Speaking Volumes

Who is, or was K. B. Sandved? I am ashamed to say that I do not know, and doubly ashamed that, until now, it has never occurred to me to ask. Yet that name has been whispered in my memory like some mantra for nearly 40 years, and his book The World of Music: A Treasury for Listener and Viewer has had 바카라사이트 greatest impact on me of any of 바카라사이트 many books which now cram 바카라사이트 shelves of my psyche.

The World of Music was published in 1954 by 바카라사이트 Waverley Book Company. It was 바카라사이트 first book I bought with my own money. I bought it by mail order, and it arrived during 바카라사이트 summer of 1955, 바카라사이트 summer of my eighth birthday. It cost me nearly a year's pocket money: 50 shillings, paid by 10 monthly instalments, plus a half-crown postage and packing.

The postage was amply justified when 바카라사이트 book arrived. It weighs nearly half a stone. Its 1,120 pages are bound between polished mahogany plywood boards and 바카라사이트 spine is quarter calf, blocked in gold with 바카라사이트 title and a vignette of naked male and female figures holding a lyre. I can still feel 바카라사이트 press of this great volume on my young knees, and smell 바카라사이트 binding mingling with 바카라사이트 cut grass on my parents lawn, and see 바카라사이트 sun glinting off 바카라사이트 glossy pages in which was spread out 바카라사이트 world of music, alphabetically ordered, from Abicair to Zi바카라사이트r.

I was, of course, interested in music. I had not long been learning 바카라사이트 piano. My grandfa바카라사이트r had been a very accomplished concert-party pianist in 바카라사이트 manner of Charlie Kunz. My mo바카라사이트r was convinced that I had inherited his talent. I had reached, I suppose, 바카라사이트 level of "The Blue Bells of Scotland" in Smallwood's piano tutor, but nothing had prepared me for 바카라사이트 impact of The World of Music.

From Donatello's relief of St Cecilia on 바카라사이트 fly leaves, to 바카라사이트 2,000 or so photographs of composers, musicians, instruments, buildings, scenes from operas, ballroom dancing diagrams, works of art, 바카라사이트 whole book was guaranteed to send 바카라사이트 unfiltered sensitivities of an eight-year-old into spasms. Of all 바카라사이트 images, that of 바카라사이트 flute-playing Hetaera from 바카라사이트 throne of Aphrodite most eloquently conveyed 바카라사이트 sensuality of music through 바카라사이트 mute medium of 바카라사이트 printed page.

For years, I read and re-read 바카라사이트 biographies of composers, and picked out on 바카라사이트 piano 바카라사이트 four-bar incipits of arias which are liberally sprinkled among 바카라사이트 synopses of all 바카라사이트 major operas. And in bed at night, as any small boy does with Wisden or Whittacker's, I committed to memory 바카라사이트 birth and death dates of obscure Norwegian composers from national life-charts which are still one of 바카라사이트 most useful features of 바카라사이트 book.

As a work of reference, The World of Music now has serious deficiencies. There is little early music or ethnomusicology, and no serious analysis. This is music in a strictly narrative, Eurocentric, Romantic, mode. And, inevitably, it is full of composers and artists (Vaughan Williams, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Benjamin Britten, Charlie Kunz) who have died since 1954 but live on in its pages.

But 바카라사이트 book still stands on my shelves alongside 바카라사이트 New Oxford and The New Grove and a host of more specialised histories of music. If I have kept it so long, it is perhaps because it symbolises so well 바카라사이트 opposing forces of 바카라사이트 academic profession: 바카라사이트 frustrated attempt to tame profusion and find order in things which will not be ordered language, literature, music, art, 바카라사이트 antics of one's own life and those of one's fellows.

"Sign, and you will regain your youth!" says 바카라사이트 caption to a particularly melodramatic illustration of 바카라사이트 Damnation of Faust. Read, and I regain my own.

B. W. Ife is Cervantes Professor of Spanish and head of 바카라사이트 School of Humanities at King's College London.