The Magic of Their Singing

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This book describes the musical experiences of a lifetime amateur singer. In both auto-biographical anecdotes and musical analysis, it ranges widely, from a 10-year-old's singing around a bonfire in summer camp to an 87-year-old singing in a retirement community chorus. With ample detail, the book describes the author's first encounter with Rossini as the composer introduced "The Lone Ranger" on radio and two generations later the introduction of Rossini to his grandchildren at the Metropolitan Opera. Chapters include those about choral music on the stage from Gilbert & Sullivan to Lerner and Loewe, on oratorio choruses from Handel's Messiah to Britten's War Requiem, on popular music and its bumpy ride, from Swing to the Rock-and-Roll Revolution and on to the political and musical ramifications of Rap. The book also tackles musical settings of a literary text, for instance the partnership of Goethe and Schubert and on down the line of Walt Whitman and Vaughn Williams in his Second Symphony. The book's final chapter considers a cappella singing from motets and madrigals to barbershop and Yale's Whiffenpoofs. As you can see, the book ranges widely in time and tone, including light-hearted remembrances of various conductors' personalities and styles and performers' peculiarities as well as serious analyses and comparisons of many choral masterpieces. This is that rare book that provides both entertainment and information.