CelloMind is a two-part pedagogical method book that focuses on intonation and left-hand cello technique. The coauthors of the book are Hans Jørgen Jensen, Professor of cello at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and Minna Rose Chung, Associate Professor of Cello at the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba. Part I: Intonation. The mystery of intonation is revealed by defining and explaining the scientific principles that govern it. To know and understand how to combine the three primary intonation systems has never before been expounded in a methodology publication--and for good reason. Playing with exquisite intonation has mostly been reserved for those who possess a strong intuitive sense; however, CelloMind breaks down this taboo using a systematic approach with a highly attuned manner. The three systems of intonation that string players most commonly use today--equal temperament, just intonation, and Pythagorean tuning--are each explored and explained in great detail. All chapters in the book include many practical samples and listening exercises that bridge the gap between the theory and its application. The chapters on intonation conclude with practical examples from the following repertoire: "Intonation Performance Practice in the Bach Solo Cello Suites" and "Intonation Performance Practice with Piano." Part II: Left-Hand Technique. The left-hand technique chapters in this section complement the study of intonation by providing a solid foundation of skills for essential cello playing. The topics and exercises have been selected to cover a wide range of technical skills that include playing with a light left-hand touch, speed, coordination, balanced vibrato, agility, finger independence, and efficient shifting. Original exercises developed for students over many years have also been incorporated into these chapters, as well as studies from Julius Klengel, Bernhard Cossmann, Louis R. Feuillard, Jean-Louis Duport, Yakov Rosenthal, and Fritz Albert Christian Rudinger.
Desert Lullaby, "lying here under the starlit desert sky tonight, I find peace of mind as I stare at the heavens to bright; then a foxes sharp bark, an owls shrill screech, a coyotes, cry, begin the nightly serenade of a desert lullaby; I close my eyes and sigh, this is a favorite time of mine, this is nothing new to me, I've often slept beneath a tree, I'm no stranger to this desert life, or to a desert night; I think in all my life I'll never find anything as peaceful as a desert lullaby." From the desert to the sea, "Heartstrings" is a collection of poems that the author has written over several years.
WINNER OF THE MARK LYNTON HISTORY PRIZE • A prize-winning historian’s “effervescent” (The New Yorker) account of a close-knit band of wildly famous American reporters who, in the run-up to World War II, took on dictators and rewrote the rules of modern journalism “High-speed, four-lane storytelling . . . Cohen’s all-action narrative bursts with colour and incident.”—Financial Times NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • WINNER OF THE GOLDSMITH BOOK PRIZE • FINALIST FOR THE PROSE AWARD ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, NPR, BookPage, Booklist They were an astonishing group: glamorous, gutsy, and irreverent to the bone. As cub reporters in the 1920s, they roamed across a war-ravaged world, sometimes perched atop mules on wooden saddles, sometimes gliding through countries in the splendor of a first-class sleeper car. While empires collapsed and fledgling democracies faltered, they chased deposed empresses, international financiers, and Balkan gun-runners, and then knocked back doubles late into the night. Last Call at the Hotel Imperial is the extraordinary story of John Gunther, H. R. Knickerbocker, Vincent Sheean, and Dorothy Thompson. In those tumultuous years, they landed exclusive interviews with Hitler and Mussolini, Nehru and Gandhi, and helped shape what Americans knew about the world. Alongside these backstage glimpses into the halls of power, they left another equally incredible set of records. Living in the heady afterglow of Freud, they subjected themselves to frank, critical scrutiny and argued about love, war, sex, death, and everything in between. Plunged into successive global crises, Gunther, Knickerbocker, Sheean, and Thompson could no longer separate themselves from the turmoil that surrounded them. To tell that story, they broke long-standing taboos. From their circle came not just the first modern account of illness in Gunther’s Death Be Not Proud—a memoir about his son’s death from cancer—but the first no-holds-barred chronicle of a marriage: Sheean’s Dorothy and Red, about Thompson’s fractious relationship with Sinclair Lewis. Told with the immediacy of a conversation overheard, this revelatory book captures how the global upheavals of the twentieth century felt up close.
The tale of 'Cinderella' is told wherever stories are still read aloud and everyone is familiar with 'Rapunzel' and 'The Golden Goose', but who has heard all the wonderful stories collected by the Brothers Grimm? Well, here's your chance, for within these covers you will find every one of their 210 tales, in all their enchantment and rapture, terror and wisdom, tragedy and beauty.
“[A] fast-paced mystery . . . Fans of the prolific Stuart Woods and Randy Wayne White will hope that Birtcher’s engaging series has an equally long life.” —Booklist A Nero Award Finalist After twenty years in the LAPD, Mike Travis should be enjoying his retirement in Hawaii. Instead, he’s become a reluctant PI who can’t manage to stay out of trouble—much to the chagrin of his long-suffering girlfriend. This time, the problem is his brother, Valden, head of the family company of Van de Groot Capital. A mover and shaker, he’s in Los Angeles for a political fundraiser at the home of a powerful pharmaceutical titan. But first, he’s being blackmailed. Someone has a compromising video of him and a young woman who is definitely not his wife—and they want three million dollars for it. That’s when he calls Travis. With his longtime connections in Los Angeles—including his former partner on the force—Travis has everything under control, until he doesn’t. Now entangled in a web of murder, finance, and politics, only Travis can unravel a conspiracy international in scope—and unparalleled in evil . . . “Birtcher is a solid, fluent writer; the story unfolds with good-humored ease, and Travis is a personable narrator . . . All of the elements are in place for a tense thriller.” —Kirkus Reviews “Well-executed . . . Readers will hope they don’t have to wait another seven years for the world-weary Travis’s next adventure.” —Publishers Weekly “A thrilling page turner with a very complicated plot that all comes together in the end . . . Highly recommended.” —Detective Mystery Stories