Quasi Una Fantasia

Author: Theodor Adorno
Publisher: Verso Books
ISBN: 1844677923
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Book Description
This collection covers a wide range of topics, from a moving study of Bizet’s Carmen to an entertainingly caustic exploration of the hierarchies of the auditorium. Especially significant is Adorno’s “dialectical portrait” of Stravinsky, in which Adorno both reconsiders and refines his damning indictment of the composer in Philosophy on Modern Music. Throughout, Adorno is sustained by the conviction that music is supremely human because it is capable of communicating inhumanity while resisting it. His belief in the benevolent and transformative power of music reverberates throughout these writings.

Beethoven: The 'Moonlight' and Other Sonatas, Op. 27 and Op. 31

Author: Timothy Jones
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521598590
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 164

Book Description
Even in Beethoven's day the 'Moonlight' Sonata was a popular favourite. This 1999 book provides an accessible introduction to the Sonatas Opp. 27 and 31 (including The 'Moonlight' and 'The Tempest'), aimed at pianists, students, and music lovers. It begins with the works' historical background - the emergence of a 'piano culture' at the end of the eighteenth century, Beethoven's aristocratic milieu in Vienna, and his oft-quoted intention to follow a new compositional path. An account of the sonatas' genesis is followed by a discussion of their reception history, including a survey of changing performing styles since the mid-nineteenth century. The concept of the Sonata quasi una Fantasia is examined in relation to the cult of artistic sensibility in early-nineteenth-century Vienna. The study concludes with a critical introduction to each sonata.

Adult Piano Adventures Classics Book 2 - Symphony Themes, Opera Gems and Classical Favorites

Author: Nancy Faber
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
ISBN: 1616779195
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 80

Book Description
(Faber Piano Adventures ). In this inspiring collection, late-elementary to early-intermediate pianists will find appealing arrangements that advance skills while exploring masterworks of Western music. The famous orchestral, keyboard, and operatic repertoire here spans four periods of music history. In the Baroque & Classical section, discover the elegance of Bach, the beauty of Mozart and the passion of Beethoven. Through the pages of the Romantic & Impressionistic section, sample the lyricism of Chopin, the drama of Grieg, and the atmosphere of Debussy. May the melodies of these and many other composers open an enduring world of expression and sound.

Canon in D Plus 12 Masterpieces

Author: Robert Schultz
Publisher: Alfred Music Publishing
ISBN: 9780769293677
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 68

Book Description
Robert Schultz provides a collection of 13 world-famous pieces for piano. These upper-intermediate original pieces and transcriptions will delight every advancing pianist. Included are such favorites as Canon in D * Nessum Dorma * O Mio Babbino Caro * Moonlight Sonata * Clair de Lune * Fr Elise and seven others.

The Beethoven Sonatas and the Creative Experience

Author: Kenneth Drake
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253011531
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 271

Book Description
The definitive study of Beethoven’s piano sonatas is “remarkable as an insider’s account of the works in an individual perspective.” (European Music Teacher) In “one of the most interesting, useful and even exciting books on the process of musical creation” (American Music Teacher), Kenneth O. Drake groups the Beethoven piano sonatas according to their musical qualities, rather than their chronology. He explores the interpretive implications of rhythm, dynamics, slurs, harmonic effects, and melodic development and identifies specific measures where Beethoven skillfully employs these compositional devices. An interpreter searching for meaning, Drake begins with Beethoven’s expressive treatment of the keyboard—the variations of touch, articulation, line, color, use of silence, and the pacing of musical ideas. He then analyzes individual sonatas, exploring motivic development, philosophic overtones, and technical demands. Hundreds of musical examples illustrate this exploration of emotional and interpretive implications of “the 32.” Here musicians are encouraged to exercise intuition and independence of thought, complementing their performance skills with logical conclusions about ideas and relationships within the score.

Fantasia, an Algerian Cavalcade

Author: Assia Djebar
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
In this stunning novel, Assia Djebar intertwines the history of her native Algeria with episodes from the life of a young girl in a story stretching from the French conquest in 1830 to the War of Liberation of the 1950s. The girl, growing up in the old Roman coastal town of Cherchel, sees her life in contrast to that of a neighboring French family, and yearns for more than law and tradition allow her to experience. Headstrong and passionate, she escapes from the cloistered life of her family to join her brother in the maquis' fight against French domination. Djebar's exceptional descriptive powers bring to life the experiences of girls and women caught up in the dual struggle for independence - both their own and Algeria's.

The Creation of Beethoven's 35 Piano Sonatas

Author: Barry Cooper
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317037081
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 419

Book Description
Beethoven’s piano sonatas are a cornerstone of the piano repertoire and favourites of both the concert hall and recording studio. The sonatas have been the subject of much scholarship, but no single study gives an adequate account of the processes by which these sonatas were composed and published. With source materials such as sketches and correspondence increasingly available, the time is ripe for a close study of the history of these works. Barry Cooper, who in 2007 produced a new edition of all 35 sonatas, including three that are often overlooked, examines each sonata in turn, addressing questions such as: Why were they written? Why did they turn out as they did? How did they come into being and how did they reach their final form? Drawing on the composer’s sketches, autograph scores and early printed editions, as well as contextual material such as correspondence, Cooper explores the links between the notes and symbols found in the musical texts of the sonatas, and the environment that brought them about. The result is a biography not of the composer, but of the works themselves.

Beethoven in Love; Opus 139

Author: Howard Jay Smith
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780692087053
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 382

Book Description
Second Edition. A daring, compelling, and impeccably researched historical novel that offers dramatic new insight into the life of the greatest composer the world has ever known. Its fresh perspective and deeply felt understanding of Beethoven's motivations, passions, and challenges speak eloquently to us today, connecting us to our own successes, failures, and dreams, and ultimately to the true consequence of our lives. At the moment of his death on a snowy afternoon in March, 1827, Ludwig van Beethoven pleads with Providence to grant him a final wish¿one day, just a single day of pure joy. But first he must confront the many failings in his life, so the great composer and exceedingly complex man begins an odyssey into the netherworld of his past life. As he struggles to confront its ugliness, we encounter the women who loved and inspired him. In their own voices, we discover their Beethoven¿a lover with whom they savor the profound beauty and passion of his creations. And it¿s in the arms of his beloveds that he comes to terms with the meaning of his life and experiences the moment of true joy he has always sought.

Companion to Beethovens Pianoforte Sonatas - Revised Edition

Author: Sir Donald Francis Tovey
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781860960864
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description

Górecki

Author: Adrian Thomas
Publisher: Clarendon Press
ISBN: 0191584711
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 210

Book Description
The Polish composer Henry Górecki (born 1933) achieved world-wide renown in 1992 when his Third Symphony, written in 1976, was recorded on CD and became an international bestseller. It is now one of the best known musical compositions of recent years, yet Górecki's other music is still relatively little known. This study, the first detailed account of his works in any language, provides biographical information as background to the music, and is by a leading enthusiast of Górecki's music. Adrian Thomas discusses Górecki's position as leader of the Polish avant-garde in the late 1950s, and his subsequent discovery of the folk and church music of Old Poland, notably that of the Podhale region in southern Poland. He describes Górecki's unmistakable musical world, from the large orchestral scores (Scontri, Refrain, the Symphonies) and the choral works (Beatus Vir, commissioned by and dedicated to Pope John Paul II), to the more modest church songs and folk-song arrangements. There is a complete list of works since 1955 with details of instrumentation and recordings, and a select bibliography.