James Siddons – författare

Anthony Milner, who is recognized as Britain's leading Catholic composer, has been widely praised for his ability to combine freshness and originality with a thorough grounding in the historic traditions of music. Although his choral works on religious themes have attracted a wide audience, his instrumental works also have a prominent place in the modern repertoire. This new bio-bibliography is the first book devoted to Milner's music and career. It provides fully annotated catalogues of his compositions, performances and reviews of his works, and his achievements as a teacher, writer, and lecturer.The volume begins with a biographical survey of the life and works of Anthony Milner. A works and performances section presents a catalogue arranged alphabetically by genre and supplying descriptive notes and information on commissions, texts, scoring, and publication. A bibliography of some 400 references by or about Milner lists books, articles, magazine and newspaper reviews, published or broadcast talks, lectures and interviews, record album essays, and other publications. Quotations or summaries of the contents are provided. The volume includes a complete discography as well as several supplemental lists that will help the reader locate specific information. A research tool for performers, conductors, music critics, and specialists in musicology or church music, this work will be a useful addition to collections in contemporary, choral or liturgical music.

Though often misunderstood in the West, the works of Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996) deserve attention beyond their native land. Although he wrote most of his music for Western instruments in international contemporary concert style, to be played by performers trained in the European musical tradition, lists and scores of his music have been difficult to obtain. Designed for use by musicians, scholars, and program directors who need compact, understandable information on Takemitsu, but who are unfamiliar with Japanese language and music, this bio-bibliography--including sections on his works, performances, films scores, recordings, and writings--will be invaluable to musicians, scholars, journalists, and music directors alike.The annotations of the entries are especially useful in determining answers to such questions as what instruments are needed to perform a piece, what should be said about a film or composition in a program note, what analysis or interpretation of a work is appropriate or has been done before, and what Takemitsu himself has said or written about each work. Siddon's fully cross-referenced volume offers information on approximately 150 compositions, 100 film scores, 250 audio recordings, and 500 bibliographical items, while the biography places the composer's life in the milieu of post-Pacific War Japan and contemporary music in Japan, Europe, and the United States.