Johann Sebastian Bach Volume I. This monumental study of Johann Sebastian Bach ranks among the great classics of musicology. Since its first publication in 1873-80, it has remained the basic work on Bach and the foundation of later research and study. The three-part treatment describes in chronological sequence practically everything that is known of the composer's life: his ancestry, his immediate family, his associations, his employers, and the countless occasions on which his musical genius emerged. Author Philipp Spitta accompanies this biographical material with quotations from primary sources: correspondence, family records, diaries, official documents, and more. In addition to biographical data, Spitta reviews Bach's musical production, with analyses of more than 500 pieces, covering all the important works. More than 450 musical excerpts are included in the main text, and a 43-page musical supplement illustrates longer passages. Despite the scholarly nature of this work, it also has the rare distinction of being a study that can be read with considerable enjoyment and great profit by every serious music lover, with or without a substantial background in the history of music or musical theory.

Updated Edition-If you ever needed proof that a magazine can have a love affair with a musician you're holding it in your hands. For DownBeat the preeminent publication of the jazz world Miles Dewey Davis was one of its most cherished subjects. Since it began covering the jazz scene in 1939 no other artist has been more diligently chronicled in its pages than Davis.The beauty of this collection is seeing the development of an artist over time. The reviews of his music go from quietly introducing a new talent to revering perhaps the greatest jazz artist of his generation. The feature articles begin with a very young very polite Davis lamenting I've worked so little. Icould probably tell you where I was playing any night in the last three years. As he develops the interviews show Davis gaining confidence and stature showing swagger and becoming the over-the-top say-it-like-it-is showman that made every interview an event.The Miles Davis Reader compiles more than 200 news stories feature articles and reviews by some of the greatest writers in jazz into one volume. It delivers a patchwork of his words and music - in the moment as they happened. With several lengthy features added along with a dozen new photographs this new edition is a beautiful series of snapshots a year-by-year ride through the many phases of Davis as an artist and as a man.

Written by Brett Morgen with Richard Bienstock, Cobain: Montage Of Heck is a true goldmine of exclusive material collected and created for the acclaimed documentary. Delving further into the interviews, art and photography used in the film, this book is the perfect companion piece to the definitive film on this genuine legend's life.Even if you haven't yet seen the film, or you've loved it and have been left wanting more, Cobain: Montage Of Heck will definitely quench your thirst for all things Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. The legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist has gone down in history as almost a mythically brilliant voice of a generation, turning late 20th century angst into electrifying rock music. Brett Morgen's Montage Of Heck documentary was fully authorised by the Cobain family, after his widow Courtney Love approached him with the idea for the film.Getting exclusive access to Cobain's personal and family archives was an unprecedented achievement, allowing Morgen to delve deeply into home movies, recordings, artwork, photography, demos and journals, presenting an intimate portrait of Cobain's personal life as well as his astonishing artistry. The exclusive interviews in the film have provided fans with incredible insight into Cobain's life, featuring words from all the key figures like Courtney Love, Krist Novoselic, and his parents. Included in this book are extended versions of these interviews, giving unbridled vision into his life and work, told by the people who knew him best.Accompanying these interviews are some incredible and often never-before-seen visuals including animation stills from the films, personal art, candid photography and other treasures from his personal archive. Looking at these visuals, readers will find a true sense of the tortured genius, the artist who achieved enormous success and almost demi-god status yet still struggled with his personal, all-too-human demons. Since Cobain's tragic death, fans have been left with nothing but his music and an overwhelming amount of press rumours and cinema speculation. Now, Cobain: Montage Of Heck and the accompanying documentary provides the most definitive insight into the real man behind the musical legend.For nearly everyone who is interested in popular music, this book is absolutely fascinating. Cobain's boundary-pushing art has almost been overshadowed by rumour, but this book thankfully restores both to their rightful place, setting examples of his boundless creativity alongside authorised truths from the people who knew him intimately. Cobain: Montage Of Heck is sure to be seen as a true classic of rock biography. / Livre