"Roussel, `one of the greatest French composers of this century,' has been also one of the most neglected. Follett, a music librarian at the University of North Texas, has produced a work supportive of renewed interest in Roussel's works. The first major work in English since Basil Deane's critical biography, Albert Roussel (1961), this volume includes a brief biography, a list of works and performances classified by genre, a discography of commercially available recordings, and a selective annotated bibliography of nearly 400 writings by and about the composer. Cross-references lead the user from the works to the bibliography and discography and vice versa. Two appendixes include the first lines of the texts of vocal music and a listing in chronological order of compositions. The volume concludes with a complete index of names and works titles. Well bound and clearly printed, as are other volumes in this valuable series, this work is recommended for upper-division undergraduate and graduate music collections."
Review
Roussel, `one of the greatest French composers of this century,' has been also one of the most neglected. Follett, a music librarian at the University of North Texas, has produced a work supportive of renewed interest in Roussel's works. The first major work in English since Basil Deane's critical biography, Albert Roussel (1961), this volume includes a brief biography, a list of works and performances classified by genre, a discography of commercially available recordings, and a selective annotated bibliography of nearly 400 writings by and about the composer. Cross-references lead the user from the works to the bibliography and discography and vice versa. Two appendixes include the first lines of the texts of vocal music and a listing in chronological order of compositions. The volume concludes with a complete index of names and works titles. Well bound and clearly printed, as are other volumes in this valuable series, this work is recommended for upper-division undergraduate and graduate music collections.
The author has succeeded in bringing together many facts and resources on Roussel's works as well as his life, providing the reader with a significant amount of information. The guide is easy to use, and the references between the various parts of the book make the contents even more accessible.
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