The Robert Shaw Reader

I'm working my way through Robert Blocker's book "The Robert Shaw Reader."

Although I'm just in the early stages, I'm finding it an outstanding collection of wisdom from one of the great leaders in American choral music. The book purports to be "the book Shaw would have written himself."

From my reading of the early chapters, that's exactly what it is: Robert Shaw's words to his choirs about a variety of subjects.

Published by Yale Press, it carries this description:

The letters are an invigorating mix of music history and analysis , philosophy, inspiration, and practical advice. Shaw examines technique, but only as a means to an end—he moves beyond that, delving into the essence of what music is and what it has to say to us. The heart of the book is composed of Shaw’s previously unpublished notes on fifteen major choral works, ranging from Bach’s B Minor Mass to Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms.

It looks to be an excellent resource for choral directors. It has a copyright of 2004 but I just found it at the recent NCCO convention . . . I'll comment more on the book as I work my way through it.