EMA Recording & Book Reviews

Handel’s operas tell vivid stories in a complex, even idiosyncratic, manner that is not readily apparent even to a passionate Handelian. This brilliant book offers an eloquent account of the underlying processes at work, calling on broad examples — including classical literature, Shakespeare, novels, film — of the same narrative strategies.

Although scholars often research particular types of historical keyboard instruments — clavichords, harpsichords, pianos — the makers themselves would have dealt with whatever was current in their city and era. With this in mind, historical keyboard expert Stewart Pollens attempts an integrated history of all stringed keyboards, with mixed success.

Rome was second only to Venice in music publishing in 15th-century Italy. Jane A. Bernstein's new book details Roman publishers' ingenuity in meeting musicians' needs — with insights into composition and performance practice of the era. It's also a look into the 'synergistic relationship' between technological innovation and the diversity of musical expression.

We're starting to see music history texts that discuss the music and careers of women and composers of color. With Paula Maust's new anthology, we can now include music theory examples that will help dispel the notion that there were no important composers from these underrepresented groups.

Dorothea Link's book, 'The Italian Opera Singer in Mozart's Vienna' proves to be entertaining and eye-opening, providing a valuable insights into the Viennese opera milieu.

Arrangements of popular music have long been shunned in certain circles. But the author of a concise new book suggests that by ignoring arrangements, we've missed considerable cultural, artistic, and historical insights into music from the era.

Once dismissed as "fringe events," musical salons hosted by women in the 18th c. are rightly seen as an invaluable source. Rebecca Cypess' engaging new book makes connections "that might otherwise go unnoticed."

Perhaps more than any other Mozart opera, 'Don Giovanni' lends itself to an extremely wide range of cultural, psychological, and aesthetic interpretations. In his new book, 'Don Giovanni Captured: Performance, Media, Myth,' Richard Will examines approaches from the past 125 years through recordings and videos, tracing stylistic changes as well as how the anti-hero is inevitably seen as a mirror of ourselves.

In a revealing look into the lives of 'ordinary' folks in 17th and 18th c. Germany, author Tanya Kevorkian taps a wealth of sources that detail city life, from religious beliefs to weddings to the rhythms and rules of town watchmen. With compassion and wisdom, the author notes that historians who look at street life "have to some degree replicated the perspective of the authorities."

Emily Zazulia's valuable 'Where Sight Meets Sound: the Poetics of Late-Medieval Music Writing' explores notational aesthetics in polyphonic music, where it's not obvious how you're meant to sing what's on the page.