Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Classical Musicians

Customer Reviews:

(Almost) all you wanted to know about contemporary musicians.......2000-03-27

This is a good reference book, although it falls short of the intentions of its compilers. Roughly the same size as the Concise Baker's, it certainly could have benefited with the inclusion of more thorough work lists. Many entries should have been updated.

I had bought this book mostly on account of what Laura Kuhn says openly in the Preface: "Entries contained in these pages are restricted to contemporary, classical musicians only, with complete work lists and carefully selected bibliographies" "Pop and jazz artists, idiosyncratically covered at best in previous editions of the Baker's, have been excised". In view of such statement of principles, I felt somewhat short-changed. In comparison with the Concise, there are many new articles - e.g. I had never found elsewhere entries for Kriukov or Pizzini, but conversely, there is no mention of composers perhaps better known than them, such as Glenn Branca or Peggy Coolidge. In addition, I was surprised and outraged when I found that some contemporary composers appearing in the Concise had been deleted! Examples: Frederick Cowen, Alberic Magnard, Mikolajus Ciurlionis. I could not found one valid reason for their exclusion.

The coverage of film music composers is quite irregular. While there are plenty of entries for film-only composers such as Elmer Bernstein or Alfred Newman, there is no mention of some of the most well known names such as Goldsmith, Barry, or Delerue.

In relation to the amount of information, too many of the entries are identical to the Concise Baker's, not having been revised, corrected or expanded. And about the pretence of "complete work lists", check for instance Roslavetz or Ivanovs, whose lists of works are far from exhaustive. Ivanovs is said to have written 20 symphonies rather than 21 and only two of his five symphonic poems are mentioned. The "selected bibliography" consists, in this case, of two books, the most recent being over 30 years old.

As to the excision of pop and jazz artists, a cursory check shows the presence of entries for Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, George Brassens, Miles Davis, Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner, Michel Legrand, Bobby McFerrin, none of whom is credited with any "classical music" accomplishment.

The articles are sometimes idiosyncratic. For example, reading about Penderecki, there is no mention whatsoever of his Post-modernist about face in 1977, although perhaps this suggests that the article has not been revised after that fact.

Kuhn explains in the Preface how a biographical dictionary is a means to invent history: "Giving some room to some, more room to others, ignoring the rest - displaying in both what is included and what is not both the ignorance and the prescience of its compilers". She mentions length of the entries as the first in the list of compiler's resources. Using this as a measure of importance in Kuhn's view, we can see what are the most important composers of the 20th century. What is your guess for No.1? Debussy? Schoenberg? Stravinsky? Bartók? Webern? Wrong. By a wide margin, her choice is Cage, to whose description by Slonismky she added "much beloved". Here is the ranking by the number of lines that she devoted to the most outstanding composers (excluding their list of works): 1. - Cage (426 lines) 2. - Stravinsky (293) 3. - Schoenberg (286) 4. - R. Strauss (187) 5. - Shostakovich (186). 6. - Debussy (184) 7. - Bernstein (167) Other composers that deserve more than 100 lines are Scriabin, Varèse, Vaughan Williams, Prokofiev, Ives, Sibelius and Barber. Bartók, at 99, does not quite make it. The length of Stockhausen's article equals David Raksin's.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1937 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: Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Classical Musicians.
Author: Richard D. Burbank
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1998
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: v54 Issue: n3 Page: p705(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Classical Musicians

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Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Classical Musicians
Nicolas; Kuhn; McIntire, Dennis; Kuhn, Laura Diane Slonimsky
Manufacturer: Schirmer Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O93YQY

Customer Reviews:

Not what I was hoping for.......2006-05-08

This book is a jack of all trades but master of none. In that it goes out of its way to give a few paragraphs and basic facts on over 3000 shows but it doesn't tell me the one thing I was looking for; episode lists.
I am a brit and while the cover might lead you to assume that this would be British Comedy book, especially with it having 'Radio Times' in the title but Pee Wee Herman was definately not british.
I'd much rather they had stuck to the british side of things, removed all the others, and been more thorough with episode names with the first airing dates of each show. And the dates and names of each of the 'specials'.
Just my 2 penny worth.

Book Description

A revolutionary new resource that brings documentation product management ideas up to date

The 1994 bestselling classic Managing Your Documentation Projects set the industry standard for technical documentation. However, since then, much has changed in the world of information development. With this new title, JoAnn Hackos looks beyond the structured project of the 1980s and 1990s. Instead, she focuses on the rapidly changing projects of the 21st century and addresses how to introduce agile information development without neglecting the central focus of planning information design and development around the needs of information users.

As an information-development manager, you are expected to reduce costs and project time, do more work with fewer resources and less money, and increase the value of the information you deliver. Recognizing this, Hackos has carefully designed this book to help you do precisely that. She helps you make strategic decisions about information development and directs the discussion of project management toward smarter decision-making.

An update of the original 1994 Information Process Maturity Model (IPMM) presents you with a method by which you can compare the state of your organization to others, evaluate your current status, and then consider what is necessary in order to move to the next level.

Information Development offers a completely new look at best practices for all phases of the document development lifecycle, including:

Managing a corporate information portfolio
Evaluating process maturity
Partnering with customers and developing user scenarios
Developing team effectiveness and collaboration
Planning and monitoring information projects
Managing translation and production
Evaluating project performance
Managing for quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness

The companion Web site includes electronic versions of the templates and checklists featured in the book.

Wiley Technology Publishing Timely. Practical. Reliable.

Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/

Customer Reviews:

Admit that you are a wasteaholic.......2007-08-01

Any organization, large or small, that wants to get serious about growth should read this book, breathe it and master it. The first step is to admit you have a problem. "Hello, my name is Bob. I'm a wasteaholic."; "Hi Bob".

I used to HATE process. HATE HATE HATE. I didn't want to be constrained; I rationalized saying "well it is a waste of time to invest time in process, it is just needless bureacracy". I was a creative person, still am. Then 10 years later I realized I was wasting a lot of time because things weren't organized, there wasn't accountability, the projects were driving me, instead of me being on top of things.

Are you a wasteaholic? Answer this question: Do you feel on top of things?

If answer = yes, close browser window. If answer = no, order book.

Book is dead on.

Several years ago I interviewed for a staff position at Cornell University, in a dept. run by a guy who had spent a number of years in industry; I wanted to impress him, so I asked, "are there any books you'd recommend, out of all you've come across, about project management and content?" And he said "Managing Documentation Projects" -- which is the precursor to this book.

It rocks.

A truly recommendable read.......2007-06-15

In this book, JoAnn T. Hackos has compiled a great amount of useful information, "decorated" with many illustrating sample cases.
Well-structured, intelligible and applicable, "Information Development" is a welcome asset, although with 600 pages, it is nothing you read - least of all SHOULD read - overnight. :)

New book -- not 2nd edition.......2007-06-04

Please note that none of the reviews below are written about the 2006 new book on Information Development. The book is not a 2nd edition; it's an entirely new book with new content. The focus is on strategically managing a publications organization and effectively managing projects. The project management part of the book focuses on agile methods and managing topic-based writing activities.

Author has nothing to say and takes too long to say it.......2007-01-06

I bought this book because I liked the table of contents. I assumed this book would present concrete, actionable specifics on the subjects presented in the table of contents. I was disappointed.

Under information planning, this book only tells you that you should do it. Gee, thanks. Under estimating and scheduling - you should estimate future project resources and you should request new resources and fund innovation. Oh, boy. Yippee.

This book is an exercise in stating the blatantly obvious. I expected to see information on the nuts and bolts of producing technical documentation...I expected to see examples of budgets, examples of ways to create efficient systems for document production using single-sourcing, and to see examples of specific, important techniques for planning a document production process that allows for easy translation, revision, re-usability and transfer to different mediums. I expected to get a reference that would become well-worn on my desk. This book is as far from such a tome as it could possibly get while still being written in the English language.

I want to improve the efficiency of my documentation projects. I'd like to know about technologies (XML?, VBA?) that might help me with separating content from layout and improving reusability. Is that here? Nope. But you do get way too much talk about how you should acquire good tools that support your business goals. There is nothing about what those tools should be or what specifically would make them good.

One page tells you the difference between a "traditional" project and an "agile" project...things like: An agile project "responds to change" and has "minimal process documentation" as well as "reduced development schedules". That's nice. Who cares?

Implementing a Topic Architecture is the only section that even makes a move in the direction of specific, concrete, useful material. But even it leaves you thinking, "Well, duh...yathink?"

To sum up, this book tells you all the obvious things you ought to do...but that's it. It doesn't have anything to say about HOW you would actually do those things. I doubt the author has the foggiest idea how because I doubt she has a single hard skill to speak of. She definitely didn't write about any.

Average customer rating:

This book is helpful for documentation lifecycles
This would have been an excellent 200-page book!
Not the Gospel
Great information but difficult to achieve in reality
A little idealistic.

Managing Your Documentation Projects
JoAnn T. Hackos
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471590991

Book Description

Practical, authoritative, and the first comprehensive guide to managing every phase of your publication project… The only book devoted exclusively to technical publication project management, Managing Your Documentation Projects arms you with proven strategies and techniques for producing high-quality, extremely usable documentation, while cutting cost and time-to-market. Dr. JoAnn T. Hackos, a top documentation design and project management consultant to major corporations, including IBM and Hewlett-Packard, shares with you the fruit of her more than 15 years of experience in the field. She gives you:

Clear-cut, rational guidelines to managing every phase of the project from planning and development, through production, distribution, and project evaluation
Scores of usable templates, checklists, summaries, and forms
Dozens of real-life case studies and scenarios taken from the author's extensive experience at top corporations
Techniques applicable to virtually all fields of documentation

Managing Your Documentation Projects was designed to function as a comprehensive guide for new managers and a daily tool of survival for veterans. It is also an invaluable resource for technical writers, editors, graphic designers, consultants, and anyone called upon to produce high-quality technical documentation on time and within budget. JOANN T. HACKOS, PhD, is President of Comtech Services, Inc., an information/design firm in Denver, Colorado and San Jose, California. She is also president of JoAnn Hackos & Associates, Inc., a strategic planning and management consulting firm. In 1993, she served as president of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) and is a frequent conference keynote speaker on such topics as quality and usability of products and services, the importance of meeting the needs of the customer, and project management.

Customer Reviews:

This book is helpful for documentation lifecycles.......2006-09-16

Another classic in need of updating, the 1994 book Managing Your Documentation Projects still provides good information about the basics of managing a technical writing project. It takes you from defining the project to completion, and on into the normally neglected phases of evaluation, and maintenance. This is a great tool for a writer who wants to formalize and add supporting structure to what he already does by instinct, for an experienced writer who is used to working alone and discovers he has no idea how to manage a team, or for anyone who wants to understand the mechanics of a well run team.

This would have been an excellent 200-page book!.......2005-03-14

Joann T. Hackos's book offers some interesting concepts, such as information plan, project plan, and content specifications, to name a few. Her concepts are well hidden under mountains of text that the unfortunate reader has a difficult time finding or understanding her intentions. Her book is information technology-centered, and technical communication has so much to offer other industries, such as oil and gas, healthcare, and financial, regarding project and documentation management. This book is not a good choice for college-level courses.

Not the Gospel.......2003-02-07

Joanne Hackos is widely acknowledged as a leading authority on technical publications management, largely because (a) she has some good things to say and (b) her _Managing Your Documentation Projects_ is one of the few books on the topic. This book offers some valuable insights about basic project management, but tries to shoehorn publications project management into a particular software development methodology -- Carnegie-Mellon's Capabilities & Maturity Model. Hackos acknowledges her debt to CMM and warns that trying to implement the model described in this book is tough sledding if the development organization is not using CMM.

After 20 years as a technical writer and publications manager, I've come to believe that all publications lifecycle systems are doomed unless they map directly to the development methodology engineering management supports and uses.

(I've also come to believe that most development methodologies are more often than not honored in the breach.)

If, as a publications manager, you're not aware of the development methodology your engineering managers have adopted, you need to get over and talk to them now. Even if they haven't adopted a formal, academic model, they do have some idea about how they produce technical products. Tailor your publications lifecycle to their lifecycle -- don't seek to impose an alien "order" on their process.

(If your engineering managers can't articulate a methodology or say things like "We just code until we're done", you have bigger worries than your publications lifecycle, such as the near-term viability of your company.)

Too often I've seen tech pubs managers adopt the "Hackos model" and fail because it doesn't fit the organization's development style. A organization that adopts the Rapid Application Development (RAD) or "Extreme Programming" model, for example, isn't going to be too thrilled about endless sign-offs on planning documents that take nearly as long to write as the manual itself.

Instead, tailor your approach toward the high degree of interactivity inherent in such methods -- quick review cycles of small portions of text, for example, instead of waiting for a full draft of the book to be ready.

Too many erstwhile pubs managers skim this book, then adopt the project documents provided as models in the book as "fill-in-the-blank" busywork for their writers.

Tech pubs managers might be better served by learning the basics of project management (especially the interplay between resources, time, and scope) and reviewing the development model of the engineering organization than adopting the CMM-inspired approach Hackos describes in this book.

There is no one-size-fits-all method for producing documentation. And Joanne Hackos would be the first to tell you that.

Great information but difficult to achieve in reality.......2002-03-03

This book contains many years of compiled wisdom, not only from the people JoAnn bases her Publications Maturity Model on, but the many doc managers she interviewed and her own consulting experiences. The PMM is an ideal model and not one that can be applied across all industries. The book and process is heavily slanted toward software development and that's where it finds its biggest application, but the process breaks down for many industries outside of that arena. Most tech writers are paid to produce documents, not create and refine processes to such detail as suggested by the PMM parameters--but that's not the book's fault--it's the fault of engineering/technically driven organizations that would rather force tech pubs groups to reinvent the wheel with each new project than spend the time creating and fine-tuning a repeatable process.

Perhaps the biggest stumbling block to widespread acceptance/adoption of the PMM is the underlying need of "enlightened" organizations that appreciate (with time, money and resources) and understand the value-add such a process can provide, and those organizations are few and far between. You can have JoAnn's company perform a PMM audit for PMM certification (not sure how much that counts for in the business world--yet), or you can try to be compliant by following the suggestions outlined in the book. But if you're not a software shop, you'll have to make your own adjustments to the PMM requirements and scale appropriately.

All in all, I think the book provides some great direction for a documentation project management process that has to be scaled to meet your business/industry needs. This book has and will continue to serve as a springboard for more discussions and new initiatives in the technical communications field.

A little idealistic........2001-10-13

In the perfect world, this would be THE book to have. Unfortunately, this is anything but a perfect world and this book falls short in dealing with the realities of the profession. There is too little information and guidance for those that don't have a document-centred employer.
Also, the book is purely for those creating user documentation - if you write any technical material (such as requirements, design, UAT, or implmentation documents) this book will be of minimal help. Don't expect any realistic help in dealing with developers either.
Fine book, but only for a narrow field.

Managing your Documentation Projects. (book reviews): An article from: Technical Communication

Average customer rating:

Managing your Documentation Projects. (book reviews): An article from: Technical Communication
Susan Fowler
Manufacturer: Society for Technical Communication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Technical Communication, published by Society for Technical Communication on May 1, 1995. The length of the article is 857 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: Managing your Documentation Projects. (book reviews)
Author: Susan Fowler
Publication: Technical Communication (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 1995
Publisher: Society for Technical Communication
Volume: v42 Issue: n2 Page: p361(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Managing Your Documentation Projects (Wiley Technical Communication Library)

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Managing Your Documentation Projects (Wiley Technical Communication Library)
Joann T. Hackos
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N780RU

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