Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 462
•
Trim: 7¼ x 10¼
978-1-4422-4342-2 • Hardback • April 2015 • $120.00 • (£92.00)
978-1-4422-4343-9 • eBook • April 2015 • $114.00 • (£88.00)
Lucy Miller Murray, founder of Market Square Concerts in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, inspired the artistic excellence of the chamber music series for 27 years. Her program notes have appeared worldwide and in such distinguished venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Krannert Center at the University of Illinois.
Foreword
Introduction
List of Works
Special Commentary Contributors
About the Author
Both casual and seasoned classical-music listeners will likely find this volume on chamber music interesting and useful. This edition (an updated version of Murray’s 2006 book, Adams to Zemlinsky: A Friendly Guide to Chamber Music) offers a descriptive A–Z list of familiar and lesser-known chamber works ranging from the baroque period to well into the twenty-first century. Murray guides readers through each piece with movement-by-movement descriptions of the music. Writing about music is subjective, and listeners may not 'hear' the same things as the author when they listen. However, Murray gives readers an introductory taste of the music by pointing out specific phrases, motifs, or general moods to listen for. This is especially useful when hearing works for the first time or when listening to modern pieces that are more challenging to the ear. There are also entries on some important vocal works, or 'art songs,' a genre robust enough for an entire volume. In addition to her own listening notes, she includes 'special commentary' from colleagues and friends who write about their own experiences with selected works as performers or composers. Their views are often based on years of exposure to—or performances of—musical works, and they bring a perspective to the music that non-musicians may find refreshing and informative.
— Booklist
This new work is an expanded edition of the author's Adams to Zemlinsky: A Friendly Guide to Selected Chamber Music (2006), published by the Concert Artists Guild. Program notes are often intellectually disposable prose to be ingested in the half-light of the concert hall. But the notes created by Murray (founder of Market Square Concerts in Harrisburg, PA) are well thought out and constructed to transmit descriptive information about musical works to be heard before being entertained; in book form, they can become a permanent encouragement to listen further. The volume is organized by composer, then by works typical of the composer's works for smaller performing groups. Even though there is a stated avoidance of overly technical concepts here, Murray provides information for listeners who are motivated to explore music in a setting of public performance as well as private listening. . . .General readers. Recommended.
— Choice Reviews
[Murray] has condensed decades of program notes, written not only for her Market Square Concerts, but many other concert venues, into this clearly written and fascinating anthology. A good bedside table 'read', it will be a handy and sensible reference before attending a concert, while studying a work, and for those who do not themselves play, but simply crave program notes that actually prepare you for the music you are about to hear.
— ACMP Newsletter