Book Description

Customer Reviews (41)

If you like Dickens, Hardy, Waugh and Snow ...
"A Dance to the Music of Time" is to Modern British Literature what Ben & Jerry's is to ice cream -- fabulous fare to be savored, appreciated and remembered. If you enjoy Charles Dickens (especially "David Copperfield" and "Great Expectations"), Thomas Hardy ("Return of the Native," "Tess of the D'Urbervilles"), Evelyn Waugh ("Decline and Fall," "A Handful of Dust"),and C.P. Snow ("The Light and The Dark", "The Masters"), you will love Powell's amazing tour de force. And if you enjoy Powell, you will probably also enjoy the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian! Great writing, memorable characters, convoluted plots -- what more can a reader ask?

If You Always Wanted to Climb into a Debutante Dance
"A Dance to the Music of Time," an engrossing, highly-literate, highly comic 12-book series by British author Anthony Powell, had to have been one of the highlights of latter 20th century writing to those who appreciate a good, funny book.And it had to have been of riveting interest to some, those who can never get enough of Public Broadcasting Systems' "Masterpiece Theatre/Upstairs Downstairs" entertainments.In fact, it was of riveting interest to me: I remember, in real time, eagerly awaiting the appearance of each next book.I felt more or less like those 19th Century Dickens fans, so eager to learn what had become of Little Nell that they climbed the cliffs of Montauk, New York, to be the first to shout their inquiries to incoming British sailors.So, now that the series is complete, it has been collected into four movements, each including three of the original novels.The first starts with "A Question of Upbringing," "A Buyer's Market," and "The Acceptance World."

If you are reading this review, "A Question of Upbringing" may be as close as you'll ever get to Eton, the legendary English public school - for which, to us, read private school - experience.It is set shortly after World War I.We meet our narrator, Nick Jenkins, and his two closest friends. Peter Templer, already a ladies' man, whose unfortunate incident will hint at much to come.Charles Stringham, already rich and reckless.Then there is the headmaster, LeBas, a great comic creation.Also Kenneth Widmerpool, an even greater, more resonant comic creation, known at school for the wrong sort of overcoat, and his overwhelming desire to succeed.We will continue to meet him in future. We meet Templer's famously rich and beautiful mother, Mrs. Foxe, her latest husband, Buster, a navy man, and see Jenkins' first crush on Jean, Peter's sister.Then we go briefly to France, where Widmerpool pops up again, and onto Oxford and the great world of London.

At Oxford we meet another great comic creation, one of the dons, Sillery, known as Sillers, who's busy giving Sunday afternoon teas, enabling him to keep a finger in every possible pie.We also meet Mark Members and J.G.Quiggin; who, according to Sillers, live quite near each other at home, and are possibly related, and who, like Jenkins our narrator, have literary ambitions.

"A Buyer's Market" takes our characters to London, where those wishing to begin to establish literary careers.We see quite a lot of Deacon, an elderly, homosexual, not so talented artist, and of his tenant, Barnby, a more talented, third generation artist, with an eye for the ladies. And we meet quite a few ladies, several of them beautiful: Gypsy Jones, Baby Wentworth, Bijou Ardglass.Widmerpool pops up again.And, we see more of those famous debutante dances, and the dinners thrown before them, than you're likely to find anywhere else.Finally, we are introduced to one of the abiding passions of the thirties: Communism, in its Stalinist and Trotskyite embodiments.

"The Acceptance World," set as the world approaches the Great Depression, gives us an even larger gallery of entertaining, larger than life characters.Templer and Stringham have married, unsuccessfully, as has Jean Templer: Jenkins will find himself falling in love with her again, as a grown-up this time.We meet Dicky Umfraville, an older man who will take away Stringham's former sister-in-law, Ann Stepney, from Barnby, and marry her himself. Further, Peter Templer's wife Mona, whom we initially met as an artist's model, will suddenly find the literary/political worlds more interesting than that of the just plain rich.

Mind you, Powell is no mere stenographer; he creates the rhythmic beat of "A Dance to the Music of Time," with thought, care, philosophy, perception, irony and wit.If you always wished you could climb into "Masterpiece Theatre" and live there, this series is for you.

Great start
I usually dislike coming-of-age novels, but based on other reviews I decided to try this. It is not your normal angst ridden type of such. This is humorous. That raises it several notches in my estimation.

If you appreciate British society, you will like this. If not, you probably won't. This isn't an everyman that could be set elsewhere (USA for instance).The very Britishness is what makes it work.

Amazon's description is sufficient to explain where Powell is going with this series. I am looking forward to reading the 2nd Movement.

Quiet Forms of Life
First off the mark, this is a review only of the "First Movement", the first three novels, the title of this volume (q.v. the top of the page).I don't know why reviewers who have read the entire opus have decided to post their reviews here when there is a complete set available on Amazon under which they can post such reviews.It rather spoils it for the rest of us who have only read this volume.In any event, this is my review of that volume; you can find my reviews of the other three volumes under their respective titles after I read them. ----Do I sound a bit too Widmerpool here?

The comparisons with Proust:Proust is much better, more poetic and profound, than Powell.The narrator, Marcel, pulls you in to an almost solipsistic universe in which he, while outwardly passive, remains the main character throughout in his work, exposing the readers to the deep vicissitudes in his intense inner life.Our narrator here, Nick Jenkins, seems an almost completely empty vessel save for his detached reflections.That's how it seems to me....so far.

It also seems to me that to really catch the wry humour here you have to have lived in England or among English people for a considerable amount of time.If one reads the exchanges herein in American accent, the delicious nuances fall flat.Such as in an exchange as this one where Eleanor and Sir Gavin are debating whether to attend the luncheon at the Donners castle:

"I don't know what you call neighbours," said Eleanor. "Stourwater is twenty-five miles at least."

"Nonsense," said Sir Gavin. "I doubt if it is twenty-three."

That cadence that leads up to the stress on the final syllable, "three", is what makes the exchange so gorgeously droll.Yes, it is still somewhat funny in American English.But, well, you see what I mean.

Despite these reservations, I find myself in profound disagreement with the reviewer who says that this volume is "literally about nothing."The judgmentholds water only if you believe that life is about nothing.As Nick reflects at one point, "Even in the quietest forms of life the untoward is rarely far from the surface."

And how this volume bears this out!

Slow waltz
Just as the taste of some "petites madeleines" with tea was the impetus that started Proust on his seven volumed A la Recherche du Temps Perdu, the sight of workmen gathered around a coke fire, served as a similar spark for Anthony Powell's own epic literay effort.Although the two works differ in the language used to write them and deal with different stratum of society, the similarities are obvious to anyone who has read the two works.Both are fairly obsessed with the concept of time and how it influences memory and imagination; both authors create elaborate universes, peopled with hundreds of characters and places, which are then minutely examined and described from a vantage point somewhere in the future (the examination and description themselves affected by the passing of time); both dealt obliquely with the idea of war and how it impacts the accepted social milieu, and both works are quintessentially passive in style.

The "First Movment" of the Dance comprises the first three novels of the series and centers on the years immediately following Worl War I through the first part of the 1930s.Although these years would prove to be momentous in the history of Britain and, indeed, the rest of the world, Powell is less interested in history (compare this to Proust's detailed account of the Dreyfus case) than he is in the human condition.The four main characters of these three novels - Jenkins, the narrator; Templer and Stringham, school friends who find the adjustment to adulthood difficult; and Widmerpool, the ambitious outsider - seem to exist in a world of social functions and very rarely comment on the historical realities of their time such as the Germany's slide toward fascism or the depression affecting the economic foundation of Britain's world position.To Powell, the passage of time has more to do with the interaction between people than it does with political and economic machinations.

Indeed, it is Powell's elaborate creation of believable characters that makes the work succeed as it does.The main characters become so well known to the reader that their actions are almost anticipated in advance, and the cast of supporting actors is brilliantly crafted - Jenkins' iconoclastic relative, Uncle Giles; the inimical literati, Members and Quiqqin; the womanizing artist, Barby; and the pathetic Mr. Deacon.However, Powell's women characters are not as impressive and, with the exception of Gypsy Jones, seem to be more mannequins (indeed a couple of the women characters are former models) than living, breathing humans.Predictably, the interrelations between the male characters have more life than those between the sexes.The sexual dynamics, such as exist, are as passive as the other action of the novel and described in such a way that would not cause even Jerry Falwell to blush.

Powell's style takes a while to get use to, but soon the diligent reader becomes immersed in its languidnesss and, because of the sheer length of the work, begins to feel the various rhythms of one's own music of time. ... Read more

Book Description
Whatever your level of experience, The Dance Music Manual is packed with sound advice, techniques and practical examples to help you achieve professional results. Written by a professional producer and remixer, the book is organised into three accessible sections:

Technology and theory
If youre relatively new to the technology and theory behind todays dance music, Rick Snoman discusses the basics of MIDI, synthesis and sampling, as well as music theory, effects, compression, microphone techniques and sound design.
Dance genres
This section covers techniques for producing different musical styles, including Trance, Trip Hop, Rap and House. Snoman takes a close look at the general programming principles behind drum loops, basses and leads for each genre, in addition to the programming and effects used to create the sounds.
Mixing and promotion
Snoman guides you through the art of mixing, mastering, remixing, pressing and publishing your latest masterpiece. This includes a look at how record companies operate, copyrighting your material, pressing your own records and the costs involved. Finally, guest contributors offer essential advice on DJing and how to create your own website to promote your music.

The CD provides demo tracks showing what can be achieved when applying the advice contained in the book, including examples of the quality difference before and after mixing and mastering. The CD also contains free software demos for you to download.

For even more advice and resources, check out the books official website www.dancemusicproduction.com

* Learn the art of creating original dance tracks and remixes using any music software
* Packed with examples and tips for achieving professional results and getting your music heard
* Includes a free CD-Rom with MIDI files, samples and example tracks ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

The best for any level of electronic musicians!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book has been more help than any other book that I have read on making electronic music!!!!! I recommend this as a must have for anyone starting out to seasoned vets of electronic music!!!!!!!

The thing i have been looking for all these years.
This book is really quite a treasure. I highly recommend everyone interested in dance music production, or really electronic music in general get this book. For me, it seems like the thing i have been looking for on the internet for all this time. This book quickly jump starts you through the most basic knowledge if you happen to be a beginner, then it just blasts off into a comprehensive coverage of just about everything you might ever want to know. It tells you in depth about every effect, and guides you step by step on how to produce several variety's of the most popular dance sounds. One of the most impressive parts is that it contains about 100 pages about how to make the most prominent dance genres.

Overall the book is very comprehensive and written at the level of a college textbook. The theme of the book is generally, music theory and music production all in the light of dance music. Every other theory/songwriting book doesn't help you too much when you're trying to create dance music, and thats about all there is. this book is the only one ive covered which covers the electronica side of things. Amazing book.

all producer and djs of electronic music.
im dj since 1990 and never see one book complete with this!!!!


best seller!!!

tks (sorry for me english)

Great Book!
I am a beginner at making music and this book has been extremely helpful. Detailed and clear instructions show the experience of the writer. Can be quite technical at times but better more than less information. Well worth the money!

Comprehensive Manual to Dance Oriented Music - The only One You Will Ever Need.
I received my copy of this book from amazon.com today - probably the best book purchase (in terms of how to & reference) that I have ever came across. The book not only goes into depth about the various dance music styles, but also theory, MIDI, sampling & synthesis, processing, recording, mixing, promnotion and tools (to make the music).Keep in mind that this book is over 500 pages, so it has a tremendous amount of information; unlike the 150 to 200 page books of this ilk.



I amvery impressed in how the terms while technical (if you are not well versed in it) are easy to follow and absorb. Even though I have a lot of the detail down to memory, I was more than happy to read what was there as a refresher.



There aren't many pictures in this book, which may or may not be of use to others, but they aren't really necessary in my opinion. Ido think that Chapter 20 - websites is too long and detailed since it is not the main focus of this book (consider it a bonus if you need the info).



All said, I five this book a 5 for content, breadth of topics covered, and ease of use. Essentially anyone from a beginner to a pro can find things in this title to be useful. This book and possibly a book on in depth recording (audio engineer's handbook) would be all you ever need in your music production library. You could also add a book on artists (in genere of your choice) for a complete set. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (8)

War and Loss
One feels somehow quite melancholy in turning the last page to Powell's Third Movement.There are several reasons for this emotion, not the least of which is the gradual manifestation of a reflection Nick makes about halfway through The Soldier's Art, the second book in the movement:

"That is one of the conceptions most difficult for stupid people to grasp.They always suppose some ponderable alteration will make the human condition more bearable.The only hope of survival is the realisation that no such thing could possibly happen."

Then, too, there is Stringham's demise: From the first of these movements my favourite character, his witty, dashing, insightful bravura, even when reduced to the lowliest of ranks, always added poetic sparkle to the pages.When last seen taking his leave of Nick with a book of Browning's poems in his hand, I felt this tremendous deflation in that I'd seen the last of the most prodigally heroic of Powell's characters (a suspicion borne out later in the text, unless reports of his death turn out to be greatly exaggerated in the fourth movement.).Perhaps his niece, introduced in these pages, will turn out to be his avenging, well, not angel, but more than capable of doing damage to the loathsome Widmerpool all the same.

If there were any doubters of Proust's influence on Powell, the third book here, The Military Philosophers, should put their doubts to rest.Proust is quoted at length, reflected upon, and, in his capacity as foreign Attaché, Nick manages to convince a high-ranking official that he should be included in the French curriculum.

This is turning out to be a lovely work of literature indeed, though I find myself in sad agreement with another reviewer here that it's probably, like Proust, "not everyone's cup of tea."As Nick reflects in The Valley of Bones, the first book herein:

"I was impressed for the ten thousandth time by the fact that literature illuminates life only for those to whom books are a necessity.Books are inconvertible assets, to be passed on only to those who possess them already."----Powell's opus is that sort of book.

A curious Widmerpoolian point: What Jenkins calls General Liddament's whimsical recourse to "Old English" at times, such as in his dispatch to Widmerpool, "The General bade me discourse fair words to you, sir, anent traffic circles." is not Old English at all.It's Elizabethan or Shakespearean English.Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, is the language Beowulf was written in.It's so completely different from anything approaching modern English that it has to be translated by specialists to make any sense at all to the modern reader.It would have been just as alien to the Elizabethan ear, come to that. ----This sort of slip just won't do when there's a war on. ---I wonder Widmerpool didn't catch him out on it.

DON'T STOP AT VOLUME 9
This summer I started reading Powell's series in consecutive volumes --just finished "Books Do Furnish A room" which follows "The Military Philosphers" --It's fine, completely up to the quality of the preceding volumes but now treating the post-WW II period, our characters and some new ones, in a more hum-drum time. I don't know about the quality of the followng books but so far Powell is not in his dotage by any means .

By the way, I took each individual book out of the library-- didn't use any of the compound or collected books.
easier to handle, and on the eyes ---

Powell's Most Intriguing Volume
I chose to read the Dance series for a graduate school course over the summer of 2003.This third volume is delicious.It logically ends the most important story lines.The volume also contains perhaps the two best loved books in the series, "The Valley of Bones" and "The Military Philospohers".I have studied military history for over the past 25 years.In my opinion these three volumes provide one of the best insights to the bureaucratic dimension of war.They are an opposite yet complementary view of World War II as compared with a more corporeal work such as Mailer's "The Naked and the Dead".Powell the penultimate characterist becomes an expert narrator in this volume.As usual he continues to dazzle thorugh his use of the English language.Practical yet esoteric words that I added to my vocabulary from this volume include "palimpsest", "aperient" and "anent".Beware, exemplary writing ends with book nine.Volume IV, written in the novelist's dotage, is perhaps the very reason many view this series as dull and plodding.END YOUR PLEASURABLE EXPERIENCE of this series WITH VOLUME III.

Literary gossip-mongering that you can't put down
The third season into Powell's "A Dance to the Music of Time" series, and I finally feel that I'm understanding what's going on. Powell's series is very British, and early on I missed a lot of action because it was hidden amongst the understatements and other polite forms of communication. I read this group of three much more closely, and I feel that I got much more out of it. "Autumn" (as my three in one volume calls this group of three) is the World War II years for Jenkins and his life comrades, although in the first volume, The Valley of Bones, we don't get to see too many of his schoolmates until the very end. Jenkins, who waited too long to join the British army and slightly too old for the rank and file, is assigned to a Welsh regiment made up mostly of the men of one small town. The lieutenant is an ex-bank clerk with delusions of grandeur, who is frustrated by the abilities of the men assigned to him as well as his own ambition. In some ways, this lieutenant resembles Widmerpool; both men are driven by their desire for acceptance by society. Jenkins, the bobbing buoy in the storm of all this ambition, seems almost goal-less. Even his previous occupation as a writer seems worthless in the light of war, and he flounders, searching for a place to fit in and make something of himself. The Welsh regiment is not it, and at the end of The Valley of Bones, Jenkins finds himself becoming an aide de camp of Widmerpool, who has become the Q&A (roughly, the military police) of a division. At the end of the book, this prospect seems quite despairing to Jenkins, although he is resigned to his fate, which could be worse, he surmises, but not much.

We learn much more about Widmerpool and his ambition in The Soldier's Art. Jenkins, acting as his lackey, gets first hand knowledge of both Widmerpool's strengths (hard-working, detailed, thorough) as well as his weaknesses (vain, petty, unscrupulous). One of the strongest scenes yet in the series is a segment herein where Jenkins attempts to help Stringham, who has recovered from his alcoholism, but only managed to achieve a position as a waiter in the Army. Jenkins wants Widmerpool to find Stringham a better position, but Widmerpool at first will have none of it. Widmerpool feels that a man must achieve his own positions, without any string-pulling from his friends. Of course, this is totally hypocritical--he is quite willing to let people pull strings to help his fortunes, and is willing to manipulate the course of actions if they are beneficial to himself (such as having Jenkins assigned to him). Jenkins goes on R&R, and when he returns, he finds that Stringham's been reassigned to the laundry on Widmerpool's suggestion. Thinking Widmerpool has turned a new leaf, he thanks him, then learns that the laundry is due to be shipped out to a nasty portion of the war. The strength of this series by Powell is that all the action above takes place in amongst three of four other developing storylines, including a rivalry between Widmerpool and a office at the same rank, a chance for Jenkins to get out from under Widmerpool's office, and the ongoing blitz of London. Keeping it all straight is difficult at times. Of the books in the series, this is probably my favorite or next favorite so far.

The "Autumn" trilogy ends with The Military Philosophers. Jenkins and Widmerpool separate, each into different parts of the military governance--Widmerpool into intelligence, Jenkins into foreign liaisons. Now that he's back in the city, Jenkins is reunited with his wife and many of the parts of society that being assigned to a country regiment had denied him. Even though the war goes on, and some of Jenkins' in-laws are killed by German bombing raids, the book is concerned as much with the love affairs of the characters as the affairs of the war. Most prominently, Templar's sister, Pamela Flitton, is introduced herein, and the information regarding her dealings with characters that we have met in the preceding eight volumes provides much of the plot. In fact, at one point, where Jenkins is grilling another character regarding Pamela, the character says, "Why do I need to tell you this? Are you from MI5?" because Jenkins, and the reader, has already tied much of what has happened together through the grapevine of other friends and relatives.

I don't think of "The Dance" as a gossip novel, but in many ways, that is how it seems. Action often takes a back seat to the machinations of talk, and the most interesting bits are the surprises that spring from how characters do not relate to one another as seen through Jenkins' eyes. Things do happen--bombs burst, sugar gets poured over heads, intercourse happens--but they become stronger by how they are perceived by the characters than their actual effect. I'm looking forward to the next few books, anticipating Widmerpool's fall from grace and some truth and reconciliation that ties up a lot of what has gone before.

Characterful
Powell's prose is elegantly uncorroded by the modern fast paced advertising style, as suggested by his fondness for commas and involved yet utterly precise sentences. He obliquely approaches a bleak war as it was experienced on the home front, and in the rear areas frequented by his narrator, Nick Jenkins, a remarkably incisive yet detached and circumspect character of whom we learn very little of the quotidian despite his ever presence. Powell is a master of underplayed scenes. WW II takes some familiar characters in casually shocking ways, invariably reported second-hand. It may be offputting that locations and outside events are frequently allusive, depending as they do on the state of the reader's prior knowledge for their significance, dating, and rationale. (This technique is not specifically intended to reproduce "the fog of war"-which it quite effectively does-but is generic to Powell's style.) Then again, this chronicle of the decline of a group of classmates, girlfriends, and relatives from rather upper-class Britain is not intended for Americans. It is an intensely observed and analysed view of people doing their none too good best at trivial jobs. The second novel here (each about 250 pages long and separately paginated), The Soldier's Art, features Widmerpool especially, one of the most socially awkward self-important incompetents ever to blunder through fine literature yet inexorably advancing, earlier in trade and now into ministerial levels. By this the third book in the handsome Chicago edition, I am beginning to appreciate the low-key but thorough humour of this masterpiece, although French is needed for several outright jokes here. The individual novels progress from one set of character studies to another, set pieces in social situations (often society parties, especially in the earlier novels), with three to five of these revealing episodes per novel. In sum, splendid writing, but not everyone's cup of tea. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Enter The Furies
I shall begin this review with employing the caveat with which I embarked upon my review of the First Movement: This is only a review of this movement, not the entire opus.That's the way they were printed, and that's the way I shall review it.....Amen....Ahem, more to the point, I haven't read the other two yet.

Thank whatever powers that be for the third book in this movement, The Kindly Ones---a translation of the Greek Eumenides, a euphemism, as related to us by Nicholas Jenkins in his recollections of Stonehurst, the home where he lived as a boy until the advent of WWI, used by the Greeks for The Furies, so terrified were they of naming them properly aloud.The significance of this particular book is not, to my mind, that the outer world starts to obtrude into the "hermetically sealed" life of the characters, as one reviewer has put it. It's rather that Nicholas Jenkins, our narrator, finally starts to display feelings of his own.He is no longer the detached cypher of the first movement.

In retrospect, one can see that this "coming out" as it were of Jenkins has been slowly developing through all three books of this movement.But it is only in The Kindly Ones that he emerges from his chrysalis.

Deeper themes abound, of course. Upon taking leave of General Conyers during a private tête-à-tête in which the General provides a quite rum venture into the psychoanalysis of Widmerpool, Jenkins describes it thus:

"The change in his voice announced that our fantasy life together was over.We had returned to the world of everyday things.Perhaps it would be truer to say that our real life together was over, and we returned to the world of fantasy.Who can say?"

Who indeed?

I shall ponder such things as I begin to turn the pages of the third movement and The Furies descend across Europe.

Reserve-the Pole Position
Quite a nice series. If one desires to understand the English qualities of reserve, humor, and understatement this the book to read. They are embedded in the story and most importantly in the author's approach.

It would be a bit Widmerpool of me to say much more. Please give it a try.

Hazardous reading
There are two hazards in reading Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time (12 books in 4 volumes or "Movements). First, you may be too bored to continue (so buy only the first volume to start). "Nothing" happens in the first two volumes I've read. Fans of action, suspense, romance, light, or even historical novels may be most unhappy with this series. For the many characters living through the 1920's and '30's described in the first two movements, life is an endless round of parties and conversations over food, through which the characters, in ever mutating combinations, driftwhile insightfully discussing each other. In a sense this is high-brow and high-toned soap opera. Only in Book 6, as World War II impinges on the characters, does an outside structure of events impose itself on the actions and reactions of the characters. Previously they have seemed largely to float in an hermetically sealed world of university-educated gentlemen and their women (mothers, wives, and ex-wives). In this upper class void no chronological dates are supplied, although if you are an octogenerian the names dropped may supply a framework to the intricate sets of flashbacks and occasional anticipations Powell employs. We learn much about the main characters, but rarely see them at work or play, and never domestically or with children.

The second hazard is that you may be forever spoiled for reading anything less well crafted. The next author you read after Powell may seem shallow, simplistic, juvenile, obvious, crude, banal, overheated, or even vulgar. Powell's writing is objective, distanced, understated, intricate, subtle, acute, and highly precise; the apotheosis of ordinary detail. Powell's strength lies in closely observed and particularized character development, our understanding of each person altering slightly from one vignette, glimpse, or reference to the next. Allegedly a masterpiece of comedic writing, "Dance" is not, however, funny, farcical, or obviously, satirical. I really think it takes an English person to see and enjoy fully the comedy of manners I sense behind the prose. I felt I was always on the outside, vaguely aware that people might be not quite right, or "dotty," except for one passage in Book 5 where I laughed out loud. I probably need an "Annotated Powell."

You can see I'm deeply conflicted about this series: it is marvelously well-written yet I am not well entertained. An honest reviewer admitted that Powell "evokes a wry poetry from drabness and boredom." It took me 5 years to finish the first Movement, and dogged determination to read the next, and still I want to read one more! Just not immediately.

More of the greatest 20th Century English novel
_A Dance to the Music of Time_ is an extremely absorbing and well-crafted novel (composed of 12 smaller novels).Its subject is the decline of the English upper classes from the First World War to about 1970, a declineseen is inevitable and probably necessary, but somehow alsoregrettable.

Such a description might make the novel seem stuffy, but itis not._A Dance to the Music of Time_ is at times very funny indeed, andalways interesting. always involving.It features an enormous cast ofcharacters, and Powell has the remarkable ability to make his charactersmemorable with the briefest of descriptions.In addition, Powell's proseis addictive: very characteristic, idiosyncratic, and elegant.

The longnovel follows the life of the narrator, Nicholas Jenkins, from his time atEton just after World War I to retirement in the English countryside in thelate '60s.But Jenkins, though the narrator, is in many ways not the mostimportant character.The comic villain Widmerpool, a creature of purewill, and awkward malevolence, is the other fulcrum around which the novelpivots.

This second volume of the University of Chicago's beautiful tradepaperback editions features books 4, 5 and 6 of the novel series._At LadyMolly's_ is centered around the eccentric title character and her parties,as well as such other characters as her eccentric husband, Ted Jeavons, andeven Nick Jenkins' wife-to-be, Isobel._Casanova's Chinese Restaurant_opens with a bravura prose set-piece of flashback within flashback, anddeals with Jenkins' great friend the composer Hugh Moreland, and with thetragically unhappily married critic Maclintick.The subject of the novelis marriage.The last novel in this book is _The Kindly Ones_, which dealswith the coming of World War II.It begins with a flashback to 1914, asthe First World War breaks out and impinges on Jenkins' childhood, thencontinues in the late '30s as Europe heads again into war.

One of the best novels written in English
This volume contains the second three novels of Anthony Powell'smasterpiece, A Dance to the Music of Time. Readers coming to this seriesfor the first time should start with the first volume. Powell's work issocial comedy in the tradition of Jane Austen and George Meredith.Contemporary writers with whom he is often compared include Marcel Proustand Evelyn Waugh. The 12 short novels of A Dance to the Music of Time givea panoramic picture of English upper-class social life from 1921 to 1971that is both intensely realistic and amazingly funny. Readers eitherlove Powell's work or can't understand what others see in it. My ownopinion is that Dance is the best novel written in the twentieth century.Others share this view: A Dance to the Music of Time is #43 on the recentlyconstructed Random House/Modern Library 100 Best Poll (of twentieth centuryfiction) and was made into a 4-part miniseries on British television justabout a year ago. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Annabel Lee - Redux
About this fourth movement, two salient features strike me: 1) If you are not deeply steeped in literature or, perhaps, to put a finer point on it, the history of literature, if you don't understand this remark, made by Nick in The Temporary Kings, the second of these three final efforts, that, "It is often pointed out that one form of Romanticism is to be self-consciously Classical.", you are going to miss out on much of the work's depth.Indeed, if you have not read one particular book, Burton's delightful, age-old, rambling The Anatomy of Melancholy, you will miss out on much.So much is seen through a literary lens. 2.) This movement is indeed a departure from the other three, in that, were I asked to sum up its theme in one word, that word would be: Necrophilia

I'm not going to delve into the psychology of Pamela Widmerpool nee Flitton or into that of Russell Gwinnett here.But let's just say that, primarily through these two characters, this movement plumbs the depths of sadism and masochism (particularly the latter) so subtly and deftly, and yet so uncompromisingly that it makes just about anything else written on these themes seem exhibitionist and superficial by comparison.

Also, a word on the opus as a whole, now that I've read all four movements:It does not measure up to the standard of Proust, as is often claimed.Really, it's an entirely different sort of work than Proust's.Proust is solipsistic (in a profound sense) and poetic.Powell is gregarious and deeply prosaic.His style of writing reminds me of the Latin I had to construe as a youth.

Near the end of the third movement, our narrator Jenkins confesses to a weakness for Poe.Here, that "weakness" blossoms improbably like a rose in a charnel house.After completing this fourth movement and meditating on the entire "Dance" for some time, I discovered that the overall affect on me was that it was extremely weird, weird in a way that I find impossible to put into exact wording, weird, no doubt, in the way that critic Harold Bloom uses the word when he avers that all great literature strikes the reader in this way, as weird.

As odd as this recommendation may sound, one could do worse, far worse, than to return to Poe's poem Annabel Lee after completing this massive opus in order to gain a sort of perspective, whether one likes the poem or not, perhaps particularly if one does not.

The greatest novel in 20th century English litterature
Anthony Powell has been dubbed "the English Proust". Having read both Proust and Powell, I think it would be more accurate to say that Proust is the French Anthony Powell, A.P. being, in my opinion, by far the more accomplished writer. I remember reading a caption to the effect that after reading Powell's works, returning to other writers's required an effort of the will. This is exactly how I felt after enjoying Dance. The manyfold characters of Dance have now become more real to me than most people I've know in my life and it is fair to say that A.P. belongs to that category of rare writers who can change your outlook on life. An abridged audio version of Dance is available (read by Simon Callow) but it is on audiocassette and out of stock. I hope this or another audio version will be made available in more modern form (CD etc.) for those who like the spoken word too. I can't get enough of Dance, whether it be text, sound or TV series.

I agree with a previous reviewer that the later volumes of Dance are weaker than the earlier, and I wish Powell had chosen something more mainstream than necrophilia to pepper his tale of the fifties. But as A.P. himself wrote in his memoirs: with every writer there's something to put up with. "Dance" is too good to deserve less than five stars on account of a somewhat bizarre last part.

A BAD END to a DELIGHTFUL SERIES
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Dance series for a graduate level course over the summer of 2003....until I got to the last volume.In my opinion the books peaked with the sixth, "The Kindly Ones" and finshed delightfully at book nine "The Military Philosophers".Most major character lines were completed and the story had reached a logical and chronological end.For this reason Volume Four reads like a long and arduous addendum.The new characters are unappealing and the loss of the most interesting personalities from the prior three volumes is immense.Further, a personal irritation of mine is the continued use of archaic verse lifted from often bad and lugubrious poetry.Powell is indiscrimant in adding pages from irrelevant works while not advancing the story line. Did he write these last three novels to augment his income as he approached his later years? Regardless they alloy this otherwise delightful series.DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, END AT BOOK 9, DON'T BOTHER WITH THIS VOLUME.

culmination of one the novels of the century
While I would recommend starting at an earlier stage of Powell's intimate epic (a contradiction in terms? maybe not), this is essential reading.

Last segments of the finest English novel of the 20th C.
_A Dance to the Music of Time_ is an extremely absorbing and well-crafted novel (composed of 12 smaller novels).Its subject is the decline of the English upper classes from the First World War to about 1970, a declineseen is inevitable and probably necessary, but somehow alsoregrettable.

Such a description might make the novel seem stuffy, but itis not._A Dance to the Music of Time_ is at times very funny indeed, andalways interesting. always involving.It features an enormous cast ofcharacters, and Powell has the remarkable ability to make his charactersmemorable with the briefest of descriptions.In addition, Powell's proseis addictive: very characteristic, idiosyncratic, and elegant.

The longnovel follows the life of the narrator, Nicholas Jenkins, from his time atEton just after World War I to retirement in the English countryside in thelate '60s.But Jenkins, though the narrator, is in many ways not the mostimportant character.The comic villain Widmerpool, a creature of purewill, and awkward malevolence, is the other fulcrum around which the novelpivots.

This final volume of the University of Chicago's beautiful TradePaperback edition includes the last three books._Books Do Furnish a Room_is set shortly after World War II, when Nick Jenkins is moving in Londonliterary circles, dealing with such characters as the doomed, eccentric,novelist X. Trapnel, his mistress Pamela Flitton Widmerpool, and of courseKenneth Widmerpool himself, clumsily but successfully trying to maximizehis political influence with the help of a literary magazine._TemporaryKings_ features Jenkins at a conference in Venice, then back in London, andintroduces a couple of curious Americans, Louis Glober and RussellGwinnett.It also features the final destructive acts of the terriblePamela Flitton's life._Hearing Secret Harmonies_ concludes the sequence,as Jenkins rather bitterly views the radicalism of the '60s, and especiallyWidmerpool's usual attempts at ingratiating himself with the latest fads inpower.The novel closes with a remarkable vision of Widmerpool's end,oddly, bitterly echoing his first appearance.

A great, great, series ofnovels.Incomparable. ... Read more

Book Description
Gotta dance! Gotta sing! Gotta do most anything because it's show time! In Show Time! kids will learn to become "triple threat" performers, developing their skills as singers, dancers, and actors through more than 80 activities that include imitating a musician or musical instrument, acting out a song, creating a mirror dance, making puppets and playbills, and more. Along the way, they'll learn about the history of musicals, discover musicals about history, and find out how to get it all together before the curtain goes up. Show Time! is perfect for teachers needing to prepare performers for a show; for parents looking for fun ways to fill spare minutes with their kids at home, in the car, or in a doctor's waiting room; and for kids wanting ways to enjoy themselves on their own or in a small group. Several play scripts, a list of suggested musicals for kids, and a play glossary are included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wow!
Mrs. Bany-Winters writes a great book!I've tried all of the theatre games and they are all very fun to do.. even if you aren't into theatre!I recommend this book to everyone.. try it at parties, try it by yourself, try with friends.. just try it!

Great Activities
I LOVED this book and Lisa's other book.I think her games and activities are great ways to get kids interested in theatre.Keep up the good work, Lisa! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

ok for begginer
This book is an o'k starting point for people diving into the world of production, but can not be compared to the Dance Music Manual. ... Read more

Book Description
Lavishly illustrated, this book introduces the most commonly seen traditional performing arts in Bali. The gamelan music, dance, drama and puppetry covered here are sure to mesmerize Western readers. Ideal reading for visitors to the island as well as for anyone interested in Balinese culture, the book fully explains the history and function of each performance genre. The book is enhanced with a bibliography, a discography, and over 150 specially prepared watercolors of Balinese performers and performances.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent book
Excellent book for both those who are Bali newbies and those who already know about it, although it might be a little too detailed for some novices. Informative, with fantastic photos and drawings.

A captivating tour of the history, style, and function
Extensively illustrated with over 200 full-color photographs, Balinese Dance, Drama and Music: A Guide to the Performing Arts of Bali takes the reader on a captivating tour of the history, style, and function of Balinese gamelan music, dance, drama, and puppetry. Suitable for all ages, Balinese Dance, Drama and Music covers how performing arts are learned in Bali, the principal Balinese values that artistic media passes on, and discussion of individual forms of performing arts, such as Gameland Gong Kebyar, Lgong Keraton, Baris, Wayang Kulit, and the relatively recent phenomenon of women's and children's performing groups. A bibliography and discography round out this superbly captivating survey, written by expert dancers and choreographers.

CAPTURES THE MAGIC AND BEAUTY OF BALINESE CULTURE
This excellent book provides an extensive, reader-friendly overview of Balinese dance, music, drama and culture.It's the book we've all been waiting for.Written in an informal and high accessible style with wonderful pictures and illustrations it will no doubt be treasured by academics, Baliopihiles or anyone wanting to visit Bali and more deeply experience it's powerful culture.Rucina and Dibia (I know them both) are extraordinary and passionate lovers of all things Bali and have written and taught extensively for decades.If anyone was to write this book, they were the obvious choice.

There are dozens of books on this subject - most far too academic and inaccessible - including some of the classics.They got the information right, found the right expressive tone, and the layout is stunning.

A wonderful experience throughout!

Michael Wiese, filmmaker, publisher and Baliophile ... Read more

Book Description
This innovative look at African Art presents the wonders of one of America's best known African collections within the ritual context for which the artworks were first created.

Drawing on the Baltimore Museum's renowned African Collection, this vibrantly illustrated exploration of African rituals uniquely encourages readers to look beyond the solitary artifact and toward an understanding of African music and dance as fully sensory experiences. The one hundred objects presented here are a part of ceremonies that rely on sounds, sights, smells, and tastes to deliver their ultimate effects. Color reproductions of the objects, including masks, sculpture, and ceramics, are accompanied by brief essays explaining the contexts within which each was created. The essays focus costumes; dance, movement and gesture; music and other sounds; storytelling; audiences; staging, and lighting. Field photographs and archival images help bring to life the African ceremonial experience, which we can better understand with the aid of this groundbreaking work. ... Read more

Book Description
Experiencing Disco, Hip Hop, House, Techno, Drum 'n Bass and Garage, Discographies takes a revealing look at the transatlantic dance scene of the last twenty-five years.Tracing the history of ideas about music and dance in Western culture and the ways in which dance music is produced and received, the authors assess the importance and relevance of dance culture in the 1990s and beyond.
The book considers both the problems posed by contemporary dance culture for various forms of writing, academic and cultural, and their origins in the long history of opposition to music as a source of sensory pleasure.The authors offer a framework for understanding the bodily nature of musical experience using a range of theorists including Derrida, Irigaray and Judith Butler, and consider the limits placed on contemporary dance culture as exemplary of the modern regulation of social space.
Discussing such issues as technology, club space, drugs, the musical body, gender, sexuality, and pleasure, Discographies explores the ecstatic experiences at the heart of contemporary dance culture.It suggests why politicians and agencies as diverse as the independent music press and public broadcasting are so hostile to this cultural phenomenon.Discographies breaks new ground in considering important cultural phenomena not only in terms of a politics of identity, but a politics of experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A World of Music, Drugs and Pacifiers.
This book was required for my Audio Visual Arts class at LSU. I had know idea there was such a book. Discographies catagorizes each type of dance music, (ie: House,Jungle,Trance), describing its roots and history.
I highly recommend this book for the avid music listener. This book is great addition to anyones library. It may come in handy someday when you explain to your children, why you are messed up in the head.

DEEPER THAN ONE WOULD THINK.
Think Sociological text.This book discusses many of the finer aspects ofdance culture in an almost clinical manor by someone intigrated in theculture.However this book will take some time to read unless you read agreat deal at college level.This book has the ability to not onlyconverse but help define and expound on the intangables derived by theactivities associated with dance/raving.A very good book however for me asomewhat slow read.The bibleographies after each chapter is probablyworth the cost of the book alone.Keep Movin'! ... Read more

Book Description
New York's trendy magazines are a source of peril when a killer enacts a bizarre dance of death, using the personal ads to lure his victims...

After college, best friends Erin Kelley and Darcy Scott move to the city to pursue exciting careers; Erin is a promising jewelry designer, Darcy finds success as a decorator. On a lark, Darcy persuades Erin to help their TV producer friend research the kinds of people who place personal ads. It seems like innocent fun...until Erin disappears.

Erin's body is found on an abandoned Manhattan pier -- on one foot is her own shoe, on the other, a high-heeled dancing slipper. Soon after, startling communiques from the killer reveal that Erin is not the first victim of this "dancing shoe murderer." And, if the killer has his way, she won't be his last. Next on his death list is Darcy.

Download Description
A Dance of Death... Erin and Darcy aren't the kind of girls who normally answer personal ads. Young, successful and thrilled with life in the big city, the best friends are ready to enjoy all the romance and glamour that New York has to offer. But when two women agree as a lark to answer personal ads to help a film-maker friend in her research, the glittering city turns deadly. Soon, Erin's body is found on an abandoned pier-a mysterious high-heeled dancing slipper on one lifeless foot. Devastated by her friend's tragic death, Darcy begins a treacherous dating game hoping to find Erin's killer. What Darcy doesn't know is that Erin wasn't his first victim...and that now the killer has set his sights on her. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (113)

If you like this author, you'll love this book
Darcy and Erin are doing research on the kind of people who place personal ads by answering some personals and going out on dates.Erin chooses one where the man signs himself, "Loves music, loves to dance" and he does - but he's also a serial killer.

This book follows the same old formula that all of Mary Higgins Clarke's books do:A beautiful heroine is stalked by a perverted psycho.She meets a lot of red herrings who could all be the baddie and we won't know the villain's true identity until the minute when our damsel is rescued by Prince Charming.There's no suspense or excitement.

Clark's books are quick reads, good for the beach or a plane trip, buttoo predictable and poorly written for me to read anymore of them.There are too many characters to keep track of, we're given way too much useless information about them, the dialog is full of grandiose words and phrases that aren't realistic, and we know the heroine will solve the mystery in the end.I like this book's title and the idea of a killer finding his victims through personals, but it didn't hold my interest.

Not my favorite Mary Higgins Clark book
This was my first Mary Higgins Clark book.I got this with 4 others stories by Clark and this was my least favorite of the four.I listen to them on CD while I walk.

What I didn't like about this story is that the characters weren't developed enough for me.I frankly didn't care too much.The first murder was of Darcy's character and I really didn't feel anything other than curious about how Erin would catch him.When Erin's character was in trouble my only emotion was that the outcome I predicted happened and I was a disappointed.

This book did hold my attention but it was predictable and the characters were not developed.I almost wasn't going to read the other books I got by Mary Higgins Clark based on Loves Music, Loves to Dance.

Who is Erin's Killer? Darcy May Get Killed Finding Out....
I really enjoy Mary Higgins Clark, and finally got around to reading this one.

Darcy Scott and Erin Kelley were always the best of friends. They each had a great career. Darcy was a decorator and Erin a wonderful jewelry designer. As part of a project, they were helping their friend Nona research the kinds of people who place personal ads in magazines trying to find their lucky match. Erin answered an ad, "Loves Music,Loves to Dance." That was the worst fate of all. When Darcy was going to meet Erin up for dinner one evening, she never showed up. This was totally unlike Erin, and Darcy knew something was wrong. Later when her body turns up, Darcy is horror-struck. After this happens, Darcy is determined to find out just what happened to Erin. So she manages to retrieve the ads her friend answered, and arranges to meet each of these guys in a safe place.

Darcy better watch out though. One of those ads was the killer's, and Darcy may end up dead. But the gentlemen who seem the most likely suspects are not the one. And the person Darcy believes she is the safest with, may be the biggest killer of all. And the whole time, he has been watching Darcy, and has BIG plans especially for her.

Hurray!
very good novel, not my fav one but it was very good, it was kinda boring in the middle but the end of course as USUAL it was the best!!!!

I super read!
If you're looking for a fun, exciting, fast moving story with a lot of twists and turns,this is the book for you. One of the best I've read in a long long time. ... Read more

Product Description
A facsimile edition of Francis O'Neill's classic 1907 collection of jigs, reels, hornpipes and other dance tunes. The Dance Music of Ireland has proved so valuable to musicians and circulated so widely that it has become known simply as 'the book', a virtual bible for many trditional players. Suitable for all melody instruments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

O'Niell's 1001 Wal;tons reprint
This is a job that needed doing and is well done.

Thanks to Waltons Stores of Dublin Ireland

Great Book
Pretty much self explanatory. The title says it all. This is pretty much a bible of Irish fiddle tunes. So I'll not review the content, but rather my review will be on the quality of this book. First a word on spacing: In order to fit so many songs into such a slim volume the individual pieces are crammed as tightly as they can fit onto the pages and I tend to lose my place. If you are a little older and your eyesight isn't what it used to be you may need reading glasses to be able to make out the small print. My recommendation is to use this as a source book and pick which songs you want to play and make copies of those pages. The binding seems to be of good quality (stitched and glued), but time will tell the tale. Most paperback volumes tend to fall apart after a while, but my suggestion about making copies of the pages you want to play should save some wear and tear on the book. The paper is also a good quality. I'm not sure if it is acid-free or not and this would make a big difference on the life of the pages, but it is a nice semi-gloss stock similar to magazine pages, but thicker. Once you break the spine in the book lays fairly flat even though it isn't spiral bound, so if you wanted to use it on the music stand you could do that. As soon as I got my copy I went through it from front to back flipping a few pages at a time and folded the spine back and this helps it to lay flat. The ink doesn't seem to smeer when handled as some other books have done. There is an interestin introduction by Fancis O'neill and an indespensable index. I'd say this is certainly a good deal for $20. ... Read more

Book Description
"You Better Work!"is the first detailed study of underground dance music or UDM, a phenomenon that has its roots in the overlap and cross-fertilization of African American and gay cultural sensibilities that have occurred since the 1970s. UDM not only predates and includes disco, but also constitutes a unique performance practice in the history of American social dance.

Taking New York City as its geographic focus, "You Better Work!" shows how UDM functions in the lives of its DJs and dancers, and how it is used as the primary identifier of an urban subculture shaped essentially by the relationships between music, dance, and marginality. Kai Fikentscher goes beyond stereotypical images of club and disco to explore the cult and culture of the DJ, the turntable and vinyl recordings as musical instruments, and the vital relationship between music and dance at underground clubs. Including interviews, photographs, and an extensive discography, this ethnographic account tells the story of a celebration of collective marginality through music and dance ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Accessible and Insightful
Kai's work is a rarity in ethnomusicology; it's accessible, entertaining, and enjoyable to read.His inclusion of 12 inch singles, top UDM charts, DJ and equipment photographs, in addition to his on personal exposes in relationship to the house scene in NYC make this study a rarity within a discipline full of bickerings over authenticity, theoretical concepts and musical hierarchies."You Better Work!" is a rallying cry for aspiring musicologists and music fans alike. If you danced during this period, it'll bring back those sweet memories of Mr. Fingers, Frankie Knuckles, Ru Paul, Acid and the like.

Great book
This is a great book. It is extremely accessible.I am using it with great success for an Introduction to Ethnomusicology course that I am teaching at a Liberal Arts College.The students like the book very much.It stimulates a good deal of in-class discussion.I would highly recommend this work for anyone interested in music, dance, ethnomusicology, urban studies, popular culture, popular music, American studies, and more... It is the kind of book that affords multiple points of entry.Bravo Kai Fikentscher

An Excellent Reference in Underground Dance Music
If you're looking for a book that's an excellent reference for Underground Dance Music in New York City, then "You Better Work!" by Kai Fikentscher is great reading!

A cornerstone contribution to the exploration of underground dance music culture
Kai Fikentscher's evolutionary study and rounded presentation of New York's underground dance music and culture is a lonely triumph for a subject matter that desperately requires equal exploration of peer contributing U.S. cities such as Chicago, Detroit and Washington D.C.

"You Better Work!" is a straight edge to which much of what has been said about underground dance music culture should be realligned.

It's evident through well-crafted and intricately expressed text that the author has really done his homework.His book shines, especially when compared to similar historical efforts that clearly lack the consistent impact found in "You Better Work!".

Not only should those familiar with underground dance music absorb this essential reading, but the effort should be required academically, with particular regard to music, culture and art.

In addition to explaining fundamental concepts and techniques, Fikentscher details an often ill-reported but critical importance of UDM - the DNA of African, African American, Latino, Gay and a dejected segment of American society which defines the fabric of underground dance music culture.

The Underground Unleashed
This text is the unrivaled standard for anyone truly seeking insights into the rich culture of Underground Dance Music.No long is house music an urban legend, but this book invites debate, theory, and growth based on a solid foundation of research, interaction, and presentation.From the halls of academia to the dark places where the underground lurks; each and every reader benefits from Kai's research.

If your a fan of techno... read this book.

Classics?Read.

Soulful... get to know this text.

... then Work!

-Byron ... Read more

Book Description
A study of the history, development, and present condition of Irish traditional music, song, and dance. Special reference to the fiddle, the Irish Uilleann pipes, and the whistle. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Great Concise Read on Irish Traditional Music
Not much to say, except its worth a read to any student of traditional music, let alone Irish traditional music.There are many great books on this subject, but this one can be read in short order, and covers enough material to help direct further study in specific areas, or satisfy a general survey.

- Jim

This is a good, basic history book of Irish music and dance.
This book covers the history of Irish music fairly well.It isapproximately 140 pages.The dancing is covered in a mere two pages, butsummarizes the state of dancing in Ireland from the second half of the 18thcentury through the 20th century. ... Read more

Book Description
Covers music, style and background information on various dance types and calling techniques. Ninety dances in a wide variety of formations (squares, contras, circle mixers, and others) are described with illustrations for many of the movements. ... Read more