New Book on Unsung American Symphonists

[Gareth Vaughan]

Groves not infrequently makes egregious errors.

[dwshadle]

Groves says 73 symphonies. Perhaps, the Haydn of America?

Thanks for pointing to Grove as the source of this info. To my eye, it says, "?3," not 73.

The new print edition of the Grove Dictionary of American Music has clarified this issue. (I wrote the revision of the Pratt article, but it is not yet online.)

[mikehopf]

My eyes are dim... I cannot see..

Mea culpa,  a magnifying glass reveals a ? not a 7

[Alan Howe]

My eyes are dim... I cannot see..

...I left my specs...in the lavatory.

At least, that's where they were when I last heard the rhyme 

[mikehopf]

Not to worry, Alan.

I found them in the Quartermaster's Stores.

[Alan Howe]

Among the rats, no doubt...
http://ajm.pioneeringprojects.org/qmstore.htm

[dwshadle]

Some of you might be interested in commentary on the book that appeared in last week's New York Times. It is great that the reviewer highlighted the composers themselves so prominently. In a later issue of the Times, the same critic wrote brief remarks on the old NY Philharmonic recording of Paine's Second Symphony:

Book Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/29/books/review-douglas-w-shadles-orchestrating-the-nation.html

CD Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/05/arts/music/reviews-classical-music-albums.html

I am hoping that the increased attention on this music will interest the Times and other outlets to consider JoAnn Falletta's recent recordings of Paine's orchestral works in addition to the new George Frederick Bristow recording.

[Alan Howe]

What Doug - modestly - doesn't tell us is that the CD review calls his book 'superb'.

[sdtom]

And the Minneapolis library system has yet to come up with a copy
Tom

[eschiss1]

are you asking them to buy it or interloan it? if the latter, you may have to wait a year (if your system is like mine)- I know, I've said that already, and you may have mentioned that it isn't...

[dwshadle]

Since the book has been out only for a couple of months, it doesn't surprise me that only a few libraries have purchased a hard copy (WorldCat tells me that this number is 77, though it will keep rising over the next several months).

The larger academic libraries often have standing orders with major university presses like Oxford and then hand select other titles. Public libraries tend to order bestsellers and then rely on other methods (trade reviews, etc.) to determine other purchases. To my knowledge, only a two public libraries (Seattle, WA and Greenwich, CT) have copies available for direct borrowing right now.

For interlibrary loan, as was mentioned, it could take a very long time for the book to start flowing more freely. It's possible that a cheaper paperback might be available before the hardback enters full circulation among the libraries.

Thank you all for your interest! And for Martin's generous feedback above.

[Mark Thomas]

My copy duly arrived on Christmas Day and is on my bedside table. I just have to finish the novel in which I'm currently immersed.

[chill319]

Ordered and looking forward to the read, particularly the discussion of Charles Hommann's work. Hommann's string quartets, clearly modeled on Beethoven's Razumovsky quartets, deploy those compositional resources remarkably well, often with great élan. When one thinks of the sacrifices a man like Hommann (as with most of the other composers) made to further classical music in "the colonies," the forty-odd dollar price for this book (on Amazon) seems trivial -- the cost of a single meal for two plus tip at a chain restaurant.

[chill319]

@Gareth: Groves not infrequently makes egregious errors.

Graduate students who contribute to Groves can tell how this happens 

[sdtom]

I was asking them to purchase. I need to recheck that it was ordered.