No Beethoven

No Beethoven chronicles the life and times of drummer Peter Erskine, with the legendary band Weather Report being the nexus to this first-hand account. Erskine was in the midst of the modern American jazz music scene as it underwent its most dynamic change. Peter Erskine is a musician of his times with incredibly rich stories to tell in this autobiography. Including never-before published photographs. No Beethoven includes chapters dedicated to Weather Report and the musicians Joe Zawinul, Jaco Pastorius, and Wayne Shorter, plus the bands Steps Ahead, Steely Dan, and artists such as Elvin Jones, Joni Mitchell, Freddie Hubbard, Diana Krall, Steve Gadd, producer Manfred Eicher, composers John Williams, and Mark-Anthony Turnage, et al. The book provides a revealing look at the creative process involved in performing music on-stage and in the recording studio, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at how the musical instrument industry operates. This is a book for all musicians and fans of music. As famed drummer and Rush founder Neil Peart writes: No Beethoven is among the best musical autobiographies I have read. Peter's story is absorbing and compelling, full of well-drawn characters and incidents both humorous and serious. It flows with the same ease and naturalness as his drumming, and under that good-humored gloss, it conveys the same profundity of experience and ideas. This book should be read not only by every drummer, but by every musician. Even amateurs of music performance will find it entertaining and worthwhile.

THE BEETHOVEN DUETS By Joe Procopio The Beethoven Duets by Joe Procopio is a collection of duets that artist -composer Joe Procopio has adapted and arranged from the 9 Scherzi found in Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9 Symphonies. These duets are the first of their kind in history making them noteworthy, unique and valuable. Each Scherzo is published not only for Saxophone but also for many other orchestral instruments. They are published individually for each instrument; in a Three Volume Collection with 3 Scherzi in each volume; and in a Complete Collection containing all three volumes. They are also available as a CD. Volume One has Scherzo No.1, Scherzo No. 2 and Scherzo No.3. Volume Two has Scherzo No.4, Scherzo No 5 and Scherzo No.6. Volume Three has Scherzo No.7, Scherzo No.8 and Scherzo No.9. The Complete Collection has all 3 Volumes for each instrument with all 9 Scherzi. What’s more they will soon be published in the Procopio PlayAlong Music Program. This is an exclusive MP3 music audio program personally designed and developed in which Player 1 plays along with a music audio track for Player 2. “To be sure, The Beethoven Scherzi Duets for Saxophone are a marvel of Beethoven’s skill with sections reaching the sublime. It is my deep felt personal belief that these Scherzi will bring you great pleasure and long lasting satisfaction.” Joe Procopio AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BEETHOVEN DUETS By Joe Procopio Because of the complexities, range and sonorities inherent in all of the Beethoven Symphonies, it may seem impossible to transcribe any one movement as a duet that is true to the composer. Nevertheless, I believe these duets contain the heart, soul and essence of Beethoven’s melodies, rhythms and expressions; even though these works are tiny when they are compared to the Master’s great musical creations which have no equal. In fact, there is no comparison. However, my sincere hope is that since I have rendered some of Beethoven’s music as duets, his music is now more readily available to all permitting a greater number of musicians and all the people who hear their performances to come to know and love a bit of the world’s most valuable, breathtaking and beautiful music. In truth, Beethoven’s music has stood the test of time. He astonished people in his day whenever he performed his music or had his music played. He still does today. To be sure, his music has enhanced and enriched the lives of many of us for over 200 years. In performing and listening to these Scherzi you will find the whole of each work a marvel of Beethoven’s skill with sections reaching the sublime. Few composers have been able to write down on paper music of such incredible beauty that it reflects the awesome splendor of God’s creation. What comes to mind immediately is Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony No. 6. It has been said, that much of his music mirrors not only the magnificence of God’s creation but also the radiance of God the Creator himself. In any event, this music is simply amazing and awe-inspiring. A joy to listen to and to play. I know and can safely say without any hesitation or reservations that this collection will bring you much enjoyment.

Nicholas Cook's guide charts the dramatic transformation in the reception of Symphony No. 9.

A fascinating and in-depth exploration of how the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and Napoleon shaped Beethoven’s political ideals and inspired his groundbreaking compositions. Beethoven imbibed Enlightenment and revolutionary ideas in his hometown of Bonn, where they were fervently discussed in cafés and at the university. Moving to Vienna at the age of twenty-one to study with Haydn, he gained renown as a brilliant pianist and innovative composer. In that conservative city, capital of the Hapsburg empire, authorities were ever watchful to curtail and punish overt displays of radical political views. Nevertheless, Beethoven avidly followed the meteoric rise of Napoleon. As Napoleon had made strides to liberate Europe from aristocratic oppression, so Beethoven desired to liberate humankind through music. He went beyond the musical forms of Haydn and Mozart, notably in the Eroica Symphony and his opera Fidelio, both inspired by the French Revolution and Napoleon. John Clubbe illuminates Beethoven as a lifelong revolutionary through his compositions, portraits, and writings, and by setting him alongside major cultural figures of the time—among them Schiller, Goethe, Byron, Chateaubriand, and Goya.

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote numerous piano pieces to teach to his pupils. Still, today, his works are an integral part of piano lessons. My first Beethoven is perfect for pianists of every age to become acquainted with these works. This volume contains Beethoven's most popular and easiest piano pieces – from the frequently played Sonatinas in G and F major to Für Eliseand the famous Moonlight Sonata. Ideal for music lessons and music-making at home! Great works for little masters!

"This new biography of Ludwig van Beethoven offers connoisseurs and newcomers alike an unparalleled story of the composer's life and works, written by a renowned conductor and scholar of Beethoven's music. With unprecedented access to the archives at the Beethoven House in Bonn, Jan Caeyers expertly weaves together a deeply human and complex picture of Beethoven-his troubled youth, his unpredictable mood swings, his desires, relationships, and conflicts with family and friends, the mysteries surrounding his affair with the 'immortal beloved, ' and the dramatic tale of his deafness. Caeyers also offers new insights into Beethoven's music, showing how it transformed from the work of a skilled craftsman to that of a consummate artist. Demonstrating an impressive command of the vast scholarship on this iconic composer, Caeyers brings Beethoven's world alive with elegant prose, memorable musical descriptions, and a vivid depiction of Bonn and Vienna, where Beethoven produced and performed his works. Caeyers explores how Beethoven's career was impacted by the historical and philosophical shifts taking place in the music world and how, in turn, his trajectory changed the music industry. Equal parts an absorbing cultural history and a lively biography, Beethoven, A Life reveals a complex portrait of the musical genius that defined a style of music and went on to become one of the great pillars of Western art music"--

How did Ludwig van Beethoven help overthrow a tsarist regime? With the establishment of the Russian Musical Society and its affiliated branches throughout the empire, Beethoven's music reached substantially larger audiences at a time of increasing political instability. In addition, leading music critics of the regime began hearing Beethoven's dramatic works as nothing less than a call to revolution. Beethoven in Russia deftly explores the interface between music and politics in Russia by examining the reception of Beethoven's works from the late 18th century to the present. In part 1, Frederick W. Skinner's clear and sweeping review examines the role of Beethoven's more dramatic works in the revolutionary struggle that culminated in the Revolution of 1917. In part 2, Skinner reveals how this same power was again harnessed to promote Stalin's campaign of rapid industrialization. The appropriation of Beethoven and his music to serve the interests of the state remained the hallmark of Soviet Beethoven reception until the end of communist rule. With interdisciplinary appeal in the areas of history, music, literature, and political thought, Beethoven in Russia shows how Beethoven's music served as a call to action for citizens and weaponized state propaganda in the great political struggles that shaped modern Russian history.