University of Rochester

Rochester Review
January-February 2010
Vol. 72, No. 3

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Books

Amico: The Life of Giovanni Battista Viotti
By Warwick Lister ’63E (MM)
Oxford University Press, 2009

In the biography of one of the most influential violinists in music history, violinist Lister shows how Viotti rose from modest origins to renown throughout Europe for his roles as performer, teacher, and opera theater director. With documentation and sources never before translated into English, Lister considers Viotti’s technical genius and the reasons his style remains influential nearly two centuries after his death.

Portrait of a Castrato: Politics, Patronage, and Music in the Life of Atto Melani
By Roger Freitas
Cambridge University Press, 2009

In the biography of Melani, born in 17th-century Italy and castrated as a youth to preserve his singing voice, Freitas, an associate professor of musicology at the Eastman School, explores the social and political contexts of 17th-century music making.

A Long Bright Future: An Action Plan for a Lifetime of Happiness, Health, and Financial Security
By Laura L. Carstensen ’78
Random House, 2009

Carstensen, a professor of psychology and founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, offers an optimistic assessment of the implications of extended life expectancy. Pointing to research demonstrating the relative physical and psychological health of older people, Carstensen argues that an aging population presents opportunities for society as well as challenges.

Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards
Edited by William D. Schafer ’64, ’69W (EdD) and Robert W. Lissitz
Brookes, 2009

Schafer, an affiliated professor emeritus at the University of Maryland at College Park, coedits the book describing how states have responded to the challenge of building assessments of academic learning for the most severely cognitively challenged students.

The Genius of Money: Essays and Interviews Reimagining the Financial World
By John Bloom ’70
Steiner Books, 2009

Bloom, the director of organizational culture at RSF Social Finance in San Francisco, presents a collection of essays and interviews that explore the cultural history of money—the iconic power it has had and the meanings we have assigned to it.

Brian the Brave
By Sue and Dick Kievit ’76S (MBA)
Self-published, 2009

The Kievits coauthor a children’s story of a young warrior, Brian, who rescues a village from a fire-breathing dragon—by tickling, rather than slaying, the dragon.

Seasoning
By Elizabeth Kincaid-Ehlers ’78 (PhD)
Antrim House, 2009

Connecticut-based poet and psychotherapist Kincaid-Ehlers offers a collection of poems that reflect on the wisdom, or “seasoning,” that comes with age and the multifarious stages in women’s lives.

Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910
By Jeffrey H. Jackson ’99 (PhD)
Palgrave Macmillan, 2010

Jackson, an associate professor of history at Rhodes College, tells the story of the Great Flood of Paris as the disaster’s 100th anniversary is remembered. Jackson argues that a traditionally divided citizenry forged new and durable alliances in improvising responses to the catastrophe.

Start with the Trouble
By Daniel Donaghy ’06 (PhD)
University of Arkansas, 2009

In the collection of poems, Donaghy pays tribute to the complex and tragic figures that surrounded him during his youth in the impoverished and crime-ridden Kensington section of Philadelphia.

The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics and Physics
By Steven E. Landsburg
Free Press, 2009

Rochester professor of economics Landsburg applies concepts from mathematics, economics, and physics to address some perennial philosophical questions—What is real? And what can we know?—as a way to illustrate the relationship between “big questions” and everyday life.

A History of Music Education in the United States
By James A. Keene ’54E
Glenbridge, 2009

The second edition of the book by Keene spans from colonial times to the recent past, tracing the rise of music education as a profession and the efforts of educators to adapt to changing assumptions about the role of music in society.

Doubting the Devout: The Ultra-Orthodox in the Jewish American Imagination
By Nora Rubel
Columbia University Press, 2009

Rubel, an assistant professor of religion and classics at Rochester, examines the growing body of literature, media, and film that explores tensions within the American Jewish community, with special attention to the depictions of Orthodox Jews by non-Orthodox writers.

Reminiscences of an American Composer and Pianist
By George Walker ’56E (DMA)
Scarecrow Press, 2009

Walker reflects on his own life and works as a notable and prolific 20th-century composer. The first African American to earn a doctorate from the Eastman School, Walker became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1996 and the first living composer to be inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

Relativity and Quantum Physics for Beginners
By Steven L. Manly
For Beginners, 2009

Manly, a professor of physics at Rochester, provides an overview of the concepts of relativity and quantum physics accessible to non-scientists. The book challenges basic assumptions about the universe that have been derived from human experience.

John Galsworthy and Disabled Soldiers of the Great War
By Jeff Reznick ’92
Manchester, 2009

The book by Reznick explores the works of the English novelist Galsworthy on disability and rehabilitative medicine in the aftermath of World War I. Reznick is the deputy chief of the history of medicine division of the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.

The Jazz Fiction Anthology
Edited by David Rife and Sascha Feinstein ’85
Indiana, 2009

Feinstein, an associate professor of English at Lycoming College, coedits a collection of jazz fiction from the 1920s to the present, demonstrating the influence of jazz on prose style and other literary elements. The book includes works by Eudora Welty, James Baldwin, Richard Yates, Amiri Baraka, and others.

No Time to Teach: The Essence of Patient and Family Education for Health Care Providers
By Fran London ’86N, ’90N (MS)
Pritchett & Hull, 2009

London, a health education specialist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, shows health care providers how to apply the latest research to educate patients and families both effectively and efficiently.

Serving Their Country: American Indian Politics and Patriotism in the Twentieth Century
By Paul C. Rosier ’98 (PhD)
Harvard, 2009

Rosier, an associate professor of history at Villanova University, explores how American Indians, who sought the dual identity of Americans and Indians, defined democracy, citizenship, and patriotism in the 20th century.

How to Create Irresistible Offers
By Robert W. Bly ’79
AWAI, 2009

Copyrighting and marketing consultant Bly offers advice to businesses on how to make sales promotions more effective in generating leads, offers, and sales.

Recordings

Romantic Music for Piano Four Hands
By Elizabeth Bankhead Buccheri ’79E (DMA)
Cedille Records, 2009

Buccheri and fellow pianist Richard Boldrey perform selections by Edvard Grieg, Georges Onslow, Max Reger, and Richard Wagner.

Beautiful Sounds: The Songs of Petula Clark
By Moira Danis ’80E
Self-produced, 2009

The soprano performs a collection of songs first recorded by Petula Clark, including classics such as “Downtown” as well as rare selections.

Plural Non-Possessive
By The Doctors Fox
Self-produced, 2009

The debut by the Boston-based foursome including David Ladon ’06, Jon Dashkoff ’06, and Ryan Aylward ’04 features experimental pop in a mix of rock, funk, jazz, klezmer, and other genres.

The Merel Quartet
By The Merel Quartet
Telos Music Records, 2009

The quartet including first violinist Mary Ellen Woodside ’86E performs works by Robert Schumann, Leoš Janácek, and contemporary Swiss composer David Philip Hefti.

Books & Recordings is a compilation of recent work by University alumni, faculty, and staff. For inclusion in an upcoming issue, send the work’s title, publisher information, author, and author’s class year, along with a brief description, to Books & Recordings, Rochester Review, 22 Wallis Hall, P.O. Box 270044, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0044; or by e-mail to rochrev@rochester.edu.