Publications
The New Oxford Book of Carols
Oxford University Press 1992.
ISBN: 0-19-353323-5 (hardback)
ed Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott
www.oup.co.uk www.oup-usa.org www.oupcan.com
The most comprehensive carol anthology in existence, this is a compendium of material from the Middle Ages to the present day that is breathtaking in its historical and geographical scope. With over 300 settings of carols for the Christmas season with a wealth of new material from previously neglected repertoires, NOBC takes a fresh look at the carol in the light of current scholarship.
a supertanker among carol-books Richard Morrison (The Times)
a wonderful fireside book to dip into at Christmas…an excellent resource which should be used widely by musicians in schools, churches, amateur choirs and bands. (Musical Times)
It would make a wonderful present…I recommend it with my own best wishes for Christmas. Anthony Burgess (Observer)
The New Oxford Book of Carols is the most comprehensive, scrupulously edited and informative book of its kind in the history of publishing. (Washington Post)
an invaluable reference work of impeccable scholarship…worth every penny of its purchase price…It dispels myths, completes half-remembered extracts, traces ancestries and establishes connections both within and beyond the carol repertoire. (Plainsong and Medieval Music)
will be welcomed by all who are involved in planning music for services and concerts at Christmas. It will enable them to enlarge their repertoire, and to perform many well-known pieces from scholarly editions. The wealth of background material is astonishing. Stephen Cleobury, King’s College, Cambridge
carols are at the root of our musical life; this volume will be an indispensable companion for all who sing them. It is astonishingly wide-ranging… the footnotes and comments alone provide a wealth of fascinating detail and background. It will surely become a classic.Nicholas Kenyon, Controller, BBC Radio 3
The Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols
Oxford University Press 1993.
ISBN: 0-19-353327-8 (hardback)
ISBN: 0-19-353324-3 (paperback)
ed Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott
www.oup.co.uk www.oup-usa.org www.oupcan.com
An anthology of 122 carols in 173 settings, selected from the New Oxford Book of Carols and including concise notes on historical background and performance for each item. The collection offers a carefully chosen mixture of popular and unknown material, in straightforward settings designed for the widest possible use.
an excellent resource which should be used widely by musicians in schools, churches, amateur choirs and bands John Harper, ‘Church and Organ’.
The Essential Bach Choir
Boydell & Brewer, 2000.
ISBN: 0-85115-786-6 (paperback)
Andrew Parrott.
Seeking to understand the very medium of Bach’s incomparable choral output, Andrew Parrott investigates a wide range of sources: Bach’s own writings, and the scores and parts he used in performance, but also a variety of theoretical, pictorial and archival documents, together with the musical testimony of the composer’s forerunners and contemporaries. Many of the findings shed a surprising, even disturbing light on conventions we have long taken for granted.
utterly fascinating and ultimately convincing (Gramophone)
As presented so fully, the single-voice case seems pretty conclusive. (Independent)
stimulating, thought-provoking and meticulously researched (BBC Music Magazine)
a pleasure to read, fluently written and clearly set out (Early Music Review)
a brilliant piece of research…a superb book – and it’s going to lead us all to think more carefully about how we approach the performance of Bach. David Hill, BBC Radio 3
There can be few musicological questions more pressing…[Parrott] adds the evidence of his own exhaustive research to present a strong and fascinating case. (The New York Times)
I was gripped by this book; it is compulsive reading. if you profess the faith of Bach you simply cannot afford to be without it. (Classical Music)
This book is timely…anyone interested in Bach’s music will need to read [it]…a mass of fascinating detail about contemporary performing practice. (Early Music)
Andrew Parrott, one of the most eloquent of Rifkinsmen on page and stage, has made a dignified contribution to the debate… a document which will itself no doubt be a subject of study in years to come. (Times Literary Supplement)
An eagerly awaited book…[on a] truly revolutionary idea… highly recommended for anyone interested in Bach’s vocal works. (The Musical Times)
a book which consolidates, reinforces and on occasion extends Rifkin’s theses … It is recommended to all those who wish to form their own impression of the state of the controversy surrounding Bach’s choir. (Die Musikforschung)
Bachs Chor: Zum neuen Verständnis
Metzler Verlag,
ISBN 3-476-01860-1, 2003
Andrew Parrott