W. Gillies Whittaker
The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach: Sacred and Secular.
Oxford University Press, 1964. Two-volume set. xiv/717, 754 pages.
Each volume, measuring approximately 6" x 9", is bound in red cloth, with stamped gilt lettering to spine. Books are in fine condition, with firm bindings, clean and bright interiors. Jackets are preserved in mylar cover.
"Bach's cantatas comprise a vast quantity of superb music written by one of the greatest of all composers. In this standard work, always enlightening and often entertaining, each cantata is discussed as a whole, and the text and musical settings are in almost every case minutely analysed. General questions are also considered, with a penetration derived from a lifetime's experience (Whittaker conducted every one of the cantatas in public). For those who love Bach's music, this is an indispensable guide and source of information."