Paul Francis Kildea's Books

Selling Britten

Music and the Marketplace

By: Paul Francis Kildea

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Selling Britten

Music and the Marketplace

By: Paul Francis Kildea

... frequently fascinating book.' -Times Higher Education SupplementThis book explores the effect of commercial and national institutions on the music of one of the foremost British composers of the twentieth century, Benjamin Britten. Radio, the recording industry, government subsidies for the arts, Covent Garden, the post-war establishment of music festivals, were all agents for dramatic changes in the art-music culture which Britten skilfully used to his advantage.

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Page Count

288

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198167156

ISBN 13

9780198167150

Chopin's Piano: In Search of the Instrument that Transformed Music

By: Paul Kildea

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Chopin's Piano: In Search of the Instrument that Transformed Music

By: Paul Kildea

“An exceptionally fine book: erudite, digressive, urbane and deeply moving.” —Wall Street Journal Chopin’s Piano traces the history of Frédéric Chopin’s twenty-four Preludes through the instruments on which they were played, the pianists who interpreted them, and the traditions they came to represent. Yet it begins and ends with Chopin’s Mallorquin pianino, which the great keyboard player Wanda Landowska rescued from an abandoned monastery at Valldemossa in 1913—and which assumed an astonishing cultural potency during the Second World War as it became, for the Nazis, a symbol of the man and music they were determined to appropriate as their own. In scintillating prose, and with an eye for exquisite detail, Paul Kildea beautifully interweaves these narratives, which comprise a journey through musical Romanticism—one that illuminates how art is transmitted, interpreted, and appropriated over the ages.

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Page Count

370

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

0393652238

ISBN 13

9780393652239

Belle and Sebastian

Just A Modern Rock Story

By: Paul Whitelaw

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Belle and Sebastian

Just A Modern Rock Story

By: Paul Whitelaw

In the years since their first release, Belle and Sebastian have grown from a secretive cult concern into one of the most beloved and revered pop'n'roll bands in the world. Intelligent and sensitive, witty and original, beautiful and bold, their music inspires the kind of devotion not seen since The Smiths. Their continuing desire to push the boundaries of their vision has resulted in some of the most essential and idiosyncratic records of recent times. In this, the first biography of Belle and Sebastian, Paul Whitelaw traces their unpredictable personal and creative curve. With all original interviews and personal photos from the band Belle and Sebastian:Just A Modern Rock Story is the definitive account of the clandestine world and continuing rise of the unique and fascinating musical phenomenon that is Belle and Sebastian.

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Page Count

396

Publisher

Macmillan + ORM

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466862297

ISBN 13

9781466862296

Benjamin Britten

A Life in the Twentieth Century

By: Paul Kildea

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Benjamin Britten

A Life in the Twentieth Century

By: Paul Kildea

Published to mark the beginning of the Britten centenary year in 2013, Paul Kildea's Benjamin Britten: A Life in the Twentieth Century is the definitive biography of Britain's greatest modern composer. In the eyes of many, Benjamin Britten was our finest composer since Purcell (a figure who often inspired him) three hundred years earlier. He broke decisively with the romantic, nationalist school of figures such as Parry, Elgar and Vaughan Williams and recreated English music in a fresh, modern, European form. With Peter Grimes (1945), Billy Budd (1951) and The Turn of the Screw (1954), he arguably composed the last operas - from any composer in any country - which have entered both the popular consciousness and the musical canon. He did all this while carrying two disadvantages to worldly success - his passionately held pacifism, which made him suspect to the authorities during and immediately after the Second World War - and his homosexuality, specifically his forty-year relationship with Peter Pears, for whom many of his greatest operatic roles and vocal works were created. The atmosphere and personalities of Aldeburgh in his native Suffolk also form another wonderful dimension to the book. Kildea shows clearly how Britten made this creative community, notably with the foundation of the Aldeburgh Festival and the building of Snape Maltings, but also how costly the determination that this required was. Above all, this book helps us understand the relationship of Britten's music to his life, and takes us as far into his creative process as we are ever likely to go. Kildea reads dozens of Britten's works with enormous intelligence and sensitivity, in a way which those without formal musical training can understand. It is one of the most moving and enjoyable biographies of a creative artist of any kind to have appeared for years. Paul Kildea is a writer and conductor who has performed many of the Britten works he writes about, in opera houses and concert halls from Sydney to Hamburg. His previous books include Selling Britten (2002) and (as editor) Britten on Music (2003). He was Head of Music at the Aldeburgh Festival between 1999 and 2002 and subsequently Artistic Director of the Wigmore Hall in London.

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Page Count

870

Publisher

Penguin UK

Published Date

ISBN 10

0141924306

ISBN 13

9780141924304

Ecological Impacts of Toxic Chemicals

By: Francisco Sánchez-Bayo, Paul J. van den Brink, Reinier M. Mann

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Ecological Impacts of Toxic Chemicals

By: Francisco Sánchez-Bayo, Paul J. van den Brink, Reinier M. Mann

Ecological Impacts of Toxic Chemicals presents a comprehensive, yet readable account of the known disturbances caused by all kinds of toxic chemicals on both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Topics cover the sources of toxicants, their fate and distribution through the planet, their impacts on specific ecosystems, and their remediation by natural systems. Each chapter is written by well-known specialists in those areas, for the general public, students, and even scientists from outside this field. The book intends to raise awareness of the dangers of chemical pollution in a world dominated by industry and globalization of resources. Because the problems are widespread and far reaching, it is hoped that confronting the facts may prompt better management practices at industrial, agricultural and all levels of management, from local to governmental, so as to reduce the negative impacts of chemical contaminants on our planet.

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Page Count

288

Publisher

Francisco Sanchez-Bayo

Published Date

ISBN 10

1608051218

ISBN 13

9781608051212

Book's by Paul Francis Kildea

Selling Britten

Selling Britten

Chopin's Piano: In Search of the Instrument that Transformed Music

Chopin's Piano: In Search of the Instrument that Transformed Music

Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian

Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten

Ecological Impacts of Toxic Chemicals

Ecological Impacts of Toxic Chemicals

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