The Philosophy of Modern Song is Bob Dylan’s first book of new writing since 2004’s Chronicles: Volume One — and since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.

Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers a masterclass on the art and craft of songwriting. He writes over 60 essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyses what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, br...

Franz Schubert (1797–1828) and his oeuvre are surrounded by an atmosphere of tragedy. During his lifetime he struggled with childhood trauma, lack of recognition, and syphilis, and he became truly appreciated as a composer only long after his death. His initial fame came mainly from his songs, though he himself longed for recognition of his instrumental music. This new Schubert biography, drawing extensively on 19th-century sources and the latest scholarship, relates how lack of recognition...

Few western musical repertories speak more to the imagination than the Requiem mass for the dead. The Book of Requiems presents in-depth essays on the most important works in this tradition, from the origins of the genre up to the present day. Each chapter is devoted to a specific Requiem, and offers both historical information and a detailed work-discussion. Conceived as a multi-volume essay collection by leading experts, The Book of Requiems is an authoritative reference publication intende...