Deze opmerkelijke serie duikt met buitengewone diepgang in de levens en werken van muzikale genieën. Elk deel gaat verder dan l'outer muzikale analyse en dompelt de lezer onder in de persoonlijke geschiedenissen van componisten en de sociale context van hun creaties. De serie biedt boeiende portretten van de inspiraties, invloeden en levenservaringen van deze kunstenaars, aangevuld met toegankelijke besprekingen van hun muzikale nalatenschap. Het is een onschatbare bron voor zowel muziekgeleerden als gepassioneerde muziekliefhebbers, die niet alleen biografische details biedt, maar ook een uitgebreid beeld van hun kunst en tijdperk.
Robert Schumann, one of the most beloved composers of the Romantic movement, embodied the passion and imaginative spirit of his age. Drawing on the composer's recently published journals and letters, this important new biography recreates the dynamics of the man and his music with unprecedented range. Includes music examples.
"Johannes Brahms has often been regarded as a conservative composer, his music dismissed as old-fashioned compared with the work of such contemporaries as Liszt and Wagner. In a major reevaluation of his life and artistry, Malcolm MacDonald incorporates twenty-five years of new research to demonstrate convincingly that Brahms combined his understanding of Classical principles with a profound appreciation of Romantic emotions and ideals. Through his study of early music and folk song, Brahms forged links with his predecessors while applying their craft in the service of a new expressiveness. Book jacket."--Jacket
Marking the centenary of Tchaikovsky's death and the upsurge of interest in his music, this study assesses the operas, ballets and other works against the background of the composer's eventful life: his ill-judged marriage, his pen- friendship with his patron Nadezhda von Meck, and his relationship with Balakirev and other Russian composers.
"This new study of Beethoven and his music is written as a continuous, chronological narrative that sets the works against the musical and biographical background from which they emerged. Such an approach results in close integration of life and works, and is particularly appropriate in the case of Beethoven: firstly because composition was his central preoccupation ('I live entirely in my music', he once wrote), and secondly because recent research on his numerous musical sketches has produced a much clearer picture of his everyday compositional activity, leading to many new insights into the interaction between his life and music. Barry Cooper illuminates Beethoven's artistic achievements both by examining the origins of his works and by commentary on some of their most striking and original features." "Statements in earlier biographies have been scrutinized carefully and are accepted here only if supported by sound evidence. This thorough reassessment extends even to translations of individual German words, and many well-known but fictitious anecdotes have been eliminated. Conversely, numerous details discovered in recent years are for the first time incorporated into a general study of Beethoven - notably information from sketch studies and from a new edition of his correspondence. The many fresh conclusions will be of interest to both specialists and the musical public at large."--Jacket
Synthesizes existing research into a chronologically based narrative. This volume on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) takes the work and the life in parallel; for the vents of Mozart's life cannot be separated from his existence as a musical creator and performer.
Handel was a defining figure of the late Baroque era, perhaps best known for bringing the oratorio form to an English-speaking audience. This insightful study brings to life the glory of his artistry, his elusive personality and the flavour of his time.
Focusing on the intersection of 19th-century music and theater, this book offers an in-depth exploration of Russian musical traditions and their cultural significance. It examines key composers and their works, providing insights into how music influenced and reflected the social and political landscape of the time. Ideal for students and scholars, it combines historical analysis with detailed case studies, making it a valuable resource for those interested in Russian studies and the evolution of theater music during this pivotal era.
Drawing on new documentary evidence for this edition, the author is able to give a fuller account of Mahler's childhood and youth, and of his years as an opera conductor in Cassel, Prague, Leipzig, Budapest, Hamburg and Vienna. All Mahler's works are discussed.