All The Stops: The Glorious Pipe Organ And Its American Masters

Description

From the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, organ music was wildly popular in America. Organ builders could hardly fill the huge demand for both concert hall and home organs. Organ players developed cult followings and bitter rivalries. One movement arose to restore to American organs the tonal clarity and precision that instruments of the baroque period had, while another took electronic organs to rock concert halls, where younger listeners could be found. In his critically acclaimed book, New York Times journalist and editor - and passionate amateur organist - Craig Whitney brings the colorful history of the American pipe organ to life. Each book also contains a bonus CD with Whitney's witty and wise introduction to the magnificent mechanics and majestic music of the pipe organ. The result is a joyful celebration of a remarkable instrument that will delight organ buffs, music fans, and general readers alike.

Craig R. Whitney has worked as a reporter for the New York Times in New York, Saigon, Bonn, Moscow, Paris, and London. He has also served as European diplomatic correspondent, foreign editor, and Washington editor, and is currently an assistant managing editor of the Times. He is the author of Spy Trader. An amateur organist, Craig Whitney has played on and written about pipe organs around the world.

"Whitney's All The Stops is superb. From any perspective, musician or novice, this book is informative, well-written and downright fun." - New York Times Book Review"