Book

Whitney, Craig R. All the stops: the glorious pipe organ and its American masters. PublicAffairs, 2003. $30.00.

Choice:clear and engaging...should be required reading for anyone studying the instrument...blends solid scholarship, personal experience, and an intense interest to verify stories and dispel myths, especially those of the colorful Fox. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All music collections." Publishers Weekly: “lively history…Whitney admits that many important American organ builders and performers are left out of his history. But by concentrating on a few outstanding personalities and the organs they built or played on, he presents an engrossing story that should help fuel the resurgence of interest in the organ in this country.” Library Journal: “The author, never at a loss for a superlative, presents his narrative in an engaging manner, sprinkling the historical commentaries with enough candid anecdotes to delight the hearts of even the most devoted and knowledgeable organ buff. A thoroughly enjoyable as well as an enjoyably thorough survey, this may well be the first book to associate organ building with the lives of its most famous performers. Highly recommended for organ specialists and music fans alike.” Kirkus: “a joyful and well-versed celebration…a well-tempered song of praise.” Choir and Organ: “narrative fluency and verbal ease…he blames declining interest in the organ on increasing historical specialization…one wonders if the blame he assigns fits well…As a celebration of American organ culture, the book will gratify and inform in ample measure.”