Product Description
A collection of music arranged for solo piano, including Metamorphoses One to Five collected together for the first time. Suitable for intermediate to advanced pianists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great music
This book is spectacular.Philip Glass is a very wonderful composer and this book is very accessible to play.With just a small amount of practice; mediocre pianists can sound great.Very clean and easy to read.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Great pieces
These are great pieces, most of them easily played by the beginning-to-intermediate student of piano. There are some tricky counterpoints in one or two spots that are troublesome, but most or these pieces are repetitive and easy to learn. The difficulty lies in a lack of fingering instructions or dynamics. One of my favorite books to play, however, that said.
As a side note -- if you happen to be a Battlestar Galactica fan and that's how you ended up here, yes, the piece played in "Valley of Darkness" is included in this book.

Good to limber up the fingers
I agree with everything previous reviewers have written about these pieces.They are repetative, and ad nauseum, is a good term.They are easy to tackle in one to two sittings, but the real value is how well they limber up my fingers for some more serious playing.More fun than the usual scales and chord inversions.After a few minutes of working these pieces Mozart and Beethoven pieces run more smoothly.

Minimalist style
If you already know and like the minimalist style from Philip Glass, you'll have more chances on liking the musics on this album.
It's really a mood thing. Sometimes you will play and love it, sometimes you'll just get bored over it. That's also valid for listeners.
Some people will love it, some people will get sleepy.
Still, a great aquisition for intermediate piano students.

Easy and repetitive, but somehow succeeeds with that
If you can play arpeggios worth a cent, you can play this flawlessly in one to two practice sessions per piece.The pieces consist of only a few lines of music each, which are repeated ad nauseum throughout the songs.It's an interesting style that provides good background music, but kind of grates on the ears after a while. ... Read more

Book Description
Written jointly as an appraisal of his work and a biography, Philip Glass details the landmark points of his career and the artists he recorded with, such as Ravi Shankar. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not really a biography, but a terrific reference book
Finally there's a comprehensive book about Glass and his music, with a musicologist's approach.
I think it's exactly the book that was needed, because, even if traces mr.Glass'sbiography in very broad strokes, the book is more of anan analysis of his music in its different forms.
I think it's a terrific book because:
1- It's by an independent writer, so no hagiography, but a very objective and interesting analysis, all the more valuable for that.
For example, the author is not shy of talkingabout controversial issues, like the critics' attitude towards mr.Glass. (you know, those guys that sneer at his music because it does
not conform to the standards they already have pre-set intheir minds)
2- The general tone is that of a vey well-researched and authoritative (if somewhat kinda too concise) book, aimed perhaps more to the informed listener than to the professional musician, which is just fine with me.
It is, actually, a very readable book, especially enlightening when explaining Glass's musical evolution. It really gives you the idea of how and why the music has evolved the way it did.
3- The descriptions of the pieces are great.They're just
like very well written but concise program notes, which is
nothing less than what this marvelous music deserves.
To give you an idea, it's so refreshing to read about the Low Symphony discussed in the same termsof a mainstream full-fledged classical symphony! (which is exactly what it is, in its peculiarly Glassian way)
4- The writer had mr.Glass's endorsement, so there are a few illuminating interviews and, above all,tantalizing descriptions of the pieces that aren't yet recorded , like symphony 6, cello and piano concertos, because the author could listen to the composers' tapes from the performances.
( as you will have gathered, this book is VERY up-to-date)
By the way, are you guys at Nonesuch sleeping? Where the hell are those cd's??Just reading mr. Maycock's enthusiastic description of the 6th symphony gave me a glance at what we're missing. I know corporate guys don't really care about the music, but hey, Glass SELLS!!
A few minor quibbles: there are no photos and the chronological list of works that closes the book is a bit too concise ( usually in such lists you also get details like first performance, recordings etc.)
Strongly recommended, nonetheless. ... Read more

Book Description
While Philip Glass's operas, film scores, symphonies, and popular works have made him America's best-known classical composer, almost no analysis of his compositional techniques grounded in current cultural theory has yet been published. John Richardson's in-depth examination shows how the third opera of Glass's famous trilogy, the story of an adrogynous monarch who authored radical social and religious reforms, encapsulates Glass's ideational orientation at the time, both in terms of his unique conception of music theater and with regard to broader social questions. Glass's nontraditional musical syntax, his experimental, minimalist approach, and his highly ambiguous tonality have resisted interpretation, but Richardson overcomes those difficulties by developing new theoretical models through which to analyze both the work and its genesis.

In Akhnaten, Richardson says, the composer's concepts of sound and dramatic context, cultural theory, and gender construction intersect, providing perhaps the best demonstration of "the very nature of Glass's aesthetic, which places a strong emphasis on implicit levels of signification and steers clear of conventional 'story telling' narrative strategies." Careful explanations of theory and compositional strategies, close readings of the work itself, consideration of the collaborative aspects of the opera's evolution, and incorporation of previously unpublished interviews with Glass himself combine to illuminate both a landmark work of contemporary musical theater and a dominant figure on the American musical landscape. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A needed insight on a modern masterpiece
John Richardson book explores every aspect of Philip Glass's Akhenaton: libretto, music, significance, archeology, etc.
Once I read that book, the opera I have known and listened to for more than 7 years became new again.
This book also puts Akhenaton into the perspective of the others main operas from Philip Glass.
An essential book about this opera and it's creator. ... Read more

Book Description
This folio features piano solo arrangements of 11 beautiful Philip Glass compositions from this highly acclaimed, Oscar-nominated film score: Choosing Life * Dead Things * Escape! * The Hours * I'm Going to Make a Cake * Morning Passages * The Poet Acts * Something She Has to Do * Tearing Herself Away * An Unwelcome Friend * Why Does Someone Have to Die? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Just about as good as it gets
The Amazon description doesn't say much, so here's the deal: This piano solo songbook contains 11 of the 14 tracks from the CD, "The Hours: Music from the Motion Picture Composed by Philip Glass." It leaves out two short tracks "'For your own benefit,'" "Vanessa and the Changelings," and regrettably "The Kiss", as the latter is one of the best tracks from the soundtrack.) Despite these omissions, however, the songbook is pretty awesome, a dream come true for those who love the movie "The Hours" and Glass' haunting score. Stephen Daldry's 2002 film entrances you, yes, and so does listening to Glass' score. Michael Cunningham's novel, on which the film is based, seduces you, too, into a portrait of the suffering of women, the modern and timeless female psyche, the powerful connection between life and art.

But playing the songs yourself allows you to immerse yourself to an even higher level of connectedness with the themes of the whole "Hours" enterprise, and specifically, relive the film and music of the film. The piano solo arrangements, by Michael Riesman, range from easy to moderately difficult. They are all in C-major, but have lots of flats and sharps. Those with two to three years of piano lessons/experience could pull it off, and many of the pieces are simple enough to sight read.

But the songs also lean toward moderately difficult to advanced. You'll frequently run into right-hand triplets to be played on top of left-hand eighth notes. A few are more on the advanced side -- "The Poet Acts" and "The Hours" -- as they require tricky fingering, large hands, and probably a lot of practice. Timing is mostly 3/4 and 4/4 measure time. A great thing is that each song tells you exactly how fast to play so you can set your metronome to it (i.e. a quarter note = 96 in "Dead Things"). The songs do not tell you when to pedal or fingering, which would've been helpful on some of the more difficult pieces.

This book would be great for piano students/teachers. The pieces are arranged so that it is possible to learn casually, yet beautiful and challenging enough to really take your time with and perfect.

As an added bonus, for sale separately, there is Michael Riesman's piano solo CD of "The Hours." And what you hear on that CD is exactly the same as the arrangements in this book! This book gives you the ENTIRE arrangements of the ENTIRE tracks. They do not cut the songs short! Pair up the CD with the songbook, and you have a piano student's dream. On top of that, you can sample the piano solo CD on Amazon: check in the Free Downloads section of Music. You can download three entire tracks from Riesman's solo album.

For $12.95, the book is a steal. On Amazon or Overstock, it's even cheaper! A great buy, as a lot of today's songbooks of this caliber, size, etc are 19.99$. The arrangement of "Morning Passages" is worth getting it alone. I would've rated the book 5 stars if not for the omission of "The Kiss," and if pedaling and fingering were in the book. ... Read more

Book Description
Philip Glass, composer of symphonies, operas (Einstein on the Beach, Akhnaten, Orphée), film scores (Kundun, Mishima, Koyaanisqatsi), songs, and music for dance is a musician who determined early on that he wanted to compose independently, apart from institutions. That decision has made him a controversial figure among academic musicians, in spite of his rigorous training at Juilliard, and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Richard Kostelanetz has gathered a lively and varied collection of writings about Philip Glass's work, along with several interviews and a conversation between Glass and sculptor Richard Serra. The chronology of the works and discography have been updated for the paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A good portrait of Glass' works and life
A book on Glass' avant-garde minimalist compositional style surprised me as he nears his 70th birthday as a significant 20th century composer. Discovering Glass (b.1937) with "The Photographer (83)" CD some 15 years ago, Glass' self-titled website with a biography section does not do justice, especially during his formative years. Biographies show how one's developmental years translate into accomplishments as an adult and parent.

The book is divided into 4 parts, Part I Metamorphosis, Part II Instrumental Music, Part III Music for Theatre and Film, and Part IV Endgame. The book is a compendium of published articles. Part III is the largest section consuming about 1/2 the book, with most articles authored in the mid 80s to early 90s. In this section is a 4 pg article by Robert C Morgan (famed art critic) on "The Photographer," 84 revised 96. There are about 30 articles in the book with an average length of 10 pages. Three of the articles have musical score (analysis by Wes York, "Akhnaten"), a diagram (String Quartet No1), and lyrics (Hydrogen Jukebox) to describe Glass' creative process.

Part IV Endgame has a 1 pg bibliography, 11 pg listing of works by year for 3 decades, 7 pg discography, and 7 pg index. The book's printed ISBN is not current and the book is not listed on the publisher's website. The dust jacket has been rebadged ISBN 0-8256-7246-5, as the publisher's trade books was divested to musicsales dot com, London.

My favorite part of this book is a 25-page interview by Ms Ev Grimes, PhD about Glass' musical education in Section I, p12-36, which has been further edited by the composer and the author. Ev Grimes is a nationally acclaimed producer of documentaries on musicians and cultural topics and she was a NPR radio commentator back in the 70s. The interview / documentary was commissioned by the Yale School of Music (Oral History American Music project). I found Glass's candid comments about his family, early flute teacher, inner city Baltimore high school, U Chicago and NYC's Juilliard quite interesting (covering 1940s-50s). The author claims that this is probably the most comprehensive interview of Glass growing up that exists and is a book exclusive.

In p15-31, Philip, middle son of a Lithuanian immigrant Jew and skilled mechanic, dropped out of a southern Baltimore, Maryland high school, challenged by examination entrance requirements into U of Chicago at age 15 (1952-6) majoring in math and philosophy earned an AB. In the south Chicago neighborhood, extemporaneous Jazz music clubs exposed him to non-classical music. Applying to Juilliard at 19, he expanded his compositional skills. A well-rounded individual, he worked during summers as a crane operator for Bethlehem Steel near Baltimore to help pay tuition. Juilliard's tiny composition department at the time in 1957-62, was focused on experimental modern American music such as Copeland and Hindemith. So Glass got a lot of individual freedom to compose and expressed his talent with 75 pieces. As the composer, he did not have to play them. It was encouraged to recruit fellow students for its performance, including Steve Reich also a minimalist, who he met in Juilliard's friendly cafeteria.

Juilliard's environment emphasized performance, as opposed to getting a teaching credential, a musical trade school if you will. This naturally led to music score for NYC film projects. Writing music on staff became as natural as eating with a fork. Earning a MA in 1962 (4 years) at 25 years of age, he co-won the BMI Award for Young Composers.

After graduation Glass, under a Ford foundation grant, went to high schools as a composer-in-residence, assigned to Pittsburgh. For two years, starting in 1961, he trained up-and-coming students imitating Julliard's performance methodology. He saved his stipend to further his musical career in Europe and beyond.

Although skilled in classical composition, he went to Paris to study under the renown Ms Nadia Boulanger as a Fulbright scholar during 1963-5. Boulanger made him study counterpoint and harmony by analyzing Bach (WTC), Mozart and Beethoven to the nth degree often by voice. By the time he completed his "post-doc," Glass was 28 and sick of the classical school.

As described in a Tricycle article p316-27, Glass' initiation to his signature minimalistic style occurred while in Paris receiving an assignment to translate Indian music scored in an Asian numbered system to a Western musical score for the sitar legend Ravi Shankar in the film, "Chappaqua." This exposed him to Eastern music with different keys, melodies and rhythms. Essentially smitten, Glass and his wife hitchhiked across Egypt and the Middle East to India spending a year sabbatical learning world music and a religious conversion to Buddhism and vegetarianism [see Yahoo for this bio extension]. He returned to NYC in 1967 at 30 and a started reducing a minimalistic style to practice, struggled initially two-timing as a cabbie, plumber, day laborer to make ends meet and finally at 40, as they say in Hollywood, the rest is history.

The book has essays on Glass's most famous initial work, "Einstein on the Beach" a 4+-hour opera (76), third opera on Egyptian pharaoh mythology, "Akahathen" (84), and a tribute to Mohandas Gandhi efforts on civil rights in the "Satyagraha" (80), second opera.

The article does not cover Glass' adult personal life (see Wikipedia and NNDB) which include 4 marriages, most significant with his first wife of 15 years to JoAnne Akalaitis, theater director of Mabou Mines Theatre which they cofounded, m. 1965, div. 1980, son Zachary (b 1969) who followed him in music contributing to a few productions, but not with distinction as a songwriter, and daughter Juliet (PhD Art History John Hopkins, b 1971). It appears that his son, now 36, was not enamored by excellence probably due to his workaholic parent's neglect. Glass is currently married to trophy wife Holly Critchlow (restaurant manager, m. 2001), and lives in East Village (Bowery), NYC and a primitive cabin in a Nova Scotia village in Canada.

Ehhhh, it was okay....
That's about it - this is an okay collection of okay essays.Some are quite good, most are quite average, a few are not so good at all.The layout is also not very helpful - they are not chronologically arranged, but instead are put in some other, non-linear fashion.I am a *huge* fan of Glass, and am generally excited by anything about him - even just seeing his name printed somewhere or hearing his music on a commercial - but I was only whelmed by this book, and wouldn't necessarily recommend it to people.Seems as though the compiler could have found much better articles to include - surely in the years covered there were much more vibrant and intelligent writers writing about Glass.

If you are a diehard fan, or if you need some research material collected in one spot, go for this book. Otherwise, well, take your chances.

Hoscotch in additive land
Although this sort of collection is sorely needed, the format is not well thought through.Had a chronological approach been taken when assembling the various essays, an easier read could be had by all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good info about the composer's life and works through the mid-eighties
I have always found Philip Glass an interesting artifact.Cool name.In the 80s he had a real presence in both the pop and art cultures, and his music has captivated me for entire minutes.However, the whole minimalist / repetitive / whateveryouwanttocallit method loses me fairly quickly.Did I enjoy Koyaanisqatsi? Yeah, but the FILM with the music, rather than listening to the music apart from the movie. And I thought Glass' music added to the film "Kundun" quite well.He has done a number of film scores.

He brought his opera "1,000 Airplanes on the Roof" to Ann Arbor and I took my oldest two children with me to hear it.Earlier in the day we went over the SKR Classical and bought some of his albums and he signed them for us.He was very kind and took time to talk with my son and daughter.When the music began I was quite impressed.There is this extremely low rumble that you feel before you hear it and the sound just fills your whole body and soars up and out of your hearing.Beautiful and wonderful stuff.However, the work goes on for three hours.

It is an almost incomprehensible story about a man or a woman who works in a copy shop and may or may not have been visited and possessed by aliens.Or he / she might just be nuts.Or maybe there is no such thing as reality.Or maybe it is the idea of a single independent reality that is false.(However, I am pretty sure that all of us there that night had paid with independently real money and gave up an independently real evening).You get the idea.I still thought it a worthwhile experience.My son and daughter have yet to forgive me for making them stay for the whole thing.Personally, I think it is clear that Glass has a certain kind of gift and some real talent.I am just not sure that I think repeating the music until one wants to commit violence is the correct compositional choice.

This work came after this book was published.

Here, we get a short history of the composer's life, his study at Julliard and with Nadia Boulanger (which is the most important study of his life, I gather).We also learn about the way he got started in music theater, his attitudes towards traditional opera (dead, dead, dead), and the fact that in his earlier days he drove a cab and worked as a plumber to keep body and soul together.I can relate!

The rest of the book tells us the background of three of his theater works: "Einstein on the Beach", "Satyargraha", and "Akhnaten".We also get the libretti and some sketches of the musical materials used in the works.The book also includes photos of the works and from his life.

If you are interested in Glass at all, this is a good place to get some information about the composer and a few of his major works.The book also discusses many of his other works in passing (through the mid-eighties).

All you ever wanted to know about Glass's music in one place
This book is the quintessential read for anyone interested in the composer be he the music lover realaxing to his recording of "Glassworks" or the avid "Glass-ite" with all five hours of "Einstein on the Beach" memorized (and I salute you). Whatever you wanted to know about Glass and especially the operas can be found here in the composer's own words.Like his music, Glass's book is fluid and encompassing.Seth Bedford (guiseppe@earthlink.net) Midland,TX.

Great explaination of the Portrait Trilogy!
Here is a spectacular explaination of Glass's Portrait Trilogy of operas (Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, and Akhnaten), including lots of greatinsight into the musical subtelties, staging, casting, performances, and production.It includes several excellent pictures (color and B&W) of Glass, his ensemble, and scenes from the three operas.Also, a rare explaination of the staging of Einstein!A good read for anyone interested in modern music ... Read more

Book Description
This book offers the most detailed account so far of the early works of these four minimalist composers, putting extensive discussion of the music into a biographical perspective. The true musical minimalism of the 1960s and early 1970s is placed in the wider context of their music as a whole, and considered within the cultural conditions of the period, which saw not only the rise of minimalism in the fine arts but also crucial changes in the theory and practice of musical composition in the Western cultivated tradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

makes you ponder what this was all about
The phenomenon of minimalist music I think is better understood from its initial stages, for after market popularity sets in the theoretical fascinations seem to dissipate, seem to become rationalized away as unimportant and cumbersome. If you take all four praticioners here, to my mind only their early works seem to hold any interest at all,it is only the only works that have a "longevity" factor, where we can still find points of interests. For it was in the early works that carried the weight into what we have now.
Musical minimalism as well is a kind of misnomer in that the term began in the visual arts and if you go there you will find the term and its results and achievments has a much more vigorous base of contemplation and export. There simply is more important things happening there, as Donald Judd,the minimalist shrine of cubes and geometric shapes in an old Army base in Marfa Texas or the flourescent lighting schemes of Dan Flavin, the powerful sculptural plates of Richard Serra,or painters abound as Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella and Bridget Riley. There simply is no comparison with the level of conceptual depth and gestural focus, what art is suppose to do, what it did, and how the concept is engaged,and how it responds to its context and art history,or a temporality (how for instance the spirit, ir-religious of course is engaged in Richard Serra, his plates where the human mind simply stands there engaged in peace with his own existence or sense of space and time). Musical minimalism has no equivalent, and it is a shame for it could have had this. La Monte Young's "Well-Tuned Piano", a 9 hour work with just intonation tunings of the piano comes close to the temporal vigours of Judd's shrine I beleive.
With the introduction of opera in the works of Glass well now we are in another dimension, for Glass resorted to traditional classical structures of opera, duets, trios, quartets, (as in Aknathen) this is no longer innovative means. Potter's book draws light on this paradigm here makes you think of these issues what minimalism did and what it is now. Was it simply a fad?, or did it produce sustainable music?, music we can return to once or twice, or was minimalism simply "grist" for the mill of the market, one time, make the cash, take the money and run. Again the importance of minimalism is found in its early repertoire, Reich fascinating threadbare music for four woodblocks was all he needed to write to proclaim a status, or Glass's early music with Farfisa organs and saxophones,"Music in Fifths" or Riley's "In C", or his "Keyboard Studies" are all relevant pieces we can return to unpretenciously.

The late Morton Feldman is of course not here. He had intense knowledge of the visual arts world and his last works sought to reclaim this paradigm for music (his Second String Quartet, and Triadic Memories, For Chritian Wolff) are works scaling long durational lengths a place where minimalism in music seems to be now a beginning point not an end. Had Feldman lived I think he would have written even longer works. Of course Cage's massive work for organ now being realized in Halberstadt Germany, a work lasting years is also a step in the right direction.

music theory exposition, and history too
Potter's book will be best appreciated by those with a much better understanding of music theory than I.However, I learned something about the personal and musical history of so-called "minimalism."(Potter falls prey to some extent to the problem of reifying an abstraction -- having first grouped some things together into a category, then searching for the true meaning of the category.)Is there a torch passed, so to speak, from Young to Riley to Reich to Glass?Glass is the only one to adamantly deny it, but Potter documents the basis for seeing it just that way (including Reich's influence on Glass).

One aspect I am keen to know more about, but which Potter doesn't stress overly much, is the striking confluence of non-Western influences.Young and Riley are both disciples of the North Indian master singer, Pandit Pran Nath, who died in 1996.Reich studied both African drumming as well as the gamelan music of Bali.Glass studied Indian music, after being immersed in serialism.With the European "classical" tradition at an impasse at the turn of the millennium, it seems only natural that the future would lie in creative fusions and combinationswith other traditions.(Not a very original idea, I realize, as evidenced by the recent emphasis of the Kronos Quartet among others.)Minimalism seems by now to be another style that passed into history and critical assessments -- is there an opening there that is being missed? ... Read more

Book Description

"Moondog is one of America’s great originals."—Alan Rich, New York Magazine

Here is one of the most improbable lives of the twentieth century: a blind and homeless man who became the most famous eccentric in New York and who, with enormous diligence, rose to prominence as an internationally respected music presence.

Born Louis Thomas Hardin in 1916, Moondog first made an impression in the late 1940s when he became a mascot of The New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. His unique, melodic compositions were released on the Prestige jazz label. In the late 1960s the Viking-garbed Moondog was a pop music sensation on Columbia Records. Moondog is the noted inspiration for the contemporary freak folk movement led by Devendra Banhart.

Moondog's compositional style influenced his former roommate, Philip Glass, whose Preface and performances of Moondog works appear in the book. Moondog's work transcends labels and redefines the distinction between popular and high culture. A CD compilation with a variety of Moondog's compositions is bound into the book.

The CD tracklisting is as follows:

Customer Reviews (3)

fun facts to know and tell
If you want to know about Moondog's life, this is what you'll have to buy, so there's no use nitpicking: isn't it nice to learn that when Moondog sued Alan Freed, he called Arturo Toscanini as a character witness?This isn't an especially well-written book; it's stilted and repetitive, but the author is a dogged researcher.By necessity, he has to rely on Moondog's own memoir (in verse) for details of his early life. Because it's an authorized biography, it doesn't ask any hard questions about the quality of Moondog's music or of his mental health.However, it comes with a CD of rare recordings, including madrigals sung by Moondog, Philip Glass and Stephen Reich.The CD alone is worth the price of the book.

MOONDOG
What makes a musical genius? Is it the quality of their music, or their role in history, or the hindsight of critical analysis? To some composers, it is the combination of a unique story, a unique mode of composing or a unique way of looking at the world. This was the case with Louis Hardin aka Moondog who has, at last, had a gentle and rewarding biography written by Robert Scotto. It is a remarkable story in the American mythology that began in Wisconsin and a childhood growing up in Wyoming with his preacher father. Louis' early musical education was with the music teachers of the state but he hardly got a pass grade school in his education. As the years went by he drifted to New York where he spent 25 years begging on street corners. During this time he composed several major works and many many epigraphs - short songs that captured the passer by with their imaginative nature. As time went on he almost inadvertently became the darling of the avant garde and was renowned for his songs and drumming. He was befriended by Philip Glass and Steve Reich (some of their collaborations are heard on the extra CD) but after a failed marriage he remained a shadowy figure in the American Classical music world. By luck he managed to move to Germany in 1974 where he achieved a cult status among musicians. It seems so sad that it has taken such a long time to recognise this sensitive musician who, at his death had composed hundreds of songs, invented (a la Harry Partch) new instruments and had almost completed some 200 Symphonies.. Scotto is to be praised for trying to give the 21st century the dream of an almost forgotten genius of the 20th

Finally a full documentation!
Moondog (aka Louis Hardin, 1916-1999), the great American original, blind street musician, brilliant composer, gentle conversationalist, writer of wise/witty aphorisms, friend of the great and near-great -- not to mention of the "common man" -- who spent the latter part of his life in Europe (where recognition was faster in coming), at long last has his life story in print.Robert Scotto, a professor at Baruch College of C.U.N.Y., spent many years researching, interviewing his subject, as well as many of his colleagues and friends, and produced this well-written, entertaining and wise story of the life of the eccentric artist who was both personally and musically one of a kind!Scotto balances the most unusual story with perceptive yet readily accessible discussion of the wide span of Moondog's music, ranging from drum solos, through madrigals, keyboard and chamber music, to symphonic essays for large orchestra, and enhances it with a selection of intriguing photographs, an excellent
"sampler" CD of compositions spanning a half century of creativity from shortly after Moondog's arrival in New York in the 1940s to his last years in the 1990s in Germany, and a foreword by Phillip Glass (a master of contemporary musical "minimalism").Full disclosure: as a friend of Moondog's and a contributor to the CD, this reviewer's name appears in the book.Based on its merits, however -- and those of its unique and lovable subject -- I'm confident that there will be other reviewers, with no axe at all to grind, whose comments will affirm my positive view and appreciation of this long-awaited, substantial and revealing biography.
Paul Jordan ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2006. The length of the article is 1789 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Minimalism: repeating the hours in the Journal of Curriculum Theorizing.(Philip Glass' music)(Editorial)
Author: Marla Morris
Publication: Journal of Curriculum Theorizing (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 22Issue: 3Page: 3(4)

Article Type: Editorial

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
This new book presents an important part of Anchor Hocking's glass production, the dark "Forest Green" styles made from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s. The history and variety of Forest Green glassware is precisely documented here, covering seventeen established patterns, many boxed sets, and a myriad of accessory pieces such as relish sets, ashtrays, lamps, vases, pitchers, and tumblers. These and many other styles are beautifully presented in over 300 gorgeous color photographs. Many pages of historical documentation are included to make this the most comprehensive reference guide to Anchor Hocking's Forest Green glassware. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good representative book on Forest Green Glass
As a casual collector of Anchor Hocking forest green glass over 30 years, this was my first ever book I'd ever gotten (or seen) dedicated to my favorite type of glass. I was thrilled to see that nearly everything I had was represented and it gave me better background about the items.I used it that very weekend to recognize a small green vase I would otherwise have not known was anchor hocking (had gold paint on it).But don't use the prices as indications of the real value of the items, unless maybe yours are new-never-used still in original boxes.you couldn't sell your collection fo the prices listed I don't believe -- I'm still picking them up for just a few dollars at "junk" stores,and yard sales.And ebay items are never over $10.

Colonel Hopper does it again!
In Forest Green Glass, Philip L. Hopper has once again teamed up with photographer Bruce Walters to produce a well-researched and stunningly beautiful book on Anchor Hocking glassware. The documentation ismeticulous, and includes copies of old factory sheets, batch formulas forAnchor Hocking's green glass, and a section on confusing similarities.Besides precise research, Hopper's captions clearly identify each piece ofglassware, it's measurements or dimensions, the factory's stock number, andan estimated value for the piece. Since there are only a few items perpicture, the reader gets an enlarged view of each and every piece ofglassware, and doesn't have to flip back and forth to find out what it is.Combine the thorough research with Bruce Walter's creativity, and techniqueof underlighting colored glass, and you have one gorgeous publication.A21 gun salute for the Colonel and his cohort! ... Read more

Book Description
Word count: 8349. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Proceso, published by CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V. on June 28, 1998. The length of the article is 759 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Kundun. (crítica del compositor Philip Glass)(TA: critique of composer Philip Glass)
Author: José Antonio Alcaraz
Publication: Proceso (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 28, 1998
Publisher: CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V.
Issue: n1130Page: p61(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Proceso, published by CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V. on February 16, 1997. The length of the article is 733 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Glass: novedad del hoy. (crítica del compositor Philip Glass y su música)(TT: Glass: innovations of today) (TA: critique of the composer Philip Glass and his music)
Author: José Antonio Alcaraz
Publication: Proceso (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 16, 1997
Publisher: CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V.
Issue: n1059Page: p66(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on December 1, 1997. The length of the article is 934 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and Five Generations of American Experimental Composers.
Author: Allison Welch
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1997
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: v54Issue: n2Page: p497(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on January 8, 2006. The length of the article is 498 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Mozart up next for symphony.(Entertainment)(Also on the program is a piece by contemporary composer Philip Glass)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: January 8, 2006
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: G5

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more