Richard Wagner: Self-Promotion and the Making of a Brand byNicholas Vazsonyi (Cambridge University Press) examines the innovativeways in which Wagner made himself a celebrity, promoting himself usingevery means available: autobiography, journal articles, short stories,newspaper announcements, letters, even his operas themselves. In aself-promotional effort that began around 1840 in Paris, and lasted forthe remainder of his career, Wagner claimed convincingly that he wasthe most German composer ever and the true successor of Beethoven. Moresignificantly, he was an opera composer who declared that he was notcomposing operas. Instead, during the 1850s, he mapped out a newdirection, conceiving of works that would break with tradition and beliterally ‘brand new’. www.cambridge.org

The Music Instinct: How Music Works and Why We Can’t Do Without It by Philip Ball (Bodley Head), a writer on science and culture and a consultant editor for the journal Nature, provides an accessible survey of what is known – and what is still unknown – about how music works its magic. According to Ball, even with what appear to be the simplest of tunes, the brain is performing some astonishing gymnastics: finding patterns and regularities, forming interpretations and expectations that create a sense of aesthetic pleasure. The Music Instinct explores how the latest research in music psychology and brain science is piecing together the puzzle of how our minds understand and respond to music, and offers a passionate plea for the importance of music in education and in everyday life. bodleyhead.co.uk

Working on a Dream: The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen by David Masciotra (Continuum) argues that Springsteen’s critiques of the status quo and radical ideas for reform have either been ignored or misunderstood, as a result of his ‘All-American’ image and his narrative storytelling style. Masciotra shows how Springsteen’s music comments on the increased isolation of Americans, and calls for a return to community living and values, based on compassion, empathy, and tolerance. By using Springsteen’s life and music to shine a light on race, religion, and working-class hardship, Working on a Dream connects readers with the purpose and promise of Springsteen’s music. www.continuumbooks.com

Sound in Z: Experiments in Sound and Electronic Music in Early 20th-Century Russia edited by Matt Price and David Rogerson (Walther König/Sound and Music) provides a forgotten chapter in the history of music and audio technology – Russia from 1917 to the late 1930s. Including explorations of Arseny Avraamov, inventor of Graphic Sound (drawing directly onto magnetic tape); Léon Theremin, inventor of the world’s first electronic instrument; and others whose dreams for electronic sound were cut short by Stalin’s regime, the book draws on materials from Moscow archives to reconstruct Avraamov’s Symphony of Sirens, an open-air performance for factory whistles, foghorns and artillery fire first staged in 1922. www.buchhandlung-walther-koenig.de

Culture Is Our Weapon: Making Music and Changing Lives in Rio de Janeiro by Caetano Veloso, Patrick Neate, and Damian Platt (Penguin) tells the story of Grupo Cultural AfroReggae, a Rio-based organization employing music and an appreciation for black culture to inspire residents of the favelas, or shantytowns, to resist the drugs that are ruining their neighborhoods. It is a book that explores not only an artistic explosion but also the best and worst of Brazilian society. www.penguin.com

Moleskine Passions is a new series of notebooks which focus on passions and pastimes. The Passions music journal is designed for regular concert goers and musicians to record and recall pieces of information, notes and clippings. On the back end paper there is a double pocket for, ticket and card collection. www.moleskine.com