 16th May 2022
16th May 2022
The latest Very Short Introduction from OUP on Beethoven; a biography of famed jazz clarinettist Artie Shaw; an examination of the perception of American music in the minds of French authors; a handbook for aspiring orchestral managers; a guide to building a career in live entertainment sound; an exploration of the affinity between twentieth-century abstract art and jazz music; and a volume discussing Eurasian musical journeys.
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New Music Book Publications - 2nd May 2022
2nd May 2022
The official guide to the 2022 BBC Proms; an exploration of the heroic in music; a paperback edition of one person's obsession with the sound of the foghorn; a biography of Johann Scheibe, organ builder during the time of Bach; the impact of the French Revolution on music-making; a chronicle of choreographer Frederick Ashton; the story of the birth of pop music; a memoir by jazz author Alyn Shipton; and a dive into the music scene in the Chinese city of Guangzhou.
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New Music Book Publications - 18th April 2022
18th Apr 2022
An examination of the life and work of Benjamin Britten; paperback editions of András Schiff's memoir and Michael Spitzer's exploration of the relationship between music and the human species; a history of stringed keyboard instruments; music-related science experiments for children; a collection of lyrics and illustratons by the late Scott Hutchison, vocalist and songwriter of Frightened Rabbit; and the story of jazz musician Ornette Coleman.
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New Music Book Publications - 4th April 2022
4th Apr 2022
100 things for children to know about music; an examination of subjectivity in the music of Schumann; a study of Morton Feldman's associations with artists such as John Cage and Jackson Pollock; the importance of wood in the art of making string instruments; the relationship between music and the body in late medieval England; an analysis of the Golden Age musicals of Darryl F. Zanuck; and a musical journey through modern Black Britain.
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New Music Book Publications - 21st March 2022
21st Mar 2022
A biography of Rachmaninoff; essays exploring the life and work of Berlioz; an assessment of the choral works of Vaughan Williams; a collection of correspondence between John Cage and Peter Yates; activities designed to enrich and diversify primary school music; and a new edition of a classic textbook on psychology for musicians.
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New Music Book Publications - 7th March 2022
7th Mar 2022
The story of Janáček’s Jenůfa; a re-evaluation of the relationship between singer Emma Bardac and Claude Debussy; an exploration of film scores by John Barry; lectures by composer Elliott Carter; a biography of Nellie Melba; the third volume in Carus's series on the historical performance practice of organ music; and the history of sound and music in the British North American fur trade.
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New Music Book Publications - 7th February 2022
7th Feb 2022
A collection of essays rethinking topics connected with JS Bach; a study of Beethoven's piano sonatas; an examination of the music of Elliott Carter; an exploration of the consumption of food and drink in operas; a biography of Russian pianist Maria Yudina; an assessment of music during the Cultural Revolution in China; an introduction to the links between poetry and song; and an analysis of the representation of Australian Aboriginal music and dance on public stages.
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New Music Book Publications - 24th January 2022
24th Jan 2022
Essays on Scriabin; a re-assessment of female characters in Mozart's operas; an exploration of Inuit music-making in Alaska; an introduction to music and liturgy in medieval Britain; a guide to the analysis of musical theatre; a consideration of the influence of the Martha Graham Dance Company on contemporary artists; a study of the importance of the 1970s Soviet Underground scene to the music of Arvo Pärt; and a pedagogical volume devoted to jazz singing.
