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A successful expansion of his lecture series at Harvard, Thomas Kelly's First Nights chronicles the events leading to the first performances of five enduring masterpieces. He places Monteverdi's opera L'Orfeo, Handel's venerable Messiah, symphonies by Beethoven and Berlioz, and the Stravinsky ballet The Rite of Spring in the respective contexts of the cities, musical cultures, and performance venues in which they were first heard. Kelly builds his chapters through an accumulation of minute but not trivial detail. The first Euridice in L'Orfeo was a castrato priest; the oppression of Catholics in Handel's Dublin was shocking; the legendary catcalls at The Rite of Spring's premiere began before the curtain went up.
As Kelly gathers these pieces of the puzzle together, we become desperate to find out what will happen, completely forgetting that we already know how the music ultimately triumphed over time. Along the way, there is hilarious information about the audiences (Handel's would not have been out of place at a rodeo, though Monteverdi's was unusually well informed) and reactions from the performers (conductor Pierre Monteux apparently always hated the Rite). There are also many factoids about how the music must have sounded. (Did you know that the first performance of Beethoven's Ninth included a piano?)
Kelly has provocative ideas about performance practice, suggesting that it is really a matter of how adaptable musicians need to be; he feels that musical works themselves, not just our perceptions of them, change over time. A great deal of First Nights is devoted to documents about the works, and the discography is helpfully annotated by Jen-Yen Chen. The book is unusually well designed, and no knowledge of score reading is necessary. --William R. Braun
Book Description
First Nights encourages music lovers to listen to five key masterworks of the Western classical tradition with fresh ears, as if they were attending the premiers themselves. In clear, lively, and engaging prose, Kelly sets the scene for each of these "first nights," discussing the city, the concert hall, the audience, the composer, the musicians, the instruments, the performance, and the popular and critical response. Extracts from contemporary letters, press reports, account books, and other sources accompany the text in sidebars, along with well-chosen illustrations. These and other documents are quoted in full in separate documentary sections, together with guides to further listening and reading. This book is first and foremost a general-interest book, for people who enjoy going to concerts and listening to recordings, although they may have no formal musical training.
Customer Reviews:
A Harvard Course in a Nutshell.......2005-01-23
I took Professor Thomas Kelly's "First Nights: Five Performance Premieres" class at Harvard, and it was an amazing experience. His lectures were loosely based off of this book, and always garnered curious visitors in the lecture hall. While I didn't read the book during the course, because the material was repetitive with his lectures, I read all of it in anticipation for the final, and it was as if Professor Kelly was giving a personal lecture to me, all without leaving the comfort of my room. It is well written, well researched, anecdotal without being too convoluted, and entertaining, most importantly! I highly highly recommend this book! I am looking forward to reading his First Nights at the Opera book soon. If you ever have a chance to visit Harvard, do come by to listen to one of his lectures (Fall semester, Tu/Th at 10 AM in Sanders Theater)
A Coffee Table Book You Should Actually Read.......2000-07-23
It's easy as a listener to get caught up in the impact of great music on us today and to ignore the people who brought it about in the first place. Kelly has done a wonderful job of enlightening and enlivening my experience of these five works, four of which I've spent a lot of time with over the years. He brings together stories on the composition, the cultural setting, and the nuts and bolts of putting on the first performances in a way that both academics and popular readers will appreciate.
New Insights into Old Favorites.......2000-06-12
This book brings together an extraordinary amount of interesting information about 5 of the greatest works of Western music, in the context of trying to recreate their first performances. Kelly writes with the interest of an enthusiast, but the scholarly background is immense, as befits a university press book. Plenty of interesting illustrations and diagrams, and interesting pull-quotes in boxes, break up the text, enhancing readability. I had not previously been aware that the version heard at the first concert of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique was subjected to significant rewriting before being published in the form performed today -- this is typical of the interesting insights the book adds to common knowledge. Also, that Berlioz changed the selection of wind instruments, but that one can hear many of the originals on some recent recordings. My only disappointment was that Kelly stopped at 5 works - I would love a similar work-up of first performances of the Wagner Ring Cycle, Mozart's Figaro, and a major work of Mahler - perhaps the first performance of the 8th Symphony. I guess that just means that Kelly might profitably prepare a sequel!
Average customer rating:
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Snapshot Versions of Life
Richard Chalfen
Manufacturer: Bowling Green State Univ Popular Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Popular Culture
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
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Culture
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
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ASIN: 0879723874 |
Book Description
Wherever humans have gone in the New World, dogs have been their companions, from the time people crossed the Bering Land Bridge some twenty thousand years ago.
In this remarkable history of the interaction between humans and dogs, Mark Derr looks at the ways in which we have used canines-as sled dogs and sheepdogs, hounds and Seeing Eye dogs, guard dogs, show dogs, and bomb-sniffing dogs-as he tracks changes in American culture and society. From the Spanish conquest of the Americas to the English colonial period, from the age of revolution to slavery, from World War II to the Vietnam War, Derr weaves a remarkable tapestry of heroism, betrayal, tragedy, kindness, abuse, and unique companionship. The result is an enlightening perspective on American history through the eyes of humanity's best friend.
Customer Reviews:
Torn between two opinions.......2006-02-19
I find the information contained in this book truly interesting, however the way it is written and structured makes it a difficult read. I am a tried and true dog lover, so the history of man's best friend fascinates me. I can't believe the buggers have put up with our mistreatment for so long! I am pushing myself through the book, because I crave the information, but the chronology and tangents have not made it easy. I am not sure how I personally would have structured it...maybe offering a visual time line...but I think a well-established writer could have done a little better.
A fascinating tale not only of canine loyalty, but of human betrayal.......2005-11-14
A Dog's History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent is the history of canine companions in America during the past three centuries - from sled dogs and war dogs to guide dogs, show dogs, and bomb-sniffing dogs. A fascinating tale not only of canine loyalty, but of human betrayal, including breeders' desire to shape animal's evolution so much that inbreeding was widely practiced despite scientific warnings and firsthand evidence of its role in causing birth defects. Not all tales of the dog are noble; some, particularly those victimized by the demand to create and aggressive breed, are notorious for turning on and sometimes even killing humans. A Dog's History of America strives to be thorough, objective, and balanced, portraying the truth as accurately as historical record tells it, and is a "must-read" for true dog lovers.
Gritty Reality .......2004-12-31
While I found the book basically well written and interesting, I think Derr digressed a little too far into the biographies of some historical figures, such as Columbus and Custer, spending a fair amount of time on details of their lives that didn't really have anything to do with dogs. In a number of instances the information about the dogs seemed rather sparse and the digressive material seemed to be more of a filler. I was also surprised at some of the descriptions of violence (how the dogs that Columbus brought over were used against the Caribe Indians, as an example). Based on these descriptions of violence, as well as some other adult topics, it might not be suitable for youthful readers and perhaps ought to be screened by parents first. Granted, the reality of the harshness with which both dogs and people have been treated in history should not be hidden, but I was expecting a book for a more general readership, and found the descriptions of violence rather disconcerting here. On the plus side, Derr describes at some length the variety of dog types that Native Americans had (far more than I had realized), and I enjoyed the details about the various types that immigrants brought with them, and what important working partners they were. Dogs contributed much, and this book elucidates just how valuable they've been to us.
Tracker-Outdoors.com Review of A Dogs History Of America.......2004-12-15
Tracker-Outdoors.com found Derr's writing compelling and very well researched. He kindly shows just how many places and events dogs have been involved with. Derr's tales of mayhem, heroism, exploration, hard work, betrayal, kindness, abuse and love demonstrates clearly the elements that attract people to dogs. History enthusiasts will enjoy the historic content within these pages tremendously. A Dog's History Of America tells the remarkable tales of American history that will inspire dog owners of all kinds. Overall, we found Derr's book fascinating reading but somewhat disturbing. Mark Derr explores the roles of sled dogs, dogs of war, guide dogs and show ring dogs from a historical perspective. We highly recommend A Dog's History Of America to dog lovers, history buffs and those interested in American culture.
Tracker Outdoors
www.tracker-outdoors.com
An intriguing slant on history.......2004-12-06
From its arrival 20,000 years ago with the first settlers crossing from Siberia, to its present as inbred pedigree and drug-sniffing cop, Derr takes a comprehensive survey approach to the dog. He examines the major incidents of our history - Columbus (no dogs on his first voyage; a mistake he never made again!), the ruthless Spanish Conquistadors, the Civil War, the Depression, WWII and more - from the point of view of the dog's mostly overlooked contribution.
Although the fact-filled narrative does not conjure up a lot of personality, the loyal character of the dog quickly emerges as crucial. One man's best friend is that man's enemy's enemy. Again and again dogs are trained to attack and kill - the Conquistador stories and those of treeing runaway slaves are particularly gruesome.
Dog loyalty has more benign uses, of course, and Derr explores most of them, from herder and hunter to celebrity companion and adventurer. Explorers, from Lewis and Clark to Ernest Shackleton, have depended on dogs for companionship as well as hunting, guidance or transportation. But in times of trouble doggie devotion has often led to the final sacrifice - sustenance. That best-friend thing has never been totally mutual.
Derr's writing doesn't sparkle, but his breadth of research astounds, and there's a compelling feel to the narrative that comes from the canine slant on familiar history. Dog-loving history buffs will particularly enjoy it.
Book Description
Our Friends in the North (1996) is the kind of epic drama that has ensured the BBC's peerless worldwide reputation for seriousness and excellence. In nine parts, it tells the life stories of four friends - Mary (Gina McKee), Nicky (Christopher Eccleston), Geordie (Daniel Craig) and Tosker (Mark Strong) - from adolescence to middle age. Their personal triumphs and crises unfold against the backdrop of massive social and political change in Britain - in particular the rise of Thatcherism and the dwindling of socialist ideals. Technically outstanding, Our Friends in the North is truly a 'state of the nation' drama but one which explores its large themes as well as more specific ones (domestic violence, corruption in the police and local government, iniquities in the criminal justice system) while developing its central characters with exceptional subtlety and finesse.
Michael Eaton traces the history of Our Friends in the North: its origins in Peter Flannery's 1982 play and the long road to TV adaptation. Eaton has conducted lengthy interviews with Flannery and others, and his book provides extensive insight into the often-labyrinthine ways in which TV drama is commissioned and produced. He goes on to locate the series in the genealogy of quality television drama and reflects on whether Our Friends in the North could ever be made today. Did the series bring an end to the golden age of British TV drama--and, if so, what have we lost in the process?
Average customer rating:
- Comanches & Kiowas and Grant's Policies
- Of COURSE it's outdated
- Of COURSE it's outdated
- Ups and downs here
- Uneven and replete with errors
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Our red brothers and the peace policy of President Ulysses S. Grant
Lawrie Tatum
Manufacturer: University of Nebraska Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| 21st Century
| African Americans
| Civil War
| Colonial Period
| General
| Revolution & Founding
| State & Local
General
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0803257082 |
Customer Reviews:
Comanches & Kiowas and Grant's Policies.......2007-08-09
From the cover: A classic in the literature on the Southern Plains, this book is an invaluable source for the history of the Kiowas, the Comanches, and other tribes, as well as of an important period in the development of federal Indian policy. Tatum was appointed Kiowa-Comanche agent in 1969 and served until 1973. A Quaker possessed of a strong sense of justice and a remarkable degree of patience, he tried to apply the principles of honesty, kindness, and generosity in dealing with his charges - "the worst red men east of the Rocky Mountains." [I love that!] His book was written both to record the work of the Quakers with the Indians and as a defense of their methods and the reforms instituted by the Grant administration. Foreword by Richard Ellis. BTW, a new Comanche museum will be opening soon in Oklahoma - if you are out that way, be sure to stop in.
Of COURSE it's outdated.......2005-03-20
Just a note: This is a reprint of a book written in 1899 by a contemporary of Grant's Peace Policy. A previous reviewer missed that very important point entirely.
Of COURSE it's outdated.......2005-03-20
Just a note: This is a reprint of a book written in 1899 by a contemporary of Grant's Peace Policy. A previous reviewer missed that very important point entirely.
Ups and downs here.......2004-04-04
This book is one of extremes: there are some interesting chapters relating to Grant's Presidential administration. But there are other sections of the book so mind-numbingly boring that it might be lethal to read them in their entirity. Tatum's style veers from the grandiloquent to the pithy depths of laconic mumbling and it's difficult to get any rhythm reading the book.
There is absolutely nothing about Grant's personal life in the book, which is a crushing disappointment. People new to the subject will have scant grasp on Grant as a man and more's the pity. However, the sections on USG's treatment of Indians is generally positive and accurate, with some glaring lapses. The book is also hopelessly outdated at this point because much revisionism has taken place regarding Grant's Presidency. Tatum basically represents how USG's Presidency was regarded in the 60's, but much new work has been done in the intervening forty years.
To sum up, a difficult read, but interesting if you have an interest in Grant's treatement of the American Indian.
Uneven and replete with errors.......2004-04-04
This book is one of extremes: there are some interesting chapters relating to Grant's Presidential administration. But there are other sections of the book so mind-numbingly boring that it might be lethal to read them in their entirity. Tatum's style veers from the grandiloquent to the pithy depths of laconic mumbling and it's difficult to get any rhythm reading the book.
There is absolutely nothing about Grant's personal life in the book, which is a crushing disappointment. People new to the subject will have scant grasp on Grant as a man and more's the pity. However, the sections on USG's treatment of Indians is generally positive and accurate, with some glaring lapses. The book is also hopelessly outdated at this point because much revisionism has taken place regarding Grant's Presidency. Tatum basically represents how USG's Presidency was regarded in the 60's, but much new work has been done in the intervening forty years.
To sum up, a difficult read, but interesting if you have an interest in Grant's treatement of the American Indian.
Average customer rating:
- Not enough substance
- Better than no dog book
- I wish there was a guide like this for other cities
- Finally, a reason to visit my mom!
- Hotels do not allow dogs
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Doggone Chicago: Sniffing Our the Best Places to Take Your Best Friend
Steve Dale
Manufacturer: NTC Business Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Dogs
| Animal Care & Pets
| Home & Garden
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General
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Flowers
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| Travel
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Similar Items:
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The Dog Lover's Companion to Chicago: The Inside Scoop on Where to Take Your Dog (Dog Lover's Companion Guides)
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City Dog: Chicago (City Dog series)
ASIN: 0809229447 |
Book Description
Here is an invaluable guide to the dog-friendly areas in Chicago, its suburbs, and its surrounding counties. From parks and beaches to stores, bars, restaurants, and cafes, it provides a list of places where dogs are welcome guests and rates them in terms of interest for both dogs and their human companions. DogGone Chicago thoroughly explains the leash laws and cleanup laws for all the areas it covers, plus it includes helpgul infromation on places to stay, neighborhood festivals, and other doggy-doings.
Customer Reviews:
Not enough substance.......2003-05-14
While this book provides a large number of listings about the local parks and other places, there are serious flaws. First of all, there are no maps (!), and directions are minimal or missing from most listings. Second, a lot of the descriptions contain more details about the author's dogs than about the places they visited, which is fun, but largely unhelpful. Finally, a lot of the information is out of date (although that's par for the course with any guidebook). As a resident of Chicago, I found it only slightly useful. I think a visitor to the city would have a hard time using it at all.
Better than no dog book.......2003-01-07
A travel book without maps strikes me as not much of a travel book at all. While there is a lot of info. in this book, it's not easy-to-use. I'd rather have some directions, maps and tips than stories about Luna and Chaser and what kind of spaghetti sauce they prefer.
I wish there was a guide like this for other cities.......2001-08-20
If you have a dog and live in Chicago, this book is a must. Just flipping through this book, you can quickly learn how dog friendly the Chicago are is.
Having recently moved to Madison, WI, I didn't realize what I had until it was gone (most parks prohibit dogs, and the designated "dog parks" are usually over run with extremely aggressive, untrained dogs that are a serious danger to you and your pet).
As one reviewer notes, you should phone ahead on some of the places in the book. The Renaissance Hotel downtown will allow small dogs (generally less than 15lbs), and even has a section on the room service menu for your furry friend.
Finally, a reason to visit my mom!.......2001-05-30
I love and dearly miss Chicago, but was not a dog owner when I grew up in the city. I long to visit for reasons other than business, but cannot justify taking a vacation to a town where my dog might not have fun. This book gives me something to do and look forward to with my devoted companion Ben. I've seen all the museums, the shopping and the water, now I want to experience Chicago from Ben's point of view. I know he'll love the people and the street food! And my mom will love that I finally found a compelling reason to visit!
Hotels do not allow dogs.......1999-05-18
I was very disappointed when I tried to call the hotels in Downtown Chicago listed in the book as "dog friendly" and told that they no longer allow dogs. The only one that still allows dogs is the Resident's Inn Downtown Chicago. Based on that, I have reason to question the accuracy of the other information in the book (ie. restaurants, parks, shops etc.)
Average customer rating:
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Fictions of Resolution in Three Victorian Novels: North and South, Our Mutual Friend, Daniel Deronda
Deirdre David
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
19th Century
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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General
| Criticism & Theory
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
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Victorian
| Movements & Periods
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
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British
| Short Stories
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ASIN: 0231049803 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from San Diego Business Journal, published by CBJ, L.P. on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 1125 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: Californians can learn lessons from our friends to the north.(Publisher's Notebook)(Canada)
Author: Ted Owen
Publication:
San Diego Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: CBJ, L.P.
Volume: 24
Issue: 38
Page: 58(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
The topic of The Complete Effect and HLSL Guide is shader development and management, and therefore it is written for any developers who have some interest in being efficient at using and integrating shaders within their applications. This book is written to serve as both a teaching and reference manual, making it a must-have to everybody from hobbyist programmers to professional developers. The approach taken throughout The Complete Effect and HLSL Guide makes it the perfect book for anyone who wants to integrate shaders into their application and take advantage of the power of the DirectX effect framework and the HLSL shading language.
This book features: * Introduction to both the HLSL shading language and effect file development including their detailed syntax and use. * Complete reference along with performance considerations to every HLSL and assembly shader instructions. * Introdution the DirectX Effect Framework and complete overview to its API. * Optimization tips and tricks to make the best out of your shaders. * Coverage of all the main components of the Effect Framework in addition to putting the pieces of the puzzle together allowing you to develop a shader management framework.
Customer Reviews:
Horrible book.......2007-09-22
If you intend to use this book to learn HLSL or Cg, I strongly advise against it. It could be a reasonable reference book, but definitely not a book for learning.
First of all, the writing is terrible. Grammar errors everywhere make tons of descriptions hard to comprehend.
Second, incorrect examples everywhere. I suggest the author should at least cut and paste his codes from working programs. Give some examples:
- All the bold fonted ID3DXEffect** effect intefaces in Chapter 11 were mis-spelled. It should contain one single I in all these D3DEffect**, not Double I. (The author had it wrong for all of them, i.e. IID3DXEffect** throughout the entire chapter.)
- page 46, Function name is called "lighing" while the caller site called "light(.." This program will not work.
- page 54, COLOR0 was defined as a float2, while the Color returned by function Light_PointSpecular is returned as a float4.
- page 58, function Light-PointDiffuse, the hyphen was written as a underscore in the caller site. In the same example, Light1_Color was used as an argument (so does the example in page 60), however, it was not defined anywhere in the code other than used as an passing argument.
to name a few ...
Great as a reference guide.......2006-06-19
This book is a good introduction to HLSL, and works great as a reference guide. The author's writing style is very synthetic and straight to the point. Would love to see something like this for GLSL.
A worthy reference book for developers already working with shaders.......2006-03-11
This makes a good companion reference to the DirectX SDK. The HLSL Intrinsic Function Reference included as an appendix is especially good, citing the supported shader versions and performance considerations for each entry.
If you're just getting started with Direct3D or shaders, then this is probably not the right book for you (instead, check out "Shaders for Game Programmers and Artists" by the same author). Although this book does cover some bare-bones and basic shaders, it's probably better to use this book if you are looking for reference information not found in the SDK.
Also note that this book is based on the Summer 2004 DirectX SDK. The best parts of the book are still absolutely current, but it would be wise to keep a copy of the latest SDK docs handy just in case.
Good guide.......2005-08-26
This book starts out by giving you a good history behind the shader language.
Pro:
- really good for references
- it lists every single variables/functions for the shader along with the description
- excellent information/reference on Intrinsic Functions
- it has a good list of vertex shader 3.0 assembly instructions
Con:
- need more samples? :)
Overall, I found this book is good to start learning HLSL. Besure that you've grabbed a concept of direct3d before reading this book. I also find out that after reading this book it's so much easy to read wolf's books.
Books:
- Grid Computing: Practical Guide To Technology & Applications (Programming Series)
- Hacking Video Game Consoles: Turn your old video game systems into awesome new portables (ExtremeTech)
- Handbook For English Concertina
- Hardcore Java
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Piano Selections
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- How to Do Everything with Your GPS
- How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 1: Basics for Beginners and Beyond
Books Index
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First Nights at the Opera
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