Works of Ralph Vaughan Williams (Paperback)

by Michael Kennedy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Comprehensive and superlative."--Choral Journal
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
This authoritative account of Vaughan William's musical life portrays the story of a great composer's career, and traces the course of music in England during his lifetime. The edition includes a comprehensive list of his work, and an index. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Abridged edition (February 24, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0193154234
• ISBN-13: 978-0193154230
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,705,547 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *The* standard study of Vaughan Williams's music., April 3, 1997

By A Customer

I've known this book for over thirty years. Kennedy approachesVaughan Williams's catalogue both widely and deeply, with plenty ofmusical examples. Since I'm a Vaughan Williams headbanger, a book like this is my equivalent of hagiography. Kennedy assumes (correctly) that Vaughan Williams is one of the major composers of this century, and not just in England, and thus discusses works in a clear-eyed way, without special pleading, emotional ginger-up, or hysterical proselytizing. He gives us the musical "facts" of a work and shows, in purely compositional terms, why it's wonderful -- the most convincing argument of all. I've almost worn out my copy through reading and re-reading. When I listen to a Vaughan Williams work, I usually have the book handy. A classic of music writing.--Steve Schwartz