Stuart Isacoff's Books

Temperament

How Music Became a Battleground for the Great Minds of Western Civilization

By: Stuart Isacoff

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Temperament

How Music Became a Battleground for the Great Minds of Western Civilization

By: Stuart Isacoff

Few music lovers realize that the arrangement of notes on today’s pianos was once regarded as a crime against God and nature, or that such legendary thinkers as Pythagoras, Plato, da Vinci, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, Newton and Rousseau played a role in the controversy. Indeed, from the time of the Ancient Greeks through the eras of Renaissance scientists and Enlightenment philosophers, the relationship between the notes of the musical scale was seen as a key to the very nature of the universe. In this engaging and accessible account, Stuart Isacoff leads us through the battles over that scale, placing them in the context of quarrels in the worlds of art, philosophy, religion, politics and science. The contentious adoption of the modern tuning system known as equal temperament called into question beliefs that had lasted nearly two millenia–and also made possible the music of Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, and all who followed. Filled with original insights, fascinating anecdotes, and portraits of some of the greatest geniuses of all time, Temperament is that rare book that will delight the novice and expert alike.

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290

Publisher

Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307560511

ISBN 13

9780307560513

Musical Revolutions

How the Sounds of the Western World Changed

By: Stuart Isacoff

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Musical Revolutions

How the Sounds of the Western World Changed

By: Stuart Isacoff

From the critically acclaimed author of Temperament, a narrative account of the most defining moments in musical history—classical and jazz—all of which forever altered Western culture "A fascinating journey that begins with the origins of musical notation and travels through the centuries reaching all the way to our time.”—Semyon Bychkov, chief conductor and music director of the Czech Philharmonic The invention of music notation by a skittish Italian monk in the eleventh century. The introduction of multilayered hymns in the Middle Ages. The birth of opera in a Venice rebelling against the church’s pious restraints. Baroque, Romantic, and atonal music; bebop and cool jazz; Bach and Liszt; Miles Davis and John Coltrane. In telling the exciting story of Western music’s evolution, Stuart Isacoff explains how music became entangled in politics, culture, and economics, giving rise to new eruptions at every turn, from the early church’s attempts to bind its followers by teaching them to sing in unison to the global spread of American jazz through the Black platoons of the First World War. The author investigates questions like: When does noise become music? How do musical tones reflect the natural laws of the universe? Why did discord become the primary sound of modernity? Musical Revolutions is a book replete with the stories of our most renowned musical artists, including notable achievements of people of color and women, whose paths to success were the most difficult.

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321

Publisher

Knopf

Published Date

ISBN 10

0525658637

ISBN 13

9780525658634

When the World Stopped to Listen

Van Cliburn's Cold War Triumph, and Its Aftermath

By: Stuart Isacoff

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When the World Stopped to Listen

Van Cliburn's Cold War Triumph, and Its Aftermath

By: Stuart Isacoff

April 1958: The Soviets were leading the space race, the Iron Curtain was at its heaviest, and the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow seemed certain to crown a hometown champion. But as the world’s finest young pianists descended on the Russian capital, an unlikely favorite emerged: Van Cliburn, a polite, lanky Texan whose passionate virtuosity captured the hearts of the Russian people—and thawed Cold War tensions in a way no one would have thought possible. This is the story of what unfolded that spring—for Cliburn and the other competitors, for jurors and party officials, and for the citizens of the world. It is a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most remarkable events in musical history, filled with political intrigue and personal struggle as artists strove for self-expression and governments jockeyed for prestige. At the core of it all is the value of artistic achievement, the supremacy of the heart, and the transcendent freedom that can be found, through music, even in the darkest moments of human history.

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322

Publisher

Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0804170231

ISBN 13

9780804170239

A Natural History of the Piano

The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians--from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between

By: Stuart Isacoff

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A Natural History of the Piano

The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians--from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between

By: Stuart Isacoff

A beautifully illustrated, totally engrossing celebration of the piano, and the composers and performers who have made it their own. With honed sensitivity and unquestioned expertise, Stuart Isacoff—pianist, critic, teacher, and author of Temperament: How Music Became a Battleground for the Great Minds of Western Civilization—unfolds the ongoing history and evolution of the piano and all its myriad wonders: how its very sound provides the basis for emotional expression and individual style, and why it has so powerfully entertained generation upon generation of listeners. He illuminates the groundbreaking music of Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Schumann, and Debussy. He analyzes the breathtaking techniques of Glenn Gould, Oscar Peterson, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Arthur Rubinstein, and Van Cliburn, and he gives musicians including Alfred Brendel, Murray Perahia, Menahem Pressler, and Vladimir Horowitz the opportunity to discuss their approaches. Isacoff delineates how classical music and jazz influenced each other as the uniquely American art form progressed from ragtime, novelty, stride, boogie, bebop, and beyond, through Scott Joplin, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Cecil Taylor, and Bill Charlap. A Natural History of the Piano distills a lifetime of research and passion into one brilliant narrative. We witness Mozart unveiling his monumental concertos in Vienna’s coffeehouses, using a special piano with one keyboard for the hands and another for the feet; European virtuoso Henri Herz entertaining rowdy miners during the California gold rush; Beethoven at his piano, conjuring healing angels to console a grieving mother who had lost her child; Liszt fainting in the arms of a page turner to spark an entire hall into hysterics. Here is the instrument in all its complexity and beauty. We learn of the incredible craftsmanship of a modern Steinway, the peculiarity of specialty pianos built for the Victorian household, the continuing innovation in keyboards including electronic ones. And most of all, we hear the music of the masters, from centuries ago and in our own age, brilliantly evoked and as marvelous as its most recent performance. With this wide-ranging volume, Isacoff gives us a must-have for music lovers, pianists, and the armchair musician.

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385

Publisher

Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307701425

ISBN 13

9780307701428

When the World Stopped to Listen

Van Cliburn's Cold War Triumph, and Its Aftermath

By: Stuart Isacoff

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When the World Stopped to Listen

Van Cliburn's Cold War Triumph, and Its Aftermath

By: Stuart Isacoff

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322

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Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0804170231

ISBN 13

9780804170239

A Natural History of the Piano

The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians--from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between

By: Stuart Isacoff

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A Natural History of the Piano

The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians--from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between

By: Stuart Isacoff

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385

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Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307701425

ISBN 13

9780307701428

Temperament

How Music Became a Battleground for the Great Minds of Western Civilization

By: Stuart Isacoff

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Temperament

How Music Became a Battleground for the Great Minds of Western Civilization

By: Stuart Isacoff

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290

Publisher

Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0375703306

ISBN 13

9780375703300

Musical Revolutions

How the Sounds of the Western World Changed

By: Stuart Isacoff

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Musical Revolutions

How the Sounds of the Western World Changed

By: Stuart Isacoff

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321

Publisher

Knopf

Published Date

ISBN 10

0525658637

ISBN 13

9780525658634

Steinway

By: Ronald V. Ratcliffe,Stuart Isacoff

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Steinway

By: Ronald V. Ratcliffe,Stuart Isacoff

The exquisite pianos produced by Steinway & Sons are revered by musicians, music lovers, and collectors around the world. Publishing to coincide with the firms 150th anniversary, this beautiful new edition celebrates the history of the family and the instruments it creates with fully updated text and a striking new cover. Interweaving the stories of the pianos, their creation, and the music they inspire with more than 200 photos, designs, sketches, and paintings,Steinway pays elegant tribute to these incomparable instruments."--Publisher's description.

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Page Count

226

Publisher

Chronicle Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0811833895

ISBN 13

9780811833899

The Essential Jazz Records: Modernism to postmodernism

By: Max Harrison,Charles Fox,Eric Thacker,Stuart Nicholson

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The Essential Jazz Records: Modernism to postmodernism

By: Max Harrison,Charles Fox,Eric Thacker,Stuart Nicholson

Following the same format as the acclaimed first volume, this selection of the best 250 modern jazz records and CDs places each in its musical context and reviews it in depth. Additionally, full details of personnel, recording dates, and locations are given. Indexes of album titles, track titles, and musicians are included.

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Page Count

924

Publisher

A&C Black

Published Date

ISBN 10

0720118220

ISBN 13

9780720118223

Resource Recovery Economics

Methods for Feasibility Analysis

By: Russell

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Resource Recovery Economics

Methods for Feasibility Analysis

By: Russell

This critical volume addresses an important contemporary issue, how to determine themost cost-effective approach to solid waste disposal. Based on wide-ranging, practicalexperience, this time-saving work details a systems approach to feasibility studies, providingthe basis for accurate, efficient analysis. And, to illustrate the use of this innovativemethod, the book includes a complete "case study" of a hypothetical community.Beginning with data collection and cost estimation, Resource Recovery Economics movesthrough the analysis process, covering marketing of resources, alternative systems, financialconsiderations, life-cycle-costs, and implementation planning. Additionally, resultsfrom many actual studies are included, making this an excellent reference book for solidwaste management data.A unique work, Resource Recovery Economics serves as the requisite reference for allofficials responsible for solid waste disposal and management, including public worksdirectors, city planners, solid waste directors, public health officials, and environmentalprotection officers. This outstanding book also affords the basis for graduate and advancedundergraduate engineering, urban planning, and public administration courses in SolidWaste Management Planning and Resource Recovery Planning. Moreover, consulting engineers,investment bankers, and original equipment manufacturers will derive improvedunderstanding of their role in the analysis process.

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Page Count

313

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1351418823

ISBN 13

9781351418829

Computer Safety, Reliability, and Security

22nd International Conference, SAFECOMP 2003, Edinburgh, UK, September 23-26, 2003, Proceedings

By: Stuart Anderson,Massimo Felici,Beverley Littlewood

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Computer Safety, Reliability, and Security

22nd International Conference, SAFECOMP 2003, Edinburgh, UK, September 23-26, 2003, Proceedings

By: Stuart Anderson,Massimo Felici,Beverley Littlewood

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability and Security, SAFECOMP 2003, held in Edinburgh, UK in September 2003. The 30 revised full papers presented together with two keynote talk abstracts were carefully reviewed and selected from 96 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on formal methods, design for dependability, security and formal methods, dependability and performance analysis, dependability of medical systems, fault tolerance, tools for dependable design, dependability of critical infrastructures, hazard and safety analysis, and design for dependability.

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Page Count

444

Publisher

Springer Science & Business Media

Published Date

ISBN 10

3540201262

ISBN 13

9783540201267

Steinway

By: Ronald V. Ratcliffe,Stuart Isacoff

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Steinway

By: Ronald V. Ratcliffe,Stuart Isacoff

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Page Count

226

Publisher

Chronicle Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0811833895

ISBN 13

9780811833899

The 20-minute Chords & Harmony Workout

By: Stuart Isacoff

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The 20-minute Chords & Harmony Workout

By: Stuart Isacoff

This book will make keyboard harmony easier than ever to understand and to play. It's a complete step-by-step guide to keyboard chords and how they work. You'll find music and diagrams covering the basics, inversions, chord progressions and more, with fun-filled drills and superb, clear explanations to make chords easy to understand.

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Page Count

128

Publisher

Shacor, Inc.

Published Date

ISBN 10

0943748410

ISBN 13

9780943748412

Book's by Stuart Isacoff

Temperament

Temperament

Musical Revolutions

Musical Revolutions

When the World Stopped to Listen

When the World Stopped to Listen

A Natural History of the Piano

A Natural History of the Piano

When the World Stopped to Listen

When the World Stopped to Listen

A Natural History of the Piano

A Natural History of the Piano

Temperament

Temperament

Musical Revolutions

Musical Revolutions

Steinway

Steinway

The Essential Jazz Records: Modernism to postmodernism

The Essential Jazz Records: Modernism to postmodernism

Resource Recovery Economics

Resource Recovery Economics

Computer Safety, Reliability, and Security

Computer Safety, Reliability, and Security

Steinway

Steinway

The 20-minute Chords & Harmony Workout

The 20-minute Chords & Harmony Workout

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