Virgil Thomson: A Bio-Bibliography

(Hardback)

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Reviews

. . . This present volume organises and often annotates the immense amount of material by and about this distinguished and influential American. It is offered in the spirit of the late Irving Lowen's dictum that "bibliography is the backbone of history," and it should be useful ot studies of Thomson's compositions and writings, to performers seeking sources of material and reviews, and to scholars generally intersted in comparative studies of genres, style or aesthetics. The book has been divided into the following main sections: a brief biography; a complete list of works and performances; a discography; and an annotated bibliography.-The Book Journal
Compilations like this one, which both list compositions and summarize secondary literature, are much needed, since the volume of writings about composers have become so large it is difficult to keep pace with.... Meckna lists 288 citations alphabetically by author in one chapter, with one- or two-sentence annotations in most cases. Hundreds of other citations are found in the Works and Performances' chapter, clustered with the pieces they discuss. The list of compositions include instrumentation, duration, publication, and premiere information. Thomson's own writing, as a scholar and critic, is given a full bibliographic inventory. There is a discography of all commercial recordings, whether or not currently in print. Compositions are listed by date and by title, and there is a general index. A thorough and impressive study of a significant American artist, recommended for all academic libraries.-Choice
." . . This present volume organises and often annotates the immense amount of material by and about this distinguished and influential American. It is offered in the spirit of the late Irving Lowen's dictum that "bibliography is the backbone of history," and it should be useful ot studies of Thomson's compositions and writings, to performers seeking sources of material and reviews, and to scholars generally intersted in comparative studies of genres, style or aesthetics. The book has been divided into the following main sections: a brief biography; a complete list of works and performances; a discography; and an annotated bibliography."-The Book Journal
"Compilations like this one, which both list compositions and summarize secondary literature, are much needed, since the volume of writings about composers have become so large it is difficult to keep pace with.... Meckna lists 288 citations alphabetically by author in one chapter, with one- or two-sentence annotations in most cases. Hundreds of other citations are found in the Works and Performances' chapter, clustered with the pieces they discuss. The list of compositions include instrumentation, duration, publication, and premiere information. Thomson's own writing, as a scholar and critic, is given a full bibliographic inventory. There is a discography of all commercial recordings, whether or not currently in print. Compositions are listed by date and by title, and there is a general index. A thorough and impressive study of a significant American artist, recommended for all academic libraries."-Choice

Author Bio

MICHAEL MECKNA is Professor of Music History at Texas Christian University. He is the author of Twentieth-Century Brass Soloists (Greenwood, 1994) and Satchmo: The Louis Armstrong Encyclopedia (Greenwood, 2004).