If you are a music lover, a bookworm and a history buff, then A Thousand Pages of Songs by Michael Lobo is guaranteed to bring a thousand cheers. An encyclopaedia of songs of all eras, about 3,600 of them ranging from medieval folk songs, through the era of parlour songs of the late 19th and early 20th century, to the rock ’n’ roll music of the 1950s and ‘60s, the books contains them all.
Browsing through the book, you will learn not just lyrics of the songs but also their history. You will learn the year of composition, the names of the songwriter (or songwriters), the artists who made the song famous, and many other details.
The idea for the book was born when Lobo’s friend asked him the name of the composer of Happy Birthday to you. “I felt rather ashamed that I was unable to provide him with the information, especially as the song is perhaps the most frequently sung in the English-speaking world,” he said. And so began his search to gather information about the song that ended with the compilation of this book.
Within the pages of this book you will find the history of the well-known Christmas carols, including ‘The First Noel’, ‘Joy to the World’, ‘Oh Christmas Tree’ and famous hymns such as ‘Abide With Me’ and ‘Nearer, My God, to Thee’ and also folk songs like ‘She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain.’
This book is priced at Rs. 1,250 with bookshops offering 20 per cent discounts. The book is available at Jerosa and at Book World in Mangalore andat Asian Trading Corporation (ATC), Crosswords (Fraser Town), Gangarams and Higginbothams (M.G. Road) and Pauline Books Shop near St Patrick’s Church in Bangalore.
For details, call Michael Lobo on 09844112364.
