Product Description
The contents of this Plus One collection were carefully picked to show a cross section of Gershwin's compositions; some are classics and some may be new, but all were picked for their instrumental capabilities. This folio contains: 'S Wonderful
* But Not for Me
* Embraceable You
* Fascinating Rhythm
* I Got Plenty of Nuttin'
* I Got Rhythm
* Liza
* Lorelei
* The Man I Love
* Mine
* Nice Work If You Can Get It
* Of Thee I Sing (Baby)
* Oh, Lady Be Good!
* Rialto Ripples
* Slap That Bass
* Someone to Watch Over Me
* Strike Up the Band
* Summertime
* They All Laughed
* They Can't Take That Away from Me. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A tiny review
I have a selection of Gershwin biographies and this is the poor one. Mr. Kendall thinks George Gershwin would have been a happier man if he met a nice wife and settled down. Old-fashioned conservative judgemental! He also believes that Gershwin was marvellous as a songwriter but nothing much as a symphonic artist and could have done with a respectable human trauma in his life to mature him as an artist! If it takes juveniles to produce a work like "Porgy And Bess".. Bring on the euthanasia!!
Mr. Kendall seemed to me very patronising about Gershwin and i kept wondering why he bothered to write a book with little regard for his subject. A wasted effort.

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Product Description
This imported folio features piano arrangements of ten songs from the movies GOLDWYN FOLLIES, DAMSEL IN DISTRESS and SHALL WE DANCE. Two pieces from Gershwin's folk opera PORGY and BESS are also included. Titles include: I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' * I Was Doing All Right * Let's Call the Whole Thing Off * Nice Work If You Can Get It * Summertime * They Can't Take That Away from Me and more. From IMP England. ... Read more

Product Description
The Three Preludes (originally five) are basically jazz-oriented classical dances and songs originally written for the piano. The first plays off a blue-note riff. The second, one of the marvels of solo piano literature, turns the same riff into a slow blues lullaby. The third, called ""Spanish"" by its early listeners, seems to blend Caribbean rhythms with jazzy harmonies. ... Read more

Product Description
This is Spike Milligan's account of the man who was probably Scotland's most embarrassing denizen and the world's worst poet, William McGonagall. This follows on from the author's successful publication, "The Looney" (1987). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

an emphasis on the "miss"
I adore just about anything Spike, and really enjoyed the film he made playing this character - but man, this book is tough going. I found it a good cure for my insomnia, as I could never manage more than a few pages without falling asleep... it was almost impossible to drag my eyes across the page, and this is coming from someone who gets a kick out of Finnegans Wake, and when suitably drunk can do all the Goon Show voices.

Perhaps having a real editor would've helped string these ramblings together... a low point in the milligna body of work.

Hit & miss utterly unedited stream of consciousness goonery
Stream of consciousness goonery, utterly unedited, not even the vaguest attempt at a plot. In the introduction Milligan describes it as,
"... the first freeform comic fantasy in which the subconscious mind is the author."
 
He describes the process of writing, introducing his co-author as,
"...friend, pianist and fellow manic depressive. We decided that whenever either of us was on a down we would write `something' in book form. The result was this book."
 
As a result it's totally hit and miss - and the pleasure is also largely dependent on the mood of the reader: I found some parts hilarious and others merely confused, but I suspect if I read it again I'd have the same reactions to different parts of the text. Definitely only to be read, as it was written, in small portions (I don't think Spike would be at all offended to find I chose to read it in the smallest room in the house). ... Read more

Product Description
The Rhapsody in Blue (1924) established Gershwin's reputation as a serious composer and has since become one of the most popular of all American concert works. In this richly informative guide David Schiff considers the piece as musical work, historical event and cultural document. He traces the history of the Rhapsody's composition, performance and reception, placing it within the context of American popular song and jazz and the development of modernism. He also provides a full account of the different published and recorded versions of the work and explores the many stylistic sources of Gershwin's music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Informative and Interesting
The Cambridge Music Handbooks try to do what is rarely done-- bridge the gap between the dilettante "light" style of books on music that are written for the "general public" the esoteric style of heavy musicological writing. A noble pursuit, but one that runs the risk of pleasing no one rather than achieving a happy medium. Having read several of the Cambridge Music Handbooks, this one stands out as being one of the more successful. I especially enjoyed the discussion of the history of the forms which the Rhapsody in Blue has appeared ("jazzy" versions versus "classical" renditions), as well as the background of the work's first performance in Aeolian Hall in 1924. At times, the book tends towards the more "musicological" style, but all in all, it remains accessible and interesting to anyone interested in music. Schiff's style throughout is engaging and witty. If this is a piece of music you are looking to explore further, I highly recommend this book. ... Read more