The Cambridge Companion to Wagner

The Cambridge Companion to Wagner PDF

Author: Thomas S. Grey

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2008-09-11

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1139825941

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Richard Wagner is remembered as one of the most influential figures in music and theatre, but his place in history has been marked by a considerable amount of controversy. His attitudes towards the Jews and the appropriation of his operas by the Nazis, for example, have helped to construct a historical persona that sits uncomfortably with modern sensibilities. Yet Wagner's absolutely central position in the operatic canon continues. This volume serves as a timely reminder of his ongoing musical, cultural, and political impact. Contributions by specialists from such varied fields as musical history, German literature and cultural studies, opera production, and political science consider a range of topics, from trends and problems in the history of stage production to the representations of gender and sexuality. With the inclusion of invaluable and reliably up-to-date biographical data, this collection will be of great interest to scholars, students, and enthusiasts.

The Cambridge Companion to Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen

The Cambridge Companion to Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen PDF

Author: Mark Berry

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-09-24

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 1108916139

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The Companion is an essential, interdisciplinary tool for those both familiar and unfamiliar with Wagner's Ring. It opens with a concise introduction to both the composer and the Ring, introducing Wagner as a cultural figure, and giving a comprehensive overview of the work. Subsequent chapters, written by leading Wagner experts, focus on musical topics such as 'leitmotif', and structure, and provide a comprehensive set of character portraits, including leading players like Wotan, Brünnhilde, and Siegfried. Further chapters look to the mythological background of the work and the idea of the Bayreuth Festival, as well as critical reception of the Ring, its relationship to Nazism, and its impact on literature and popular culture, in turn offering new approaches to interpretation including gender, race and environmentalism. The volume ends with a history of notable stage productions from the world premiere in 1876 to the most recent stagings in Bayreuth and elsewhere.

The Cambridge Companion to Grand Opera

The Cambridge Companion to Grand Opera PDF

Author: David Charlton

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2003-09-04

Total Pages: 995

ISBN-13: 1139825895

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This 2003 Companion is a fascinating and accessible exploration of the world of grand opera. Through this volume a team of scholars and writers on opera examine those important Romantic operas which embraced the Shakespearean sweep of tragedy, history, love in time of conflict, and the struggle for national self-determination. Rival nations, rival religions and violent resolutions are common elements, with various social or political groups represented in the form of operatic choruses. The book traces the origins and development of a style created during an increasingly technical age, which exploited the world-renowned skills of Parisian stage-designers, artists, and dancers as well as singers. It analyses in detail the grand operas by Rossini, Auber, Meyerbeer and Halévy, discusses grand opera in Russia and Germany, and also in the Czech lands, Italy, Britain and the Americas. The volume also includes an essay by the renowned opera director David Pountney.

The Cambridge Companion to Conducting

The Cambridge Companion to Conducting PDF

Author: José Antonio Bowen

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2003-11-20

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 1107494788

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In this wide-ranging inside view of the history and practice of conducting, analysis and advice comes directly from working conductors, including Sir Charles Mackerras on opera, Bramwell Tovey on being an Artistic Director, Martyn Brabbins on modern music, Leon Botstein on programming and Vance George on choral conducting, and from those who work closely with conductors: a leading violinist describes working as a soloist with Stokowski, Ormandy and Barbirolli, while Solti and Abbado's studio producer explains orchestral recording, and one of the world's most powerful managers tells all. The book includes advice on how to conduct different types of groups (choral, opera, symphony, early music) and provides a substantial history of conducting as a study of national traditions. It is an unusually honest book about a secretive industry and managers, artistic directors, soloists, players and conductors openly discuss their different perspectives for the first time.

The Cambridge Companion to the Rolling Stones

The Cambridge Companion to the Rolling Stones PDF

Author: Victor Coelho

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-09-12

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1107030269

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The first collection of academic essays focused entirely on the musical, historical, cultural and media impact of the Rolling Stones.

The Cambridge Companion to Berlioz

The Cambridge Companion to Berlioz PDF

Author: Peter Bloom

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2000-08-24

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1107494060

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Still chiefly known as the extravagant composer of the Symphonie fantastique, Berlioz was an artist caught in the crossfire between the academic classicism of the French musical establishment and the romantic modernism of the Parisian musical scene. He was a thinker in an age that invented both the religion of art and the notion of the 'genius' who preached and practised it. This Companion contains essays by eminent scholars on Berlioz's place in nineteenth-century French cultural life, on his principal compositions (symphonies, overtures, operas, sacred works, songs), on his major writings (a delightful volume of memoires, a number of short stories, large quantities of music criticism, an orchestration treatise), on his direct and indirect encounters with other famous musicians (Gluck, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner), and on his legacy in France. The volume is framed by a detailed chronology of his life and a usefully annotated bibliography.

The Cambridge Companion to Mendelssohn

The Cambridge Companion to Mendelssohn PDF

Author: Peter Mercer-Taylor

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2004-10-21

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 9780521533423

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This book surveys the life, work, and posthumous reception of nineteenth-century German-Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn.

The Cambridge History of Musical Performance

The Cambridge History of Musical Performance PDF

Author: Colin Lawson

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-02-16

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1316184420

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The intricacies and challenges of musical performance have recently attracted the attention of writers and scholars to a greater extent than ever before. Research into the performer's experience has begun to explore such areas as practice techniques, performance anxiety and memorisation, as well as many other professional issues. Historical performance practice has been the subject of lively debate way beyond academic circles, mirroring its high profile in the recording studio and the concert hall. Reflecting the strong ongoing interest in the role of performers and performance, this History brings together research from leading scholars and historians and, importantly, features contributions from accomplished performers, whose practical experiences give the volume a unique vitality. Moving the focus away from the composers and onto the musicians responsible for bringing the music to life, this History presents a fresh, integrated and innovative perspective on performance history and practice, from the earliest times to today.

Richard Wagner: Parsifal

Richard Wagner: Parsifal PDF

Author: Lucy Beckett

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1981-08-20

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 9780521296625

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A comprehensive account of Wagner's last, and strangest opera.

The Cambridge Companion to the Harpsichord

The Cambridge Companion to the Harpsichord PDF

Author: Mark Kroll

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-01-03

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 1108667929

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Written by fourteen leading experts in the field, this Companion covers almost every aspect of the harpsichord - the history of the instrument, tuning systems, the role of the harpsichord in ensemble, its use in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and includes separate chapters devoted to Domenico Scarlatti, J. S. Bach and Handel. Chapters featuring almost every national style are written by authors with close connections to the countries about which they are writing, including England, The Netherlands, Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, as well as the less extensive harpsichord traditions of Russia, the Nordic and Baltic countries, and colonial Spanish and Portuguese America. With musical examples, illustrations, a timeline of the harpsichord, and an appendix of composers, reliable editions and original sources, this book is for all who love the harpsichord, or want to learn more about it.