Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award A sweeping musical history that goes from the salons of pre-war Vienna to Velvet Underground shows in the sixties.

In this remarkable study, now an established classic which has remained in print since its first publication in 1971, Charles Rosen surveys the language of the music of the classical period. He concentrates on the three major figures of the time - Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven - because 'it is in terms of their achievements that the musical vernacular can best be defined'. He follows the ...

Best single-volume guide to composers now on the market.

Lampoons traditional academic history, highlights fascinating and little known facts, and takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the history of music. This work is for those who want to their enjoy music history as much as they do their music.

Taking a big-picture view of the post-punk period, this book recreates a time of tremendous urgency and idealism in pop music. It presents many anecdotes and insights, and features the likes of Joy Division, The Fall, Pere Ubu, PiL and Talking Heads. It is of interest to fans of post-punk music.

Presents 700-year history of classical music and the world as we know it.

This is the story of a cultural phenomenon which embraced Andy Warhol, Jim Morrison, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Patti Smith, The Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, and more. Documenting a time of self-destruction and peverse innocence, this text has contributions from both stars and groupies.

Presents the musical terms and ideas, which are likely to be met in the beginning stages of learning an instrument.

Provides an introduction of the players who came up with the ideas that form the basic elements of the hip-hop culture. It describes how it all began with social upheavals in Jamaica, the Bronx, the Black Belt of Long Island and South Central LA. It is intended for DJs, B-Boys, MCs and those with an interest in the history of America.

An updated edition of the definitive history of dance music, published to coincide with the centenary of the DJ

Traces the developments in the evolution of musical drama. This book aims to reveal the genre's beginnings in the seventeenth century and its progress. It examines the standard performance repertoire and works considered important for the genre's development. It also presents an investigation of opera from Eastern European countries and Finland.

Blending biography, mystery, history and the most recent forensic science investigations, this text offers a fresh interpretation of a life of genius and ill-health. Born in Germany, Beethoven spent much of his life in Austria.

The definitive biography of Elvis and an excellent slice of social history.

A revelatory insight into the hidden history of this legend.

Welcome, all ye who dare enter Sound of the Beast, the first definitive and highly illustrated look at the madness and mayhem of heavy metal. From its cataclysmic beginning with Black Sabbath more than thirty years ago to the hyperactive 'nu metal' bands, this is a complete overview of the dark and untamed history of metal.

A special 25th anniversary edition of this classic study of American rock and roll focusing on Sly Stone, Randy Newman and Elvis Presley amongst many others. The book looks at the American dream touching on myth, landscape and oral tradition of the continent.

Jon Savage's Ralph Gleason Award-winning England's Dreaming is the ultimate book on punk, its progenitors, the Sex Pistols, and their time: the late 1970s. Full of anedcote, insight, and exclusive interviews, it tells the sensational story of the meteoric rise and rapid decline of the last great rock'n'roll band and the cultural moment they came to define. The critical reputation of England's ...