Music in European Capitals: The Galant Style, 1720-1780

New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003. Appears unread. Fine condition. Flat spine. NO chips, tears, creases or fading. Square and tight. Sharp corners. NO owner's name or bookplate. NOT a remainder. NOT a library discard. Pages are fresh, crisp, clean and unmarked -- apparently seldom, if ever read. NO underlining. NO highlighting. NO margin notes Bound in the original gilt-stamped two tone boards (gray with maroon spine). From the publisher: " A glittering cultural tour of Europe's major capitals during a period of intense musical change. This volume continues the study of the eighteenth century begun in Haydn, Mozart, and the Viennese School 1740 - 1780 (1995) by focusing on the capital cities other than Vienna that were most important in the creation and diffusion of new music. It tells of events in Naples, where Vinci and Pergolesi went beyond their pre-1720 models to cultivate opera in a simpler, more direct manner, soon after christened the galant style. No less central was Venice, where Vivaldi perfected the concerto, on which were patterned the early symphonies and the newer kind of sonata. Dresden profited first from all these achievements and became, under Hasse's direction, the foremost center of Italian opera in Germany. Mannheim with its great orchestra did much to shape the modern symphony. A few years later, Paris became paramount, especially for its Opéra-Comique; during the 1770s the Opéra provided Gluck with a stage on which to cap his long international career. The book concludes with a description of Christian Bach in London, Paisiello in Saint Petersburg, and Boccherini in Madrid." This large, heavy book (3 pounds 12 ounces before packaging) may require SUBSTANTIAL extra postage for International shipments, but only the standard charge for priority or media mail.. First Printing of the First Edition. Oversize Hardcover (heavy). Fine condition/No dust jacket. Illus. by NOT a library discard. xxiv, 1,078 pages. Great Packaging, Fast Shipping.