Power Search
Low Price Guarantee
We Take School POs
Wagner, Schumann, and the Lessons of Beethoven's Ninth
Contributor(s): Reynolds, Christopher Alan (Author)

View larger image

 ISBN: 0520285565     ISBN-13: 9780520285569
Publisher: University of California Press
OUR PRICE: $68.25  

Binding Type: Hardcover - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: April 2015
Qty:
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Music | Genres & Styles - Classical
- Music | Individual Composer & Musician
- Music | Genres & Styles - Opera
Dewey: 780
LCCN: 2014049385
Physical Information: 0.8" H x 6.2" W x 9.2" L (1.00 lbs) 232 pages
Features: Bibliography, Index
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
In this original study, Christopher Alan Reynolds examines the influence of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on two major nineteenth-century composers, Richard Wagner and Robert Schumann. During 1845-46 the compositional styles of Schumann and Wagner changed in a common direction, toward a style that was more contrapuntal, more densely motivic, and engaged in processes of thematic transformation. Reynolds shows that the stylistic advances that both composers made in Dresden in 1845-46 stemmed from a deepened understanding of Beethoven's techniques and strategies in the Ninth Symphony. The evidence provided by their compositions from this pivotal year and the surrounding years suggests that they discussed Beethoven's Ninth with each other in the months leading up to the performance of this work, which Wagner conducted on Palm Sunday in 1846. Two primary aspects that appear to have interested them both are Beethoven's use of counterpoint involving contrary motion and his gradual development of the "Ode to Joy" melody through the preceding movements. Combining a novel examination of the historical record with careful readings of the music, Reynolds adds further layers to this argument, speculating that Wagner and Schumann may not have come to these discoveries entirely independently of each other. The trail of influences that Reynolds explores extends back to the music of Bach and ahead to Tristan and Isolde, as well as to Brahms's First Symphony.
 
Customer ReviewsSubmit your own review
 
To tell a friend about this book, you must Sign In First!