Other books that might interest you

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  Hallelujah Junction - Composing...

  Jon Adams

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  John Adams is one of the most respected and loved of contemporary composers, and "he has won his eminence fair and square: he has aimed high, he has addressed life as it is lived now, and he has found a language that makes sense to a wide audience" (Alex Ross, The New Yorker). Now, in Hallelujah Junction, he incisively relates his life story, from his childhood to his early studies in classical composition amid the musical and social ferment of the 1960s, from his landmark minimalist innovations to his controversial "docu-operas." Adams offers a no-holds-barred portrait of the rich musical scene of 1970s California, and of his contemporaries and colleagues, including John Cage, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. He describes the process of writing, rehearsing, and performing his renowned works, as well as both the pleasures and the challenges of writing serious music in a country and a time largely preoccupied with pop culture.Hallelujah Junction is a thoughtful and original memoir that will appeal to both longtime Adams fans and newcomers to contemporary music. Not since Leonard Bernstein's Findings has an eminent composer so candidly and accessibly explored his life and work. This searching self-portrait offers not only a glimpse into the work and world of one of our leading artists, but also an intimate look at one of the most exciting chapters in contemporary culture.

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  Here Begins the Dark Sea -...

  Meredith F. Small

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  The remarkable story of the cartographic masterpiece—the Venetian mappa mundi—that revolutionized how we see the world.In 1459 a Venetian monk named Fra Mauro completed an astonishing map of the world. Seven feet in diameter, Fra Mauro's mappamundi is the oldest and most complete Medieval map to survive into modernity. And in its time, this groundbreaking mappamundi provided the most detailed description of the known world, incorporating accurate observation, and geographic reality, urging viewers to see water and land as they really existed. Fra Mauro's map was the first in history to show that a ship could circumnavigate Africa, and that the Indian "Sea" was in fact an ocean, enabling international trade to expand across the globe. Acclaimed anthropologist Meredith F. Small reveals how Fra Mauro's mappamundi made cartography into a science rather than a practice based on religion and ancient myths.Here Begins the Dark Sea brings Fra Mauro's masterpiece to life as a work of art and a window into Venetian society and culture. In telling the story of this cornerstone of modern cartography, Small takes the listener on a fascinating journey as she explores the human urge to find our way. Here Begins the Dark Sea is a riveting testament to the undeniable impact Fra Mauro and his mappamundi have had over the past five centuries and still holds relevance today.

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  Louvre and the Hermitage The:...

  Editors Charles River

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  The very name of the Louvre conjures up scenes of art and elegance, and of long halls filled with beauty and people strolling through them whispering quietly among themselves about the glories they are witnessing. Even those who have never been to the Louvre know some of its most prized possessions, from ancient statues to Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”. As the world’s largest museum, the Louvre is unquestionably the cultural highpoint of Paris, a city that has long been considered the cultural center of Europe. 
  However, life is rarely as simple as one imagines, and the life of the Louvre is no different. While just about everyone is familiar with its history as an art museum, the Louvre’s history goes back over 800 years, and it used to have far different purposes, both as a medieval fortress and a palatial residence for French kings. The Louvre bore witness to mass murder during the French Revolution, and there have been countless accusations of theft and other questionable actions since its opening. 
  Catherine the Great came to power in the midst of the Enlightenment, which was flourishing in France and Britain, and she would rule as an Enlightened ruler. A known correspondent of Voltaire’s, Catherine sought to modernize Russia and turn it into a force in its own right, creating a rich and cultured court at the same time. Over the course of nearly 35 years in power, Catherine ushered in the Russian Enlightenment and presided over a period of time known as the Golden Age of the Russian Empire. 
  Moreover, Catherine had an unmatched passion for the arts, and she began a private art collection that would eventually evolve into galleries upon galleries of historical treasures shipped in from all over the world. This fabled museum was none other than the Hermitage, located in the heart of Saint Petersburg, a city founded by the imperial empire's very own Peter the Great.

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  Jason Collings: School Shoes

  Jason Collins

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  What started as a mere hobby has turned into a life-long career for Jason Collings and you are sure to become a fan of his brand of his observational and highly conversational trademark comedy that has crowds roaring with laughter from coast to coast.

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  Journeywork a creative life

  Dave Duggan

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  Dave Duggan presents Journeywork, a Creative Life — thirteen essays that explore the arc of a creative life. Each essay stands alone as a chapter, combining memoir, medical matters and reflections on creative practice and theory. The tone is humane, engaging and serious without being academic.
   
  The audiobook is aimed at adult readers, including practising, emerging and aspiring creatives. It features travel stories interwoven with health challenges, work achievements and personal reflections. It is a case study of how one person creates works of imagination, while earning a living and maintaining a family, with all the ordinary ups and downs of such a life.

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  Sympathy

  Paul Laurence Dunbar

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  LibriVox volunteers bring you 16 different recordings of Sympathy, by Paul Laurence Dunbar in honor of Martin Luther King Day. Listeners will recognize a line from this poem as being the title of Maya Angelou's 1969 novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  This was the weekly poetry project for the week of January 14th, 2007.

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