A saga of a magnificent violin, Antonietta, named after a beautiful woman who was the inspiration of Antonio Stradivari's later years. As Hersey brings Mozart, Berlioz, and Stravinsky to life, he offe
Berlioz. Vaughan Williams. Schubert and Schumann. Mozart after the Jupiter Symphony, Bach beyond the Brandenburg Concertos, opera after The Magic Flute. In his informed and indispensible guide with o
Unlike much of Berlioz' music, this meditation on the childhood of Christ is restrained, lyrical, and delicate. The three-part work is scored for seven solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, combining dr
A mesmerizing figure in concert, Charles Munch was celebrated for his electrifying public performances. He was a pioneer in many arenas of classical music--establishing Berlioz in the canon, perfectin
While Weber, Spohr, Mendelssohn, and Berlioz were all conductors of repute, it was the thoughts and practices of Richard Wagner that laid the foundation for the modern virtuoso conductor. Though he w
Sir Charles Hallé (1819–95) was a German pianist and conductor. At the age of 17 he moved to Paris, where he spent twelve years studying and performing, while moving in circles which included Berlioz, Chopin, Liszt, de Musset and George Sand. In the revolutionary year 1848 he moved to London, where he initiated a series of piano recitals, playing first in his own home and later in St James's Hall, among which he gave the first performance in England of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas. In 1849 he moved to Manchester, and after forming an orchestra for a one-off event in 1857, he began to give regular concerts with it, and conducted it until his death: it is now the world-famous Hallé Orchestra. In this fascinating book, edited by his son and daughter, Hallé's autobiography is accompanied by a selection of letters and extracts from his diaries.
The Philharmonic Society ('Royal' from 1912) is one of the oldest music societies in the world. Founded in 1813 to provide regular concerts of new music in London, it is famous for its commission of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This detailed account by George Hogarth, music journalist and Secretary to the Society between 1850 and 1864, takes us from the inaugural concert in March 1813 including works by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven to plans for the golden jubilee concert. Noteworthy performances in these first fifty years included the UK premiere of Beethoven's Ninth in 1825, Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony in 1833 and a cornucopia of works by composers such as Wagner, Berlioz and Weber whose music now forms the core repertoire of the nineteenth century. Appendices provide extracts of letters from Mendelssohn, details of works by English composers performed at Society concerts, and lists of performers, Society members, Honorary Members and Patrons.
A. B. Marx (1795–1866) was a scholar, teacher and critic of music, for many years Professor of Music at the University of Berlin, and a close friend – before a falling-out over the libretto of an oratorio – of Mendelssohn. This influential book, published in German in 1855 and translated into English in the same year, consists of two parts: a survey of the significance of music to western culture, and an impassioned and thought-provoking guide to the necessary moral qualities, skills and understanding required to teach – and to be taught – music. Marx's appreciation of such composers as Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz and Wagner is placed in a context in which music is seen as a crucial moral influence on the future development of mankind, and musicians therefore as playing a vital role in that development.
This collection of essays by the music critic Francis Hueffer (1843–1889) is a lively, contemporary account of musical life in Victorian England. First published in 1889, it records the influence of leading foreign composers on English music. Ranging from the music of Handel, Gluck and Haydn to Weber, Rossini,and Mendelssohn, composers who have had a lasting influence on the British musical world, Hueffer, who did not live to see the publication of his book, offers a panoramic view of the rapid development of musical culture in England during the nineteenth century. Starting with a historical introduction to the roles played by the Royal Academy and the Royal College of Music, and moving on to the specific contributions of 'new' composers including Berlioz, Wagner and Liszt, this book is a valuable guide to the history and criticism of music in Victorian England as it was understood at the time.
A mesmerizing figure in concert, Charles Munch was celebrated for his electrifying public performances. He was a pioneer in many arenas of classical music--establishing Berlioz in the canon, perfectin
Berlioz's Semi-Operas studies two works, Romeo et Juliette and La damnation de Faust, which are among the most challenging of the entire Romantic movement, not least because they assault the notion of
“Ah! . . . to make of painting what the music of Berlioz and Wagner has been before us . . . a consolatory art for distressed hearts!”—Vincent van Gogh This engaging book is the firs
Music lovers will delight in the beautiful color paintings and eloquent prose portraits in The Steinway Collection: Paintings of Great Composers. Chopin, Wagner, Liszt, Beethoven, Berlioz, Mozart, Ve
(EMB). Four festive works arranged for cello quartet, including: "God Save the King" Thema und Variationen (Beethoven) * The shepherds farewell (Berlioz) * 3 Christmas pieces (Mendelssohn) * Aus dem P
Franz Liszt's colleagues considered him to be one of the most accomplished and innovative practitioners in the field of musical reproduction, a reputation for which he is still admired today. Yet, while his transcriptions are widely performed, few studies have investigated the role that transcriptions played in Liszt's artistry, to say nothing of the impact they had on the music-making experience of his day. Using a host of interdisciplinary methods and primary source materials, this book provides a comprehensive survey of Liszt's lifelong involvement with the transcription, in which he assumed the roles of composer, collaborator, propagandist, commemorator, philosopher, and artist while simultaneously disseminating - often critically - the music of Beethoven, Berlioz, Schubert, Wagner, and other eighteenth- and nineteenth-century composers. By recognizing transcription as an extraordinarily flexible tool for Liszt and his contemporaries, Liszt as Transcriber provides numerous musical,
Music criticism has played a fundamental and influential role throughout music history, with numerous composers such as Berlioz, Schumann, and Wagner, as well as many contemporary musicians, also maintaining careers as writers and critics. The Cambridge History of Music Criticism goes beyond these better-known accounts, reaching back to medieval times, expanding the geographical reach both within and beyond Europe, and including key issues such as women and criticism of recordings, as well as the story of criticism in jazz, popular music and world music. Drawing on a blend of established and talented young scholars, this is the first substantial historical survey of music criticism and critics, bringing unprecedented scope to a rapidly expanding area of musicological research. An indispensable point of reference, The Cambridge History of Music Criticism provides a broad historical overview of the field while also addressing specific issues and events.
