In Down the Up Staircase, Bruce D. Haynes and Syma Solovitch trace the social history of Harlem through the lens of one family across three generations, connecting their journey to the historical and social forces that transformed Harlem. This story is told against the backdrop of a crumbling three-story brownstone in Sugar Hill.
The oboe is an instrument with a long and rich history. In this book two distinguished oboist-musicologists trace that history from its beginnings to the 21st century, discussing how and why the oboe evolved, what music was written for it, and which players were prominent.
Exploring the evolution of musical pitch standards over four centuries, the book provides a practical guide for performers by linking frequency values to historical pitch names. It covers a timeline from the 16th century to the present, with a focus on regions such as Italy, France, Germany, and the Habsburg Lands. The text examines the interplay between instrument design and pitch changes, detailing the contexts in which various pitch levels were adopted and their significance in musical history.