The History of the Musical

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Memory {Cats} - Kim Criswell

2. Origins of the Musical - The Beggars Opera - Kim Criswell

3. Were I Laid on Greenland's Coast {The Beggars Opera} - Kim Criswell

4. Vaudevilles, Burlesques in Europe - Adolphe Adam - Kim Criswell

5. Oh Qu'il Etait Beau {Le Postillon de Longjumeau} - Helen Morgan

See all 49 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2

1. Bill {Show Boat} - Kim Criswell

2. Hollywood and Film Musicals

3. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise {The New Moon} - Kim Criswell

4. Dance Spectaculars - Busby Berkeley; George Gershwin and the American S - Jane Froman, Victor Salon Group

5. Man I Love {Lady Be Good} - Kim Criswell

See all 45 tracks on this disc
Disc: 3

1. Falling in Love With Love {The Boys from Syracuse} - Kim Criswell

2. USA - Escapist Musicals - Dubarry Was a Lady, Cabin in the Sky (Vernon - Ethel Waters

3. Taking a Chance on Love {Cabin in the Sky} - Kim Criswell

4. Rodgers and Hart: Pal Joey - Beverly Fite, Harold Lang

5. I Could Write a Book {Pal Joey}

See all 50 tracks on this disc
Disc: 4

1. America {West Side Story} - Caroline O'Connor

2. I Am Easily Assimilated {Candide}

3. USA - Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story - Kim Criswell

4. Maria {West Side Story} - Paul Manuel

5. USA - Rodgers and Hammerstein's Final Musical - Kim Criswell

See all 52 tracks on this disc

Tracks:

Who Do You Love? - Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks (mono)
You Know I Love You - Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
Further On Up The Road - Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
Nineteen Years Old - Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
Honky Tonk - Levon & The Hawks (mono) [track previously unissued]
Bacon Fat - Levon & The Hawks (mono) [track previously unissued]
Robbie's Blues - Levon & The Hawks (mono) [track previously unissued]
Leave Me Alone - Levon & The Hawks (mono) [track previously unissued on CD]
Uh Uh Uh - Levon & The Hawks (mono) [track previously unissued on CD]
He Don't Love You (And He'll Break Your Heart) - Levon & The Hawks (mono)
(I Want To Be) The Rainmaker (mono) (song sketch) [track previously unissued]
The Stones I Throw (song sketch) (mono) [track previously unissued]
The Stones I Throw (Will Free All Men) - Levon & The Hawks (mono)
Go Go Liza Jane - Levon & The Hawks (mono)
Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? (single version) - Bob Dylan (mono)
Tell Me, Momma (live 5/14/66, The Odeon, Liverpool) - Bob Dylan (mono)[track previously unissued]
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (live 5/14/66, The Odeon, Liverpool) - Bob Dylan (mono)[track previously unissued on LP (in the U.S.) or CD]
Words And Numbers (song sketch) (mono) [track previously unissued]
You Don't Come Through (song sketch) (mono) [track previously unissued]
Beautiful Thing (song sketch) (mono) [track previously unissued]
Caledonia Mission (song sketch) (mono) [track previously unissued]
Odds And Ends - Bob Dylan & The Band
Ferdinand The Impostor (mono)
Ruben Remus (mono)
Will The Circle Be Unbroken (mono) [track previously unissued]

Tracks:

Katie's Been Gone
Ain't No More Cane On The Brazos
Don't Ya Tell Henry - Bob Dylan & The Band
Tears Of Rage
To Kingdom Come (full-length version) [track previously unissued]
In A Station
The Weight
We Can Talk
Long Black Veil
Chest Fever
This Wheel's On Fire
I Shall Be Released
Yazoo Street Scandal [track previously unissued]
I Ain't Got No Home (live 1/20/68, Carnegie Hall, NYC) - Bob Dylan with
Orange Juice Blues (Blues For Breakfast)
Baby Lou [track previously unissued]
Long Distance Operator [track previously unissued]
Key To The Highway [track previously unissued]
Bessie Smith

Tracks:

Across The Great Divide
Rag Mama Rag
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
When You Awake
Up On Cripple Creek
Whispering Pines
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
Get Up Jake
Jemima Surrender (early version) [track previously unissued]
Daniel And The Sacred Harp (alternate take)
Time To Kill
All La Glory (early version) [track previously unissued]
The Shape I'm In
Stage Fright
The Rumor
Slippin' & Slidin' (live 7/5/70, the Festival Express Train Tour, Calgary, Canada) [track previously unissued]
Don't Do It
Strawberry Wine (live 6/2/71, Royal Albert Hall, London) [track previously unissued]
Rockin' Chair (live 6/2/71, Royal Albert Hall, London) [track previously unissued]
Look Out Cleveland (live 6/2/71, Royal Albert Hall, London) [track previously unissued]
4% Pantomime [track previously unissued]

Tracks:

Life Is A Carnival
When I Paint My Masterpiece
The Moon Struck One
The River Hymn
Don't Do It [live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC]
Caledonia Mission [live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC]
Smoke Signal [live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC] [track previously unissued]
Unfaithful Servant [live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC]
The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show (live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC]
The Genetic Method [live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC]
Chest Fever [live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC]
(I Don't Want To Hang Up My) Rock 'N' Roll Shoes [live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC]
Loving You (Is Sweeter Than Ever) [live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC]
Endless Highway
Move Me (song sketch) [track previously unissued]
Two Piano Song [track previously unissued]
Mystery Train

Tracks:

Ain't Got No Home
Share Your Love With Me
Didn't It Rain
Forever Young - Bob Dylan
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (live 2/13/74, The Forum, Inglewood, CA) - Bob Dylan & The Band
Highway 61 Revisited (live 1/31/74, Madison Square Garden, NYC) - Bob Dylan [track previously unissued]
Ophelia
Acadian Driftwood
It Makes No Difference
Twilight (song sketch) [track previously unissued]
Christmas Must Be Tonight
The Saga Of Pepote Rouge
Livin' In A Dream
Forbidden Fruit (live 9/18/76, The Palladium, NYC) [track previously unissued]
Home Cookin' [track previously unissued]
Out Of The Blue
Evangeline - with Emmylou Harris
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (from The Last Waltz, live 11/25/76, Winterland Palace, San Francisco, CA)
The Weight - with The Staples

Tracks:

Jam/King Harvest (Has Surely Come) (rec. 1970, Robbie's Studio, Woodstock, NY) [performance previously unissued in its entirety] (DVD)
Long Black Veil (live 7/5/70, the Festival Express Train Tour, Calgary, Canada) [performance previously unissued] (DVD)
Rockin' Chair (live 7/5/70, the Festival Express Train Tour, Calgary, Canada) [performance previously unissued] (DVD)
Don't Do It (live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC) [performance previously unissued] (DVD)
Hard Times (The Slop)/Just Another Whistle Stop (live 9/14/74, Wembley Stadium, London) [performance previously unissued] (DVD)
The Genetic Method/Chest Fever (live 9/14/74, Wembley Stadium, London) [performance previously unissued] (DVD)
Life Is A Carnival (live 10/30/76, Saturday Night Live, NYC) [performance previously unissued in its entirety] (DVD)
Stage Fright (live 10/30/76, Saturday Night Live, NYC) [performance previously unissued in its entirety] (DVD)
Georgia On My Mind (live 10/30/76, Saturday Night Live, NYC) [performance previously unissued] (DVD)

Amazon.com

The Band: A Musical History is a labor of love, and Executive Producer/Band member Robbie Robertson has built something truly impressive in the form of this five CD, one DVD, and 108-page hardcover book collection. The book alone will impress just about any music enthusiast. From its candid photographs of artists from Bob Dylan to Janis Joplin, to a detailed history of the Bend written by Grammy Award-winning musicologist Rob Bowman, it's well worth the price of admission. The 102-song collection follows the group's progression from their earliest of days, pre-Band, circa 1963, as background players for Toronto blues/rocker Ronnie Hawkins, to their final studio recording, "Out of the Blue" laid down in 1977. The box also includes 30 previously unreleased songs. On that list you'll find everything from early versions of Band tunes to "song sketches" (pieces for which the lyrics may have been unfinished, but, as in the case of the late Richard Manuel's soulful "Beautiful Thing," the emotion is captured just the same. Equally impressive is the DVD, which is filled with newly-issued live performances. These include a rough-but-wonderful songs from the Festival Express train tour, two tracks from a Wembley Stadium concert (admittedly the weakest sonically and visually on the disc) and three songs recorded for Saturday Night Live, including an endearing cover of "Georgia On My Mind." This amazing box set isn't just for Band fans; anyone who loves the music of the '60s and '70s could spend dozens of hours lost in this incredible collection. --Denise Sheppard

Customer Reviews:

Great Product and Ever So Complete.......2007-07-12

I became aware of the product from iTunes which has a review of the set but does not actually have all of the tracks from the set.

Listening for the first time, I was reminded of something my dad told me: their songs are great, but sometimes, their singing is the pits. That's especially noticeable on "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".

But that does not impact the value of this set. It gives a complete picture of The Band and their history. The accompanying book (I would call it liner notes, but that minimizes its impact) does not delve into the lasting rift between Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson, but it still makes great reading. If you're a fan, this set is worth the investment.

The Ultimate collection for the Band.......2007-05-12

The collection of the Band is outstanding. It contains multipule versions of famous tracks as well as previously unrecorded or unreleased material. Features several great versions of the Band's "Don't Do It" which is a hard one to find. The book and DVD are cool as well. A must for the Band fan.

A supererb collection of music from The Band.......2007-01-10

I have been wanting to purchase this vault of music ever since I was aware of it's release and it was well worth the wait. I have really been enjoying listening to it since I received it as a gift from my kids for Xmas.I would advise anyone who is a fan of The Band to buy it also, because it's a must have for your collection.

Essential for collectors, casual fans should get the good albums.......2007-01-10

Being a big fan of The Band, I saved up my nickels and dimes and shelled out the money for A Musical History. I got just about what I already expected I'd get--(like one other reviewer put) perhaps a discs worth of early/unreleased material, an excellent DVD with some great live performances, and a large paperback book with a lot of really great pictures. The rest, from (essentially) the entirety of their first three albums to greatest hits of the rest, and the somewhat fairytale narrative in the book (primarily cobbled together from the liner notes of the remastered Band albums), I already had from buying those remasters. Was it worth it? Yeah. But I'm a pretty big fan of The Band, and a completist besides that. After listening to this compilation straight through a few times, I think it's best purchased by big fans and collectors; the extra material is not so revelatory to call it essential, the so-called "hits" are better heard complete, in their original albums (The Band was never a singles group, so why carve up their albums into re-sequenced compilations?), and considering the cost (over $80 new), most casual fans really won't be interested in shelling out that money for a group they're not obsessed with.

I'd say the earlier Hawks material is the most essential, since it's usually not included in any Band compilations. It's so much fun to hear the harder, earlier rock and roll sound they were cranking out--Robbie plays cutting lead on "Who do You Love?" and Richard Manuel howls in a way we've never heard on "Honky Tonk" and "Bacon Fat." There's also some interesting detours when the Hawks left Ronnie Hawkins, working such delightfully immature rockers as "Leave Me Alone," the oldie-sounding "Uh Uh Uh," and the romper "Go Go Liza Jane." This is some really fun stuff--it's not half as creative or accomplished as they got when they were The Band, but helps make the compilation worth the price of admission for me. There's also some great Dylan-era Hawks, like the dark Basement Tapes outtake "Words and Numbers," and the rare single "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"

The rest of the discs include unreleased tracks, live tracks and alternate versions that are at times very good but don't obviate the original album versions or reveal anything earth-shattering. A few of the unreleased tracks are phenomenal--a cleaned up studio version of the essential live favorite "Don't Do It," the funky cover "Baby Lou," unreleased Rick Danko tracks "Move Me" and "Home Cookin'" (how did "Home Cookin'" NOT make it onto the mediocre Islands--it's stronger than any other original!), and a superior version of the Manuel/Van Morrison duet "4% Pantomime" from Cahoots. A few of the live tracks kill as well--notably the Guthrie composition and Dylan collaboration "I Ain't Got No Home," ripping encore "Slippin' and Slidin'," rarities that really cook--"Look Out Cleveland," "Strawberry Wine," "Smoke Signal," and "Forbidden Fruit."

Unfortunately, a lot of the rest of the unreleased material is pretty Robbie Robertson heavy and not as high-quality--he's shown a remarkable skill at self-aggrandizement, especially in rewriting his historical role in The Band. He tries to make it seem like he contributed a lot to vocals in the group, stacking the deck with unreleased tracks with himself on (weak) vocals. In actuality, he only sang on a couple tracks and his mic was always off in concert. Likewise, the liner notes are so pro-Robbie in their interview proportion and sympathy. Anyone interested in The Band's story should also read Levon Helm's autobiography "This Wheel's On Fire" as a grain of salt.

The DVD is great too, with some awesome 70's concert footage and all 3 performances from their 1976 Saturday Night Live date. It's great to get some visual accompaniment.

The rest of the standard material from the albums is frustrating. A lot of times it's incomplete, with all but a couple tracks from an album, and sometimes the songs are rearranged from their original order, which is pretty weird when you're used to the superb albums the way they were meant to be. I bought this compilation for the unreleased material--there's nothing that will ever make me stop listening to The Band's albums in their full, original form (even the mediocre ones). The songs sound better in original sequence, and there are some great tracks that this compilation leaves out.

If you're new to The Band, I beg you please to experience their classic albums, Music From Big Pink, The Band, Stage Fright, and Northern Lights - Southern Cross as entire albums, the way they're meant to be heard. If you're on a hunt for everything The Band ever recorded, this is a great place to pick up a bulk of extra material, despite its dubious value.

The Band revisited.......2006-07-07

One of rock's icons The Band receive the boxed set anthology treatment for second time. Although all this seminal band's recordings have been remastered with bonus tracks on individual CDs this set is a pretty good place to gather their essential songs along with about 2 CD's worth of previously unreleased material. Much of these songs consist eithre of alternate takes/live performances/unfinished songs so will be of great interest to the band.

While the box itself (much like the Talking Heads set) is awkard and large, "A Musical History" is exactly what a chronological gathering of the pivotal tracks and some previously unreleased tracks/rarities should be. The tracks included here that have been released before (such as "Leave Me Alone" recorded as Levon and The Hawks)have not been available on CD before and receive their debut here with stellar sound.

My one reservation with this set is that there's too much previously released material on this set. Clearly this was designed for hardcore fans or people that own some of their albums. Since The Band's catalog has been remastered before (and sounds great) this might be a great gift for a fan who hasn't upgrade their CD collection yet or who simply won't buy this for themeselves because they have much of the material. The real keeper here aside from the new to CD tracks is the DVD which features eight performances that have never been issued before or have been available on bootleg videos. The performances of "Life Is A Carnival", "Georgia On My Mind" and "Stage Fright" from "Saturday Night Live" hasn't been available (to the best of my knowledge) on DVD before in their entirety.

If you're a fan of The Band this is a great single collection with a deluxe book of great photographs and a fine discussion of the band's history by Rob Bowman. The DVD and previously unreleased tracks will be of particular interest to fans I just wish that they had been released together at a lower price vs. having to repurchase material that many fans already have.

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Darklore Manor
Average customer rating:

remaster

Nox Arcana keeps getting better

A Stunning Debut!

Nox Arcana: The project that truly represents Halloween and for people who simply love classical-oriented Gothic instrumentals

A well-woven dark tale

Darklore Manor
Nox Arcana
Manufacturer: Monolith Graphics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Sound Effects | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Halloween | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Necronomicon

Transylvania

Winter's Knight

The 13th Hour

Carnival Of Lost Souls

ASIN: B0006OHMRY
Release Date: 2004-03-20

Tracks:

Legend
Darklore Manor
Threshold Of The Dead
Trespassers
Veil Of Darkness
Sanctuary Of Shadows
The Grande Hall
Remnants
Phantom Procession
Belladonna
Nursery Rhyme
Music Box
The Forgotten
Nightmare
No Rest For The Wicked
Omen
Seance
Beyond Midnight
Darkness Immortal
Incantation
Resurrected

Album Description

Enter Darklore Manor, where creatures of the night lurk in shadows and ghostly sounds echo through unhallowed halls. Nox Arcana invites you to embark on a musical journey throughout a legendary haunted mansion with a dark and sinister history. This gothic soundscape contains 21 tracks of haunting melodies, eerie voices, Latin chants, and foreboding orchestrations to create a perfect dark and moody atmosphere.

Customer Reviews:

remaster.......2007-05-25

the remastered version is were its at. it actualy sounds eerie.

Nox Arcana keeps getting better.......2007-05-12

They are the best at what they do and this CD is just one more example. You cannot go wrong with any Nox Arcana CD

A Stunning Debut!.......2007-04-17

Nox Arcana's debut CD Darklore Manor is a stunning, chilling instrumental concept album that could easily serve as the soundtrack for a classic haunted house film. Very few debut CDs have the amazing musicianship and technical virtuosity that Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski exhibit on this album. There are unforgettable, elegant piano-dominated melodies like "Veil of Darkness," as well as sinister organ pieces, moody harpsichord songs and elaborate, stirring orchestral set pieces that demonstrate an instinctive mastery of composition and melody. The entire gamut of Gothic music is presented here, and woven throughout the CD's 21 tracks are ghostly sound effects, chilling choirs and eerie narrations, all of which contribute to a mesmerizing musical tapestry. The CD's highlight may be "The Forgotten" - a beautiful, moving piano elegy that you will never forget. Many musicians strive their whole careers for an album this accomplished. The beautifully designed CD booklet by Joseph Vargo and Christine Filipak is another delight - this is an album that shows a rare attention to detail, from the packaging to the mixing. Highly recommended.

Nox Arcana: The project that truly represents Halloween and for people who simply love classical-oriented Gothic instrumentals.......2007-04-09

I was told, by a mysterious voice in the night, that I should seek Nox Arcana and await further instructions. But it all began years ago with the discovery of the Midnight Syndicate. So, I did the obvious and entered "Midnight Syndicate" in my computer search engine, and the lone website introduced itself to me. All went dark and quiet, and the room got cold, and I could see my breath as I panted in fear, and I heard laughter amongst terrifying screams, but yet, I was alone. This was only my introduction to the Midnight Syndicate and soon to follow was the birth of something even better, the nightmareish apparitions of Nox Arcana. I was compelled to bring Nox Arcana into my world, and so I've been in the dark ever since. But, then again, it became a blissful absence from the norm. Although, Halloween is never really mentioned with any of the Nox Arcana CD's, it does seem that everyday is Halloween in my world, and for the past four years, I've always feared that I've sold my soul somehow. I believe that I sacrificed my soul the day I got out my credit card and asked the cyber spirits to bring my first Nox Arcana CD into my home. It was this CD: "Darklore Manor"

Something became different about me. My very presence wasn't acknowledged in any normal way anymore. Was I being ignored, or am I even in the room at all? Something just wasn't right. I've had days that I've stared into the mirror, but somehow, I wasn't there. When I speak to strangers in the street, I don't think that they even acknowledge me. I speak with just a small hiss of words, and people respond as if they've just been pushed by a cold wind. My loved ones speak of me, as if I've departed from this world, but yet, I am in the room. Only when I laugh, do people respond as if they've heard something. They cuddle together, in fear of their safety, and cry out my name, in a past tense, as if I am torturing them. This wasn't fun anymore. It wasn't fun, THEN, anyway.

I wander aimlessly, finally coming to terms with this apparition that I have become. My only consolation, deep into the night, is to take some of my Nox Arcana CD's and my mini-CD player, to the cemetery and lay against a tombstone, and watch the wind swirl up the leaves in a satanic dance before my eyes, while the music plays and eats away at my scruples of logic. I feel a cold embrace of many condemned angels who've cast off all their inhibitions and indulged in lustful passion upon my defenseless mortal flesh. I am consumed into their ritual with reckless abandon. Returning to reality is all nonsense now. My only fear, is that the batteries in my CD player will weaken and diminish this clash of passion of my psychological pleasure and terror.

I am so glad that Nox Arcana has entered my once typical, pop culture world. However, I feel now, that if I should ever die, I may not know the difference. I've been enjoying this nocturnal bliss for a couple of years now and there's no going back. I walk this world in a cold absence where I question if my presence is perceived at all.

If you'd like to share in this experience with me, start off with this CD of "Darklore Manor". Then get "Necronomicon", "Winter's Knight", "Transylvania", "Carnival of Lost Souls", and their latest (as of 2007) called "Blood of the Dragon".

This music is not heavy metal. It's not satanic music. It's just a mix of classically-influenced instrumentals with various snippets of dark poetry and ghastly effects. You'll hear tormented screams, deathly bell tolls, sinister laughter, grandfather clocks, howling winds, and other little clever effects with piano, organ, and harpsichord, supported by rich strings and a mellotron sound, that promote a uniquely beautiful, but yet, horrifying terror that may claim your soul. It's a small sacrifice for the sake of a dark happiness.

Alas, here's one more way that I have benefited from the music of Nox Arcana. By listening to these CD's through headphones at the cemetery, alone, late at night, in the cold dark, there is a terror that I've experienced that has actually helped me lose weight. To be so terrified that my heart pulsated so intensely that I feared my heart would just burst! That, and the accidental soiling of myself, helped me lose about three pounds. Who would have thought that terror could promote weight loss?

So, if it's dark and disturbing, it has a place in my heart.

A well-woven dark tale.......2007-02-22

Though a bit more specific and talky than the Midnight Syndicate CDs (which was my first venture into this kind of atmospheric music), I found Nox Arcana's Darklore Manor to be quite creepy. It tells a story of an house under a curse, and the strange happenings therein. While it leaves less to the imagination than Midnight Syndicate's 13th Hour, it has plenty of frightening tracks for your next horror gaming session or Halloween party.

Average customer rating:

Memories That I wish I had
Disneyland Memoirs
Disneyland is my kind of place
Disney memories
GREAT for DISNEY FANS!!!

A Musical History of Disneyland
Disney
Manufacturer: Disney
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Disney | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Compilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Disney Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Children's Music | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Walt Disney Takes You to Disneyland
Walt Disney Treasures - Your Host, Walt Disney
Disney's Happiest Celebration on Earth
101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland: An Unauthorized Look At The Little Touches And Inside Jokes
Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, The

ASIN: B000AA4MHM
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Tracks:

Walt Disney's Dedication of Disneyland
All Aboard - Main Street Station
Minnie's Yoo Hoo!
Meet Me Down on Main Street
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Disney Medley: March of the Toys/Whistle While You Work/Zip-A-Dee- ...
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Let's Dance at Disneyland
Tiki Room Barker Bird
Enchanted Tiki Room Garden Show
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room: The Tiki Tiki Tiki ...
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye - Mellomen
Swisskapolka
Tarzan Medley
Mark Twain: Waiting for the Robert E. Lee/Crusin' Down the River
Pirates of the Caribbean: Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) - Rodney Miller
Feed the Birds
Love Is a Song
Sounds of the Frontierland Station

Tracks:

Happy Rag
Haunted Mansion: Grim Grinning Ghosts
Rufus
Bearless Love
Country Bear Jamboree: Pianjo/Bear Band Serenade/Fractured Folk Song
All I Want
Splash Mountain: How Do You Do/Ev'rybody Has a Laughing ...
Country Bear Vacation Hoedown: The Great Outdoors/Life's No Picnic ...
Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Winnie the Pooh/A Rather ...

Tracks:

Battle Cry of Freedom
Cowboy Needs a Horse
Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland and the Rainbow Caverns
All Aboard the Mine Train
Golden Horseshoe Revue: Hello Everybody/A Lady Has to Mind Her PS ...
Columbia Sailing Ship
When You Wish Upon a Star
Once Upon a Dream
Fantasyland Dark Ride Suite: Little Wooden Head/Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee ...
Matterhorn Yodelers

Tracks:

It's a Small World
Sound of Toons
Steamboat Willie
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
20, 000 Leagues Under the Sea Medley: Main Title/Whale of a Tale
America the Beautiful
Monorail Song
Adventure Thru Inner Space
Miracles from Molecules
Star Tours
Carousel of Progress: There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Progressland: There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

Tracks:

Nation on Wheels
Flight to the Moon
America Sings: Yankee Doodle/I Dream of Jeannie with the Light ...
Submarine Voyage Thru Liquid Space
Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Space Mountain
Remember Dreams Come True: Wishes Fanfare and Theme/When You Wish Upon
Closing: Mickey Mouse Alma Mater

Tracks:

Country Bear Christmas Special: Rudolph the Red-Nosed ...
It's a Small World Holiday: Jingle Bells/It's a Small World/Deck ...
Haunted Mansion Holiday /Graveyard Finale/Hitchh ... [Premiere Edition/
Main Street Electrical Parade: Electric Fanfare/Fanfare of ...
Fantasmic!: Main Themes, Pts. 1-2/Kaa and the Monkeys ...

Customer Reviews:

Memories That I wish I had.......2007-05-27

I wasn't able to visit Disneyland until I was older. But I was always looking for shows and articles about Disney. Reading about the attractions and events happening in California.

This set of the sounds of those days are as entertaining as the first trip to Disneyland.

Disneyland Memoirs.......2007-05-24

It's like actually being on the rides themselves. Some old, all the new. Even ones I didn't think I would remember. Love It.

Disneyland is my kind of place.......2007-03-30

I went to Disneyland's opening day back when I was 3 years old, and I have many childhood memories of the park...running out of "E" tickets, quick. Not being able to afford any food or drink. Lines around the Matterhorn that seemed to stretch into infinity. Nightmares from those three rides on the first day of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride", because I thought I was dead. But also many pleasant ones as well. Mainstreet. Mr. Disney, in person, giving the opening day speech. Those Sunday night television shows. The fireworks, the parades, the quartets, music groups popping up out of the ground. But Disneyland was mostly about the rides, and the music here certainly triggers those memories. At 54, I have a year-round pass, and go at least once a month, with my wife. When I'm not there, many days, I listen to this music. I close my eyes, and I'm back on mainstreet, where I belong.

Disney memories.......2007-02-22

Since my wife and I grew upv with Disney Memories were abound with the playback of these cd's excellent quality recordings

GREAT for DISNEY FANS!!!.......2007-01-27

If you want the original soundtrack from the attractions and never get tired of listening Disney songs, this is the most complete Park CD. The best of it, the tracks have the whole songs. I went to Disneyland last December and saw the "Special Christmas" versions for It's a Small World and Haunted Mansion, and it's like the recordings on CD 6. It's experiencing the park every time you listen to the songs in a Deluxe box. BTW, Amazon has the best price I could find.

Average customer rating:

Slightly better than the CD-only version, but still a disappointing cash-in

The Best of A Musical History (CD/DVD)
The Band
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Canada | North America | International | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

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Preludes

ASIN: B000NA233Y
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Who Do You Love? Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
He Don't Love You (And He'll Break Your Heart) Levon & The Hawks
Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? [single version] Bob Dylan (with The Hawks)
Ain't No More Cane On The Brazos
The Weight
Orange Juice Blues (Blues For Breakfast)
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
All La Glory [early version]
Stage Fright
I Shall Be Released
4% Pantomime
Don't Do It
Life Is A Carnival
Slippin' & Slidin' [live]
Endless Highway
Share Your Love With Me
Forever Young Bob Dylan (with The Band)
Twilight [song sketch]
Home Cookin'

Tracks:

Jam/King Harvest (Has Surely Come) [rec. 1970, Robbie's Studio, Woodstock, NY]
Long Black Veil [live 7/5/70, the Festival Express Train Tour, Calgary, Canada]
Rockin' Chair [live 7/5/70, the Festival Express Train Tour, Calgary, Canada]
Don't Do It [live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music NYC]
Hard Times (The Slop)/Just Another Whistle Stop (live 9/14/74, Wembley Stadium, London)

Album Description

Limited Edition CD/DVD version of gems from The Band box set - A Musical History. (Single CD version also available.)

Customer Reviews:

Slightly better than the CD-only version, but still a disappointing cash-in.......2007-05-03

As a big fan of The Band, I decided to save up my money and purchase the A Musical History box set, and was for the most part very happy with my purchase--it's got a great photo-filled book, disc one is almost entirely made up of early, unreleased Hawks tracks, there's a DVD with some rare performances, and the rest of the set is full of great unreleased and live treasures alongside an anthology of music that spans The Band's career through The Last Waltz--in a way A Musical History is both a greatest hits AND a rarities collection, but a relatively expensive one. Since the box set had so many great extras, it was worth it to me (a big fan) to re-purchase all of the standard album tracks I already had that came along with the set. This CD/DVD combo, The Best of A Musical History, is a one-disc collection drawn from the box set combined with the complete DVD from the box set. Unfortunately, though it's less expensive, it accomplishes neither the task of being a good 'greatest hits' album nor the task of being a good collection of rarities (though the DVD does add to the merits of it being a better collection of rarities). Although the music here is good, it's kind of a hodgepodge collection and I can't say I'd recommend it to anyone who's either interested in a one-disc 'best of' or a collection of rarities.

To start with, the box set's first disc is only represented by two songs, "Who Do You Love?" and "He Don't Love You." This is a shame, since that first disc is crammed with early Band tunes that fans have likely never heard. Conversely, these two rarities are good listens, but don't really qualify as "greatest hits" caliber songs. This CD also contains a number of the box set's other rare tracks, like the Dylan single "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?," the studio version of "Don't Do It," the live "Slippin' and Slidin'," and the excellent Rick Danko tune, "Home Cookin'." Aside from these rarities, though, this collection leaves out some of the box's greatest gems, like the stomping live versions of "Forbidden Fruit," and "Look Out Cleveland," the funky "Baby Lou," the superior live version of "Smoke Signal," or the great early Richard Manuel song, "Words and Numbers." Unfortunately, if you're looking for the rare and unreleased songs, this isn't the place to get a complete collection.

Since this disc attempts to place rare songs alongside some well-known songs, it ends up leaving out some of The Band's greatest hits. Sure, some of the usual suspects are there, like "The Weight," "Stage Fright," "Life is a Carnival," and "I Shall Be Released," but The Band's second album is sorely underrepresented (where's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," at the very least?). The rest of the disc is crammed with tracks that aren't greatest hits and aren't really that rare either--"Ain't No More Cane On the Brazos," "Forever Young," "Orange Juice Blues," "Endless Highway," and "Share Your Love With Me" are all good but minor songs that can all be found on albums that are worth buying in their own right (The Basement Tapes, Music From Big Pink, Moondog Matinee, etc.). If this disc is supposed to represent a collection of classic tunes, some of these really don't make the cut.

The DVD is great--a bunch of performances you've probably never seen (though you've heard the version of "King Harvest" as a bonus track on The Band-The Band), and if all you're looking for is a visual treat without the trappings of the expensive box set, this might be a good option for you (though it seems like they could have fit a few more performances on there).

To sum it up, I don't recommend buying this disc unless you're primarily interested in the DVD. If you're new to The Band and are looking for a 'greatest hits,' I'd buy their actual greatest hits album, which is a more complete and well-rounded collection of hits, or I'd recommend getting (at least) their first three albums, which are all classics and full of hits as well as strong non-hits in their original album form (they're pretty cheap too). If you're an old fan and are in the market for the rarities only, unfortunately there's no good option right now, unless all you want is a smattering of unreleased tracks and the DVD at a more affordable price. This disc is pretty pathetic on the unreleased side, so your only option for complete rarities is the expensive box set. If you're willing to shell out the cash, though, you might find that the color booklet, DVD, and wealth of unreleased material is worth the money. As it stands, this disc is basically just another example of the label and Robbie Robertson attempting to squeeze some more money out of loyal fans.

Average customer rating:

Unsatisfactory cash-in

The Best of A Musical History
The Band
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Canada | North America | International | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Music from Big Pink
The Band - Greatest Hits
Live In Dublin
The Best of A Musical History (CD/DVD)
The Last Waltz

ASIN: B000NA233O
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Who Do You Love? Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
He Don't Love You (And He'll Break Your Heart) Levon & The Hawks
Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? [single version] Bob Dylan (with The Hawks)
Ain't No More Cane On The Brazos
The Weight
Orange Juice Blues (Blues For Breakfast)
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
All La Glory [early version]
Stage Fright
I Shall Be Released
4% Pantomime
Don't Do It
Life Is A Carnival
Slippin' & Slidin' [live]
Endless Highway
Share Your Love With Me
Forever Young Bob Dylan (with The Band)
Twilight [song sketch]
Home Cookin'

Amazon.com

The Band (by Barry Feinstein)

More from The Band

Greatest Hits
The Band
Music from Big Pink

Rock of Ages
Stage Fright
The Last Waltz

Album Description

Single disc version of gems from The Band box set - A Musical History. (CD/Limited Edition DVD version also available.)

Customer Reviews:

Unsatisfactory cash-in.......2007-05-03

As a big fan of The Band, I decided to save up my money and purchase the A Musical History box set, and was for the most part very happy with my purchase--it's got a great photo-filled book, disc one is almost entirely made up of early, unreleased Hawks tracks, there's a DVD with some rare performances, and the rest of the set is full of great unreleased and live treasures alongside an anthology of music that spans The Band's career through The Last Waltz--in a way A Musical History is both a greatest hits AND a rarities collection, but a relatively expensive one. Since the box set had so many great extras, it was worth it to me (a big fan) to re-purchase all of the standard album tracks I already had that came along with the set. This CD, The Best of A Musical History, is a one-disc collection drawn from the box set. Unfortunately, though it's less expensive, it accomplishes neither the task of being a good 'greatest hits' album nor the task of being a good collection of rarities. Although the music here is good, it's kind of a hodgepodge collection and I can't say I'd recommend it to anyone who's either interested in a one-disc 'best of' or a collection of rarities.

To start with, the box set's first disc is only represented by two songs, "Who Do You Love?" and "He Don't Love You." This is a shame, since that first disc is crammed with early Band tunes that fans have likely never heard. Conversely, these two rarities are good listens, but don't really qualify as "greatest hits" caliber songs. This CD also contains a number of the box set's other rare tracks, like the Dylan single "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?," the studio version of "Don't Do It," the live "Slippin' and Slidin'," and the excellent Rick Danko tune, "Home Cookin'." Aside from these rarities, though, this collection leaves out some of the box's greatest gems, like the stomping live versions of "Forbidden Fruit," and "Look Out Cleveland," the funky "Baby Lou," the superior live version of "Smoke Signal," or the great early Richard Manuel song, "Words and Numbers." Unfortunately, if you're looking for the rare and unreleased songs, this isn't the place to get a complete collection.

Since this disc attempts to place rare songs alongside some well-known songs, it ends up leaving out some of The Band's greatest hits. Sure, some of the usual suspects are there, like "The Weight," "Stage Fright," "Life is a Carnival," and "I Shall Be Released," but The Band's second album is sorely underrepresented (where's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," at the very least?). The rest of the disc is crammed with tracks that aren't greatest hits and aren't really that rare either--"Ain't No More Cane On the Brazos," "Forever Young," "Orange Juice Blues," "Endless Highway," and "Share Your Love With Me" are all good but minor songs that can all be found on albums that are worth buying in their own right (The Basement Tapes, Music From Big Pink, Moondog Matinee, etc.). If this disc is supposed to represent a collection of classic tunes, some of these really don't make the cut.

To sum it up, I really don't recommend buying this disc. If you're new to The Band and are looking for a 'greatest hits,' I'd buy their actual greatest hits album, which is a more complete and well-rounded collection of hits, or I'd recommend getting (at least) their first three albums, which are all classics and full of hits as well as strong non-hits in their original album form (they're pretty cheap too). If you're an old fan and are in the market for the rarities only, unfortunately there's no good option right now. This disc is pretty pathetic on the unreleased side, so your only option is the expensive box set. If you're willing to shell out the cash, though, you might find that the color booklet, DVD, and wealth of unreleased material is worth the money. As it stands, this disc is just another example of the label and Robbie Robertson attempting to squeeze some more money out of loyal fans.

Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down (1985 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

Best Off Broadway Show

Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down (1985 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Jerry Colker
Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Broadway & Vocalists | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Romance Romance
Romance Romance (1988 Original Broadway Cast)
Role of a Lifetime
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110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B000005BGQ
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Tracks:

Overture-Promise Of Greatness
Angey Guy/Lovely Day
Don't Wanna Be No Superstar
Operator
Screaming Clocks (The Dummies Song)
The History Of Stand-Up Comedy
Dreams Of Heaven
Don't Wanna Be No Superstar (Reprise)
Kamikaze Kabaret
The American Dream
What A Ride
The 'Hello Fellas' TV Special World Tour
A Father Now
'Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down' Theme
Dreams Of Heaven (Reprise)
I Don't Believe In Heroes Anymore
Promise Of Greatness (Finale)

Customer Reviews:

Best Off Broadway Show.......2001-03-14

This show is a blast! It's a very funny story about some comics trying to make it in the big leagues. The music is so entertaining and the guys are hilarious. If you like comedy, you'll love Three Guys.

Average customer rating:

Kim Criswell Does Not Sing
Mesmerizing!
The great song composers and lyricists are presented
Should be twice as long

The History of the Musical

Manufacturer: Naxos Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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History of Theatre (Non Fiction)
The History of Classical Music (Non Fiction)
The History of Opera (Non Fiction)
Anything Goes (1988 Studio Cast) - Cole Porter
110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: 9626342277
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

Memory [From Cats] - Kim Criswell
Origins of the Musical - The Beggars Opera - Kim Criswell
Were I Laid on Greenland's Coast [The Beggars Opera] - Kim Criswell
Vaudevilles, Burlesques in Europe - Adolphe Adam - Kim Criswell
Oh Qu'il Etait Beau [Le Postillon de Longjumeau] - Helen Morgan
Opera-Bouffes in Paris - Hervnd Jacques Offenbach - Ann Brown, Eva Jessye Choir
Can Can [Orpheus in the Underworld] - Max Kaminsky's Orchesta, Lee Wiley
Andressager and Charles Lecoq - Brussels and Paris - The Drury Land Theatre Orchestra, Trefor Jones
Dispute [LA Fille de Madame Angot] - Walter Huston
Vienna - Franz Von Supp Kim Criswell
Overture [Die SchGalathee] - Alfred Walter
Vienna - Johann Strauss - Kim Criswell
Overture [Die Fledermaus] - Czecho-Slovak Rso (Bratislava), Johannes Wildner
England - Sir Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert - Kim Criswell
Moon and I [The Mikado, Act One] - Margaret Mitchell, New Promenade Orchestra
London - George Edwardes and the Gaity Theatre - Kim Criswell
And Her Golden Hair Was Hanging Down Her Back [The Shop Girl] - Seymour Hicks, Harry Jacobson
Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton - Kim Criswell
Girl With a Brogue [The Arcadians] - Kim Criswell
Sydney Jones - The Geisha - Victor Light Opera Company
Amorous Goldfish [The Geisha] - Kim Criswell
Edward German - Complete's Sullivan's Last Opera and Writes Merrie ... - Dan Jones
Dan Cupid Hath a Garden [Merrie England] - Kim Criswell
USA and London - Ivan Caryll and Gustave Kerker - Columbia Light Opera Company
Teach Me How to Kiss [The Belle of New York] - Kim Criswell
Vaudeville - George M. Cohan
Give My Regards to Broadway [Little Johnny Jones S] - Kim Criswell
USA - Victor Herbert - Dorothy Kirsten, Felix Knight, Victor First Nighter Orchestra And Chorus
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life (Naughty Marietta) - Lyric Theatre Orchestra Hammersmith, Sylvia Nelis, Frederick Ranslow
Viennese Operetta - Franz Leh- Hungarian Operetta Orchestra, Ingid Kertesi,
Vilja [The Merry Widow] - Kim Criswell
USA- Sigmund Romberg - Helenia Marshall, Milton Watson
Will You Remember [Maytime] - Kim Criswell
London - Chu Chin Chow by Frederic Norton: 2, 235 Performances - Jamieson Dodds
Cobbler's Song [Chu Chin Chow] - Kim Criswell
USA - The End of World War I and the Jazz Age - Vaughn DeLeath
I'm Just Wild About Harry [Shuffle Along] - Kim Criswell
USA - Vincent Youmans - Seymour Beard, Binnie Hale, Palace Theatre Orchestra
Tea for Two [No No Nanette] - Kim Criswell
Broadway - Rudolf Friml - Victor Light Opera Company
Indian Love Call (Rose Marie) - Kim Criswell
USA - George Gershwin: Lady Be Good (1924), The Song of the Flame ... - Victor Light Opera Company
Cossack Love Song [The Song of the Flame] - Kim Criswell
USA - American Operetta and Musical Comedies: Gershwin, Friml, ... - Julia Sanderson
They Didn't Believe Me [The Girl from Utah] - Kim Criswell
USA - Jerome Kern and Show Boat - The Drury Land Theatre Orchestra, Howlett Worster
Make Believe [From Show Boat] - Kim Criswell
Why Was Show Boat So Different? - Paul Robeson, Paul Whiteman Orchestra
Ol' Man River [From Show Boat] - Maurice Capitaine, De L'Opera Comique

Tracks:

Bill [From Show Boat] - Kim Criswell
Hollywood and Film Musicals - Frank Parker, Victor Mixed Chorus
Softly as in a Morning Sunrise (The New Moon) - Kim Criswell
Dance Spectaculars - Busby Berkeley; George Gershwin and the ... - Jane Froman, Victor Salon Group
Man I Love (Lady Be Good) - Kim Criswell
George Gershwin: Strike Up the Band & Girl Crazy - Julia Shore
I Got Rhythm [From Girl Crazy] - Kim Criswell
George Gershwin: Of Thee I Sing - Abe Lyman & His Californians, Dick Robertson
Love Is Sweeping the Country [Of Thee I Sing] - Kim Criswell
George Gershwin: Porgy and Bess - Kim Criswell
Summertime [From Porgy and Bess] - Kim Criswell
USA - Cole Porter - Bunny's Music Berigan, Lee Wiley
Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) - Kim Criswell
Cole Porter - Anything Goes - Louise Gold
I Get a Kick Out of You [From Anything Goes] - Kim Criswell
USA - Marc Blitzstein and the Cradle Will Rock - Marc Blitzstein, Peggy Coudray, Edward Fuller, Jules Schmidt
Art for Art's Sake [The Cradle Will Rock] - Kim Criswell
USA - Irving Berlin - Leo Reisman & His Orchestra, Clifton Webb
Easter Parade [As Thousands Cheer] - Kim Criswell
USA - Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart - Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Johannes Wildner
Here in My Arms [DeArest Enemy] - Kim Criswell
Rodgers and Hart: Songs - Ruth Etting
Ten Cents a Dance [Simple Simon] - Kim Criswell
Rodgers and Hart: Babes in Arms - Ray Heatherton
Lady Is a Tramp [From Babes in Arms] - Kim Criswell
Europe - Franz Lehand Richard Tauber - Richard Tauber
You Are My Heart's Delight [The Land of Smiles] - Kim Criswell
England - Noel Coward - Georges Metaxa, Peggy Wood
I'll See You Again [Bitter Sweet] - Kim Criswell
England - Ivor Novello - Kim Criswell
Shine Through My Dreams [Glamorous Night] - Kim Criswell
England - Vivian Ellis - Binnie Hale, Al Starita
Spread a Little Happiness [Mr Cinders] - Kim Criswell
England - Cole Porter - Gertrude Lawrence
How Could We Be Wrong? [Nymph Errant] - Kim Criswell
Berlin - Im Weissen Rossl (The White Horse Inn) - Columbia Light Opera Company
Your Eyes [The White Horse Inn] - Kim Criswell
Hitler's Germany: Jewish Composers, Including Kurt Weill, Leave - Kurt Gerron, Lewis Ruth Band
Moritat (Mack the Knife) [The Threepenny Opera] - Kim Criswell
USA - Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya in New York, 1935
September Song [Knickerbocker Holiday] - Kim Criswell
England - Noel Gay: Me and My Girl 1937 - Lupino Lane, Teddie St. Denis
Lambeth Walk [Me and My Girl][Live] - Kim Criswell
Europe - War. Ivor Novello: The Dancing Years - The Drury Land Theatre Orchestra, Mary Ellis
I Can Give You the Starlight [The Dancing Years] - Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians, Jane Wilson

Tracks:

Falling in Love With Love [The Boys from Syracuse] - Kim Criswell
USA - Escapist Musicals - Dubarry Was a Lady, Cabin in the Sky (Vernon - Max Meth & His Orchestra, Ethel Waters
Taking a Chance on Love [Cabin in the Sky] - Kim Criswell
Rodgers and Hart: Pal Joey - Beverly Fite, Harold Lang
I Could Write a Book [Pal Joey]
USA - Weill and Gershwin: Lady in the Dark - Kim Criswell
My Ship [Lady in the Dark] - Gertrude Lawrence
USA - Kurt Weill Teams Up With Ogden Nash for One Touch of Venus - Kim Criswell
West Wind (One Touch of Venus) - Kenny Baker, One Touch Of Venus Orchestra And Chorus
USA - Rodgers and Hammerstein: Oklahoma! - Kim Criswell
People Will Say We're in Love [From Oklahoma!] - John Diedrich, Rosamund Shelley
USA - Rodgers and Hammerstein: Carousel - Kim Criswell
What's the Use of Wonderin' [From Carousel] - Iva Withers
USA - Leonard Bernstein - Kim Criswell
Lonely Town [On the Town] - On The Town Orchestra, Victor Chorale
USA - Irving Berlin: Annie Get Your Gun - Kim Criswell
Anything You Can Do [From Annie Get Your Gun] - Mark Adams, Caroline O'Connor
USA - Forrester and Wright...and Grieg - Kim Criswell
Strange Music [Song of Norway] - Valerie Masterson, Donald Maxwell
And This Is My Beloved [From Kismet] - Valerie Masterson, Donald Maxwell, David Rendall, Richard Van Allan
My Heart and I [Old Chelsea] - Richard Tauber
England - Ivor Novell: Perchance to Dream - Kim Criswell
We'll Gather Lilacs [Perchance to Dream] - Oliver Gilbert
England - Vivian Ellis: Bless the Bride - Kim Criswell
USA - Cole Porter: Kiss Me Kate - Kim Criswell
Brush Up Your Shakespeare [Kiss Me, Kate!] - Brian Greene, Matt Zimmerman, Matt Zimmerman
USA - Rodgers and Hammerstein: South Pacific - Kim Criswell
Some Enchanted Evening [From South Pacific] - Thomas Allen
USA - Lerner and Loewe: Brigadoon - Kim Criswell
Heather on the Hill [From Brigadoon] - Ethan Freeman, Janis Kelly
USA - Lerner and Loewe: Paint Your Wagon - Kim Criswell
They Call the Wind Maria [From Paint Your Wagon] - Ron Raines
USA - Lerner and Loewe: My Fair Lady - Kim Criswell
I Could Have Danced All Night [From My Fair Lady] - Tinuke Olafimihan
England - Julie Andrews; Sandy Wilson/The Boyfriend - Kim Criswell
I Could Be Happy With You [The Boyfriend] - Simon Green, Jane Wellman
England - Julian Slade: Salad Days - Kim Criswell
We Said We Wouldn't Look Back [Salad Days] - Adam Bareham, Christina Matthews
USA - Frank Loesser: Guys and Dolls - Kim Criswell
Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat [From Guys and Dolls] - Don Stephenson
USA - Anna and the King of Siam - Kim Criswell
Shall We Dance? [From The King and I] - Christopher Lee, Valerie Masterson
USA - The Film Musical - Kim Criswell
Singin' in the Rain [From Singin' in the Rain] - Michael Gruber
More Films - Kim Criswell
USA - A New Generation: Richard Adler and Jerry Ross - Kim Criswell
Hey There [The Pajama Game] - Ron Raines
USA - Frank Loesser: The Most Happy Feller - Kim Criswell
Mamma, Mamma [The Most Happy Fella] - Louis Quilico
USA - Something's Coming/Overture West Side Story [From West Side Story - Kim Criswell, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra

Tracks:

America [From West Side Story] - Nick Farranti, Caroline O'Connor
I Am Easily Assimilated [Candide] - Ann Howard
USA - Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story - Kim Criswell
Maria [From West Side Story] - Paul Manuel
USA - Rodgers and Hammerstein's Final Musical - Kim Criswell
Do-Re-Me [The Sound of Music] - Shona Lindsay
England - Lionel Bart: Fings Ain't What They Used to Be/Oliver - Kim Criswell
Reviewing the Situation [From Oliver!] - Julian Forsyth
England - The Demise of Bart/Anthony Newley - Kim Criswell
What Kind of Fool Am I? [Stop the World I Want to Get Off] - Holloway/Gold/Yates
England - Cyril Ornadel/Wolf Mankowitz: Pickwick - Kim Criswell
If I Ruled the World [Pickwick] - Sir Harry Secombe
England - Musicals on Classical Themes - Kim Criswell
USA - Broadway: Early 1960s - Kim Criswell
If I Were a Rich Man [From Fiddler on the Roof] - Jerry Lanning
Hollywood: One of the Last Great MGM Musicals: Gigi - Kim Criswell
I Remember It Well [From "Gigi"] - Ron Moody, Sian Phillips
USA - Broadway: The Changing Styles of the 1960s - Kim Criswell
Mame [From Mame] - Jerry Lanning
USA - Off Broadway, A Sensation: The Fantasticks - Kim Criswell
Try to Remember [The Fantasticks] - John Barrowman
USA - The Musical Nobody Wanted - Kim Criswell
Impossible Dream [From Man of La Mancha] - Ron Raines
USA - Political Protest: A New Kind of Musical: John Kander and ... - Kim Criswell
Money Money [From Cabaret] - Maria Friedman, Jonathan Pryce
USA - Cy Coleman - Kim Criswell
Big Spender (Sweet Charity) - Josephine Blake, Shezwae Powell
USA - Sixties Flower Power - Kim Criswell
Aquarius [Hair] - Caroline O'Connor
USA - The Backward-Looking Rock Musical - Kim Criswell
Sweet Transvestite [The Rocky Horror Show] - Howard Samuels
USA - Stephen Sondheim - Kim Criswell
Company
Little Night Music - Sian Phillips
Send in the Clowns (A Little Night Music) - Kim Criswell
England - Andrew Lloyd Webber - Issy VanRandywyck
I Don't Know How to Love Him [From Jesus Christ Superstar] - Kim Criswell
England - Jeeves Followed by Evita - Grania Renihan
Another Suitcase, Another Hall [From Evita] - Kim Criswell
England - T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Cats - Kim Criswell
Memory [From Cats] - Kim Criswell
USA - Kander and Ebb: 1920s Jazz Flashback - Caroline O'Connor
All That Jazz [From Chicago] - Kim Criswell
USA - The Back-Stage Setting - Catherine Porter
What I Did for Love [From A Chorus Line] - Julia Sanderson
USA - A Show Re-Appears - Sarah French
Tomorrow [From Annie] - Kim Criswell
England - Lloyd Webber Spectaculars - Kim Criswell
USA - Stephen Sondheim - Len Cariou
Sweeney Todd - Kim Criswell
France - Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg
People Song [From Les Miserables] - Kim Criswell

Customer Reviews:

Kim Criswell Does Not Sing.......2007-05-19

This set is great for what it really is. One description says that there are dozens of vocals by Kim Criswell. She narrates an excellent history of the musical through the years BUT she sings ONE song. This is misleading to say the least.

Mesmerizing!.......2003-01-09

The greatest thing to come out since the Musical itself, Wonderful, educational, fantastic reproductions of the 19th century musicals!

The great song composers and lyricists are presented.......2002-01-06

Richard Fawkes' The History Of The Musical is a flawlessly recorded, 4 cassette, unabridged audiobook showcasing the development of the musical, from its origins in European light opera and operetta to its it's golden age in the American theater. The great song composers and lyricists are presented including Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Lloyd Webber, and Sondheim. The wonderfully narrated text by the award-winning Broadway singer Kim Criswell is enhanced with almost one hundred famous musical extracts. The History Of The Musical is a "must" for personal, academic, and community library music history and audiobook collections.

Should be twice as long.......2001-12-15

Surely there must be a medal somewhere out there for Naxos records and for author Richard Fawkes. After two superb sets of tapes and CDs titled "The History of Classical Music" and "The History of Opera," there is now available Mr. Fawkes' "The History of the Musical" (NA422712). Here we have singer/actress Kim Criswell narrating on 4 CDs or tapes just under 320 minutes of exactly what the title promises.

Starting with "The Beggar's Opera" of 1728, the history of the genre is traced up to the time of writing, meaning "Les Miserables." Along the way, we consider operetta, the English Music Hall, American vaudeville, the review, the book show, the familiar, the off-beat, the dead ends, the highly influential. And the London stage gets a good deal of attention also, thereby introducing a lot of material not very well known to those better versed in the American musical.

As with any good effort of this sort, a strong connection is drawn between the changing times and the changing concepts of what a musical should be. The importance of "Show Boat" is not glossed over, for example, nor is the other shock caused by "Pal Joey." The reliance of Lloyd Webber on staging is mentioned but not his lack of more than one fairly memorable melody per show. In general, the tone is upbeat and positive.

But this is a recording. While it could never include all the information found in a book, its dozens of recorded examples are what makes this set priceless. Where possible, the oldest "original cast" recordings are used. On the other hand, there are some strange exceptions such as "Hey there" from "Pajama Game" being sung not by John Raitt but by Ron Raines on the Jay recording. I suspect this is because Criswell is in the cast of that set.

1. Memory {Cats} - Kim Criswell
2. Origins of the Musical - The Beggars Opera - Kim Criswell
3. Were I Laid on Greenland's Coast {The Beggars Opera} - Kim Criswell
4. Vaudevilles, Burlesques in Europe - Adolphe Adam - Kim Criswell
5. Oh Qu'il Etait Beau {Le Postillon de Longjumeau} - Helen Morgan

1. Bill {Show Boat} - Kim Criswell
2. Hollywood and Film Musicals
3. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise {The New Moon} - Kim Criswell
4. Dance Spectaculars - Busby Berkeley; George Gershwin and the American S - Jane Froman, Victor Salon Group
5. Man I Love {Lady Be Good} - Kim Criswell

1. Falling in Love With Love {The Boys from Syracuse} - Kim Criswell
2. USA - Escapist Musicals - Dubarry Was a Lady, Cabin in the Sky (Vernon - Ethel Waters
3. Taking a Chance on Love {Cabin in the Sky} - Kim Criswell
4. Rodgers and Hart: Pal Joey - Beverly Fite, Harold Lang
5. I Could Write a Book {Pal Joey}

1. America {West Side Story} - Caroline O'Connor
2. I Am Easily Assimilated {Candide}
3. USA - Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story - Kim Criswell
4. Maria {West Side Story} - Paul Manuel
5. USA - Rodgers and Hammerstein's Final Musical - Kim Criswell

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