The Robert Shaw reader
By: edited by Robert Blocker.
Contributors: Blocker, Robert.
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: New Haven
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 465
ISBN-13: 9780300104547
Subjects: Choral conducting; Music -- History and criticism
Description: "Robert Shaw is considered to be the most influential choral conductor in American history. This is the first collection of his letters and notes about music ever published." "The letters are a mix of music history and analysis, philosophy, inspiration, and practical advice. Shaw examines technique, but only as a means to an end - he moves beyond that, delving into the essence of what music is and what it has to say to us. The heart of the book is composed of Shaw's previously unpublished notes on fifteen major choral works, ranging from Bach's B Minor Mass to Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Preface / Robert Blocker; title: Introduction / Tim Page; title: Part 1 : Organizing and sustaining the chorus; title: Part 2 : Thoughts on music, singing, rehearsal, and performance.; title: Approach, analysis, preparation; title: Warm-up, rhythm and tempo, phrasing; title: Quiet singing and count-singing; title: Enunciation, language; title: Part 3 : Conducting the masterpieces; title: Part 4 : Preaching the gospel (of the arts); title: Part 5 : Celebrating the rituals of life; title: Awards and citations; title: Eulogies; title: Letters; title: Verse