Reference

The development of the piano, together with changes in culture and society, led to the transformation of song into a major musical genre. This study of the great lieder of 19th-century composers Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Hugo Wolf also includes lesser-known composers, such as Louis Spohr and Robert Franz, plus significant contributions from women composers and performers.

In 65 perceptive pieces, including some of the work that earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1997, Page offers what he calls a collection of illumined moments, now gathered in a single volume for the wider audience who will treasure their insights.

Mr. Caine gives you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to rob him blind! The man who's hypnotized the camera lenses for a quarter of a century reveals the most closely guarded secrets on script preparation. working with the director, forming a character, voice, sound, and movement. Pearl by pearl he lays out the Caine wisdom on everything from set politics to set decorum, the film bureaucracy and more! A treasure ... I'm not going to look at performances quite the same way ... A grand entertainment with more drama than most movies ... He's a marvelous teacher ... A real clear-cut lesson that every critic should see and everbody who goes to the movies should see... - Gene Siskel, Siskel & Ebert I watched the video and had my doubts ... I thought a lot of what he said was horseshit, but halfway through the movie I thought: The son of a bitch is right! -Howard Stern

The acclaimed series has a new editor. Applause is proud to continue the series that for over 60 years has been the standard of excellence for one-act plays in America. Our new editor, Barbara Parisi, has selected the following 14 plays: Crazy Eights by David Lindsay-Abaire; He Came Home One Day While I Was Washing Dishes by K. Biadaszkiewicz; Fin & Euba by Audrey Cefaly; I'll Do it Tomorrow by Michael Roderick; Arkadelphia by Samuel Brett Williams; Reading List by Susan Miller; Such a Beautiful Voice Is Sayeda's and Karima's City by Yussef El Guindi; Charlie Blake's Boat by Graeme Gillis; The News by Billy Aronson; Heights by Amy Fox; The Devil Is in the Details by Jill Elaine Hughes; Letty on a Bench by Jolene Goldenthal; and Erros-Love Is Deaf by Cherie Vogelstein.

For almost four hundred years, black Americans have been entertaining the masses through humor. Here is the only up to date book to examine this genre. This book traces the history and evolution through the 121 interviews conducted with some of the top African-American comedians in the world. Fables and myths are clarified, facts unraveled, and good times are nonstop as the makers of comedy history put that history in their own words. They not only share their appreciation of the established icons, but tip their hats to many of the unsung heroes as well. Those interviewed include: Dick Gregory, Eddie Murphy, Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps, Bernie Mac, Nick Cannon, Damon Wayans, Eddie Griffin, Arsenio Hall, Rudy Ray Moore, Chris Rock, Sinbad, Marla Gibbs, Thea Vidale, Robert Townsend, Timmie Rogers, Franklyn Ajaye, and John Witherspoon.

Screen World editor Barry Monush tells the reader why his top film selections stood out among all the others released between 1965 and 1969. The text is accompanied by illustrations of movie ads, tie-in book covers, soundtrack albums, sheet music, and other oddities.

Noted film biographer Charlotte Chandler interviewed Bette Davis extensively in the last decade of her life, resulting in a biography in which the great actress speaks for herself. Chandler also spoke with directors, actors, and others who knew and worked with Davis, and includes brief synopses of all of her theatrical films. Here are some more examples of Bette's wit to be found within these pages: I'm the one who didn't get the man, which is the more interesting character on the screen, but in real life sometimes I wish I could just have been the girl who got the man, and kept him. I got four husbands and several lovers, but I didn't keep any of them. I was invited to the White House, but no man stayed to share my white cottage. My favorite actor with whom I never played, professionally or personally, was Laurence Olivier. I admired everything about him. He was a great actor, and he was my dream man. Literally and figuratively. Larry was my fantasy lover, the perfect man, or at least I thought he would be. He was not only beautiful, but intelligent.

Here is the first major survey of Broadway musical theatre stars, telling the life stories of 40 stage luminaries from Al Jolson, Fanny Brice and Gwen Verdon, to Nathan Lane, Patti Lupone and Audra McDonald. Author Robert Viagas describes each star's most important stage roles as well as the triumphant, tragic, inspiring, and cautionary tales of how they achieved - and maintained - their status as top Broadway stars.