A History of the Sonata Idea

A History of the Sonata Idea
Author: William S. Newman
Publisher: UNC Press Books
Total Pages: 924
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1469643731

This definitive volume, the second, largest, and most central in Newman's History of the Sonata Idea, covers the period from the first sample Italian sonatas using the new techniques of the Alberti bass about 1735 to the succession of masterpieces by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven which extended until about 1820. It is one of the few books to deal exclusively with the classical era in music. Originally published in 1963. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

Classical Form

Classical Form
Author: William E. Caplin
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2000-12-28
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0199881758

Building on ideas first advanced by Arnold Schoenberg and later developed by Erwin Ratz, this book introduces a new theory of form for instrumental music in the classical style. The theory provides a broad set of principles and a comprehensive methodology for the analysis of classical form, from individual ideas, phrases, and themes to the large-scale organization of complete movements. It emphasizes the notion of formal function, that is, the specific role a given formal unit plays in the structural organization of a classical work.

Beethoven's Chamber Music in Context

Beethoven's Chamber Music in Context
Author: Angus Watson
Publisher: Boydell Press
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2012
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1843837161

A noted violinist and conductor, Watson is particularly well suited for his chosen task: outlining the historical context and character of more than 50 of the chamber works that Beethoven composed during his years in Vienna. Avoiding the pitfalls of becoming too critical or "academic," the author characterizes each composition in general terms only, and does not discuss changing styles of performance. Instead, Watson provides information on a work's historical background and character, and on the musical points of interest in each movement. He pays special attention to the influence of Beethoven's large-scale compositions on his chamber music, and on the composer's increasing mastery of improvisation. Filling a hole in scholarship on Beethoven's compositions, this book will be greatly appreciated by professional and amateur musicians.

The Brahms-Keller Correspondence

The Brahms-Keller Correspondence
Author: George S. Bozarth
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 700
Release: 1996-01-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780803212381

For two decades, beginning in the early 1870s, Robert Keller, music editor for N. Simrock Verlag in Berlin, worked with diligence and devotion to usher into print most of Johannes Brahms's major compositions, including all four of his symphonies, the Violin Concerto, the Double Concerto, the Second Piano Concerto, and numerous chamber, choral, and vocal works. This volume collects for the first time the complete extant correspondence between Brahms and Keller, as preserved in the collections of the Library of Congress and the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. To read their correspondence is to witness a relationship of mutual respect and increasing friendship and to gain an appreciation for the meticulous labor that went into the publication of Brahms's masterpieces. Keller’s admiration for the composer's genius was answered by Brahms's affection for Keller’s diligence and musical expertise. The vicissitudes of the publication process from composer’s manuscript to printed score are documented in fascinating detail. This edition includes a transcription of the letters in the original German.