{"product_id":"a-ballad-maker-the-life-and-solo-songs-of-c-armstrong-gibbs-ro-hancock-child","title":"A Ballad-Maker: The Life and Solo Songs of C. Armstrong Gibbs, Ro Hancock-Child","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Ballad-Maker: The Life and Solo Songs of C. Armstrong Gibbs, Ro Hancock-Child — First Edition\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, Thames Publishing, 1993\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. 92.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Near Fine. The book remains in exceptionally bright and tight condition. The original green and brown card wraps are clean and vibrant, showing only the most negligible shelf-wear to the extremities. The spine is square and entirely uncreased, suggesting the volume has been handled with great care and likely never been fully opened or read. Internally, the text block is firm and the pages remain remarkably crisp, bright, and free from any foxing, tearing, or previous ownership markings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e First edition softcover original. The text features a central section of photographic illustrations. This copy is notably enhanced by the inclusion of two pieces of loosely inserted ephemera related to the composer: a short biographical booklet titled \u003ci\u003eLife of C. Armstrong Gibbs\u003c\/i\u003e, and an original order of service from The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Danbury, for a commemorative Evensong service celebrating the life and work of Armstrong Gibbs, dated Sunday 9th April 2000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe presence of these supplementary materials provides an additional layer of provenance and research value for the musicologist or collector of twentieth-century English pastoral composers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten with the approval of the Gibbs family and drawing upon his unpublished autobiography, this comprehensive study provides an intimate exploration of the life and musical legacy of C. Armstrong Gibbs. Ro Hancock-Child, an accomplished pianist and researcher, examines the essence of a composer best known for his sensitive song settings of Walter de la Mare's poetry. Delving into the history of his over 160 solo songs, works celebrated for their diatonic purity and staunch resistance to modernism, the book stands as an essential, approachable guide for singers, accompanists, and enthusiasts of English song, illuminating a realm of musical shadows, stillness, and enchantment.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54577006772563,"sku":"5044","price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260809_193729.jpg?v=1786615259","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/a-ballad-maker-the-life-and-solo-songs-of-c-armstrong-gibbs-ro-hancock-child","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}