Kindle Tips: Now a Vivaldi "Big Box" mp3 album for 99c. Kindle Paperwhite thoughts in the news. Two Off-Topic news alerts.

Yet another composer Big Box of full works on mp3
Big Vivaldi Box - This one, released February 26 as part of the Bach Guild/Vanguard series, has 'only' 7.5 hours of music on it, on 138 tracks.

From the Bach Guild's notes in the reviews section:
  "...Alirio Diaz, Julius Baker, the musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic and the inexhaustible I Solisti di Zagreb's Antonio Janigro all embraced Vivaldi, and got to cherry pick the best of these new concertos that were coming out of the libraries, unearthed by music scholars with sudden free reign to this material...

  "Again, it's slightly insane to apologize for only 7+ hours of music for .99 - but what you have here is almost every note of Vivaldi that The Bach Guild recorded.  We have eliminated duplications, substituting the new Vivaldi concerto recordings from the late 1970s, which have been, oddly, harder to get than the marvelous 1950s-era I Solisti and Chamber Orchestra of Vienna State Opera recordings.  We wanted to give our members a better sounding choice - and fresher material as well ... So while it may only be 7.5 hours long - almost all of it is brand new to the digital world...As we mentioned earlier, we have made a choice to prefer newer, stereo takes rather than mono performances."

The Bach Guild also notes in a probably not-much-seen comments area to a customer review, that the currently missing big Beethoven Box WAS "pulled down while we correct some tracking issues.  We apologize for the errors."  So, that'll be back.


A spate of personal-style Kindle Paperwhite reviews as the front-lit e-reader is released worldwide and purchased, late, in the U.S. as well ...

"New Kindle a sight for sore eyes" - Herald Sun, Australia, by Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, March 6.

  "The Paperwhite only recently arrived in Australia after a four-month wait but it's fast making fans and not just for its glow...The main attraction is that light, however, and it's not a feature Amazon has added hastily.  The LED lighting lies at the top of the screen, angled towards the E-Ink display so it doesn't shine directly into the reader's eyes.

  Despite its positioning, the entire screen seems consistently illuminated and the lighting is subtle enough, in most environments, that you don't think about it.  It's also worth noting that only the wi-fi Paperwhite model is available in Australian stores currently, though it can be bought from Amazon.
  Small issues aside, the Kindle Paperwhite is clearly a standout and the finest e-book reader to date..."

"Kindle Paperwhite is my new favorite gadget, via om.es national news service.
  This one's about transitioning from a 2nd generation Kindle to the Paperwhite.  The writer keeps the Kindle 2 for writing, as he's used to the physical keyboard on it (and apparently is a very patient person).

  That article, from March 6 also, turns out to be written by Wayne Williams, who 3 weeks ago wrote "Why I Love Kindle" - published by betanews, an article written after he had his first novel published.  The comments posted to that article are interesting.

  As with many others, Williams resisted anything like a Kindle, since he loved books and "couldn't ever imagine switching to an ebooks reader" but was then given the device for Christmas, 2009, and despite his reservations, "fell in love with it almost immediately."

  For those of us with e-Ink Kindles, who bought one early, the story is familiar.
In that same year, 2009, I wrote the following in a blog entry (bold-facing mine):

' For me, who had not read much for years when not on the computer..., it's been interesting to see how pulled I am to read on the Kindle.
  In trying to explain it to the members of a writer's blog area (Catching Days, by Cynthia Newberry Martin) who had been lamenting the popularity of the Kindle because they love the look, smell and feel of books (do visit them, very good conversations there), I wrote on June 28 [2009]:

" I finally realized that the rectangle acts as a sort of magic window for me (as a paper book does for others) into other worlds, so much of it available to me at any given time, depending on my mood, my need to learn something I ordinarily wouldn’t but have downloaded a book for, and I never wonder 'where did I put that book' or regret leaving it at home when out and about.  Every book I’m currently interested in is with me whenever I leave the house.  And then there are the newspapers and magazines.  I am, most of all, info-drawn.

We who Kindle quite a bit sometimes joke that we are book readers, not book sniffers :-) But more seriously, what is a book ?

A collection and special distribution of words written by someone who wants to tell me something, who wants me to get lost in the world created by that person.  When an author sits down to write, I don’t think that s/he is thinking about what the cover will look like (though that always comes later) or what the layout of the externals will be.

What I experience when reading on my Kindle is — without attention to those eye-catching externals — something that feels like direct contact with the author’s mind..." '

Back to Williams' similar reactions (bold-facing mine):

' Despite my passion for technology I was concerned that I wouldn’t enjoy reading a book on the Kindle as much as reading a real, proper, made-of-paper novel, but it turns out the exact opposite is true. You forget, once you’ve gotten used to how the E Ink display flickers when you "turn" pages, that you’re reading on an alien, electronic device, because your mind concentrates on the words, not the way they’re being delivered.  On the message, not the medium. '

Now Williams has his Paperwhite.  He explains what he likes about it.
  "Moving around is just a case of touching the left and right sides of the screen to turn pages, and tapping the top of the display to access the menu. If you want to look up a word you just press and hold it for a bit, then let go and the definition pops up. You can share and highlight text or add notes in the same way."  You'll find his many other reasons at his article.


Off-topic alerts I happened to see while reading e-reader news

Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea tuna cans recalled over contamination worries - March 7, 2013

NECC insider describes fraud at heart of meningitis outbreak.  This includes links to a few news stories, including a CBS News one dated March 7 about the shipment of "17,000 vials of a contaminated steroid to 23 states" [used to relieve chronic pain} "and now a fungus is inside them."
  "The full investigation can be seen this Sunday (today) on "60 Minutes" at 7 p.m. ET."

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Check often: Temporarily-free recently published Kindle books
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button


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Kindle Tips: A good Handel "Big Box" mp3 album with 302 tracks, for 99 cents temporarily. Ongoing free and bargain book links added.

A special price on another newly-released mp3 album from Bach Guild/Vanguard Classics (Feb. 19, 2013)

Big Handel Box mp3 album

As mentioned recently, the promo price reported on January 15, for the Beethoven Big Box mp3 offering didn't last long, and the Beethoven mp3 album page is now gone, not listed currently, and it's likely that they took it down to correct tracks and track listings identified by customers for that box at the time.  Even then, the same customer reviewers considered it a must-buy, for those interested in classical music, at 99c with the errors noted.

The Big Mozart Box, released January 2013 with 131 tracks and still (as of March 4) being made available for 99 cents for the entire album, also has many excellent performances by some big name recording artists.  The blog article for that one was just 2 weeks ago.

  The newly released Big Handel Box mp3 album continues the series, presenting works with all movements present and in correct sequence, unlike what's seen with compilations sold by others.  But the Bach Guild/Vangard Classics label has a good reputation for its collection back to the 60s, and the general sound quality on them is considered quite good, overall, with apparently few exceptions noted.

There are 302 tracks in this 99c album, with about 14 hours of music.
  Much of it involves vocal works with orchestra, but there are 2 oboe concertos plus the Water Music Suite, and 6 flute sonatas, several of the latter are well known.

  Some of the works use countertenors, an acquired taste, and the lead countertenor here, Alfred Deller, used a head tone and vibrato that doesn't usually appeal to me particularly, but he has a great reputation for musicianship, and his son, Mark, who sings the works with him is excellent.  If you're wanting to become familiar with Handel's output, this is a very good way to do that, for the 99 cents for the 302 tracks.

  They're mainstream performances by forces popular a few decades ago and are not in the "original instrument period performance" style popular with some of us today, though I enjoy the older, somewhat more romantic style when I'm in that mood, and many listeners prefer that in general.

  The Bach Guild uses the review-space to explain a lot of it. Some points made:

' ... This set does include a marvelous, really marvelous collection of high quality performances of Handel’s vocal and choral output.   Most of it is new to digital download - almost all of the vocal performances are new to Amazon’s customers.
...
...we do like to please the knowledgeable customers who are looking for previously unreleased material - and we’ve seen in some of the longer reviews some members are very in-tune with what is available and what isn’t.  The “goodies” in this set are the Rutgers University Choir recordings of the Chandos Anthems, which has been completely unavailable digitally until now, and has been out of print on CD for almost 20 years.  The recording of Alexander’s Feast is only available digitally as part of a much larger set. Same with my own personal favorite, the recording that leads off this box, the Ode on the Birthday of Queen Anne, with that magical opening “Eternal Source”, a favorite recording of Alfred Deller and Seymour Solomon of Vanguard. There are also some oboe concerti that have never been available digitally as well.'
...
... some recordings are mono; there are no stereo sources. We really have no way in this space to indicate that. We will try to do it on our web site... '

Customer JGK has identified two labeling errors - the music for tracks 271 and 272 are switched, so he switches the files in the player.

Customer Roberto Arboleda Z pointed out two errors on track 220 at marks 2:13 and 4:11 (blips, I guess).

With 16 customer reviews so far, there are 14 reviewers giving 5 stars and two giving 3 stars, the latter including the hearing of two 'errors' heard on one track and one wish for mp3 bit rates higher than 320.

Stephen M. Lerch, a Vine Voice reviewer wrote that he couldn't hear "a single issue with the compression used on this set," adding that "the vast majority of the tracks sound amazing" and that 'some' tracks with sound that is "a little muddy" probaby owe that to the source.

From customer Mark E. Stenroos,

' This is yet another GREAT bargain from Vanguard that simply defies belief. There are many really fine recordings in this set that - while not pure gold - are at least shiny, and are worth a helluvalot more than 99¢.
You get COMPLETE recordings of the Water Music, Alexander's Feast, Judas Maccabeus, Messiah, Saul and a host of other Handel standards. Incredible! '

At any rate you can preview any of the tracks before spending the $0.99.

  Mp3 albums are, at this point, not generally available outside the U.S. though.


MP3 pages at Amazon
For those looking for something else and who've not been to the Amazon mp3 pages before, here's the page of MP3 Songs, with categories listed and previews available.

  As ever, mp3's bought from Amazon are given free storage in the Cloud so they're playable at any time from any computer or mobile device and can also be downloaded to to play from your computer, tablet, or phone.  Here's an explanation of Cloud Player.



  For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by:    Publication Date      Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular The Kindle Daily Deal What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources. USEFUL for your Kindle Keyboard (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button


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High-rated mp3 albums with 99 classical pieces on them, costing $2.50-$5.00 now 99 cents.

This is just a pointer to an updated entry today with regard to finding low-cost mp3 albums that qualify us for the 20GB Cloud Drive.  The album I bought for $2.49 and one that was $5.00 that I almost bought are both 99 cents ($0.99) currently (priced back to normal later).  While I'm highlighting one I like, this is happening for other genres too.

  Here are the updates and more details. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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IMSLP - 85,000+ free, downloadable, classical music scores, staying alive

"FREE TROVE OF MUSIC SCORES ON WEB HITS SENSITIVE NOTE"
The New York Times's Daniel J. Wakin writes about the amazing International Music Score Library Project site and its (successful) battle to stay alive, with its treasure of 85,000 scores or parts (for nearly 35,000 works - public-domain, classical) available for free download.   There are "several thousand being added every month." Included also are performances on recordings.

  While publishers have challenged the right to download, for free, music scores written a couple of hundred years ago, the challenges have been weak, and a primary challenger, Universal Edition (Europe) has been making more conciliatory sounds,saying several times in an interview that:

'...“there’s room for both of us.”  At the same time, Mr. Irons said, it is important to separate “this very valiant and completely kosher and clean repository of public material, which we perfectly endorse, and this kind of firebrand ‘We want to show the publishers they’re wrong’ kind of attitude." '

 The photo at the top-left (larger one here) is of the owner, Edward W. Guo, who founded the site 5 years ago, when he was 19.  He's now at Harvard studying law, the copyright questions having stoked his interest in that.

' With the reports of billion-dollar valuations floating around other interactive Web sites, has Mr. Guo ever thought of trying to profit from his site?

“That’s really not my M.O.,” he said. “As a musician I have a duty to promote music. That’s the basic philosophy behind it.” '

You can read how he began the site, and what's involved, at the NYT article.

I wrote a blog article on this (and on sheet music for the Kindle) in 2009, and I'll include some of that below for any of the several million later Kindle-3 owners who might be interested in the free classical music scores.  It's a wonderful resource.

FROM THE 2009 BLOG ARTICLE
  I've a few files of sheet music on my Kindle DX in PDF format and they look really nice.  At the bottom, I've placed a link to a couple of examples.

You can scan sheet music, that you already have, to images at about 150 dpi (dots per inch), as 300 dpi is not needed for this, and they'll load or give you faster page turns).  You can't take notes on the sheet music, on the Kindle, but you could learn pieces, write notes on them and then scan them for carrying around or always having with you.
  (I preface the sheet music filenames with 'sm-' for sheet music so that I can find them easily.)

Google "sheet music pdf" and you'll find many places that offer music in PDF format.  For classical, there is the IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library - "The free public domain sheet music library" with downloadable PDFs, and you can search by composer name, time period, genre, or instrumentation.  The full name of this amazing website is International Music Score Library Project, and the files are legal.  Here is their FAQ explaining the organization.
. . .
I have a couple of photos of some sheet music (PDFs) on my DX, in vertical mode and rotated to landscape mode.  It's very clear, but the display is still somewhat smaller than an 8.5 x 11" piece of paper.  Best used when you've become acquainted with the notes.  And if the images are very high resolution it may take a few seconds for a page turn.  On the whole, the ones I have take about 2 seconds to turn.  For me, pressing the button (on the inside) is much easier than trying to do a page turn with paper.

  As for music in general on the Kindle, all the Kindles play mp3's.  
On the Kindle 2 & 3 and the DX, they play in the order in which they were placed in the "music" folder.  (On the original Kindle (Kindle 1), they play in random order.)  The features are minimal in that the music can play in the background while you're reading and you can rewind 30 seconds back or fast forward by the same, but you don't get information on what's playing.

  If you want a specific mp3 to play you can put it in the "audible" folder and select it from the Home page, as it will look like a book title, but in that case you wouldn't be able to read a book at the same time.

  I should add that the 6" Kindle (UK: K3) is too small (for reading sheet music while playing it), except for study purposes now that we can use the Zoom feature on PDFs.  Also, with either Kindle you don't want to turn pages in a panic and knock the Kindle off the stand :-)


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!