His art was of an encyclopedic nature; drawing together and surmounting the techniques; the styles; and the general achievements of his own and earlier generations and leading to a new perspective. mdash; Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians.This informed assessment of the genius of Bachs works can be applied with greatest accuracy to The Well-Tempered Clavier. This highly influential work is monumental in the history of Western music. It represents not only the culmination of Bachs own maturation process; but also the galvanization of the emerging style and structure of modern keyboard music.The grace and fecundity of The Well-Tempered Clavier have thrilled audiences; musicians; and composers for centuries. Mozart; when rapidly advancing to the height of his mastery; had but to read a manuscript copy of The Well-Tempered Clavier and his style developed a new polyphonic richness and depth of harmony. Beethoven studied all the accessible works of Bach profoundly (including The Well-Tempered Clavier) and frequently quoted them in his sketchbooks; often with direct bearing on his own works. Chopin is nowhere more characteristic than when he shows his love of The Well-Tempered Clavier in his Etudes and Preludes. It was Schumann who; in a series of maxims for young musicians; said "Make The Well-Tempered Clavier your daily bread."This remarkable volume contains all 48 preludes and fugues; from Books I and II; in all major keys; reproduced directly from the authoritative Bach-Gesellschaft edition. The fine engraving is beautiful; clear; and easy to read. These elegant pieces; which vary in difficulty; are available complete in one low-cost; convenient Dover edition.
#961621 in eBooks 2012-11-13 2012-11-13File Name: B00A44CDH0
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Long time coming; but not as good as Id hoped.By Philip T BurchellIt is surprising that no-one had published a book on the Steadicam before now. Even this one has been a long time coming. Italian author Serena Ferrara originally published this in 1997; and it was finally released this year in an English version. A Doctorate in "History Cinema" and her curiosity about the Steadicam led her to write a thesis on the subject; which later became this book.After a brief but well written overview of the history; types and function of camera movement; the book does an excellent job documenting the invention of the Steadicam hellip; the evolution from first prototype to current models is shown in detail. This first section of the book covers basic principles of how the thing works; how it can be used together with itrsquo;s limitations; and gives early examples from films such as "Rocky" and "Marathon Man". The Steadicam didnrsquo;t really come of age until it was embraced by Stanley Kubrick on "The Shining" which is discussed at length.The second section is called "Semiotics and Narrative" and leads into chapters such as "The Gaze of the Narrative Voice". Overall; there is a tendency to intellectualise; and this section in particular was a bit too bookish for me. However; many references to sources of information are given; along with an extensive bibliography; so perhaps this style can be forgiven.The third section holds a series of interviews which is perhaps the most valuable contribution of the book. Inventor and master operator Garrett Brown naturally features; along with an excellent discussion by Larry McConkey on his extended shots in "Goodfellas" and "Bonfire of the Vanities" and with DPrsquo;s Haskell Wexler and Vittorio Storaro among others.The book however; is limited by itrsquo;s concentration of the evolution of the Steadicam as a brand. From 1993; Garrett Brownrsquo;s original patents started to expire; allowing competitive manufacturers into the field. The most prominent of these; the PRO; is given scant recognition; others none at all; while the Panaglide ...is perhaps given more than it deserves. Important equipment such as remote lens controllers; gyrorsquo;s and antlers hardly rate a mention. Even Cinema Productsrsquo; own innovative "iso-elastic" arm is given little attention. The fact that CP went belly-up last year and the Steadicam product was acquired by Tiffen; is a glaring omission in itself.Other grumbles? Not enough photorsquo;s of the thing in action was a big disappointment; and many that do appear are 10-15 years out of date. The Techniques and Uses section of the book could also be much stronger ....For those with no working knowledge or experience with a Steadicam; for students of film or for those intrigued and want to know more about Steadicam and camera work in general; this book really canrsquo;t be overlooked. It is an important addition to the recent record of cinematography; and adds some valuable insights into the Steadicamrsquo;s usefulness as a tool.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy T CrumpGreat information