Boosey & Hawkes The Publishing Story

(Boosey & Hawkes Scores/Books). A rare inside look at the evolution of the world’s leading classical publisher and how it works with composers to shape music history. Rather than wage a price war, Leslie Boosey and Ralph Hawkes decided to merge their rival businesses in 1930. Signing Bartok and Strauss and investing in talented young composers like Britten and Copland, the company fully came of age with the acquisition of masterpieces by Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev. The 1980s saw a new flowering, with impressive signings in America and Europe, but not without internal struggles. Distinguished journalist and broadcaster Helen Wallace vividly charts the company’s progress through boom years and unexpected financial threats, and reveals how artistic foresight has been balanced with commercial reality. A surprisingly gripping narrative. For those who wonder what really goes on in music publishing, it offers a fascinating read.

BBC Music Magazine