Book Description

The Italians were so busy creating and performing superb music that they neglected to tell the great epic story of their wondrous achievement. With BRAVO! we hope to tell that story. The 1,000-year-old story begins, basically, with the work of a humble monk from the city of Arezzo. And this story has no ending. If, on one hand, we will never know the music of the Egyptians, of the Greeks, and of the Romans, on the other, we have come to know and to enjoy the music of every composer from the 12th Century to the Present day thanks to Guido's invention of the musical scale. As the story unfolds, we are rewarded with the many convincing superlatives forever tied to Italian musical endeavors. The first ten chapters deal with the Italian musical geniuses who theorized, made superb instruments, composed, performed, orchestrated, conducted and sang for the enjoyment of listeners worldwide, and the closing chapter gives a comprehensive look at the beautiful things that have happened in the Italian and American world of music. While each page of BRAVO! is full of surprising and fascinating details, the title reminds us that the term, BRAVO! is reserved only for topnotch performances. Book jacket.