Aesthetic Dilemmas and Resolutions During the Composer's Lifetime
Buch, Englisch, 192 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 290 g
ISBN: 978-0-521-38634-0
Verlag: Cambridge University Press
This book is a survey of the critical reaction to Beethoven's music as it appeared in the major musical journals, French as well as German, of his day, and represents the first book-length history of Beethoven reception. The author discusses the philosophical and analytical implications of these reviews - by, among others, Hoffmann, A. B. Marx and Berlioz - and reassesses what has come to be the accepted view of a nineteenth- century musical aesthetics rooted in Romantic Idealism. Wallace sees Beethoven's critics as in fact providing a link between two apparently antithetical approaches to music: the eighteenth-century emphasis on expression and extra-musical interpretation and the nineteenth-century emphasis on `absolute' music and formal analysis. This book thus provides, in addition to a carefully documented study of Beethoven's critical reception, a re-evaluation of his oeuvre and its significance in music history. An index of all reviews cited is provided, and a further appendix contains the quoted material in its original language. 'Robin Wallace's book is an important addition to the literature in the field, providing a detailed, yet concisely presented examination of the critical reception of Beethoven in contemporary musical periodicals.' -- Music and Letters 'Beethoven's Critics contains a wealth of fascinating information about the ways in which the composer's contemporaries and the following generation performed, heard, studied and evaluated his music.' -- Classical MusicThis book is a survey of the critical reaction to Beethoven's music as it appeared in the major musical journals, French as well as German, of his day, and represents the first book-length history of Beethoven reception. The author discusses the philosophical and analytical implications of these reviews - by, among others, Hoffmann, A. B. Marx and Berlioz - and reassesses what has come to be the accepted view of a nineteenth- century musical aesthetics rooted in Romantic Idealism. Wallace sees Beethoven's critics as in fact providing a link between two apparently antithetical approaches to music: the eighteenth-century emphasis on expression and extra-musical interpretation and the nineteenth-century emphasis on `absolute' music and formal analysis. This book thus provides, in addition to a carefully documented study of Beethoven's critical reception, a re-evaluation of his oeuvre and its significance in music history. An index of all reviews cited is provided, and a further appendix contains the quoted material in its original language. 'Robin Wallace's book is an important addition to the literature in the field, providing a detailed, yet concisely presented examination of the critical reception of Beethoven in contemporary musical periodicals.' -- Music and Letters 'Beethoven's Critics contains a wealth of fascinating information about the ways in which the composer's contemporaries and the following generation performed, heard, studied and evaluated his music.' -- Classical Music
Autoren/Hrsg.
Weitere Infos & Material
List of abbreviations; Preface; Introduction; 1. The Leipzig Allgemeine, Musikalische Zeitung; 2. Berlin and A. B. Marx 3. Other German sources: the controversy over the late music; 4. French Beethoven criticism; 5. The Fifth Symphony; Conclusion; Appendix A. Index of reviews cited; Appendix B. Originals of quotes given in translation; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
