(Vocal/instrumental group, 1987–present) Gwen Stefani (vocals), Tom Dumont (guitar), Tony Kanal (bass) and Adrian Young (drums) began life as a ska/punk band from California. Their eponymous debut album (1992) went against the grain of grunge and they were dropped by their label. Success followed after their self-financed Tragic Kingdom (1995) crashed into US charts on the back of the ‘Just ...
(An-twan’ Bün-wa’) c. 1435–92 French composer Busnoys was a younger contemporary of Ockeghem and worked alongside him in Tours in the early 1460s, when he may already have been serving the future Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy in an unofficial capacity. His association with the Burgundian court probably continued after Charles’s death in 1477, though evidence for this is ...
(Zhä-no’ de Les-koo-rel’) fl. early 14th century French poet and composer Very little is known about Jehannot de Lescurel; his works survive only in an appendix to the most important manuscript of the Roman de Fauvel. This constitutes a collection of some 32 monophonic songs, a polyphonic rondeau and two longer poems. The works are ordered alphabetically but the sequence ...
(A-dre-a’-no Ban-kya’-re) 1568–1634 Italian composer Banchieri is known for his books of music theory and for his contribution to a small, but fascinating repertory: the madrigal comedy. L’organo suonarino (‘The Sound of the Organ’, 1605), a handbook for church organists, is one of the earliest sources of practical advice for realizing a basso continuo. His madrigal comedies – collections of ...
(Kle’-menz nôn Pa’-pa) c. 1510–55 Franco-Flemish composer His given name was Jacob Clemens, and it is not known how he came to be called Clemens non Papa (one translation of ‘non papa’ is ‘not the pope’ – a rather unlikely mistake). He composed some works in his native Dutch, the best-known of which are the souterliedekens. These three-voice, ...
(Che-pre-a’-no da Ro’-ra) c. 1515–65 Franco-Flemish composer Rore spent much of his relatively short life in Italy, first in Ferrara and then in the brilliant musical circle around Willaert in Venice. Rore was cited by Monteverdi as a pioneer of the seconda pratica, and modern critics tend to emphasize the serious, intellectually rigorous side to his musical personality. But ...
(Jo-zef’-fo Tsâr-le’-no) 1517–90 Italian theorist and composer Zarlino’s early musical experience was in the circle around Willaert in Venice in the 1540s. He was maestro di cappella at St Mark’s, Venice, from 1565 until his death. In 1558 Zarlino published his Institutioni harmoniche, the first of a number of books that remain central to the canon of music theory. ...
Lee Ritenour (b. 1952) began his career as a session player at 16 and grew into an internationally respected guitarist, composer and producer. He has appeared on over 3,000 sessions and recorded 40 solo and collaboration albums. He had a worldwide hit with ‘Is It You’ in 1981. As for his guitar playing, his nickname, Captain Fingers ...
For 35 years Mike Oldfield (b. 1953) has created work that melds progressive rock, folk, world music, classical music, electronic music, new age and dance. He is best known for his hit 1973 album Tubular Bells, which provided a theme for the movie The Exorcist, broke new ground as an instrumental concept album, ...
From the unlikeliest of beginnings in the British new wave of the late 1970s, Dire Straits became one of the biggest bands of the 1980s, due in large part to Mark Knopfler’s finger-picking guitar style, which has continued to define the sound of his solo work. Born in Glasgow in 1949, Knopfler spent his teenage years in ...
One of rock’n’roll’s most influential guitarists, Eddie Cochran was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota in 1938. Eddie wanted to join the school band as a drummer, but opted for trombone when he was told that he would have to learn piano before being allowed to play drums. When advised that he didn’t have the ‘lip’ for trombone ...
As a guitarist and songwriter, Nuno Bettencourt draws from many styles and influences. Born in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores in 1966, Bettencourt grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he began playing drums, bass and keyboards, but ultimately chose guitar as his primary instrument, drawing heavy influence from Eddie Van Halen ...
As lead guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Cheap Trick, Rick Nielsen fired the band’s melting pot of pop melodies and punk energy. Nielsen also became a highly coveted session player in the 1970s. With his legendary guitar collection (numbering over 250) and a unique stage wardrobe featuring bow ties and baseball caps, Nielsen’s style made him ...
In his short life, California guitarist-mandolinist Clarence White (1944–73) conceived innovations that would inspire country and rock guitarists from both a stylistic and technical perspective long after his death. He brought bluegrass picking to the forefront of rock, turning acoustic guitar into a solo instrument. He developed a device for electric guitar that let traditional guitarists sound like pedal-steel ...
Britpop guitarist Noel Gallagher (b. 1967) was born in Manchester, England. He began teaching himself guitar at the age of 13, later adopting Johnny Marr as his role model. His other inspirations were primarily British guitar bands: the Kinks, the Who, Slade, the Jam and the Stone Roses. After unsuccessfully auditioning for the role of lead ...
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An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...
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Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and more. Flame Tree has been making encyclopaedias and guides about music for over 20 years. Now Flame Tree Pro brings together a huge canon of carefully curated information on genres, styles, artists and instruments. It's a perfect tool for study, and entertaining too, a great companion to our music books.
David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
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sweep of incredible photographs.