King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era

Book Description

In 1974, the academy award-winning film The Sting brought back the music of Scott Joplin, a black ragtime composer who died in 1917. Led by The Entertainer, one of the most popular pieces of the mid-1970s, a revival of his music resulted in events unprecedented in American musical history. Never before had any composer's music been so acclaimed by both the popular and classical music worlds. While reaching a "Top Ten" position in the pop charts, Joplin's music was also being performed in classical recitals and setting new heights for sales of classical records. His opera Treemonisha was performed both in opera houses and on Broadway. Destined to be the definitive work on the man and his music, King of Ragtime is written by Edward A. Berlin. A renowned authority on Joplin and the author of the acclaimed and widely cited Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History, Berlin redefines the Scott Joplin biography. Using the tools of a trained musicologist, he has uncovered a vast amount of new information about Joplin. His biography truly documents the story of the composer, replacing the myths and unsupported anecdotes of previous histories. He shows how Joplin's opera Treemonisha was a tribute to the woman he loved, a woman other biographers never even mentioned. Berlin also reveals that Joplin was an associate of Irving Berlin, and that he accused Berlin of stealing his music to compose Alexander's Ragtime Band in 1911. Berlin paints a vivid picture of the ragtime years, placing Scott Joplin's story in its historical context. The composer emerges as a representative of the first post-Civil War generation of African Americans, of the men and women who found in the world of entertainment a way out of poverty and lowly social status. King of Ragtime recreates the excitement of these pioneers, who dreamed of greatness as they sought to expand the limits society placed upon their race.

Customer Reviews:

"Most complete biography on Scott Joplin".......2007-05-13

The reason I purchased this book was for my Jazz history class presentation on the 'King of Ragtime'. I could not find any recorded live performances by the classical ragtime composer because talking movies were not invented until 1920's long after his death in 1917. This book is just as good as recorded interviews from people who knew him as a friend, a composer, a performer, and a teacher. My teacher complimented me on my presentation for the interesting and valuable information I have shared with the class. This book contains speculations and contradicting facts about the composer. The author did a very diligent research on Joplin's life. It is an excellent book.

Excellent.......2004-12-20

We have searched for biographies of Joplin to sell in our book shop at the Scott Joplin House SHS in St. Louis and Dr. Berlin's is great. He is the most thorough researcher we have come across in regards to Joplin. He is also a music historian and sometimes it is confusing for non-music people, but all in all you cannot beat the research and the information.

Great.......2004-05-23

This book is by far the best Joplin biography out there. It gave me all the information I needed to know about Scott Joplin. It's highly recommended to everyone who is a ragtime or Scott Joplin fan.

Thorough.......2003-05-10

My review in two words: BUY IT.

This book is probably as thorough of a study into the life of Scott Joplin as is possible. Edward Berlin has obviously exhausted every resource available to him, and throughout, the book is well-noted - that is to say he gives credit to probably 99.9% of the sources of his information in the section for notes. Berlin has went through census records, newspapers, other books on ragtime, interviews with/statements given by numerous people affiliated with Scott Joplin and countless other sources for this book. This book is 99.9% true, solid facts; he seldom states a personal opinion, and when he does, it is made blatantly clear that that is what he is doing. This book also includes a listing of the complete known works of Scott Joplin, and the sheet music for the three songs "Good-bye Old Gal Good-bye", "Snoring Sampson" and "Lovin' Babe". (I would like to say in response to someone else's review that it is very difficult for me to see how the biography of a *musician* can be "interrupted" with music scores.)

Excellent Piece of Reporting and Scholarship.......2001-01-02

Despite years of detective work by musicologists, Joplin's life remains something of a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing. Berlin's work is the most coherent and robust work on Joplin's life to date, and barring some miraculous finding (such as the Sweatman files), it is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The depth of Berlin's reportage and the obvious breadth of his detective work (he's a superb "triangulator") give his assertions and educated guesses on Joplin's life, work and motivations far greater academic vailidity than that of many authors who have chased this musical ghost.

King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era.: An article from: Notes

Average customer rating:

King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era.: An article from: Notes
David Joyner
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Online Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 1996. The length of the article is 777 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era.
Author: David Joyner
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1996
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: v52 Issue: n3 Page: p823(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin and His Era.

Average customer rating:

King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin and His Era.
Edward A. Berlin
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKGFM8

Average customer rating:

King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era
Edward A Berlin
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ON51PC

Book Description

Zygmunt Bauman's powerful and persuasive study of the postmodern perspective on ethics is particularly welcome. For Bauman the great issues of ethics have lost none of their topicality: they simply need to be seen, and dealt with, in a wholly new way. Our era, he suggests, may actually represent a dawning, rather than a twilight, for ethics.

Customer Reviews:

Good introduction to difficult field.......2002-04-11

In this imposing work, Bauman gives a readable account of the situation of ethics in today's world. First, he explains the central arguments around ethics in "modernity" before turning to how these are transformed now in "postmodern" thought.

These are not easy issues to address, but Bauman does a pretty good job in bringing it into language that most people will be able to understand, while not watering down the thoughts of postmodern ethicists such as E. Levinas, whose work Bauman admires. Since Levinas is so difficult to read and understand, I think that this book can serve as a useful introduction to his thought, the conditions surrounding it, and the thought of other such thinkers.

Book Description

The words "postmodernism" and "postmodernity" have become pervasive throughout the humanities, but their meanings frequently seem difficult to pin down. Postmodern Debates introduces modernity, postmodernism, and postmodernity through a series of debates between prominent thinkers in literary theory, philosophy, and cultural studies. The book explores this topic through thinkers who are at odds and encourages readers to consider the wide implications of postmodern thought in several areas.

Paradigm Debates in Curriculum and Supervision: Modern and Postmodern Perspectives

Average customer rating:

Paradigm Debates in Curriculum and Supervision: Modern and Postmodern Perspectives

Manufacturer: Bergin & Garvey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Curricula | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Lesson Planning | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0897896246

Book Description

Paradigm debates in the educational research community are a frequent if not common occurrence. How do paradigm debates in other educational fields, such as curriculum and supervision, shape educators' understanding and practice? In this volume, it is suggested that educators' adherence to particular views of curriculum and supervision is influential in guiding their beliefs and subsequent actions. For example, a widely accepted belief is that if an individual adopts a mechanistic view of the curriculum, then s/he is likely to deliver a curriculum grounded in pre-established objectives and evaluate student achievement in relationship to formulated objectives. Postmodernists contend that such educators are bound by rigid bifurcation and a constrictive linear logic. In supervision, educational leaders who favor leadership styles comprised by autocratic behaviors, tend to create school climates that favor a top-down approach to human relationships. Autocratic leaders rely on hierarchical organizational structures and styles that seek to instill compliance and subordinance. Yet prospective administrators who want concrete proposals put in practice find modern perspectives of supervision helpful. In contrast, postmodern supervisors allege that such leaders disallow the emergence of relevant and authentic relationships that might occur when conventional hierarchical structures are diminished and open lines of communication between teachers, students, administrators become normative. The chapters in this book present an in-depth analysis of how an individual's predisposition towards modern and postmodern views of curriculum and supervision are likely to influence: (1) curriculum development, (2) teaching styles, (3) leadership styles, (4) teacher and student evaluation, and (5) the missions intrinsic to the creation of professional preparation programs that serve to promulgate existing practice or create a new order of teachers and administrator.

Towards a Theory and Practice of Teacher Cultural Politics: Continuing the Postmodern Debate (Interpretive Perspectives on Education and Policy)

Average customer rating:

Towards a Theory and Practice of Teacher Cultural Politics: Continuing the Postmodern Debate (Interpretive Perspectives on Education and Policy)
Barry Kanpol
Manufacturer: Ablex Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

". . . In a series of insightful excursions through the institutional culture of schools and classrooms Kanpol provides us with a rich tapestry of experiences within which are found not only conformity, coercion, and alienation, but also hope, dignity, and an empowering pedagogy of the other. Most significantly, the practices that value cultural differences and that enhance the voice of those historically silenced and demeaned emerge out of the egalitarian commitments and struggles of teachers. ". . . .In Kanpol's clear but simple formulation of similarity within difference' there is the vision of human relationships which honor cultural, linguistic, and historical distinctiveness, but which insist on the continuing vitality and viability of a common human vision and on the necessity of finding the common ground of political struggle. . . ." -Svi Shapiro, From the Foreword

The enthymeme as postmodern argument form: condensed, mediated argument then and now. (Special Issue: Condensed Mediated Argument): An article from: Argumentation and Advocacy

Average customer rating:

The enthymeme as postmodern argument form: condensed, mediated argument then and now. (Special Issue: Condensed Mediated Argument): An article from: Argumentation and Advocacy
Roger C. Aden
Manufacturer: American Forensic Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Argumentation and Advocacy, published by American Forensic Association on September 22, 1994. The length of the article is 5838 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The enthymeme as postmodern argument form: condensed, mediated argument then and now. (Special Issue: Condensed Mediated Argument)
Author: Roger C. Aden
Publication: Argumentation and Advocacy (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1994
Publisher: American Forensic Association
Volume: v31 Issue: n2 Page: p54(10)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

POSTMODERN DEBATES
Simon Malpas
Manufacturer: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5GCP4

Book Description

Devise a look for the future. Construct strange new worlds. Create new life forms. Design their clothes. Do it all in a week. And do it on budget. This was the mission for the creative staff of Star Trek. For three years just a handful of talented artists created the entire world of Star Trek.

The Star Trek Sketchbook is a unique opportunity to finally see sketches collected from these artists, providing insight into their creative processes. The Original Series was fortunate enough to have a handful of designers who overcame the creative constraints of a weekly television series to forge a vision of the future that became literally a cultural icon.

Matt Jefferies created meticulous sketches of every aspect of the Starship Enterprise and the worlds she visited. The energetic illustrations of William Theiss depicted some of the most lavish costumes ever worn in this or any other galaxy. Fred Phillips designed makeup that actualized whole new races, with just humans underneath. Wah Chang created props and hardware that are still the basis of futurist design.

For a writer, the sky is the limit. You can create anything, imagine anywhere. The designers on Star Trek had to make it real, affordable, and come back and do it all again next week. The Star Trek Sketchbook allows you onto the sound stages where it all happened.

Customer Reviews:

R.I.P., Matt Jeffries.......2003-07-29

Got to love this man's work -- the book, a collection from the entire staff, not just Mr. Jeffries, but Matt passed away on Friday, July 26, 2003, at age 82.

If you're a fan of the series, of TV production, or just good sketchwork, it's well worth a look. If you're a fan of the original ENTERPRISE and the look and feel of a classic TV show, it's a must-own.

Colorful behind-the-scenes Trek design history.......2000-10-02

As a very long-time Trek fan, I'm very pleased and surprised at this book: pleased because it's a solid, colorful, heavily illustrated survey of set, ship, costume, makeup, and prop design for the original Star Trek series. Surprised, because even with the large number of Trek books I've collected, I've actually seen very few of these illustrations before (some of the original Enterprise designs were printed in the early Trek book "The Making of Star Trek" by Stephen E. Whitfield). That a design book on a thirty-five year old TV series presents 'new' illustrations I haven't seen before is a definite plus.

This book is by no means complete--the designs are heavily weighted towards those of the series' third season (during which the scripts were definitely sub-par but the designs and effects were often as strong as ever). Focusing on the works of the four Trek design "pioneers": Matt Jefferies, William Ware Theiss, Fred Phillips, and Wah Min Chang comprehensively covers a wide range of ships (checks out the early Enterprise design that looks like a duck!), sets, makeup, and those oh-so-revealing alien woman costumes (including one design candidly labeled "Space Hooker.")

Lots of color illustrations in extensive detail show the wide range of designing for the future on a 1960s budget. Even the many black-and-white illustrations are made more vibrant by adding a color background...less than authentic, but adds to an attractive design. A lot of interesting background text and images adds to my appreciation of Trek's design (did you know the same man who designed the communicator designed the Pillsbury Doughboy?) A great piece of behind-the-scenes design history of a classic show.

Good idea but disappointing.......2000-03-31

If there had been before this a book on the visual designers of the original Star Trek, I have not seen it, so I commend the authors on paying tribute to these underappreciated people. I must say, though, that I am disappointed with the materials collected for this book. As, there is an emphasis on the third season of the show, which is universally considered the lowest quality of the three seasons. I don't care to see anything about bad episodes. Also, the book has a tendency to waste space. One example is in often using images that are much larger than necessary. Another is in devoting too much attention to a subject, particularly the 18 pages of photos showing every detail of a model Matt Jeffries made of the Enterprise sets. Absurd! And I can understand the authors stated desire to use mainly pictures to convey the work of visual designers, but I think more written explanations would have been helpful. There is very little. Probably the best section is the extensive drawings by Matt Jeffries of the show's sets and spacecraft, but again the overemphasis on the third season detracts from that too. So, overall I believe this is a fun book to occasionally look at, but I would hesitate to buy it.

The second best Star Trek book ever written.......2000-03-25

Herb Solow's 'Star Trek Sketchbook' is the second best Star Trek book ever written! The first being 'Inside Star Trek' by Robert H. Justman and Heb Solow.

Great pictures and sketch's-the pictures of the model of the sets that Matt Jefferies created is worth the price of the book alone!

Book Description

Pass the torch. Bring together the best of what has come before and the grandeur of the present to create an undreamed-of future, a radically different look. Create a new ship. Give life to mankind's greatest nightmare, made flesh and metal.

When the decision was made to take the hugely successful television series Star Trek: The Next Generation into the realm of motion pictures, the crew, special-effects artists, and costume and makeup designers knew that they had a wondrous opportunity and several unique challenges ahead. Could they translate this new crew to the big screen, while retaining the magic that made the series one of the most successful syndicated shows ever? Could they create even more "strange new worlds" and vistas for them to explore, on a scale that would inspire awe in its legion of fans? And, most crucially, in its maiden voyage could they meld the two "generations" of Star Trek? Could they find a way, visually, to pass the baton from The Original Series to the crew of The Next Generation?

Star Trek: The Next Generation Sketchbook -- The Movies explores the hectic, frantic and creative works of the movie artists ... first, as they valiantly endeavor to meet and overcome the challenges presented by Star Trek Generations, and then as they embark on the massive undertaking of The Next Generation crew's first solo flight, Star Trek, First Contact. The inception of the nexus, the destruction of a starship, the horrific face of the Borg, and the design of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E all began with a single creative spark.

John Eaves, just one of the hundreds of craftspeople who worked their movie magic on Generations and First Contact, joins writer J.M. Dillard to take us on an odyssey into the mind's eye of some of the most visionary artists in the world of motion pictures. Through hundreds of never-before-seen sketches, model photographs and fashion designs, you'll see where it all began, and learn firsthand what it takes to transform the unenvisioned word into glorious reality.

Customer Reviews:

Tantalizing Taste..........2001-05-17

... of the behind-the-scenes design, artwork, and storyboarding for the first two Next Generation movies, "Generations" and "First Contact." Indispensible to a real starship hardware fan, this book gives plenty of details and is interspersed with interviews, recollections, and notes from some of the principal talents involved in creating the location sets, some of the special effects, and the new ships seen in both films, as well as much unseen material from the design of the Borg presence. I found the evolution of the Enterprise-E, Phoenix warp ship, and Vulcan ship from First Contact especially interesting. My only criticism is that, even at 340+ pages, there is not enough! First Contact alone should occupy a 400-page "Making of" book. Nevertheless, this volume is a gem which belongs in the library of any hard-core Trek devotee.

The definitive book of Star Trek art........1999-08-05

Not only is this volume a must for anyone interested in production design, it is also a well designed book all round. Each page is a stunning work of art in its own right. Full compliments to John Eaves for so carefully selecting his, and other artist's work, for the book. His commentary throughout is informative and interesting. JM Dillard holds it all together with his, as always, brilliant text. I hope Eaves releses a new book about Insurrection, or at least, has the existing book expanded to include this film. Well done, S&S, John Eaves and JM Dillard.

NextGen Sketchbook best non-fic Trek in thirty years.......1998-04-13

I interviewed John Eaves two years ago and first heard about this book at that time; I am more than slightly relieved to say that it was worth the wait! Profusely illustrated -- with artwork that has NOT already appeared everywhere else -- the book is both reader- and Trekkie-friendly, with brief anecdotes which humanize the filmmaking process while also supplementing the nice pics. Eaves' attention to detail -- especially in regard to properly crediting those responsible for a given design -- is both noteworthy and surprisingly welcome ... This book almost makes up for previous "authorized" illustrated Trek volumes, nearly making me forgive Pocket/S&S for THE ART OF STAR TREK, and gives cause for one to hope Eaves will contribute in a similar fashion to STAR TREK 9. (and generate another book like this as well.)

Star Trek Sketchbook & Star Trek Next Generation Sketchbook: The Movies

Average customer rating:

The most original book of original series

Star Trek Sketchbook & Star Trek Next Generation Sketchbook: The Movies
Herbert F. Solow , Yvonne Fern Solow , John Eaves , and J. M. Dillard
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0671717596

Customer Reviews:

The most original book of original series.......2000-04-04

This book is one of the better for a Star Trek's fan. In their chapters are many sketches and original pieces of the series. The designs of Matt Jefferies for the sets, (Part1), the design of the original Enterprise, (- born almost like a Warbird?-, Parts 2,3 & 4), the shuttlecraft and the weapons (Parts 5 & 6). Brillant the Part 7 with The Lost Set and the original scale model of it, (great ! ). The following chapters show the wardrobe by William Ware Theiss in sketches and tests, the make-ups of Fred Phillips (the ears of Spock, the green skin and deformity of Vina, klingons, romulans, etc.), and the accessories created by Wah Ming Chang, (did you know that he received a payment of U$S 520.00 for the design of the original phaser ?). This book shows the courage and innocence of those first pioneers that created the most famous adventure of the Universe, Star Trek.

Amazon.com

Aiming for developer-level OCP status? The Oracle Certified Professional Application Developer Exam Guide is the one book you need.

At the pinnacle of the client/server database world resides Oracle--an extremely powerful, albeit complex, database management system. If you're working with Oracle and haven't reached your own certification pinnacle, this guide will help start you on your journey. Proficiency in Oracle goes a long way in today's high-tech job market, and certification is a key way of assuring your talent.

To master the Oracle Certified Application Developer status, you must pass five tests that focus on Oracle's flavor of SQL, form design, and report creation--crucial elements of Oracle application development. You'll find in this massive Oracle authorized exam book all of the tests that make up the Developer certification track--Introduction to Oracle: SQL and PL/SQL, Develop PL/SQL Program Units, Developer Forms I, Developer Forms II, and Oracle Developer Reports. Each examination is covered as a separate unit, so you can work your way through the text as you progress through the testing process.

To keep you sharp and provide periodic reality checks, there are two-minute drills, self-tests, and practice exam questions. Plus, the CD-ROM includes the Oracle Assessment Test--an interactive 300-question test program that closely resembles the one you'll use to take the official tests. --Stephen Plain

Book Description

Certify your skills and demonstrate your expertise by earning your OCP credential--with help from this Oracle-authorized exam guide.

Customer Reviews:

A very bad book.......2003-07-05

This book doesn't cost its money.

This book worked for me.......2002-12-02

I used this book, and one other, to take and pass the Oracle Certified Professional exam (OCP). The other book I used was Oracle Press' PL/SQL Program Units Exam Guide, which focuses just on the second exam. This book covers all of the exams, but the second exam is especially difficult, and a friend recommended that one for that exam specifically.

This book was great. It is divided into sections, one for each exam. My approach was to schedule the exam one week in advance(you can contact Sylvan to do it), then review the section for that exam, then take the exam, then repeat for the next exam. I've been in the Oracle business for 7 years, so I knew most of the material already, but there were several things I didn't know, and more importantly, I wanted to know what the exam would require, which wasn't everything I would've expected, but included some things I didn't.

The bottom line: I passed with plenty of room to spare. Great book, highly recommended - along with the Program Units book as well.

Too basic.......2002-11-22

Good book for a beginner (this is an excellent intro to SQL and PL/SQL), but not enough depth for the exams. It covers all the necessary areas, but barely skims the surface on numerous important topics. I recommend the Sybex book (even though it's a little dry). For each test, I'd start with this book and then move on to another text; that should be all you need to pass the exams. Be sure to PRACTICE; that's by far the most important element of success.

Preparing for OCP Developer Certification.......2002-11-13

I purchased several recommended Oracle Press books in order to prepare for the OCP Application developer exam. I just finished taking the first exam 1Z0-001 and passed, but what a shocker! The preparation I received after a very thorough review from this book was no where near the preparation required, not even close.

I just finished reading all chapters from this book for exam II - PL/SQL Program Units, and will hold off scheduling the exam itself until better sources can be identified.

I would NOT recommend this book in preparation, at least not without considering other preparation resources/materials.

EXCELLENT BOOK FOR FORMS.......2002-05-30

It's obvious that one author wrote the SQL sections of this book, and the other author wrote the Forms sections. The SQL sections are from Mr. Couchman's Oracle DBA Exam Guide, and he hardly rewrote them at all - that's too bad, because the DBA Exam Guide is getting terrible reviews.

On the other hand, the Forms sections in this book are written in a different, much clearer style. The Forms sections make this book worth buying. If you are using Developer 6i, you should get the newer "OCP Building Internet Applications I & II Exam Guide" - that contains the same Forms sections, but updated for Developer 6i. ...

Average customer rating:
Oracle Certified Professional Application Developer Exam Guide
Couchman Jason Couchman Jason
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGCMD8

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books